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Scion xA
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At least that's what I how I understood it from the website.
Otherwise I am liking the car more and more. The suspension is breaking in and not so harsh anymore, the shifting (manual) is less notchy, this car takes a long time to break in!
Sometimes no boom at 75mph, other times boom from the exhaust. I think it has to do with the valve in the exhaust that is supposed to open and close for performance. Generally if I have been driving sedately, and then cruise, it is quiet, but if I have been driving sporty, then cruise, it booms.
I don't recommend stick if your driveway is steeply inclined... where you might simply not move in an automatic you'll roll backwards a bit with a stick. Of course then you have the problem of not moving, in which case you wouldn't be considering the Scions...
Stick also sucks in 2mph traffic, though automatic is worse in stop and go where the stops are long (squeezing the brake in the AT vs feet off the pedals in the MT).
I'm not consistent about shifting smoothly, and it's embarrassing to see my passengers' heads bobble all the time. I don't think I can blame the lack of a tachometer or the soft suspension for most of that.
But, the automatic tercel felt dangerously slow when it was time to get on the freeway if I was carrying passengers or cargo, or the onramp was long. Just not responsive at all. I find myself at pretty high rpm's often now (in the stick tercel) and it makes driving much more enjoyable. It's even fun, whereas the automatic was anything but.
Let me give you details and please tell me if you think this is a suitable car for me.
I'm an at-home wife (starting a family within a year). I live in Atlanta Metro area where traffic gets rough but I live in the burbs so I don't have to face the traffic really depending on time of day I get out. I prefer the automatic as I barely know how to drive a stick. I just want a car that is good to run errands and get out of the house but safe and reliable, inexpensive as I will be paying cash and would like to keep it for at least 7-10 years.
I really don't have to drive because my husband drives mostly but I want a car. I will probably drive anywhere from 3-4 days a week locally for shopping, hanging out, basic errands. I'm not looking to speed on the road but want enough power to feel safe on the highway without the trailors and SUVs running me over lol. Driving distance will be between 1-7 miles when I do drive. If you think it lacks sufficient power and handling, what basic less costly things can I do to improve these things. Also, I'm short so good visibility is a big concern for me which the xA does provide. I'm not a fan of Ford's unless someone can convince me otherwise but I figure Scion is toyota-built so I am looking in that direction. Do you think the Automatic xA is right for me or should I consider something else in the same price range? I started off looking at the Civic LX, Corolla, Mazda3,Mazda Protege and Hyundai Elantra but since I won't be driving on a regular I scratched the thought of paying 15-17K for a car in cash. Also, what are the chances of haggling a Scion dealership if I pay cash?
A Honda dealer can sell a certified used car, which means it will have a much longer powertrain warranty and a bumper-to-bumper 1 year warranty.
Something to consider.
If you like this general shape of car (I do too), you can also look at the Suzuki Aerio. Comes with a much more powerful engine, and can be haggled down quite a bit.
Oh, I know you're not a big fan of Ford, but a Focus ZX3 (Comfort trim) or ZX5 (Base trim) might be worth a look; they have $3k worth of rebates until June, which puts them square in the middle of your apparent price range.
For $14965 (xB auto before taxes), nothing comes even close. The xB also has standard ABS, stability and traction control as you probably know. For me it was a no-brainer.
strager - have you ever had the stability or traction control come on in your xB? Maybe I'll post this question in the xB forums.
I've been researching for over a month so I'm definitely trying to be thorogh and give everything a fair amount of consideration.
I'll look into the Ford and the Aerio. I wouldn't mind an Amerian made car, but just not sure of how reliable they are. Insight anyone? Even if I had it 7 years that would be good. It doesn't have to last forever.
Most of the hatchbacks I checked out seem to have good visibility. As I stated, I won't be driving but a few times a week and everything that I need is pretty much 15 minutes away. I'm just trying to stay away from the higher price range because I would hate to waste a lot of money on a car that I'm not driving regularly during the week. The advice is very helpful, please keep it coming. It seems that not many of you are big fans of the xA huh? lol
If anyone has any info on the most recent Crash test scores for economy cars can you please post it.
The price is definitely right, but I don't know if it's a 10 year type of car.
Since you'd be driving it locally mostly, the number you want to worry about is torque...the Aveo has a bit more than the xA (American cars usually are a bit torque-heavy compared to Japanese cars...but sometimes they give up the top end horsepower in exchange).
Now, here's the trick: the Aveo isn't technically speaking an American car...it's a re-badged Daewoo, a Korean car, built in Korea.
I have an Echo as well, that with an auto, and it is very responsive, so I presume the Scion would be responsive. My xA is the stick shift.
Don't even think about an Aveo. The local dealer has them stickered at $14,000, that's no anti lock brakes which are stock on the xA, it is a brand new car, from a formerly defunct second tier Korean manufacturer. Why bother when Toyota is "giving away" Scions.
You said:
Do you have a manual or Auto xA? And in your opinion if I ended up getting the xA Automatic would I need to add anything for extra power and handling? Lastly, would you consider the car fairly safe? I can't seem to find any Crash test reviews on the xA yet to see how it scores.
If anyone has any info on the most recent Crash test scores for economy cars can you please post it.
