Hello all,

My lovely wife decided upon a.....
2004 Scion XB in Black Cherry Pearl
(Base model w/ a automatic transmission.)

She currently drives a Toyota Sienna and needed something...fun ...yet roomy and functional...... for the gang o five :smile:

Heres a pic.....http://www.cardomain.com/id/scion2
for those who haven't seen one yet.

I drove it ...and liked it....:smile:
It is a bit under-powered @108 HP.
It's truly.... a quirky looking thing in person. It's kinda like the Mini in that ...you either luv or hate...the design/concept. It's extremely roomy and comfortable inside and actually much bigger than I expected it to be. It has a smooth, tight.... yet responsive ride. It seems... from my 1st impressions...... to be worth......every penny of the $16K (tax included) price tag.

Let's see what the future holds :smile:
We probably will not see it till end of March 2004.

Peace,
D

 

An MCS and a Scion Xb? I'll bet the gen. X and Y ers just about camp out at your place to see the street cred drive by. When will your garage be in Architectural Digest? AutoWeek?

 

nice. They've been running around California for a while now, and I have to say they are really growing on me. I'm not too sure about the looks of the xA with big chrome wheels, but the xB is a pretty nice little package.

It'll make a nice garage mate for your MINI. Congrats. :smile:

Dave

 

i actually like the look.. I'll be honest. and your wife chose the right color - its pretty slick.

I was wondering how they drive, how is the power-to-weight on them?

I hope she didn't get the blue neon interior

 

I saw the A and B at the auto show last month. Definitely different, kind of like the Element. Very boxy with good use of space. I was suprised at the affordability. It's a good price for Toyota quality with unique styling.

 

The marketing of available options will make or break within their intended market (Youths 1st-2nd cars). But performance figure wise... yawn. Atleast the kids would (have to) be safe. I like my Cooper's power, but if I added a few more hundred pounds...

 

I still want to know if there's room to stash a body (or 50 kilos) inside that huge front bumper!

_________________

 

Dennis, you gotta bring this too a meet sometime so we can all get a look at it. I love them personally, but have yet to see it in person.

 

I like them!...I've seen so many here in cali. Theres a lot of them here at car shows too. People do performance mods to them, show mods, or some very loud stereo mods. Kinda like what we do with our minis

 

It's grown on me, I see a ton of them around here in LA, they look great. Gutless engine though?

 

I was just up in LA and got to see one up close. Unfortunately the dealership was just about to close when I pulled up, so I didn't get a chance to test drive. I'm afraid I would have bought one and had it shipped back to Hawaii if I did. They are very nice....

Please keep us informed on how you like it as the time goes on.....I'll be up in LA again soon and might just leave there with some keys! :smile:

 

I've really warmed to them too. Not a fan of the xA, but I'm starting to like this Japanese boxy trend thats coming to the states. I've seen Sema pics from my brother's trip (The Bone/Bonester creepers, for those who were there), and saw a Honda Element painted all in orange, with matching trim, and a woody side. Looked pretty nice. The xB has tons of potential. Needs more power though, I agree. At least 150 hp... if they could find a way of popping in an I-6, i'd buy one.

 

Maybe if they put the celica gts engine in it? I wonder if its an easy swap...

 

I test drove one a few weeks ago, not bad I must say... A bit high on the center of gravity and needed say another 20HP (+ torque). Overall, tho, not a bad drive. For $16,000 out the door- a very attractive buy!

D- good choice! I can't see how someone could dump $20,000+ on an Asstek when this does everything just as well???

 

I thought they looked a little rediculous in pictures, but in person, I actually didn't mind it so much. They are smaller than I expected. I still am not so much a fan of the front bumper (I still say it looks like it has an underbite), but overall I think they are ok. :smile:

 

^^ That was my first reaction. It seemed from the other pictures that they would be almost as large as the Element.

 

Not too sure these will come through.








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But they don't look like this on the dealer floor.
_________________
-goin440 IB/IB MC

 

ROFL..... :smile:

My wife being a.... non car-enthusiast type person...1st reaction to those pics was...

&quot;Oh MY God ...you're not gonna do that to.... MY CAR... ARE YOU !!!!!!!! :smile:&quot;

ROFL....


Peace,
D

 

I like the first one. :smile:

 

Notice the Altezza-style lights on the yellow one. It was only a matter of time

 

Here's an update....3/16/04

I originally was going to get my wife a new Toyota Scion XB... as it's quirky kool new....vehicle. We were to take delivery 3/31.

Here's what happened..instead :smile:

We picked up a new Honda Element .... and simply stated it's a great little... vehicle

Here's why we didn't...get the Scion....
I wanted to lease it....

The Scion required:
$2600 down and a monthly payment of $245 for 36 months (which is actually $317/mo if you consider the down payment into the calculation )
lease info: 36/mo term w/15k mileage /yr.
Cost of the vehicle is approx $16K..... &amp; the buy back is... approx $9K PLUS TAX !!!
**of the $2500 down at lease end you only get back 1 month which is actually $211(245- 34 monthly/tax)**
So.... if the car gets totaled or stolen... you are out...approx $2300

The Element required:
$0 down and a monthly payment of $300
lease info: 36/mo /15kmileage /yr.
Cost of the vehicle is approx $21k buy back is approx 12k... TAX.

The reason I'm sharing this story is ...
to assist those who are venturing into a new vehicle purchase..
Please take the time to fully understand... the ramifications. :smile:
I my particular situation the Honda was a much better deal.


Peace,
D

 

When i was car shopping over the summer I tested an element...

I liked it a lot, only ended up not getting it cause of... well... the MINI, you know.

But anyway, my favoriate part was when the sales guy said.. &quot;And to clean it.. you just bring out a hose and wash down the outside AND the inside...&quot;

the whole inside is washable with a hose!?!!

LOL - neat car though, what color?

 

&gt;&gt;But anyway, my favoriate part was when the sales guy said.. &quot;And to clean it.. you just bring out a hose and wash down the outside AND the inside...&quot;
&gt;&gt;
&gt;&gt;the whole inside is washable with a hose!?!!
&gt;&gt;
I was intrigued by this as well.
The truth of the matter is that you.... CAN NOT... do this.
it states it plainly in the manual...that you CAN NOT DO THIS.
Car salesmen tend to... be creative at times :smile:


&gt;&gt;LOL - neat car though, what color?
silver w/ a blue &amp; silver interior

 

Forgive me, I can't help but point out that the Element is rated at a dismal 21/24 mpg, compared to the xB's 31/35. I think Honda should be ashamed of themselves. If their gargantuan Accords can get 35 mpg on the highway, they certainly could have done better with this thing. My roommate was ready to buy one until he saw the fuel economy numbers.

That said, I'm sure the Element drives better than the xB. To me the xB felt a bit like driving a bus. I'm surprised that the lease worked out so much better on the Element; to buy one is at least 2k more (not to mention the increased fuel costs).

Enjoy!

 

that xB is a cool micro-van. My buddy's brother got that in Japan a year or so
ago and he loves it. :smile: