JacobxB

Hey folks, I've been casually shopping for a new ride for a while now.

I started noticing this little toaster on my way into town everyday. So I finally decided to stop and look it over yesterday.

No one was home, but they left it unlocked so I checked it out. This thing is beautiful inside, outside, and in the engine compartment. Besides a crack in the fuse box, it is in showroom condition.

I called the guy, and he asked for 5500 which was a bit high, but he agreed to meet at 4750.

I'm going to drive it here in an hour or so. I pulled the carfax, and he's the 4th owner. The second owner reported some front end damage, but went on to renew the registration for several more years. In the past 2 years it has changed hands twice. The 3rd owner had it for 1 year, 1 month. The current owner has had it for 9 months.

Is there anything I should be weary of? Maybe something wrong with it that only shows up in winter, etc?

The car has 94xxx miles on it, and it's an 05.

I would guess that people around here are disappointed in its small engine, or something, but from what I've read, it will do exactly what I need it to do -- get me from home to work, and back at a very good price.

It appears to have an excellent maintenance track from the 1st/2nd owners as far as I can tell. It's started to drop off recently, but it's out of warranty, and they're probably maintaining it personally, or taking it to a shop that doesn't report.

Let me know what you think. If all goes well, and no one has strong advice not to buy it, I plan on paying him for it Saturday, and making it mine.

Thanks in advance!

JacobxB

So I met the owner in person and drove the car/box/suv/appliance.

The 3rd owner sold it to them because he got a DUI. As a result of the DUI, he was relieved of needing a vehicle. Also, he paid almost 10k for it

The current owner is getting rid of it for exactly the reason I expected. They drive a dualy, and I'm assuming another large vehicle. This vehicle doesn't seem to fit their image, and they want the money to help pay off their loan on the truck.

Impressions on the car:

1. Surprisingly peppy
2. May eventually need motor mounts (seems a little noisy while stopped, and in gear. Not terrible though)
3. Can almost turn around in the middle of the road
4. If the A/C is on full blast, and I give it hell from a dead stop, the belt squeals for a second
5. Another sideways facing engine for me to work on
6. The vehicle won't impress anyone in my little farm/railroad town.
7. The smart/efficient/electric car driving people at work will like it more than the F150 King Ranch, or the oil leaking 01 Intrepid
8. I like it. My wife says it's the "I have a wife, 3 kids, and I'm outnumbered by women starter pack."


The suspension is in good shape. The oil doesn't taste burnt, and it's been in the engine for atleast 1k miles so they aren't trying to hide anything. The tailpipe is clean. The only sign of front end damage I can find is that the lower bumper/fascia/thingamajig seems slightly newer or repainted which confirms my suspicions that someone hit a curb. Everything underneath looks good.

The current owner had no idea that it was ever involved in a wreck or had body repairs.

I'll be making this car mine. Looking forward to joining the Scion club!

RichBinAZ

Here's what KBB says for a car in VG condition
https://www.kbb.com/scion/xb/2005/ha...=private-party

They are very reliable. Had to replace the internal AC blower fan at around 105K miles.
I think other things happen in wet climates with the rear ABS, but if you cruise around the threads you may find a few things. At least it's not a Ford!!!

JacobxB

Thanks for the advice!

I’ll browse around for the ABS problem. As far as the A/C, I might not even notice it. My car is still set to heat from last winter. I leave early enough that it’s still nice out for my ride to work, and I always have the windows down going 70 on my way home.

Cash in hand, seller isn’t available until tomorrow morning. As I suspected, there wasn’t any competition for it in this little farm town. Score!

XBDeltona

I am a 1st-generation 2005 Scion xB owner and the box has been a great ride for more than 200,000 miles, but alas, mine needs more than $2,000 in repairs now so I just don't think it's worth it.
I always planned to trick it out, but I never did. It looks brand new from the outside, and I have lots of great memories. You can haul a lot of TV and other stuff home because of the box shape that would not fit into a lot of other small SUVs.
I have loved mine, now I am just looking for someone who wants to buy mine for parts-only.... R.I.P. little white box. I hope you will get an xB it's great.

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JacobxB

I just brought it home this morning. Fighting an ear infection, and a cold so I didn’t get to play with it much.

What needs to be repaired on yours?

XBDeltona

My son thought it would be the water pump or U-joints. It turned out to be a transmission part that could not be found used, and Toyota would only sell the whole assembly.. I think it had something to do with the part being sealed and then fused to the drive shaft or something... that is when he gave me the bad news. I hope this makes sense to you, I am not a mechanic. I just felt sad when he said, it was going to be costly.

JacobxB

Ah that is a bummer! 200k is pretty good for a tranny though IMO. Is yours a manual or automatic?

I have no idea how difficult this little thing is going to be to work on yet. Looks like anything beyond an oil change is going to require either removing the passenger tire or dealing with claustrophobia depending on the task.

XBDeltona

It's an automatic.

RichBinAZ

I know people don't like rock auto, had bad experiences etc etc, but sometimes...
2005 SCION XB 1.5L L4 Automatic Transmission Assembly | RockAuto
Might be something here that can help out