Thanks a lot for the info everyone.
The xA has 4 star side impact results, front and rear, a one star improvement over the Echo, but remains at 4 stars on the front crash.
Congrats GM! (But I'll still take the Scion.)
Manuals require less maintenance and last longer than autos.
Autos hold resale value better.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
More importantly, you might one day decide you like one form of transmission much more than the other. To the point that you'd be willing to pay a decent price difference without a second thought. Do test drive it, or any of your friends' manual cars with an equivalently powered engine (to have a little more freedom, for example to run it higher in the rev range).
But, more importantly, the number of automatic buyers in this country outweighs the manual buyers exponentially. So it will be far easier and quicker to sell. You could argue that is easily worth the $200.
But the most important thing is to get what makes you happy.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I am looking at getting a new car for my daily commute and the Scion is one that I will look at. I think I am leaning toward the Mazda 3s 5 door which is in a clearly higher price bracket, but it is REALLY fun to drive. That does bring to mind another possibility. Mazda Proteges tend to be as good (if not better than) Civics and Corollas and many of them have dropped in price of late because of the new Mazda 3.
Pontiac Vibe.
It's the Toyota Matrix (a bit larger than the xA) but with a Pontiac design. From what I've read, the Vibe uses a Toyota Matrix platform, but just repackaged through Pontiac.
You'll get the same Toyota reliability but a larger car at the cheaper Pontiac price.
you know, if your starting a family...
Compared to the Vibe/Matrix, the xA seems to have a pretty decent power/torque to weight ratio...better than the Matrix of Vibe, to be honest...the twins are MUCH heavier than the xA, and less aerodynamic.
That could be a great consideration.
I'm sticking with the xA myself. Since I currently drive a Geo Metro, anything is an upgrade in power
(of course, if you trade every 1 to 2 years that might be a consideration but if you plan to drive the vehicle until the wheels fall off, then forget the potential resale part of the equation)
Lately, however, I have seen gas mileage on my standard transmission xA increase from 32 to 34 mpg on my almost 100 mile commute. This appears to be based on a very gradual break-in of the very "tight" engine.
It will be a 04, but the 05s come out in mid to late June. I haven't read any real differences in the cars except that the 05s will come with an option to have your dealer install a Moon/Sun Roof and a different head for the stereo.
A few people that have been driving their scions a lot are reporting that using the right oil and breaking in the engine is leading to much better gas milage than they thought they would get.
I don't know, I'll let you know in a week after I get mine delivered.
Like other manufacturers, Toyota rolls out price increases throughout the year, and generally the price increase at model year change is minor.
But when it comes time to re-sell, having an '05 is worth a grand or two in your pocket even though the miles are probably very similar.
Finally, Scion has been getting bad JD Power's marks for weak aircon and harsh ride. I suspect the '05 will address these issues.
The harsh ride has gotten more supple over time, as the shocks break in (yes, shocks can break in too), but the aircon is too weak for a car with a black dashboard and interior. I have an Echo with a similarly weak aircon, but at least the interior is lighter toned and that helps a lot.
AM sucks. Yeah, I listen to news. On my Focus, the sound quality on AM is very high, and the volume levels match when I switch between FM and AM. On the stock Pioneer on my xA, AM is much lower volume, and it sounds like old '50's AM - pretty crappy.
I wouldn't mind having a rotary control for volume on the head unit, and the push buttons to change channels include different functions on the last two buttons, so if you hit them by mistake, you won't be changing channels, but functions.
Sound quality has been great, though, and just take my comments as nits in the "you've only got 5 weeks to the changeover" department.
The Restricted Series for 05 is a fire engine red xA with a Kenstyle Grill, Sunroof, and other goodies. It looks nice, and I would love to get it, but I just don't want to keep my geo alive another month.
It's pretty much crapped out on me and burns 3 cans of oil a week.
As for resale, I plan on just giving the car to my parents when I get a new car. They can use a smaller runabout car.
The radio, I get a six CD changer for free. xAs aren't selling as well as Toyota wanted so they are placing the 6 CD changer, though in the long run I'll probably just sell this unit and buy something I hardwire my iPod to. Why mess with CDs when I have all my CDs on my iPod?
I actually like the firmer suspension, and a part of me will be sad if Toyota "fixes" it. On the Echo, I had to upgrade to firmer aftermarket shocks to get rid of susceptibility to crosswinds. The xA has no such problem, with its much firmer factory suspension.
Quite frankly, if they haven't upped the aircon output on the Echo in five years, I doubt they will fix it quickly on the '05 xA. But it is a speculation at this point.
Doesn't your head unit have an input jack for the ipod? Will it read MP3?
People have been resorting to using Transponders and tuning in through their radio.
I am now watching a stock RS xB on eBay. It's currently at 17k, which is more than the RS xB cost new.
I wonder how the RS xA will sell, they are limiting it to 1500 instead of the 2500 of the xB.
Sunroof I could maybe live without, but I drive too much to live without cruise control. Aw well... maybe 2006.
Here we have Cruise Control on some of the Scions. It's a standard option for our area (though the whole SE is owned by Morrison and he puts on other options like Leather Seats).