Almost perfect!
Written: Jul 16 '04
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Pros: Lots of legroom, great gas mileage, unmatched looks, Toyota reliability.
Cons: Some dealers are HORRIBLE thieves! Not much hip-room, interior styling could use some work.
The Bottom Line: Great car, excellent value for the dollar. However try to find a dealer that is honest first.
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| oarias's Full Review: 2004 Scion xB |
Scion - The world's best car - The world's sleaziest dealers!
Hmmm... a little over the top? Perhaps... But after almost 6 months of owning this car, I still have little to complain about.... except for my car dealer.
However, I won't interrupt the review of an otherwise excellent car till the end. So read on.
I tend to go through cars pretty fast, and usually 6 months into car ownership I have already formed a list of gripes about the car. Not this time.
I don't think I fit the Xb's target demographic. I'm a large (5'10" - 300lb) 34 year old male. My previous car was a 1992 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, and I was getting tired of paying $30 a week in gas. That being said, I was looking for an economical car that had some style but yet was able to accommodate my large frame.
I picked up my silver/grey 2004 Xb back in February. When I was searching for a new car, I had my eye both on the Scion Xb and the Honda Element.
I test drove both cars, and while I actually preferred the Honda Element slightly (in terms of ride comfort) over the Scion. However after doing the math, I did not feel that the Element was worth the $5000 extra. (Honda charges extra for things that come standard on the Scion like air conditioning). (Just for giggles I also tried to test drive the Scion Xa; however I could not fit in the car!)
Also one of the major points of attraction to me was Scion's optional 6 disk MP3/CD changer; the Element had no MP3 option. While I could have put in an aftermarket MP3 player, the car was going to be a lease, so I didn't want to go there.
So in the end I chose the Scion. My car is a 5-speed in Silver.
The good:
1) Legroom - Plenty of it, even for back seat passengers.
2) Headroom - Miles of headroom!
3) MPG - I've been getting around 31 around town.
4) Styling - When I first bought it, I turned ALL the heads!
5) Reliability - I assume that this will be good as this car is basically riding on a Toyota Echo frame.
6) Storage space - One of the most impressive things about the car was all the little cubby holes to put things in and around the dashboard.
The bad:
1) Hip Room - Not a lot of hip-room and for larger folks. While the car is comfortable enough for the type of driving I do around town, I think the car would be uncomfortable in a cross-country trip. Also if you have someone else sitting in the front passenger seat, you'll notice a lack of elbow room.
2) Stereo Controls - I don't know what they were thinking here. Many times I have accidentally changed disks when I meant to do something else. Just give us a volume knob! The stereo does sound very good, particularly when matched with the optional bazooka subwoofer.
3) Interior - While I like the rubbery stuff that they put on the dash, and I also like the unique positioning of the Speedometer; I absolutely hate the cheap "fake metallic" accents, it makes the car look cheap.
The ugly:
Toyota Dealers - I was under the impression that the Scion was going to be a fixed "no haggle" car similar in concept to the Saturn. While this is true for the base price of the car, the vampires at the dealership will try to suck every last drop of money they can! I dealt with GERMAIN Toyota of Sarasota, the kings of high pressure and sleazy tactics. I was forced to pay $700 for "Toyo-guard" (For that price they etch the VIN on the window and give you a $3 bottle of paint "protectant"). Also was told in order to get the stereo I wanted, I had to pay an additional $300 for installation!! (Honestly the stereo was overpriced to begin with.) Then they tried to force me to buy the WHITE car they had on the lot, when I specifically stated several times that I DON'T WANT THE WHITE CAR! (I held my ground on this one!) Then when I dropped the car off to get the accessories installed I noticed that they drove the car for 50 additional miles when I picked it up. I am convinced that since no Xb's were available in the lot that day, they decided to use MY CAR as the demo vehicle!! That was just wrong!
At any rate, maybe not all Toyota dealers are like this. However I am not taking that chance. This will be the last Toyota product I buy for a while.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 17000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: Xb - 5 speed.
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Epinions.com ID:
oarias
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Member: Oscar Arias
Location: Sarasota, FL
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 0 members
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