We have a 16-year-old girl staying with us at the moment, and she's been going on and on about how she thinks the Scion xBs are "the bomb" and that she wants one for her own as soon as she can buy a car. Although I thought the little refrigerators on wheels were kind of cute, I certainly didn't consider buying one, until now...

On a whim, I decided to rent one for the weekend. We picked it up at 9:00 AM this morning, and my partner and I are already discussing buying one. We are having a lot of fun with it, and are very tempted. The two things holding me back are the dreaded car payment and my woman's tendency to be accident-prone. (She started driving 8 years ago, and has had a total of 6 minor accidents)

After getting really ____ed off in the past at three different lenders on three separate purchases,, I decided that I'd never buy another vehicle for which I couldn't pay cash. My current ride is a 1995 Ford Escort station wagon purchased about three or four years ago. I paid very little for it, and it's served me well, though it's decidedly "uncool." Before that, I drove around a 1996 Subaru Station Wagon that my father gave me for free when my stepmother blew the engine after failing to notice a coolant leak...

Currently, our garage is filled with aging and increasingly unreliable vehicles. We have a 1974 Fiat Spider Sport 124 convertible, a 1996 Subaru GL station wagon, a 1993 Chevy CK/1500 truck (used for towing our travel trailer), and a 1995 Ford Escort Wagon. None have less than 100,000 miles on them (the truck and Subaru have more than 200,000), and all have minor, but annoying, problems including electical issues, non-working heating and A/C, non-functioning sound systems, and carburetor problems.

Other than the Fiat (which is interesting because it's old, unique, and was purchased dirt cheap) I've never owned a car that was considered really "cool." Most of my vehicles were purchased because they were heavy on practicality and lean on "the fun factor." I'm sorely tempted, but the idea of paying on a new car (even one that is fun AND practical like the xB) is kind of scary.

After looking at all the modified xBs out there, I'd like to get involved, though I'm not sure it's something that I could really do myself. I'm not very smart when it comes to working on cars, and I'm just as likely to stab a hole in my thumb with a screwdriver than actually manage to fix anything. (I'm a great computer programmer, but just never learned a damn thing about cars) It looks like a lot of fun, but I wonder if I'm simply deluding myself...

Thoughts?

 

How can you go wrong with the xB? Super mileage and super fun factor. If you get one you can find a lot of folks willing to help you with mods. There are tuner shops that can do the work for not much money. I hear you on the car payments!! The other great thing is that if you go to buy one you won't need to haggle as it is one price for all. A word of warning--buy a new one--the used ones do not depreciate enough to make them worth going after. Good luck and hope to see you on the boards with your own xB....

 

Alex, considering all your previous vehicles were old and always needing repair. How could you NOT have learned how to work on them??? If not, that would explain why it's scary to get something that won't nickle and dime you to death.
Look at it this way... Get an xB with the money you save Not having to pay someone to keep the other heaps on the road. Think of it as a new experience. Actually driving a vehicle for more than a month without having to do anything but wash it. Doesn't that sound like a nice way to go through life?
BTW, 15K for a new long lasting vehicle should never be scary. The other vehicles you used were plenty scary all by themselves.

 

get rid of the chevy and ford and suby, keep the fiat (cuz the fiat has kick-___ "cool" factor). the former three are just eating up your insurance for no good. really, the xB is just the next step in going forward with your automobile life. it combines the spaciousness of an estate/wagon with the practicality of a city car. it goes easy on the gas, which is something the chevy and ford can never touch. as said above, price for the xB is a killer deal considering what it gives you and how well it is built. you will not find another car like it AT ALL for 15K. again, maintenance is practically zero for this car because it's just that good. get one soon before the dealers stop selling them, because there are no '07 models !

 

The thing that I find scary is that the cost to keep my current pieces of junk on the road is less than what a monthly car payment would be. Many of the things that are broken just don't get fixed because they aren't things that I "need." I use my truck to pull an RV, but it's not the end of the world that the A/C, radio and power door locks don't work. The engine is fine. Likewise, it's inconvenient, but not fatal, that the heater core in the Ford started leaking, so I had my mechanic bypass the heater instead of spending $600 to replace it. Now I have no heat (which isn't a big deal in California) but a still-running car. The Subaru probably needs major carburetor work, and probably should go, especially since I found out the state will pay me $800 to get old cars off the road.

Anyway, you guys have offered some great advice. Thanks!

My next question is: If the Toyota dealer that I rented from offers to sell me the rental, is that worth considering, or should I just insist on a new one with ZERO miles on it?

 

I have one other question: If they are discontinuing the xB for 2007, won't that create a problem for current owners because they will no longer be manufacturing parts?

Also, why are they discontinuing it? Given what I've seen, these cars are hugely popular. Seems Toyota would be shooting themselves in the foot to stop selling something that is in such high demand.

 

The xB is based on the Echo and shares many of the same parts. The Echo is (I believe) the best selling car in the history of the world, or close to it. Also, Federal law requires manufacturers to maintain parts inventory for discontinued cars for ten years. Parts for the xB will not be a problem.

