EDIT: Just got a new scion. Rather than making a new thread, I thought I'd just update this one. New post is HERE



Hi, I just registered, and I apologize if this gets asked alot. I skimmed through the board before posting and saw similar threads but nothing that answered my exact questions.

I'm looking at getting a new xB right now, before they switch over the the 2008 model (is it just me, or does it look like they're trying to make it look like a tiny Hummer?) I've been playing around on the Scion.com customization area, and I've prettymuch settled on which accessories I want, but I'm wondering if with some of them it might not just be better to wait and buy the parts later and install them myself, to avoid installation fees, or maybe to get similar parts cheaper from a third party. For the sake of getting any help at all that I can from y'all I'm going to go ahead and list all of the accessories:

• Fog Lights
• Rear Bumper Applique
• Rear Spoiler
• Scion Security
• Center Armrest
• Cargo Cover
• Floor & Cargo Mats

I'm also wondering if the rear spoiler really provides any function, besides simply aesthetics. Mostly I just like how it looks, but if it does anything functional, like maybe helping to keep the rear windshield a little cleaner, or anything else, then I would feel a little better about the extra couple hundred dollars it costs.

Thanks for the help.

EDIT: I am now also looking at a used RS 1.0. Details in the second post on the next page.

 

the rear spoiler really does nothing at all, mainly just cosmetics as to what i'm told from the dealer's mechanics. there is no installation chargers at all. everything on the Scion's are a fixed price, you pay what the number says you pay. floor mats i would totaly recommend getting, mine didn't come with any and i totaly spaced on it so now i'm vacuming my front seat floors atleast 2 - 3 times a month. center armrest is REALLY something nice to have but it just seems odd that it's what... 180 bucks for it when it seems cheap and flimsy for what it is but it's still worth it. fog lights are nice, they help a little but not impressively alot.

but the spoiler still, even though it's a couple hundread more... i think it's worth it because it really makes a diffrence on how the box looks. when you compare two boxes side by side and one having the spoiler and the other not having one... theres big diffrence... atleast to me.

 

Pretty much everything you have listed there, with the exception of security can be easily installed yourself. Check newscionparts.com, trdsparks.com, and scionpartspeople.com for discounted accessories.

Box is prewired for fogs, so those are easy
Applique can be installed easily
OEM armrest is one screw
The spoiler can be installed using 3M doublestick
and the mats just get thrown in.

You'll save yourself a lot of money doing it yourself.

 

Everything the dealer sells can be puchased online cheaper and installed yourself. And I mean factory parts, not knock-offs.

If you need install help, Scionlife is here. And even if you pay the dealer to install a part for you, you can buy it online and save some dough.

Your best bet is to buy the car "stock" and order every accessory you want online.

Sites like www.TRDsparks.com are a good place to start. Go there and see the price difference from Scion.com

-THE DON.

 

x2 for TRDsparks. It will save you money in the long run.

 

Scion security isn't that great. You can get an aftermarket alarm for 1/2 the price and 2x the features. I got it because I don't think I really need an alarm and didn't want to mess with it. Everything else is bolt on and easy to do for cheaper than the dealer will charge. The only benefits to getting it now is to include in financing, slightly lower tax rate (vehicle tax is maybe 0.5% less than regular normal tax rate), and to get the 3/36 warranty on the parts. Not that you need the warranty on them anyway.

 

I wouldn't get the scion security or the arm rest I've read that most prefer the aftermarket arm rests and I do prefer the aftermarket alarms

 

Other than the spoiler, which never appealed to me, you'll save a bundle buying the exact same parts from TRD Sparks or similar, installing them yourself...

The cargo cover is cheesey- sent mine back...

Having the dealer install the alarm might be worth it, depending on the degree of difficulty vs install price, dunno...

I hate car alarms, anyway. Too bad they don't just give the owner an electric shock, rather than waking the whole neighborhood when a cat jumps on the hood...

Spring for a TRD or Progress rear swaybar- huge improvement in handling, little to no loss in ride quality... Easily the best $150 mod available...

 

The wing make the car look so much better! IMO worth getting at the dealer.

Dont waste your time with the cargo net, its a complete joke.

Floor mats are a must! but can be found cheaper anywhere else.

I like my scion alarm exept for the fact that it doesnt beep when you lock it. Sometimes I will hit the button 5 or more times because I am not pay attention if my lights blinked or not lol! But I wanted the peice of mind knowing that it was installed right and under warranty.

Dont have fogs or bumper app.

 

I opted for an aftermarket alarm(usually alot better won't void the warranty if installed professionally and you keep a receipt) the factory alarm most likely won't have a stop for the starter, it'll just make noise when set off, aftermarket ones will have a starter disengage, and you can get tilt sensors and window break sensors(usually those are standard with aftermarket)

 

Naw, I'm not messing withthe Cargo Net. I want the Cargo Cover, though, since I will be parking the car on a college campus during the day, out in public, and who knows what I might be keeping in the trunk, that I don't want people to be tempted to break in for.

 

I second the aftermarket alarm. The factory alarm sucks. There is no beep to confirm that the car has been locked/unlocked, no motion sensor, and the biggest kicker is the cost...a whopping 469 bucks! For $350 you could buy and have someone install a state-of-the-art alarm with an auto-start feature (350 includes alarm and labor).

