Scion xB - Hip to be square

jamesgang · May 2005

This exactly what I paid for the base vehicle about 5 weeks ago. Sunday I had gone online, picked the color and dealer (no options except the auto). The dealer called - we confirmed - he had MargareTOYBox to me on Thursday of that week. The the other individual said, there were a couple of processing fees - plates, etc...But nothing sneaky - the same fees I would have paid at a notory.
Chris of the JamesGang
ps all my cars have been named after the Jimmy Buffet song

moparbad · May 2005

ps all my cars have been named after the Jimmy Buffet song
There is a Jimmy Buffet song called xB?

jamesgang · May 2005

I don't know about that, but I name my cars. Here a few examples;
margaretavilla VEGA
margareta EL CAMINO
and my favorite marga REATTA ville
plus, of course margare TOYBox.
You've got to 'think outside the BOX'

Chris of the JamesGang

crazedcommuter · June 2005

I just check my mileage on my TCM '05 Xb. I filled up at 368 miles with 10.6 gal for 34.7 mpg. That was 75% highway travel at speeds from 60-80 mph. Pretty darn good and I'm pleased.

geekay · June 2005

Way to go. I checked mine @ 5000 miles and my 5MT is getting arod 34-35 mpg too, even happier now with the purchase.

jamesgang · June 2005

Thirty-Eight point Seven-Five. That's right, 38.75 mpg on the most recent tank. 38.56 on the one before that. These with little highway miles. Mostly the 45 - 55 range two lane roads.
I'm aiming at the big FOUR-O though. When that happens you'll be the 2nd to know.
ThanksMuch
Chris of the JamesGang

tundradude · June 2005

You already accumulated 6000. Wow. I must be driving the other vehicles too much.

scootertrash2 · June 2005

With the current incentives, a Saab 9-2X Turbo was going to be $19,425.
That's just too cheap to pass up!

But, I don't fit. I'm not abnormally large; just over 6 feet.
There is no way for me to get comfortable.
With the seat back all the way, and the backrest angled back uncomfortably, My arms are either too long or that steering wheel is too close.

Maybe all the room in my Scion xB has me spoiled, but sadly the 9-2X just won't work.

My xB felt like a limo compared to the Saabaru.

...and I was looking to a 4 second improvement 1/4 mile times...

crazedcommuter · June 2005

Hey Tundradude,
Sorry for the long pause between responses. It's been hectic here with my oldest son's HS graduation and college tours coupled with inlaws health problem. Actually I now have 8200 miles and it is running great. I filled up the other day with 358 miles on the odometer and the light was not yet on for low fuel. I'm off again in the morning for another tour of a college with my son and his 2 soccer buds. They're all thinking of attending the same college so of course I'll be transporting them in the XB. My wife wants an '04 burnt orange XB and you know that we'll likely end up with it.

jamesgang · June 2005

Last evening I was slowly driving down an avenue. Up ahead, coming toward me, was a pickup towing a trailer. He was about to turn off the ave, but slowed to nearly a stop. I noticed him eyeing my approach. As I got within hearing distance this guy yells out "your cars ugly". Of course I thanked him appropriately.
Chris of the JamesGang

geekay · June 2005

This car was the target of a lot of uncomplimentary remarks on a nationally broadcast Radio Talk show that would echo with some.

moparbad · June 2005

What is the value of a 2004 Scion xB with rebuilt title? 2004 with 11K miles. Green color. Auto transmission. Light hit in the rear hatch. Repaired and repainted.
There is one on ebay that I may bid on. How do you value a vehicle with rebuilt title?

crazedcommuter · June 2005

The show Motorweek on PBS did a piece on that question within the last year. They said that a car with a rebuilt title is only worth about half of the original purchase price of the vehicle. The reason for the 50% of original price has to do with the amount of damage that the vehicle receives to qualify it as rebuilt. Each state has laws stating different amounts of damage it can receive. In some states the amount of damage may be 15% of the car. In others it may be 25%, and in others it can be as high as 50%. Because of this, you really don't know exactly how much of the car was damaged to qualify it as rebuilt. To get a higher price, the seller has to provide all bodyshop receipts showing that the car suffered only minimal damage and a guarantee that the repaired car meets all factory specs and retains it's warranty. It is because each state has different % of damages that the resale value of the car is about 1/2 of the purchase price. So you may be getting a car with minimal damage for a great price that will perform as a new one. you also might be getting a car that had 45% damage to it. I would also be wary as to why the owner wants to sell a car with a small amount of damage, or is the seller the insurance company trying to unload a totaled car.
I hope this helps.