Part of the Scion brand identity is that each model is unique and limited in its US availability. They can do this because they are basically versions of vehicles made in greater numbers for sale in other parts of the world, so building a US Scion version is not terribly expensive. When the xB is retired, it will be replaced by another Scion made to fit the same niche. It will have a different name, though.

RichC

 

Well Alex, I've come from the same place as you. I had rigged cars for many years to keep them running for me. Hell, I STILL have my 1977 Chevette (in baby blue thankyouverymuch) although I almost never drive it (distinct lack of brakes right now...).

Aside from being fun to own and fun to drive the xB has the benefit of being NEW vs. the vehicles you are currently driving. What does that mean? Well, that means you can take a 600 mile roadtrip in a weekend AND NOT HAVE TO PREPARE FOR IT! That means no tools, no extra fluids, no coathangers holding on the alternator (or whatever your equivalant is), and you know it will start again TOMORROW without issue.

Yes, having a car payment isn't ideal, but when you don't have to spend your weekends figuring out what is wrong with a car or where you will get it fixed next time or figuring out how many pairs of pants you must wear during the winter because you have no heat (done that too, I've also scraped the INSIDE of my windshield) then I think a small monthly payment is worth it.

I made the switch and I think you will be happy when you do the same.

-Alex

 

buy the car! if ur not inclined to do alot of work urself, there r plenty of people here that will help. whether it be advice, manufacturers, install shops, or even people that r willing to help a fellow xb'er out there will always be someone here to help u.

 

IMHO.....
keep the spyder,and the pickup..
go git the $800 per car for the rest of the "retiree's"
that should go quite a long ways tward your down payment..

and don't worry about have'n no help with any mods you may want to do...
SL has many many ppl who will help show you how..

and don't sweat the payments...just buy the base box and no dealer options except Cruise Control....and since it is a Toyota...fergit that extended warenty as well.. thereby saveing a bit more $$ and keeping the payments low.

I let the wife drive mine(3 times)...........now we have 2!

 

Funny, I just recently (few months back) picked up my xB. This is the first brand new car I have ever owned (and I'm over 40)!

Like, you, I always bought used cars and kept on driving and fixing them. I'm pretty handy, so I could fix lots of things, but I still needed an expensive mechanic for bigger jobs (like major engine, transmission or suspension jobs).

When my latest daily driver (93 Caddy Eldorado) A/C died, I thought about gettiing it fixed. But the car still needed other expensive things done to it (which I couldn't handle). And it started showing signs of rusting (thaks to the salty winters here in New England).

So, I decided that it made sense to find an inexpensive new car. xB fit the bill perfectly. I read bunch of car reviews and checked into buying it. Needles to say, I own one now. And this is a very reliable Toyota vehicle which comes with lots of comfort options which I had on the Caddy (like power windows, keyless entry, etc.).

And what other inexpensive car can you get which will make you stand out in the sea of Camrys, Accords and Tauruses?

When I first saw the xB (it was the 2004 RS1), I thought it was really ugly. But it is unique and that is a good thing. It grew on me. And it handles very well considering it's weird tall shape.

And now I work on my car not because I have to (so I can keep it running) but because I want to (modding it). What an awesome feeling.

And I'm planning on keeping it for a long time. At least I know how the car has been driven since it was new and what has been done to it.

And like your Fiat, I still kept another used car when I want to go pimpin': 1985 Eldorado. :D

If you can swing it - get a new xB. Dont even look for used ones (as I originally did) because you can get a brand new car for the price of a used one. Used xBs don't seem to drop their values like other used cars.

Another thing : maybe you can keep the Escort for your accident prone woman - you sure don't want to damage a new xB!

 

So last night, on a whim, we put in an electronic credit application with Capital One and they approved us. So, looks like we will be buying a box...

Of course things have gone a little crazy at the moment. Last night our 16-year-old foster daughter (the one who turned us on the xB in the first place) decided to run away.

 

Congratulations and yikes.

 

Teenagers... You decide to get what she likes and she runs away.. Go figure...

I hope everything works out for you!

 

Tell her you decided to get the xB after all and she can come back home now. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

The good news: We bought our xB today. We called around and the second-closest dealership had what we wanted.

The bad news: It didn't have all the options we wanted, so we have to wait until they get 'em done. We'll pick up our new baby probably on Thursday.

The ugly news: Foster daughter hasn't been found. She's run from other foster homes, so I don't expect to see her again.

 

Sorry to here that. Hope it works out OK for her.
What options are you getting?

 

The car already had:

- TVC taillights
- Fog lights
- Exhaust tip
- Floor & cargo mats
- Scion security
- 15" 7-spoke alloy wheels
- Rear spoiler

We asked them to add:

- Blue LED lights
- Stereo w/iPod
- Cruise Control

I know we could have probably gotten things cheaper if we did it ourselves, but it was the only Polar White box on the lot, and I figured I'd rather pay a little extra and get what I wanted instead of driving all over trying to find one that was stock and do it myself.

We stopped by the dealership today and they told us that it will be ready for pick up tomorrow. It wasn't done today because they didn't have the stereo in stock.

 

sounds like a good setup on the box.
any plans to do mods to it , or no ? in any case, welcome !

 

Most excellent! And I compliment you on the very smart choice of color! :D You've just placed another "toaster" or "fridge" on the road!