 

Keep in mind that everything you buy from the dealer can be bought from ebay for much cheaper.

 

Also, for install help you should get to know owners in your area, there are a lot of people who can give you a hand and I found the usual payment is some beer.

 

what aftermarket armrests are there? The only ones I've been able to find are the standard ones, justbeing sold aftermarket. I'm a pretty big guy (6'5") with pretty big arms (7' wingspan) and I'm intending on going for a manual, so an armrest is important to me, and if there are different options out there I'd definitely like to check them out.



Also, as far as the spoiler, the whole story here is that I'm not actually the one who will be paying for the car, but rather my parents will be, with me potentially buying it off of them in a few years. I have about a year or so left on my bachlors degree, and my parents offered to buy an extra car, for my personal use, if I agreed to move back home from campus and commute (it's only about 25 miles) which would save them money on housing expenses. Since my parents are the ones paying, they don't want to spend extra money on things that serve no purpose, so while my father agrees that the car does look much better with the spoiler, since he considers the car to be just another "kids car" (my younger brothers will be driving it occassionally, but I'll be using it as my daily driver. Our other "kids car" is a 2003 Saab 93, which is fun to drive, but doesn't fit me as well as I'd like,definitely not as well as the xB fits me,) he's not looking to add a couple hundred just for cosmetics.

So, yeah. He actually was the one who suggested that maybe it helps to keep the rear windshield a little bit cleaner, and suggested that I go find out if there's any function at all that it serves. It seems to me that he wantsto get it, but has to find a reason to justify it, or at least rationalize it (that's his usual M.O.)




Also, onthe topic of accessories, is the fitted car cover worth it? I live right outside of DC, which means that our weather swings to both extremes, and the xB is going to be parked on our driveway pad year round (two car garage already has two cars) so I wonder if maybe it would be good to have the car cover for incliment weather.



Also, speaking of leavingthe car outside year round (wow, I am justfull of uestions today) are there any colors to avoid because the paint fades if left in the sun all the time? Personally, I'm partial to the red (as well as the RS4, but it's unlikely we'll pay extra for a different paint job) but I know that some red cars tend to fade if left out in the sun all the time. Is that something to worry about?



I'm looking forward to driving around in a box, and actually being able to have some one sit behind me without crushing their legs (like I said, I am a big guy). There are a couple other cars we're looking at, but the xB is my preference, and since everyone else in the house likes it (except for one of my brothers, who intends to go into aero/astro engineering, and loves Saab because it was designed by aero engineers. we still have the 93, though, so he can deal,) we'll probably end up going with the xB in the end, which is why I'm focussing my efforts solely on it. Hopefully we'll still be able to get it new in the color we want by the time we get around to buying it (ideally we'd be waiting for late June/early July, but we might make a move sooner because of the whole discontinuing it to bring out the 2008, which appears to be smaller on the inside, and not what we want on the outside.)

 

The Saab 93 I've been driving doesn't beep either. At first it bothered me because I was used to the beep (I had been borrowing my mother's 2000 Honda Oddessy before the Saab, until I learned to drive manual, and got used to thebeep) but I actually kind of like it silent now; it's more understated, and seems, I dunno, classier I guess. Instead of making noise to let everyone around me know that I'm locking my car with my key fob, the car just signals at me with its lights, kind of like it's winking at me.



The alarm is actually something that my father is pushing for getting with the car, mostly because it would be included in the warranty at that point. With the places I park I've never had an serious break-in attempts (knock on wood), so all of the extra security features aren't really catching my eye. Of course, there is a first time for everything, and a better aftermarket alarm is definitely something worth considering.

 

Yeah, I just want to make sure you get your money's worth. It's nice knowing your car has an alarm from day one, but the dealer really rakes in some revenue from these inflated prices.

 

When i bought my box, i had this same problem-- buy it now, finance it or start from scratch so to say and build up. I ended up getting the spoiler, TRD springs, and exhaust and although i'm glad i did it (to save time and effort), i know how much i actually paid for those and i could have saved a ton going aftermarket.

It probably depends a little on how car savvy you are. If you have time and some extra dough to invest then DIY. If not, then get the bare minimums that you want from the dealer (spoiler, fog lights, arm rest <- all which i really love) then do the other things on your own.

i'd definately look at getting an alarm other than scions. I have a 2-way that has saved me a couple times! Plus you can add to other alarms like rear hatch, automatic start (auto only), extra censors on things which is nice.

good luck, you're gonna love your box! my dad is 6'3 and fits in my car with room to spare!

 

Everything on the list can be had for less. I'd go base model with the spoiler and add stuff slowly as you can afford it. This way your payment is less and you are not paying interest on accessories. The fogs were a joke so I added my own. The Scion security is a joke so go aftermarket on that. There are several different armrests on the market so shop around. The rear applique is fugly and gets stained with car wax. A better option would be to cover the top of the bumper with some clear 3M stuff. Also invest in a clear bra to help with the inevitable rockchips. Congrats and enjoy the "original box"

 

Well, I'm actually headed out to CarMax later today to test drive a used RS4 (automatic, but oh well) so the whole thing might be moot. Still, since it is a little more money, I might end up passing on it and going with a "regular" color new, or even a new RS4 manual (dealership down the road from me told me they can get them in) in which case the advice you all have given me will be very helpful.