Scion xB Prices Paid and Buying Experience

jamesgang · October 2005

With the '05s the first three oil changes were free as a part of the 'no haggle'.
That said, though I've not ordered a new vehicle, I would have thought the negotiating would have taken place BEFORE the order was placed.
As the other poster said, these cars have a very short 'on lot stay' - so you were left with little or no leverage.

scootertrash · October 2005

Give me a break.
You are the one who decided to "Waste" 4 weeks over an issue that does not exist.

Want to hear something funny? The Coupons for your 3 free oil changes are in the owners manual. All Scions come with them.

Even if you had to buy them, which you didn't, what would they have been, $75?

You really walked away over that?

jimw0238 · October 2005

this is true.......my new 2006 xb came with 3 free oil changes. i had also seen a topic on the scion website that listed this incentive as a standard perk

tomb3 · October 2005

"You really walked away over that?" - Yes, I really did. It's not about the money -- it's about ATTITUDE. I simply asked them if it was possible to do 4 oil changes for free (and I didn't know Scion would give 3 free coupons for oil change). They, instead of explaining it to me in a nice way, tried to ... bull me. The manager told me something like that: "come one, you won't be that stupid and don't buy this car now -- after all you've been waiting for it for a month"... and this (his direct quote" - "we don't care, we will sell your car tomorrow if you don't buy it from us today".

SO -- would anyone here buy from this dealership? My next thought was: "ok, I haven't bought anything from them yet -- what if I do and there's something wrong with the car...? Since now they try to BULL me, what would be in the future>>?".

---------

Anyway, I bought my scion today at another dealer. Yesterday I called the new dealer and asked if it would be possible to give me 4 oil changes for free. He said -- "No problem, not only I'll give you 4 free oil changes -- I will add a key chain for free". I didn't even asked him about the free key chain -- he just offered it to me for free!

Another thing.. the upgrades. The first dealer told me "it doesn't matter at all" if I choose the options rightaway or AFTER the car arrived. The trick is -- they would charge me extra for installation. They DID NOT tell me it would be cheaper for me to order the upgrades at the manufacturer; when I asked them if I could buy upgrades, they told me "don't worry about it, you can buy it later"... This new dealer told me IN ADVANCE that it would be cheaper for me to order upgrades at the manufacturer... So I paid about $100 less overall for this car for the same options.

In addition, the first dealer sold me both cargo net and cargo cover option; today I found out it's not possible to install them both...

I'm hoping to receive my scion in 3-4 weeks. Yes, I lost 4 weeks, but gained more. IMO, of course.

tom

scootertrash · October 2005

You'll love the car.

I don't blame you at all for walking away because the dealer was jerky but why put yourself in that position?.

Also, you already paid for 3 of those 4 oil changes since everyone gets them and they are not "free" they are simply pre-paid and built into the price of the car.

Your experience highlights why no one should ever enter a car dealer until after the deal is fully negotiated over the internet before you get there.

Only fools and masochists sit down and go back and forth in the shark tank.

kyfdx · October 2005

Congratulations on your new car!!

thundercloud · November 2005

Ordered a thunder cloud metallic automatic xB two weeks ago. Came in yesterday - I'm picking it up at lunch. Of the 3 dealerships in my area (Sterling Heights, MI), the one I bought it from had the shortest wait (the other 2 said I had to wait 6 weeks!). Priced it on Scion.com, printed it out and the salesman took that figure and wrote it on my invoice. I like the "Pure Price", no haggle approach. Bought the floor mats, cargo net and rear bumper applique. Opted out of the strut bar because I found the exact same one online for $100 less. I'll also save the $38 the dealership was charging me for installation (it's just 6 nuts, a 10 minute self installation I'm guessing). I'm also going to pick up the Hotchkis front and rear sway bars (trdsparks.com) and installing them myself. I'm also going to pick up an after market armrest. I'm going to get one without the storage because it looks like it would interfere with putting on my seat belt. The xB has plenty of other storage anyway. Ebay has plenty to choose from. Paid $16,500 out the door.

