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Of course, the other vehicles offer other ammenities compared with an xB. Vehicle size and weight, which affect crash safety, is one benefit they'll have over an xB. But, that's part of the equation that should be factored in when deciding.
The old Olds may not have the best design for crash safety, but that may be overcome by its sheer weight advantage.
Which is why 5-star crash ratings for small vehicles have to be valued differently than a 4- or 5-star rating for a heavier vehicle.
Any physics majors 'round these here parts?
So again the best thing to consider for safety when buying a car is the effectiveness of the safety engineering that went into building it.
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety publishes a PDF showing deathrates in all vehicles insured by their subscribing companies. It also shows a much higher rate for small cars than for large cars. Not a higher number, but a higher rate. This report can be downloaded from http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ictl/ictl.htm
That insurance thing doesn't make complete sense to me because if you are in a car like an Excursion you are more likely to compeletly demolish the other car you get into the accident with, therefore costing the insurance company more money if it is your fault.
I know that one of the factors that companies measure for insurance rates are the number of accidents that people with your same model of car get into overall. Could be that drivers of larger cars are less likely to get into an accident? Not sure how that all works.
I never took physics; I'm sure there are better minds than mine on this forum who could tackle these issues better.
-juice
The Scion Security system was the only option I chose, but I'm wondering how good it is. Car theft is very high where I live, so I do need something.
They are all sold at a fixed price.
All deals are forwarded to Scion HQ for review and any dealer playing games can lose their franchise.
do you know the difference between the '04 and '05 x-b's?
thanks
Has anyone installed "after market" cruise control? Shouldn't the cost be about $200? Does it look tacky once installed?
That's the short answer. The long answer is yes, our deals are audited every month and we can NOT negotiate. That even applies to accessories. With every deal, I have to print the page from my web site with our accessory prices and they better not be different than what I sold it for. The first time I would do it would cost me cars. After that, I would be jeaprodizing my franchise.
There is one way they can be discounted. That is if I do it for everybody. For instance, right now Toyota is giving a free 6 disc CD with every new xA shipped. The in-stock units don't have these and Toyota is not reimbursing the dealerships for this. We are allowed to discount the in-stock units as long as it is posted on the web site and is available to all customers.
We can also list specific cars for a discount. If we have a demo that has several hundred miles on it, we can post that one car at a special price on the web site. Again, when it is sold, we have to print out the page for the auditors.
In exchange for mandating the pure price, Toyota did cut our gross profit on the Scion. On a similarly priced Corolla, we have about $1000 between invoice and MSRP, plus we have a 2% holdback and 1% floorplan assistance allowance. On a Scion we have just over $600 worth of markup and there is no holdback or floorplan assistance. Invoice is really "cost" (excluding various expenses like compensation, advertising and stuff like that).
As you may know, this vehicle is not available in Wisconsin until June, 2004.
Just recently for the first time on the Scion Site, I got a listing of local Toyota dealers that will also carry the Scion line. I e mailed one regarding "cruise control" and this is what he had to say.
"Typically, the cost to add an after market Cruise Control is around $175-$250. There are a few places that can do that for you."
It's interesting that he is apparently off more than 100%
Again, thank you for your response.
Please tell me that this can be done.
Be sure to watch the cool videos too!
Has anyone heard if Toyota plans to improve it in future year models of the xB, or would it need a new and larger engine to handle a more powerful a/c unit?
If the Southeast dealers sell the cruise at $250 uninstalled and $350 installed you can be sure there is profit margin in the $250 price. $500 is theft IMO.
For those who live outside of Southeast, why not just order the kit for $250 or less and have local dealer or independent shop install it? Labor time for the kit is 1.5 hours or less.
That doesn't mean it isn't a good deal at $250. I actually think that's a fantastic deal, but let's not pretend its something it isn't.
Cliffy - Would the dealership you work at warranty the unit?
Volvo's pillars are wide, for instance.
-juice
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
-juice
Enjoy the 15 minutes. ;-)
-juice
-juice
Any dealers selling at less than MSRP?. May be these hotties are just launched in these states and would make me wait for some time before price settles down little bit.
Also Any reputed non-dealer shop to buy/get installed SCION MAKE accesories with out messing up with manufacturer warranty?
Don't expect to find any pricing deals on Scion. Even on the coast they still sell for MSRP.
I would wait for some time unless I get called earlier from hell/heaven.
-juice
I'm finding out that my experience buying my 2005 must've been sheer luck and timing, because I went to the dealer, wanted white with a 5-speed and no add-ons. They had one with 1 mile on it (didn't even drill the front bumper yet for the license plate). Had them add the STB, aluminum door sill protectors, floor mats, fog lights, and a non-TRD 18" wheel/tire package, which totaled to a little over $18K out the door.
Could I have gotten it for less, probably. But when they had the exact one I wanted, and after figuring out the OTD price, I was happy with that.
Their "value price" is MSRP, but that includes 6 free oil changes.
Just an FYI for anyone shopping near DC or MD.
-juice