scootertrash2 · June 2005

Are you thinking of buying and selling it in an attempt to make money?
Or are you buying it and driving it 150,000 miles?

qbrozen · June 2005

I think this needs ammending. You said "50% of the original price," but that could possibly be confused with the ORIGINAL price. Of course, if the car was 4 years old, its already worth half the original price. IF it was ALSO rebuilt, it would be worth half of the half. So, basically, its worth half of what a comparable NON-rebuilt used vehicle would be worth. (not that i claim this theory to be true or realistic, just correcting the wording of the theory itself, mind you.)

crazedcommuter · June 2005

You're right...It does need ammending. I was referring to the Sticker price of the Scion XB because it is a basically newer car. Example: According to Motorweek, If a 2000 Honda Accord was being offered for sale with a rebuilt title, the price that should be paid for the car is 1/2 of what the Bluebook is listed. Example: 2000 Accord 4 door w/auto and 45k miles. Bluebook is listed at 10 500. If it has a rebuilt title Motorweek says that it is really worth $5250. It's not my theory, it's Motorweek's.

qbrozen · June 2005

oh, i knew it wasn't yours. I just wanted to point out it wasn't mine, either.

moparbad · June 2005

The xb with rebuilt title went for greater than $10K. My thougts are that a rebuilt title vehicle is worth no more than 75% book value, and 50% is a more accurate target. Other people obviously valued this xB highly.

A new xB in base form is the best value IMO.

fatherof6 · June 2005

I am currently on a waiting list to get an xB at our local dealer. The salesman recently called and said there might be a possibility of getting a black one. I like the black, but my wife thinks it looks like a hearse. Has anyone else had this reaction?

micweb · June 2005

You said:

I am currently on a waiting list to get an xB at our local dealer.

Hey, just order a 2006. They aren't making 2005's anymore, so odds are your dealer is trading. There will be some very useful upgrades for 2006, discussed here or elsewhere, so I'd just sit tight a little while longer, maybe a month.

For what it's worth, I think black looks great, but it is more of a "car show" color - maintenance on it can drive you nuts. It needs frequent washing and shows every tiny scratch and swirl.

aatherton · July 2005

I just got a rebuilt title on my Mazda truck. Someone rear-ended me as I was turning into our street, and totaled my 1991 Mazda truck.

The damage was mainly to the big trailer hitch and the bumper and the metal behind it. But since the truck had 15 years and 150,000 miles, it was worth so little that the estimate exceeded 75% of its value. In Kentucky, a vehicle is by law a total loss when the repairs cost 75% of its value. A totaled vehicle must be reborn with a rebuilt title. Usually the insurance company pays the book value and takes the vehicle and auctions it so shops that can repair it cheaply.

But I wanted to keep my truck, so began a complicated procedure defined by the KRS (Kentucky Revised Statutes).

I left the truck at the body shop, and removed its license plate. I surrendered the plate and the title to the DMV and applied for a salvage title in my name. When the application was faxed to the insurance company as proof that I had surrendered the old title, they sent me a check for the value of the truck. The salvage title meant that I owned an unlicensed wreck. No matter that aside from a twisted hitch and bumper, it looked new and could do over 90 mph.

When the truck was repaired two weeks later, I drove it without plates to a DMV inspection station, where the repairs were compared to the repair bill, and an application for a rebuilt title was started.

Then I had to take the truck home and use another car to take all the paperwork to the state capitol in Frankfort, where the DMV central office issued a memo authorization for the rebuilt title. By now I had used three Notary Publics.

Then drove back to Louisville, to the local DMV, who used the authorization for a rebuilt title to order one for me, and issue me a registration and license plate.

Everybody asked me why I would use the $2,700 settlement to repair an old truck. But I had maintained the truck to be literally like new before the accident, and it is like new again, and where can you get a new truck for so little these days?

For a late-model Scion xB to be totaled in KY and get a rebuilt title, it would need almost $10,000 in repairs. That is a lot of work, and probably not as good as the Japanese factory did it, which would devalue the xB substantially. Probably the owner would be better off applying the settlement toward a new xB.

There was an xB in the shop next to my truck, with a lot of front damage, a little rear damage, and both airbags hanging out. Looked like it had been in a chain collision.

eric37 · July 2005

Do you know when the 2006 models will be available? We just rented an Xb for a week and I really liked it for the price and room. Its been very difficult finding a car with that kind of room and under 20k!

Thanks,
Eric

aatherton · July 2005

"... We just rented an Xb for a week..."