jimw0238 · November 2005

my 06' is thunder cloud!
you beat my out the door by $230............good deal.
i too am getting ready to install the strut bar. i did buy a really nice armrest with storage on ebay for $99, i have no trouble with the seat belt, however you have a little bit of work to reach the parking break- but i hear that all the armrests block it about the same. i have had my xb auto for about a month now and am getting between 29 to 34 mpg. car currently has 1,300 miles on it. i have to use two soft towels each time i wash it- one to remove water, second to polish off streaks and spots. but it looks sweet and is worth all the effort! :shades:
p.s....does anyone know where i can order one of those windshield tint strips that is "smoke" color-see thru and just applies to the top of inside windshield by rubbing it on with a credit card. they use to be in all the auto part stores, but now i can't find any

southern1 · November 2005

I ordered a Scion xB just this past Saturday. The dealer here in Myrtle Beach stated that Scion would pay for the first 3 oil changes @ intervals of 5,000 miles.

southern1 · November 2005

How is the xB on interstate travel plus of hilly terrain. The horsepower is low, but torque seems reasonable. What can I expect?

tundradude · November 2005

The first three oil changes is at whatever interval you like.

Since the xB is geared low, you never have a loss of power in terms of interstate travel.

jamesgang · November 2005

The three oil changes, according to the owner's manual, can be any time during the warrenty period. They do not have to be the first three.
Also, they go with the car if traded and not used before 'times up'

thundercloud · November 2005

Have had my xB for about a week now. I love it more each day!

Does anyone know if air is supposed to come out of the dash vents even when the air flow dial is set to "floor"?

crazedcommuter · November 2005

I drive my XB daily on a 110 mile roundtrip commute. I run a combination of 2 lane country roads over a mountain and interstate travel. There is sufficient power on the interstate as I cruise at 70-80 mph daily with no trouble. On hills you will have to downshift, but the vvt-i pulls like a champ at 6k rpm, and I have no trouble. My thundercloud automatic has 22,500 miles on it since April 3, and has been running great. I got 34.6 mpg on my last tank. I have not yet taken the car in for service as I do all my own oil changes and run it down to a local garage for an $11 tire rotation. I just changed from regular Castrol and Penzoil oil to Castrol Syntec synthetic to see if it made any difference in mileage. At the 1/2 tank level, it looks like I'm getting a little better mileage but I'll know more after another tankful for comparison. Oil changes are a snap and take 10 min. I went with my wife the other night to look at the new Chevy HHR just for curiosity sake. I got in and pulled on the armrest to close the door, and the armrest came off in my hand!!! Salesman said it "must've come loose". More Chevy junk!!! I never had issues with the XB's quality, and wiil now begin searching for one for my wife. We're going to be a 2 XB family.

scootertrash · November 2005

Be sure to let us know how the synthetic oil affects your mileage

kyfdx · November 2005

If you wish to discuss general features or performance, please do so here:

Scion xB - Hip to be square

thanks,
kyfdx

tundradude · November 2005

Its a Toyota thing to have the two side top vents flow air even though its set for the floor. Every Toyota I have had since 78 has done this.

tundradude · November 2005

You have really put on the miles. I almost have 9000. I will admit that I have done some carpooling some days with my wife to keep the miles down.

brazuca · November 2005

Hi Everybody....I found a xB in stock, automatic, BSP for $15,195. I looked the color and it's really nice, but I was decided on the Thundercloud Metallic.

