Would you buy a brand new Scion with a Carfax report?

[JONOV]

Originally Posted by user9430961

UPDATE: I went to the dealer that was 30 miles away last Saturday. I inspected the car thoroughly (the tires, the engine, the interior), and I took it for a test drive. The car was in tip-top shape and looks brand new. So after my test drive, the car had 22 miles on it. Since the dealer stated that I am getting the standard Toyota warranty + Toyota Care for 2 years or 25K miles, I was sold! So I purchased the car in cash right on the spot! With that $1,500 below MSRP, I was able to make the entire purchase total (including taxes and license/registration) for less than 20K out the door! WOO! HOO!

I have now had my xB for 6 days and I love it . . . but since it has been over 19 years since I last brought a new car, I do miss that “new car smell” that seems to be the norm for most brand new automobiles nowadays, NOT to have that “new car smell”. Yet I do recall that the majority of the brand new cars that I looked at (when at an auto show) for the past few years, do not have that “new car smell”.

I know that it will take some driving my new xB to get used to it, however my only complaints are so far is, I wish that it got a little better gas mileage (which I knew it did not get the best gas mileage for such a small car, before I bought it), and there seems to be a bad blind spot (due to the side/roof spot between the back passenger windows and the tailgate . . . which is very noticeable whenever I have to parallel park, and at times while changing lanes.

Yet thus far, I have no buyer’s remorse, and I am thrilled with my choice and have absolutely no regrets in purchasing a xB.

Good job, and you got a good deal. I think the mileage is mediocre because of the design. It is essentially a big box pushing air.

[trbstang]

Originally Posted by user9430961

Thanks, Trbstang. I’ll look into those stick on blind spot mirrors.

During the early part of this year, I had looked at buying a used Toyota . . . I even considered a clean used Matrix with low mileage, however the prices in my area were so high, I figured I might as well buy a new car. Out of curiosity, why did you buy a Vibe GT over a Matrix, and why did you get rid of it?

Mainly due to price, plus I liked the looks better on the Vibe GT version vs the Matrix XRS. I bought my son an 06 Vibe in 08, ended up driving it a year while he was at college and really liked it, so when I needed a commuter car, I searched for a nice Vibe GT. We got my son's car with 7K miles on it for $13,900 and I bought my 2010 GT with 36K miles for $12,400. Both prices were at least $1K-2K less than a comparable Matrix. I had actually decided to buy my son an 06 Matrix with 25K that was listed for $14,995 when we found the Vibe.

I got lucky buying the 2010, but it was rear ended last June and totaled. I ended up getting $12,870 for it from insurance though, so I drove it for 2-1/2 years and made $470! I still miss it.





But I knew I would be looking for a replacement Vibe and I found a nice older GT with a manual transmission that I was able to buy mostly for cash to keep from having a car payment. I'll probably get me another 09-10 GT, red, with a manual transmission next time. Nice little cars.

[user9430961]

JONOV, LOL!!! Alas, driving in Los Angeles and doing the type of driving I am doing, I have now learned that I am only getting about 300 miles to the tank , due to my having to drive the streets of Los Angeles 90% of the time vs. freeway/highway driving. Yet with that being said, I still have no regrets about getting my xB. Yet that mileage matches basically what I found on Edmunds.Com . . . which stated that the xB gets 308.0/392.0 mi. to the tank city/highway.

Trbstang, thank you for elaborating why you purchased the Vibe over the Matrix. Yet what a bummer that your Vibe got totaled. Well good luck on the future Vibe you plan to purchase. I think that both the Vibe and Matrix are really nice cars, and it was too bad that they no longer make them. Yet I liked the xB when it first came out and was glad that I was able to get the 2015 that I have . . . yet overall, in the case of the xB, I do not think that Toyota could go too much further in keeping the styling up to date and appealing due to the basic shape of this car . . . thus is why I can see why Honda ditched the Element, and Nissan ditched it’s Cube . . . Yet it would be interesting to know why Toyota has opted to discontinue the xB and know how many they sold this year thus far. Yet it will be interesting to see how Kia will keep it’s Soul up to date in the coming years. I looked at the Soul before getting my xB, however I just did not like the current styling of it vs. what it looked like about 2 or 3 years ago. Had I been in the market for a car about 2 or 3 years ago, I "might" have went with the Kia Soul. Yet right now, I do feel better by going with the Toyota name, since I have known Toyota owners for over 35 years that overall loved every Toyota they purchased, and have often kept their Toyotas for over 15 to 20 years before getting a new one or moving over and buying a Lexus. In my case, this is my first time owning a Toyota during my 36 year driving history. As I get used to my xB, now that I have had it almost 3 weeks, I am starting to like it better than I thought I would. It is turning out to be a great little car. Thus far the most great and surprising thing "for me" about this car, is that it is or feels so much larger on the inside vs. how it looks on the outside. The headroom is just outstanding!