Where can you do that? I had to rent a car for two weeks last month, wanted to rent an xB, but none of the rental companies had an xB.

eric37 · July 2005

We rented it from the Toyota/Scion dealer. They rent all they cars for people to try out or just get a rental. The XB was 29.95 or 150 a week.

aatherton · July 2005

One of the Toyota dealers here used to do that and put it on their web page. But when I asked a few months ago if I could rent an xB, they said they had stopped renting anything and had not updated the web page. I really wish I could rent an xB or xA for a day!

micweb · July 2005

Saw another xB, parked in a "head in" parking lot between a passenger car and a truck - after two years I am more impressed that ever! What a small package and awesome use of space!

The packaging on the xB - flat sides, tall roof, tons of leg room for both front and back passengers - is just amazing. No other car comes close in terms or ratio of interior space to exterior volume. I saw another one today and don't mind the blunt front end as much, after all it may be blunt but it doesn't present nearly as much area to the wind as other vehicles.

I have only test driven an xB (I owned an xA and have owned many other small cars) so I don't really know if it is quieter than my somewhat buzzy stick shift xA, but I can tell you that if the xB were upgraded to a 1.8 liter engine with a 5 speed automatic, or even to a 5 or 6 speed automatic with the existing engine, it sure would be tempting.

I'd also like to see side curtain airbags, they have them on the xA but I understand the xB is an older design and they are harder to retrofit.

I can't believe Honda is missing the boat on a people-mover of this efficiency. You think Honda would up the ante by building a box on the new '06 Civic platform - with the larger, more efficient 1.8 engine announced for the Civic, a little wider body for a little more elbow room, it would be very interesting.

The xB is the greatest car to come along since the minivan, which was a reworking of the commercial vans that we lusted after for surfboards in the '60's and '70's. No, it won't bring your stuff back from Ikea - but it will park anywhere, deliver 30 mpg and up, carry 3 friends VERY comfortably to lunch, and handle like a go-kart. Show me another vehicle that can do that, that doesn't cost $30k or more and get 15 mpg.

I sure hope Toyota can figure out how to meet the increased demand for better side impact protection. I think Toyota's heart is in the right place ( stability control and ABS is included in the base xB) but I hope they can successfully update this slightly old (in Japan for years) design.

geekay · July 2005

You hit the nail right on the head. All these manufactures have a great range of these cars in other markets, but somehow for the biggest market in the world they hesitate to bring in more fuel efficient, radical designs. It is high time these guys jumped in and got their act together, that will give the much needed boost to domestic makers to change their way of thinking and meet the need of the hour. Just my 2 pennies worth. BTW I (read my son), drive a Xb that has 8000+ miles on it since 3rd week of Apr, and we average 35+ MPG. Been used for hauling passengers, cargo and even bagged trash. Could not be happier.

nowakj66 · July 2005

Are the 2006 models here yet?

aatherton · July 2005

A salesman told me the 2006 xA and xB were not expected for two months. I don't remember if that applied to the tC. Here are the 2006 changes:

xA
Significant Exterior Changes
1 Upper/Lower Grille - Honeycomb inserts (like TC); Rectangular, more aggressive
2 Lower Intake - More aggressive design
3 Headlamps - Detail changes; "eyebrow" added
4 Rocker Panel - Color-keyed; more refined
5 Turn Signals - tC type signal in outside mirror
6 Tail Lamps - Re-design emphasizing width
7 Lower Bumper - Color-keyed; improved integration
8 Wheel Covers - 3 new wheel covers (now all shared w/ xB)
Noticeable Interior Changes
1 Seat Fabric - Freshen appearance
2 Steering Wheel - New steering wheel with audio controls
3 Meters - Background changed from white to silver on speedometer
4 iPOD/Mini-jack - iPOD and mini-jack connectors added to center console
5 Audio Head Unit - New design to be shared on all 3 Scions
2 New Exterior Colors
1 Added 1EO, Flint Mica and 3Q3, Salsa Red
2 Dropped 1E3, Phantom Gray Pearl and 3P2, Black Cherry Pearl
xB
Product Freshening
1 3 new wheel covers (shared with xA)
2 iPOD/Mini-jack connectors on center console
3 New audio head unit design
2 New Exterior Colors Effective December 2005
3 Added 3Q3, Salsa Red Pearl and 1F4, Shadow Mica
4 Dropped 6M7, Camouflage Metallic and 3P2, Black Cherry Pearl
tC
Product Freshening
1 Steering wheel audio controls
2 New audio head unit design (shared w/ xA & xB)
3 iPOD/Mini-jack connectors (inside center console)
2 New Exterior Colors
5 Added 1F7, Classic Silver Metallic and 8S6, Nautical Blue
4 Dropped 1E7, Silver Streak Mica and 8P4, Indigo Ink Pearl

jamesgang · July 2005

"...4 Dropped 6M7, Camouflage Metallic and 3P2, Black Cherry Pearl..."