Any opinions ? Does anyone here have a BSP ? I'm afraid it's gonna be tough to keep it clean ? What about marks from car wash, etc. :confuse:

I really liked it and it's not easy to find a basic one. :confuse:

jimw0238 · November 2005

i have thunder cloud. it gets dirty easy- looks like the xb at the forum front page. i have custom wheels with matching paint (were already color matched when i bought them) and every water spot shows.....
generally it takes me two towels to dry it after bath. one to wipe off water and second to chase the spots, but then it is beautiful. i just got back from breaking in my 06' on a 3300 mile trip. car runs great, mileage varied do to some big grades and strong headwinds. but on the flat lands, watch out...this baby loves to cruise at 80 mpg!
i love it more each day and bought a deluxe club for the steering wheel since these are popular for theft. i only run castrol oil in my toyotas.....well go to go due my first iol change now :shades:

pinkpank · November 2005

After doing a little bit of research, I almost went with ordering my xB in Raleigh-Durham, figuring that they would be a "less hassle" dealer than the Chicagoland dealers (who like to add extra cost items as markup).

To my surpise, even on-line, the "Documentation Fee" was ~$400 in NC, while Chicago has none. Plus, delivery was less. So I walked into the local dealer knowing this, and 45 minutes later I have a contract with a new 2006 xB thundercloud manual on the way. No options whatsoever, $14,420 - exactly as on the web. They'll look for one stateside, otherwise it may be up to 8 weeks to get one from Japan. No big deal. I'm patient.

They said it costs the same to have the cruise or a sunroof installed/ordered, now or when it arrives. I read here that this isn't true - why, and for what reason? Both of these are dealer installed anyway, aren't they?

They did add a "required $55 doc fee", but I didn't feel like wasting any time over that. There's also a "county tax" of $15 that seems unfamiliar to me (not sales tax!), but I'll figure that out.

So, the lesson is: A lower-volume dealer and location may charge higher "fees" on these, including via the web site (which quoted me about $500 more for NC over IL), even though you'd think they would only do this in the "high sales" urban markets. Not true, apparently.

I don't have the car yet, so I'm not counting my chickens, but so far it's the most painless car purchase I've made.

Has anyone here paid *under* MSRP for their base car (not counting accessories, I know they may discount those)?!?

TIA

thundercloud · November 2005

I chose thundercloud. My other choice was black - I saw one and the forums were right. Looked really dirty. Mine gets dirty too, but I know I don't have to wash it as often as the Black owners do....

catscion6 · December 2005

Can someone advise me ? On Oct 29, 2005 I went to Sloane Toyota of Glenside PA. The "scion salesman" wasn't available so another salesman let me road test an xB. I ordered one with some options and put significant money down on it. They couldn't tell me when it would be for a couple of days. Later that week they said 1st week of December. Last night they called and said "scion cut production, the car won't be here until late December". I ordered a camouflage color, they have a white one on the lot & want to know if I want that. Is this kind of thing normal? I don't trust them now and think I should get my money back and start over somewhere else. Alo I thought that the accesories ould only cost the price posted but many posts here seem to indicate that if the dealer installs them it costs more. What's up with that (I'm talking about accessories thaton scion.com do not say installation extra - I know some say that)

Can someone advise me a bit on this please ? Sorry for the long post.

:confuse:
catscion6

brazuca · December 2005

Hi catscion6, I purchased mine 1 week ago and paid, $15,195 (including delivery) + tax, for an auto in Thundercloud Metallic. I got 2 acessories, the front strut tie bar from TRD and the floor mats, price paid was the same in the Scion Website and it was included the installation. I'm in Indiana and I could find a car in stock in Illinois, it was worth the trip to pick it up, because the car was ready for me, no waiting. My suggestion, go to autotrader.com and type Scion xB new, your zip code and a range of miles that you want the website to look for, it ranges from 30 to 300, it will show you a list of dealers that have them in stock. In Indiana though, I could not find any. Good luck, the car is awesome buy the way, don't give up.

