This past weekend I finally took the plunge and went into my local Toyota/Scion dealership and put down the $500 to have it ordered from Japan. The person who helped me buy the car told me she could allocate it (No MT xDs on the lot) on the 15th of this month and it should be here 3 weeks from then. I say helped buy because she didn't really sell me the car. No pressure or razzle dazzle from her at all. Is that the norm in Scion "sales" people? Maybe it was just that she was an older female and that was her style. Anyway! I was trying to decide between BRM and MG as the color but they didn't have either on the lot! I just told her to go with MG and she said if I changed my mind to get back to her by the 14th. So here's a few questions that will help a noobie out.

As preface - I heard some people complain that their MG paint is really easily damaged and has scratched and dented within days of receiving the car. Is this just the case with this color? With this car? With Scions? With new cars this year? Or were they just crazy people. I'm going to put in a poll for you guys to help me decide which color to pick, but I'd also like some feedback on the "flimsiness" of the paint.

I'm not one for aesthetics, so I'm not going to drop it or get nice rims on it or anything pricey like that. But I was considering a few minor mods. Firstly - How do you remove the rear decals? I'm in love with the xD but don't want the badges on the rear of the car showing because I think it's ugly and ruins the whole hatch. Secondly - I don't have much money to shell out for performance mods but I found a cone filter for $20 and was considering just pulling out the stock filter/housing and attaching the filter straight in it's place. I know it won't increase the HP by much because it's still sucking in warm air from the bay, but will it increase the amount of air flow? Are there any adverse effects to putting this in? Even if the answer to both is no I still do enjoy the sound of a straight filter (silencers and other manufacturer attempts to bring down the noise of intakes annoy me) Thirdly - are there any mods that the car just needs ? I'm not talking about a dropping kit or spoiler, I'd like to know if anything greatly improves it's handling like a sway bar, (do non-independent suspensions even need these?) quick shifter, etc. Also if you do suggest any could you link to where I could find them cheap? Or gauge on the difficulty of installation? I left all my ratchet wrenches back in Chicago (parent's) when I moved and all I really have is metric wrenches, screwdrivers, plastic ramps, and safety stands.

Thanks in advance for all the input and advice you're going to give me.
Edit: I'm tinting the rear lights with VHT Nite Shades, to put that into consideration when picking a color.

 

EVERYONE gets grey. Be different.

 

you can see what my vote was

 

-editted-

apparently opinions aren't allowed on scionlife by oboogie

 

btw the BRM paint is just as terrible as the MG, or any vehicle sold in or after 2008. Due to EPA standards, car paint isn't what it used to be, and is no longer as durable. but if you want to buy a new car, that's all that's available right now...

grumble grumble...

 

I would go for the BRM honestly Had they had that color on the lot when I got my xD I would've taken it.

 

at 4/4 it's even but 1 vote for red is me, 2 other are females and the last is for "not grey". Things aren't looking good for Red. Side note - my fiance wanted me to get red as well. Does it really look that girly?

 

Red is not girly. How can red be girly? If anything, red will look cleaner longer than the MG xD so that is a plus. BRM at night will be easier to find that MG.

 

if youre getting it in manual, you NEED a shortshifter.

 

i hope you only thinking of taking off the "xd" emblem. the scion on the front and back have holes drilled (like the honda's "h"). as for paint i can't say. i got white the least amount of coating on a car.

 

well i have no 1st hand experience w/ the sway bar

but from the boards, it seems the "Trd rear sway bar" is not really a sway bar, but it does tighten up the back a bit, and the only noticeable difference is if you push it hard



but heck, 1st thing i did was get a cabin filter

 

Huge push towards MG. Didn't expect that.

Does anyone know where to get an inexpensive short shifter? Or should I just get the TRD one? With the sway bar is it worth getting if I'm not driving it like a rally car? I'm living in MN now and will be moving back to Chicago in a year or 2 so I drive through hills, snow, and high winds. My 6 month old son will be riding in the back half the time I'm driving it.

Gah, I was really leaning towards red until this vote happened. Am I just blind to the fact that red is girly?

 

Barcelona Red. Red isn't girly.

WTF? Where do you guys get this random stuff?

 

Have issues about your sexuality much?

Just an FYI: He likes to pull random made-up stuff out of his ****.

 

i really thought the "just my opinion" was enough to prevent the "out of his ****" part

 

That's where men's opinions come out of, didn't you know? Let's get past the color for a second. Where can I buy a sway bar and short shifter? How hard are they to install?

 

trdsparks

 

HA! That's true.

Yes, I recommend you try trdsparks. They are the best.

 

Uh the bar is a ANTI-rear sway bar, not a sway bar I hope you didn't install something that will make the rear sway more ;)

If you think about it, the MG is just like the FM on the tC. Everyone and their mother are getting xDs in that color. Would you rather get a color everyone else is getting or be different?

Are there no other dealerships in your area that have both colors on the lot so you can compare? Sure they might be AT instead but we're interested in the colors after all. The MG does have more color flakes in it, true, but eh.. I didn't care for that color when I saw it on the lot of my dealership because it looked filthy with a light layer of dust on it. I'm a clean nut so SSM was the choice for me ;)

So, do you like the idea of seeing your car dirty even when it's not that dirty?

 

Ya, despite it all I'm going to go in and request that she change her order to BRM. TRDsparks had the anti-sway bar but.... Something just doesn't sit right. It's 1 complete axle. If it's not independent why does it need it? Oh, and couldn't find the short shifter for the xD. Found it for the corolla but wasn't sure if it'd be the same part.

The dealership near me had SSM and the one 20 mi away that I test drove the MT had SSM and SW. The lady showed me a Corolla in BRM and I saw a MG for 1 minute before it got pulled out by it's owner. It was also a very cloudy day so it didn't make for optimal choosing conditions.