I'm 45, and researched the xB for over a year before buying it. Our daughter was turning 16 and would be taking over use of my old Saturn, so I spent hours, even days combing the net, reading this site and many others. Nothing rose to the value that the xB offers. Great mileage, ABS, traction and stability control, loads of room for driver and passengers and great visability.
Oddly enough, when I first saw the xB at an auto show my 13-yr.-old son went nuts and I shook my head saying "no, I don't need to drive that silly little box." All I can say is that it grew on me. The more I researched the more sense it made, and frankly, everything else just looked boring in comparison. Go sit in one, the tiny on the outside but huge on the inside effect is amazing.
I looked hard at the Focus. We have a fleet of them at work and I drive one every day. When they're new, I like them, they seem like a good value for the money but it doesn't take long for them to loosen up and feel like every inexpensive domestic car. In addition, the drive trains start whining fairly early on and get louder by the mile. Besides, I just couldn't see myself in a Focus, they bore me.
What would I change on the xB? The paint is first on my list. It's not the toughest and the square nose is a rock magnet. Protection of some sort is a must, be it a clear bra http://www.rockblocker.com/ or a cloth one http://www.colgancustom.com/, at the very least a plastic bug deflector http://www.weathertech.com/store/pro...tem_group_id=5 to protect the metal hood is in order if she wants to keep it looking good and rust-free years down the road.
I've had my xB for about three months and absolutely love it. I can't wait to get out of the company car and jump in the box for the drive home, they are blast to drive. I'd avoid the high priced dealer options, if you're handy at all, most of them can be done for a fraction of the cost yourself, and financing that stuff is dumb.
Feel free to ask more questions, everyone here is quite helpful and you can email me directly anytime.

 

It's a good teenager car. Fun, functional, but not too fast. It'll also last a good long while (remember, everything but the steering wheel and the badges on this car is toyota).

 

cobalts build quality sucks very very much , better than some other gms but not good enough for a brand new car at that price . imo.

 

If you buy a American car, you minus well set your money on fire! Do you want to spent your free time at you "friendly" Ford dealer? HELL NO!

If you havent noticed by now, this site is 99.99% Pro Toyota!

I made the mistake four years ago when I was 18 of buying a new Ford Focus SE. That car had 11, yes 11 recalls! After 55K, the car was nearly dead! It ran like a 1989 Chevy Corsica!!

Anyways, your daughter is very smart for wanting a Toyota product. The xB (known as th bB in Japan) has been around in japan since 2000! The platform that the xB rides on is nearly the same as the Toyota Echo. The xB is nearly bullitproof in reliabilty AND resale value. You cannot go wrong! The Scion buying process is very easy. The price you see online, is the price you will pay.


You See Scion and Toyota don't need to offer rebates to sell thier vehicles.

PLEASE dont let Ford or Chevy fool you!

 

My first car at 18 was a ford focus. i=It was a graduation gift that i wanted at the time and i paid half for it. with the 98,000 miles i put on it, it was in the service shop for a total of a combined 2 months at least. so many problems i can't even remember them all.

i dumped the focus for the xB and couldnt be happier. the ZX3 i had had the premium package option which brought it up to 14,000 the second week i had it i had to go to the dealer to fix somehing and on average i was at the dealer almost monthly. and you know its not good when the service department knows your first name.

the xB i have is pretty base except for floor mats, trunk mat and a spoiler. the sticker was 14,750 and it came with all the standard features posted above. it was only the second month the scion brand was being sold on the east coast. i couldn't be happier.

Yeah i loose a good amount of HP from the focus to the xB, but you dont need 300HP to do 65MPH right? you most definately will not be disapointed.

Even the xA has great features and is about 1500 cheaper i think. i get 34MPG on avg and can drive from Wilmington NC to the Metorpolotan area of NYC on 1 3/4 tanks

i think thats a great selling point too.

no blind spots, traction control, can be base with nothing or loaded to the gills (better off base with your choice transmission)

keep us posted and dont be shy to ask any questions!

-Paul, Proud Scion owner since March 10, 2004

 

Looking at this from the parent's POV (since I'm one myself):

1. It's Toyota. Great quality, warranty, etc.
2. Resale value is high.
3. It's safe.
4. It's not particularly fast, and handles very well.
5. It's inexpensive.
6. Your daughter wants it!

 

how old is your daughter?
and do u got a picture?

 

^ lol

She's 18 as he said in the first post. But a pic won't hurt ;)

 

i apologize, i got lazy....dunno if anyone said this, but the xB is about 7 years older than the cobalt....and almost the same age as the neon. i mean, how can you say you don't know about a new toyota product, but then go look at a new chevy product. that doesn't make any sense to me.

 

Please post pic of 18yr old daughter.

 

I can't add anything fresh. Only to emphasize what Paul said:

no blind spots

-this is such a strong point of the car! Sylists in general don't care about blind spots. Toyota did care, though. They made a stylish box with clear vision all around.

 

...GM and FORD , are they still in business ?

 

I am 31 and LOVE MyLilXBox

Its great. I went from a 93 Camry fully loaded with 189000k. (owned since brand new) Sold it to StepMummy cause I just had to have an XB.

By the way my husband and I are also Ford employees lol!!!

My husband even loves my car and he has 2 mustangs and hes always taking my car. Its a great deal. You wont loose. I live in Orlando and I have an auto (great for I-4 rush hour) its fun to drive and its gonna be great as my family car. My Grandfather even loves it.

Good Luck you both will make the right choice.

 

I am 31 and LOVE MyLilXBox

Its great. I went from a 93 Camry fully loaded with 189000k. (owned since brand new) Sold it to StepMummy cause I just had to have an XB.

By the way my husband and I are also Ford employees lol!!!

My husband even loves my car and he has 2 mustangs and hes always taking my car. Its a great deal. You wont loose. I live in Orlando and I have an auto (great for I-4 rush hour) its fun to drive and its gonna be great as my family car. My Grandfather even loves it.

Good Luck you both will make the right choice.

 

Look, it's very simple. GO drive one.

 

Buy the xB, you wont reget it. First of all it is a Toyota. I am 36 years old and have owned many different cars. I recently switched from the Ford Focus, big piece of crap, March 5, 2005 to the xB. I currently have over 5000 miles and the xB is truly awesome. Standard Traction control, ABS, and air bags make this a safe choice. It is economical, has great gas mileage, fun to drive, no haggle pricing, comes standard with more features than any other vehicle for the money, and great resale value. Rest assured, you wont be disappointed. Good luck and keep us updated....

 

Best value for the money. I don't see why anyone would not want one.

 

News says that GM is considering bankruptcy. Too bad those idiots didn't learn anything from the gas crisis in the 70's and that quality is king. I was a diehard Chevy man until I got tired of spending big bucks to fix cars that had less than 75K miles on them.

 

^^ how is that when they are currently the #1 auto manufacutrer in the world.

last i checked it was

1.GM
2.Ford motor company
3.Damilear-chrysler
4.FIAT

 

fiat ? aren't they only sold in europe ? hmmm..... ford motor company is only so large since they own soo many different companies and each one they touch turns to poo.