catscion6 · December 2005

Thank you brazuca for you advice and quick response. Your's and some other info I got led me to believe that the dealership was (for lack of a beter phrase) misinformed. For now I went literally around the corner from my house (where I should have gone 1st I guess) to Thompson Toyota. I ordered a Thundercloud xB. They could tell me when it gets in port, when they think I can have it, will order all the options and install them when the car arrives so I can just come and get it. No back and forth like these other guys, no pay for the car 1st then we put the options on. Some other things they told me that the other guy did not:
Scion gives you 3 free oil changes - the other guy said "if it doesn'tcome in we'll make it up in service" ... hmmm maybe 3 oil changes?
They get their allocation every mid month.
They know when they get in to port.
They'll call other dealler and trade 1 to get 1

Plus frankly the dealship experience was so much better that the nightmare at the other place. Inspections are free with them for both our cars. Right now I'm going to go with them, but I really appreciate your response - Now I just have to get my other deposit back. Supposedly monday.

jimw0238 · December 2005

it (also) sounds to me like they are trying to tie up your money to lock in future sells. that is not good business. i agree with the other person, get your money and go elsewhere. i got a 06' thundercloud with auto and just love it to death- however it cost $16,700 after all expenses and the only extra they added for me was the nice mats

i do totally agree though, get your money- due a little research and make the drive, the car is worth it. they aren't the fastest but i truely enjoy driving mine 60 miles per day and get @ 30 mpg! :shades:

crazedcommuter · December 2005

I have driven a lot of miles since it was new, although I still refer to it as "new". I just put on 4 Bridgestone Blizzaks size 185 60 15. The Box really drives great in the snow the the Blizzaks. It snowed here in eastern WV/Northern Va. last week and I was dying to try them out. They gripped well and I outran many other 4x4's and fwd cars. The combo of the snows and the traction control made for a safe drive in 6" of snow. I recommend them if you have to drive in winter weather.

tundradude · December 2005

I turned 5 digits on it today. 10000. We are having some wonderful freezing rain tonight, and my car got salted because of the trucks doing the roads this morning. Winter is always iffy down here in the middle of NC. We are always on the rain/bad weather line. However, it is possible to have 2 feet snow storms.

If it does snow, I plan to park the xB and drive the Corolla unless I get caught in it. That being said, any tires would be better and safer (in the rain, much less snow) than the Goodyears that came on the xB.

wsforbes · January 2006

:confuse: In October of 2005, I put down a deposit on an xB. The salesman was quite clear when he told me it could take up to 60 days to get the car. It is now the 5th day of January 2006. Still no car. I have e-mailed, called, and looked at every dealership within 1000 miles of where I live and not a single one has the type I ordered (manual transmission in blue). Has anyone had this experience? Is it just my dealership? Is it worth waiting for this car or should I just accept my deposit is gone and go buy another car some place else?

volvodan1 · January 2006

Whatever happens the deposit is refundable. Don't let tham keep it!!!!!!!!!!

tundradude · January 2006

Get your deposit and go somewhere else. I have a blue xB with a manual and you can get one.

You are not going to see a manual in any color on any lot. Dealerships assumes everyone drives automatics. Actually about 90% of Americans do.

scootertrash · January 2006

Call Scion and let them know what happened. They should contact the dealer and find out what's going on.
Like any manufacturer, they only have limited power against their dealers, but they do have tools to use.

xbbuyer · January 2006

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales.html

for state sales tax rates.

Oregon, New Hampshire, Montana, Delaware, Alaska are listed as 0% sales tax..

wsforbes · January 2006

The form at the dealership said the deposit was NON refundable.

Given that I am not a quiet sort of fellow, I wrote some people in Toyota. Specifically, every Regional Manager for the brand in North America. That got me an e-mail from a guy named David Christ, Brand Manger for Scion. Nice e-mails.

It is January 31 and still no car.

I forwarded my e-mails to the sales manager at the dealership. Per the advice of Mr. Christ, I am dealing only with him. His response was, "so, do you want to cancel your order or what? We have the ETA for this car listed as this week."

Let me repeat, I ordered this in October 2005.

There is a great chance that Scion's are great cars. I have no idea. A brief test drive with what has to the world's most gifted liar is my only experience with the car.