This is good news. Chose the Camo because I expected it to be one of the least favorite colors. Come to find out, there is another in my small; one I see on a semi-regular basis a bit north; and one on the dealers lot.
Got so tired of seeing my Taurus/Sable in tan metalic at every corner

Crooked Chris Camo

micweb · July 2005

No cruise control?

aatherton · July 2005

I have been thinking about Scions since my brother in law's wife got a xA with automatic last winter. She likes sporty cars, the lease on her Acura RS was up, and she had leased a Prius but as soon as it arrived, she decided it was too big inside. She saw the xA in the showroom and the dealer was glad to let her switch cars. The brother in law said he wished she had gotten the xB which he liked better.

She let me drive her xA last winter, and it was roomy and the automatic was quick enough. I began following the Scion forums, visiting dealers, and downloaded the brochures. The other day I test drove a white xA with manual, and liked the manual a lot.

Today the brother in law's wife came to visit with her xA again, and this time I knew enough to see it was unusual. There were a lot of odd things, like the red color, the single bar grill, the sunroof, the spoiler with brake light, the red accents in the seats, and the thin flat tires Under the dashboard I found a sticker that said Release 1.0, number 12XX of 1550. Wow. She had no idea what it meant.

She and I are almost 63, and her husband who liked the xB better is 65. Hey -- what age are these Scions supposed to be for, anyway?

micweb · July 2005

Age:

I am mid 50's and like cars like this too. I think this is typical, because we grew up with the first wave of quirky British-Italian-French imports, not to mention cars like the Corvair etc. I think the xB is much more a descendant of the original Mini than the current MINI. It thinks outside the box, by being a box! Meanwhile the people more post 1960 grew up on trucks and sport-utes. You almost have to be very young or very old to enjoy the new cars coming out (Element, xB, PT Cruiser etc.). Otherwise you get a truck, SUV, Camry, or Corolla - all bland vehicles.

aatherton · July 2005

Been looking at the sunroof in the xA Release 1.0 vs the sunroofs installed by the dealer on several xAs and xBs.
The factory installed sunroof is flush with the roof finish, with no surrounding protruding black plastic flange. Inside it has no elaborate plastic flange, either.
The dealer installed sunroofs are like the aftermarket sunroof in our 1992 Buick. It's a high quality item, but still, a hole had to be cut in top of the car and then trimmed out. Our sunroof's exterior flange makes an obvious rustle at highway speed, not completely muted by sliding the inside cover closed.

aatherton · July 2005

"...we grew up with the first wave of quirky British-Italian-French imports..."

When I first drove, my city had dealers for Citroen, Renault, Peugeot. My boy friend's mother had a Borgward Isabella wagon (a gem), my girl friend's father had a Citroen DS-21 (far advanced). I had a Renault Dauphine (not so good) and a Saab 96 (2-stroke). My college roommate had a MG Mini. And BMW Isettas and Fiat 600s were around. My girlfriend brought the first BMW to this city, a BMW 1600 she drove from California. The xB takes us back to those days of practical experimentation and good solutions.

rossm2 · July 2005

Just a minor correction - there never was an MG Mini. There were Austin Minis (I had 2 - one a Mini Cooper), Riley and Morris Minis, but no MG. There were MG Midgets and MG 1100s however.

Ross

tundradude · July 2005

I noticed that the HP dropped to 103 for the 2006 model according to edmunds.

rossm2 · July 2005

Interesting, if true. The 2006 Echo HB has a drop in TORQUE to 103 lb-ft from 105, but hp remains at 108.

aatherton · July 2005

It was an MG 1100.

rossm2 · July 2005

Thought it might be. My brother owned one, and I got to drive it a bit. Definitely a fun car for its time. Small as it was, it was still 24" longer than a Mini - 144" vs 120.25"

Ross

ace654 · July 2005

I have one qustion why dose sion have only 3 cars they shuld haave like 10 car but they only have 3 brands. If you have the anser plz tell me as fast as you can.

aatherton · July 2005

Almost all the Toyotas in the US are made in the US. But Toyota makes a lot of cars in Japan that they think might be wanted in the US by a niche market of people. So Toyota picked three of their Japan-only cars, the tC, xA and xB, and brought them to the US under the new Scion name.

