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Wagons Scion xB Scion xB - Hip to be square
1358 messages, Last post on Mar 17, 2009 at 8:05 PM
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Hi All, Searching for a reliable, functional, fuel efficient car has been consuming me! My friends, family, and girlfriend are sick of hearing me talk about which care to get, and not to mention the countless hours spent internet researching and Excel spreadsheets!  I currently drive a '05 Subaru WRX wagon with 55k miles! My commute to work is killer. I want to lower my car loan, insurance, and monthly gas bill but still want a car that is functional and fun to drive! I've narrowed my choices down to: 1999-2001 Honda CR-V for around $9-10k 2003 Honda Element for around $11k 2005 Scion xB for around $12k My dilema? With the Hondas I get cruise control, more horesepower, and all wheel drive (CR-V) and they cost a bit less. But the Scion gets better mileage AND IS SO COOL! I'm an adult (32) and I can't base my decision purely on emotion, so please help me rationalize why I should get an xB.  Thanks in advance!
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Replying to: wrxtc (Oct 13, 2006 7:37 am) Life is short my friend, go for the fun, go for the passion, go for the xB! I have had mine for approx 45 days and I've never had so much fun driving. yeah sure it could use a little more horsepower for merging and that...but the fuel economy is phenomenal! I'm getting 34 mpg in city driving! I love my xB, I love my sunroof and my xm radio. It's kinda hard not to want to be in my car ALL the time! Oh yeah...I'm over forty y/o, allegedly an adult...but the xB makes me feel like a kid again...pretty good deal, I'd say! 
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Replying to: wrxtc (Oct 13, 2006 7:37 am) so that leaves only the Scion. 1st, can you really handle going from one of the fastest hatches on the road to one of the slowest? How much do you owe on the WRX? Is it considerably more than $12k? Do you have any equity in the vehicle? Being an '05, its possible you have NEGATIVE EQUITY which you'd have to carry over to the next vehicle, which will drive your payments up higher than you are expecting. Have you called your insurance company for quotes on these vehicles? My guess is you're looking at very little savings. Maybe a few hundred a year? I have a feeling you are going to be saving far less than you think all around. You drive how much? 25k-30k per year? I estimate you'd save about $500 per year in gas with an xB (I'm estimating 2.30/gallon over 27k per year at 24 mpg in the WRX and 30 in the xB ... mostly because i think you'll be flogging the hell out of the xB). Add the few hundred from the insurance and, for now, I'm guessing the payment would be about a wash. So $800 per year. Is it really worth it?
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Replying to: qbrozen (Oct 13, 2006 8:43 am) To address a few of your points: I originally bought the WRX because at the time in my life, everything was about speed, handling, performance, style, etc. As I've gotten a little older (not necessarily more mature  ) I've settled down a bit. I should also mention I'm an avid motorcyclist for the past 10 years, so I can always go for a ride or head out to the race track when I'm feeling that 'need for speed'. Sometimes my car seems a bit overkill for my traffic jammed commute. Plus driving bum with a 5-speed manual gets tiresome. Sad fact, I am negative on my WRX. Low finance rate combined with long term loan and piling on the miles did me in, not to mention some poor decision making (chalk another one up for being young and careless). I would most likely end up rolling over the negative equity into whatever I buy but I'm trying to minimize the damage. I've done the math (loan payment, gas, insurance) and it looks like $179 savings per month or $2148 per year going from the WRX to the xB. I can provide the numbers if you're curious, I just didn't want to bore anyone with the nitty gritty Does it seem more worth it? Thanks!
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Replying to: wrxtc (Oct 13, 2006 11:43 am) i'd also like to know the payoff on your current ride and how many months left. Did your calculations take refinancing into consideration?
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Replying to: qbrozen (Oct 13, 2006 1:04 pm) I've included the payoff. My calculation did take refinancing into consideration. I used the Auto loan calculator here on Edmunds so I filled out everything to get my numbers. Also, I should mention I'm looked for a used xB for under $12000. Thanks!
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Replying to: wrxtc (Oct 13, 2006 2:24 pm) If you want to change for fun, go ahead I do it all the time. But there is absolutely no way you'll save money by downgrading. Any way you look at it, you'll owe a lot more money on the xB than you should. xB's don't go down much in price, so you sure aren't saving money there.... |
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My son has one and my Scion has this "aux. input" for MP3 players but the guy said it doesn't work "directly" with the iPod and I would have to buy a convertor or something to put between the iPod and the Aux plug-in. What is it I'm expected to get? What is it called? Is this true?
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Replying to: joesbar (Jan 23, 2007 9:49 am) What you can't do, is control the iPod through your car's radio controls. There are some hook-ups that allow this. But what's the big deal? Your iPod alread has it's own controls. (BTW, the Aux cable hookup won't allow you to operate the iPod through the car radio no matter what cable you buy; I think the "guy" you mentioned probably only mean you need a "stereo to stereo minijack plug, male both ends.")
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