This has to be the worst dealership in the universe. :lemon:

firebox · February 2006

Hopefully things will turn out. Went to Toyota of Downtown Seattle and was told they could get any color in a week and a half (saw a white one that was already sold on the lot and I have to say, It looked pretty sharp), then after a half hour of filling out forms and talking accessories he comes back to me and say there's not a Red one in a five state radius to be had! What?! Black, White, or Silver, your choice. Hell with that. I had some time left in the day so I went out to Lake City Toyota and they said they had the Salsa one coming into Portland in a day! Plus Downtown Toyota wanted $500 bucks to hold one and Lake City only wanted $100. Granted LC is a bit far from my house but I think it's a no brainer. Though I'm tempted to call up Downtown T and see how much he would like to compete. Oh yeah, anybody get LED illumination system. should I invest in something else?

jldubb · February 2006

I'm going to the dealership to sign papers tonight and they will deliver my camouflage metallic xB (no extra options, just the standard) tomorrow. I'll be writing a check for $16266.45 tax, title & doc fee included. The documnetation fee is $249. They wouldn't budge on that. Other dealers doc fees are a lot less, but none had one on the lot. I would have had to order, and judging from some stories on this board, I don't want to do that. I think that is a fair price.

aatherton · February 2006

I went to one dealer to place an order, and they presented me with a purchase order to sign with these fees filled in:
Special Benefits Package (i.e. extra profit for dealer) 598.98
Sales Consultant Fee (i.e. extra pay for saleman) 250.00
Docment Fee 99.95

When I complained, they said I should check another dealer. I went to a second dealer about 30 minutes further away, and their fees were $547 less, so I signed their PO and gave them the deposit. For an xB with manual and no options, the total price out the door was $15,881.

I complained to Scion about the first dealer's hidden fees, and was told dealers are free to set their own prices but must post them. But the cars around here only show the MSRP sticker. Then some else told me that dealers do their "posting" on their websites, and sure enough, buried in the first dealer's website were all those high fees. I guess that satisfied the requirement for "posting".

My dealer said dealers in this region are invited to place their orders in mid-month just after an auto-ship departs Japan, for the number of cars allocated to them. They also get to "preference" certain details about the cars, and then get a confirmation. The cars take about 3 weeks to reach the California port, have some options installed, and be put onto various regional trains. Dealers nationwide can trade any cars before they get on the train, and after that, they can only trade cars on their regional train. All this is done on computers by the dealers and Scion/Toyota. My train will take about 2 weeks to drop cars along the route and reach Chicago, where my car will then go on a truck to Louisville. Total waiting time: at least 6 weeks. I will get three calls: first when the car is on the dock and I am told its VIN, second when it leaves the train and is ready to truck, and third when it arrives to schedule delivery.

tundradude · February 2006

Granted I got my xB last year, but mine was 15933 with five options. Those fees must be high even at the other dealership.

jldubb · February 2006

P.S. mine was an automatic... AND I LOVE IT!

flintstone1 · February 2006

I've put down a deposit and am waiting for an xB. The salesman has a Salsa Red in a manual transmission, but I want a lighter color. He only has automatics in light colors (Silver or White). Should I wait longer to get what I want or just take an automatic transmission. Is the gas mileage much better with a 5speed? I don't put many miles on a car, but want the best gas mileage possible. I expect to have this car for a long time and know the gas prices are going much higher in the coming years.

aatherton · February 2006

The automatic gets 1 mpg better, city or hwy, because it is geared to go lower rpms. The automatic is more relaxed and quieter on the interstate, but less peppy on acceleration. If you want the best mileage, consider the automatic, but also consider how long it will take 1 mpg to pay back $800. If you like the control and responsiveness and performance of the manual transmission, you won't be happy with the automatic.

kopchikc · February 2006

I would like to lease an xB for 36 months, probably with 15K miles per year. What have your experiences been with residual values and how options affect the residual value. Also what type of bank rates have you been able to get. TFS is not an authorized lender in NC, so I can't go through them.

Kirstie_H · March 2006

A large newspaper reporter aims to interview someone who is on the waiting list for a Scion. Please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com before Sunday, March 4, 2006 with your daytime/weekend contact info and the model youre on the waiting list for.

danberg · March 2006

Looking to purchase a xB. Any suggestions on having a dealership / others install a cruise control? Local Toyota dealership in Mentor, Ohio wants $600 for an installed cruise control. Seems quite high, as other Toyota's models offer that as an option for $200 - $250!

thetruth4130 · March 2006

is there traction control with a manual transmission, thanks

tundradude · March 2006

all xb's come with traction control regardless of transmission

knockhell · March 2006

Hi everybody.
just got a thundercloud box home today. here's how it happened.
1. saw-test drove-loved

2. ordered-manual with cruise- deposited $500
3. haggle free- decided on MSRP+doc fees (170)+registration charges for MI
4. asked dealer if cruise ($395) was dash-integrated-said yes
5. dealer got the car from another dealer in 2 weeks
6. cruise did not have dash-integration- asked dealer why :mad: - dealer said he was mistaken- i asked for a $200 reduction from cruise- deal done- the car already had a full tank of gas as well
7. All in all a very good experience- i would recommend Dunning Scion in Ann Arbor (MI)- paid $15860 (out of the door)

cocteau3 · March 2006

Anybody have any experience buying a Scion xB in Kentucky? I'm getting a huge range of documentation fees (add on BS) from dealers. Some dealers claim they can search available cars and trade with other dealers, but one good dealer seems to have access to the California inventory, which yields better results. My thoughts are the doc fee should be waived, since there's already the $540 delivery, prep, etc. fee built in to the price, non-negotiable. Obviously the dealers just want to pad their profit. Any recommended dealerships would be appreciated!

aatherton · March 2006

I began looking in January. I first dealt with Oxmoor Toyota, and asked the salesman to write out the complete price on the back of his card. He put down something like $750 tax, $600 for delivery and $100 documentation, but later I noticed that the delivery/prep cost is already included in the MSRP. I realized later that he had to include a lot of extra fees but did not want to identify them as fees at this point, so he innocently double-added the delivery/prep.

When I got serious in February, I asked Oxmoor to write up a purchase order so I could reserve a car still in shipment with a deposit. Until you get a detailed breakdown on a PO, you dont really know where all the costs are. The salesman drafts the PO and the sales manager has to approve it. The PO detailed a lot of fees, some of which were not called that. One line item was Special Benefits Package $600. I asked what that was, because I didnt want it. I was told it was a dealer fee. Another item was Saleperson $250. The salesman said he was not on commission and that was his pay.

Since Scion is sold on a Pure-Price policy where there is no negotiation, I left Oxmoor. By looking at dealer websites under About Us, I later found that Oxmoor has $950 in fees, Toyota of Louisville (Swope) has $500, and Greentree has $400. I went with Swope because it's total fees were $540 less than Oxmoor's, plus I liked the salesman and the feeling of the place and the better physical plant. It is rather far out Dixie Hwy for me, but I dont plan on going there often.

aatherton · March 2006

"... Some dealers claim they can search available cars and trade with other dealers, but one good dealer seems to have access to the California inventory, which yields better results."

I doubt that there is a California inventory of xBs that some dealers can access and others can't. There is a limited supply, and demand is higher than supply. Each dealer is given a monthly allocation. Most of their allocated xBs are pre-sold with deposits while on the ship. Many of those that are not pre-sold are then traded among dealers while on the train or truck. Not many xBs reach the lot un-presold.

I have noticed that one dealer here seems to get more xBs and sooner. That same dealer has unusually high fees. It makes me wonder if there is a bidding process among dealers who want to aggressively get more cars than allocated, financed by the fees they charge customers.

Scion xB Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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