So say that Toyota has seven brands in the US, plus the three Scion brands, makes ten Toyota brands in the US now. In fact, I hear the xA is going to be re-badged as a Toyota in 2006. Maybe they will drop the electic windows and doors and sell it as a cheaper model.

alacrity · July 2005

Wow, I have a similar problem with my 2005 Corolla XRS. At approx. 5,000 miles, the A/C stopped working. Took it to the dealer and was told that it would be covered under warranty. 2 hours later they called and told me that a rock or some other object caused "road damage" to the condenser and that this was NOT covered under warranty. As I was looking at the damage with the service tech., I noticed that there was a HUGE gap between the road and the condenser. I commented to the tech that the condenser looked extremely fragile and that there was very little to protect the condenser from road damage. He said that it was "tough luck." When I mentioned that I thought the design was maybe not the best, I got no comment.

Well, for the last 3 days, I've crawled underneath the front grill of at least 25 different models of cars. Almost all offer protection in the form either: 1) small holes in the grill or 2) a plastic plate to protect the condenser.

In my humble opinion, the 2005 Toyota Matrix and Corolla have very poor protection for their A/C condensers and very fragile condensers. I believe that this is a design flaw that could be easily corrected with a plastic plate similar to that found on the Sienna and older Camrys.

I've complained to both the service department and Toyota USA (the toll free number given to me by the service dept.) and as of this afternoon, the party line seems to be sorry, but "road damage is not covered under warranty."

Bad luck may be the problem, but I don't think so. I believe that there is simply not enough protection for the condenser.

A new condenser runs $650 plus tax. IF I was convinced that this was a freak accident that had very little probablilty of occuring again, I'd quietly bite the bullet and pay to have it fixed. As it now stands however, it's 92 degrees out and I'm almost positive that, thanks to the poor protection (in my opinion) of the condenser, that this is going to happen again during the lifetime of this vehicle.

I am very unhappy.

ghulet · July 2005

.....in an earlier post with their xB (can't remember where). If this is the case, it is a lousy design, but at this point, there's not much you can do about it other than complain and lose sleep and money. Did you check with your insurance to see if this kind of damage (flying debris) is covered? If so, paying your deductible is likely cheaper than a new condenser. Still, I feel your pain; perhaps those people affected should write Toyota asking for at least a partial refund, and strongly suggest a design change.

coronet · October 2005

These things take the whole concept of Coyote Ugly to a new level. I hate to break it to you "enthusiasts", but most people who actually LIKE cars think these things are ugly to the point of being actually ridiculous.
Funnier still, I was at the drag strip a couple of weeks ago, and someone actually ran one of these pieces of crap down the strip. Despite the tiny "Hot Wheels" and the coffee can dual exhaust tips, ( Hills Bros. I think ), the thing ran 70 mph at 20 seconds et in the quarter! The laughter that started when it pulled up to the starting line only got louder when the mph and et were posted!
I can see these things for delivering donuts or some such, but you actually think they look good? Sheesh!!!!!!!!!!!!11

aaargh · October 2005

I'm thinking about an XB. I wanted to know what problems XB owners have had so far and solutions (if any) for those problems.

micweb · October 2005

My wife wouldn't let me buy one.That's the only problem I had.

She let me get a Scion xA instead. No problems in my 10,000 miles of driving. Hey, it's a Toyota....

scootertrash · October 2005

I found something today, at Target, that I'lve been looking for for two years.

A Matchbox toy of a Scion xB, in the "Thundercloud" color.

I knew someone had to make one eventually.

jimw0238 · October 2005

just thought i would let everyone know, who might be looking for a cheap and inexpensive way to offset their box from the norm= ie custom emblems...

since it is referred to as a box, i decided to put porsche "Boxster" emblems on it. they look great and are easy to install. now when people ask me , "what is that box?"
i reply, " It's a Boxster!"
you can find them on ebay by searching for "boxster emblem".
just thought i would pass that on. :shades:
i have had my box (06') for one week now and it has over 500 miles on it and i couldn't be happier. so far i have added-
aftermarket armrest with storage (got on ebay for $99)
custom velour dashcover (dashking $46)
custom chrome front license plate frame with "boxster" logo @$12
rear "boxster" logo $18
custom bavarian motorsports emblem for lower front grille (///m) $20
jdm speedometer chrome ring $50 (ouch!)
and that's it for now.....

jimw0238 · October 2005

ok, today i ordered my new pioneer cd player and new speakers. also went to americas tire and bought new tires and custom wheels. they even had a really cool set of enkies (i think they called them F-10's) that have the centers painted the exact same color as my box!
color is "thunder cloud", they look like they were made for this car! :shades:

Scion xB - Hip to be square

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