Thinking about getting a Scion.

[justintoxicated]

Right now I have a 4x4 Nissan Titan and while I really like my truck, gas and wear and tear is killing me (Tires etc) + almost out of warranty a year early. Typicaly my monthly gas bill is around 280 per month but sometimes gets as high as 380+. That plus Truck payment is getting excessive.

I'm thinking about getting an Xa. Does it really get 38 MPG? I sceen some of them in the auto trader for around 10,000 (05-06). I don't have much to put down on another vehicle, but I'm thinking that the monthly payment + gas would be less than I am spending now. Plus my insurance may actualy go down as well (not sure yet). I test drove the Xa and TC and while the TC is much nicer in looks and ride IMO, the gas mileage is worse and it is out of my price range.

Any Advice on problems to look for when getting a used scion?

[HATEnFATE]

The only problems you'll have with getting a used scion are the obvious, it's a used car and it really depends on how the previous owner treated it. One thing you'll come across also is that some scions are selling for more then new ones plus interest rates.

just keep your options open and yes they do get killer mileage esspecially compared to your current titan, even compared to my spec-v

[justintoxicated]

Yea I really don't understand how the hell a used car is worth more than a new one. I noticed the same thing at the dealership, but at least at the dealership the used cars have a much better warranty up to 7 years 100,000 miles....

I won't be getting anything over 10k. Since I'm not in a hurry I will just continue to search the autotrader for a deal untill I find something.

[HATEnFATE]

demand vs supply is what causes them to be higher used.

[DougDangger]

Toyota makes a razor thin profit with their Scion line ups. Dealerships can't charge a penny over the sticker.

However, none of those rules apply on USED cars.

Those more expensive used cars often are sold to people with bad credits who would not be approved by Toyota Motor Credit.


I'd say get the Scion tC spec. They start at $15,000. It's the same car as a regular tC minus: retractable sunroof (it's fixed glass), engine cover, alloy wheels, anti-theft, steering mounted controls, ABS, side mirror turn lamps... I think that's it.

What you get for $15,000 is:
2.4L 160hp
power windows, locks, mirrors, mp3 radio
16in steel wheels
Toyota reliability and quality.

Trust me, you won't find any other car with the equipment the tC specs come with for that price.


I'll be honest, I get around 24mpg with my tC. It could be higher but I have a heavy right foot. If you drive the freeway alot, it will take you forever to accelerate to freeway speeds. I've been in an xB (same engine and chasis as xA) and it took about 20 seconds to get from a stand still to 80mph. Passing another car is possible, but you'd have to rev the engine like a chainsaw and wait quite a while. xA owners claim an average of 35mpg. So it's up to you.

You're paying $1,000 for a car that has more power, looks better and will hold its value better than the xA.

The tC also has a better tuning potential than the xA, should you want some speed.

One thing i guarantee you, the tC will have about 2X the gas mileage of your Titan.

[toyotacrazy]

Originally Posted by DougDangger

Toyota makes a razor thin profit with their Scion line ups. Dealerships can't charge a penny over the sticker.

However, none of those rules apply on USED cars.

Those more expensive used cars often are sold to people with bad credits who would not be approved by Toyota Motor Credit.


I'd say get the Scion tC spec. They start at $15,000. It's the same car as a regular tC minus: retractable sunroof (it's fixed glass), engine cover, alloy wheels, anti-theft, steering mounted controls, ABS, side mirror turn lamps... I think that's it.

What you get for $15,000 is:
2.4L 160hp
power windows, locks, mirrors, mp3 radio
16in steel wheels
Toyota reliability and quality.

Trust me, you won't find any other car with the equipment the tC specs come with for that price.


I'll be honest, I get around 24mpg with my tC. It could be higher but I have a heavy right foot. If you drive the freeway alot, it will take you forever to accelerate to freeway speeds. I've been in an xB (same engine and chasis as xA) and it took about 20 seconds to get from a stand still to 80mph. Passing another car is possible, but you'd have to rev the engine like a chainsaw and wait quite a while. xA owners claim an average of 35mpg. So it's up to you.

You're paying $1,000 for a car that has more power, looks better and will hold its value better than the xA.

The tC also has a better tuning potential than the xA, should you want some speed.

One thing i guarantee you, the tC will have about 2X the gas mileage of your Titan.

He is telling the truth!

[wcbaird]

My wife has an 06 tC. Beware that there are some issues with the car. I think they forgot the sound deadening with the car so you hear every road noise. The steering is quite weird and you can forget about letting go of the steering wheel while going down the road. It will go hard right or hard left depending on which way it's pulling. You need to be a gorilla to pull the seat back lever on the passenger side. Strange, the driver's side is easy. Wipers last about a week then need replacing. If you have the sunroof open, the back seat window shade flops around like a chicken with it's head chopped off. The Scion radio cover squeaks when open, luckily you have wheel controls so you have to keep it closed. When it's really cold out, the front part of the roof makes noises like it's detaching from the body, very scary sounding. Oh, and you can forget 28mpg. my wife gets 21-25mpg and my wife is not a lead foot. Not even close to my company '06 Impala 31.2 on the highway or my '06 MB E350 30,7 on the highway.

Just remember, it's an under $21K car (with auto) and nothing more. Dealer experience - no better than the domestics so where's the beef?

[toyotacrazy]

Don't think buy one !