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[Mineshaft_Gap]

2008 Scion XB - $8000 - 60,000 Miles

(Actual car not pictured, but is identical).

First I want to say, I hate the way this car looks. I hate it. I hate it but I love how much (perceived) value I'm getting on the car. I feel like I'm getting an extremely good deal but just in case I'm not I'm hoping you guys can help talk me off the ledge in the even that I'm wrong. It seems like the stars have aligned for me to get a car well below market value.

I've been on the prowl for a used car for a while now. My top dollar is $8000 and so far I've been greatly disappointed in the types of car that fall within my price range (in terms of age/mileage). My ideal has been Honda Fit and other Japanese cars in that size/price range. Affordable and reliable. The trouble is that they are in extremely short supply. They seem to get sold as quickly as they get listed, unless they're practically new in which case they're entirely out of my price range. Looking at dealers and private sellers. Private sellers have been a bust. I'll call and ask how long the car has been owned and the sellers will say a few weeks, a month, a few months. They're buying the cars from one of the many nearby auctions and flipping for a profit and I simply do not want to waste my time on these people and these cars.

I used to entertain these as an option but after being lied to one too many times I've completely shut them out. If I'm buying from a private seller, they need to have actually owned the car for their own personal use.

So I came across this Scion. The seller is from Germany, in the United States on assignment from his work for the past three years (this is in a very metropolitan/academic city). He's moving back to Germany on Saturday and needs to sell the car before then. The price is WELL below the KBB. Carfax is totally clean and lists the car as being worth ~$1500 above Blue Book. Purchase date matches what the seller describes (second owner, purchased from original). It appears as though he's only put about 6,000 miles on the car since he's purchased it. Which is believable, considering the city where he's located.

When I went to go look at the car it appeared cherry. Excellent condition on the inside and out. His house looked nice, his wife was nice, baby was nice, car seat in the back of the car I was looking to purchase. This tells me this is a car that was trusted to actually drive himself and his family and I take this as a good sign. The car has 4 winter tires on it, all of them look brand new. It also has 4 all season tires inside, which are about a year old. They also look nearly new.

I'm skeptical of anything that seems too good to be true. However, as someone with a generally good bullshit detector, the guy seemed very legit. Educated, well spoken, up front, no nonsense. German. Since when have the Germans ever done anything shady? I asked if he would allow me to take the car in to get an inspection from a Toyota/Honda dealer/service center. He said yes without skipping a beat. No hesitation whatsoever, but he said he would prefer the inspection be done either today or tomorrow because he's going to be getting ready to leave for Germany on Friday. Here's something I'm iffy about...

I've decided to take his word for it and offer a deposit until I can pick it up tomorrow. I didn't feel any pushback or pressure w/ regards to getting the vehicle inspected. But, two other people called about the car while I was taking a test drive and there was a person pulling up to look at it right as I was leaving his driveway. So I decided to take his word and not risk losing the opportunity to purchase by taking the extra day to get it inspected and not offering a deposit. From what I saw and drove, it appears to be a car that someone else will purchase on the spot.

So yeah. I don't know. I just wanted to run this whole thing by you guys. Am I gonna get screwed? Is this car gud? Reliable? Reviews seem good for reliability, mixed on aesthetics, feel, comfort, and fuel economy. Quite frankly though, I could probably flip it and make ~$3000 so long as everything's good. I won't, but if I really came to hate certain of its qualities... I could. So what say you? I'm excite. Should I be excite? This will be my first non-shitty car.

 

[soundscream]

Its a Toyota which has averaged under 10,000 miles a year. Aside from the looks you will be fine.

 

[TheAbsolution]

Eh, it's a Toyota product so it's reliable. It's alright, however for that body style, I prefer the Kia Soul myself. Is probably out of your price range though unless you want to finance.

 

[triplestation]

looks like a microwave

j/k

i think these cars look futuristic

 

[Palpable]

Its a Toyota which has averaged under 10,000 miles a year. Aside from the looks you will be fine.

Yeah, I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those... but it's Toyota so it's reliable.

 

[ShabbadooJr]

I owned it for 6 months. Fastest I've ever gotten rid of a car. It was awful. Slow, terrible handling, boxy and you have to find winds even on a someone windy day. I traded it in for a Honda Element, which was way nicer car all around.

 

[Ferrio]

I like mine, not a bad car especially for the price I got it (cash for clunkers). I don't think I would of gotton it knowing what I know now, but who knows. My complaints is the thing is built horribly for any sorta bad weather or terrain. Which makes it really bad for where I live. I swear the back is a magnet for dirt. If I lived somewhere like Cali, I'd have a way better opinion I think.

Mechanically it's been solid for 5 years and 30k miles (I know that's low), and that's pretty good for a car that's working in -40F weather.

 

[Dr_LucienSanchez]

https://youtu.be/0fvOg13V5mI

If that doesn't make you want a scion, then I don't know what will.

 

[weekend_warrior]

Abort.

That is all.

I don't know how you're having a hard time finding a car. Buy a early 2000's Honda Civic 5-speed, mileage irrelevant. Done.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Sounds like a good deal. As everyone else is saying, it's a Toyota, so it's reliable. I don't like the way it looks, either, but that's not the most important aspect.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

8k for 60k miles for a Scion? I don't know about all that.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Abort.

That is all.

A+ post. Would read again. Well written and constructive.

 

[soundscream]

8k for 60k miles for a Scion? I don't know about all that.

The guy is moving to Germany, the last thing you want is to be saddled with a car in another country.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

The guy is moving to Germany, the last thing you want is to be saddled with a car in another country.

He knew exactly what the car is worth. All signs pointed to "legit" to me. He describes taking the car to a dealer to sell, but was offered a very low amount.

It sounds like he was probably expecting to get a certain (reasonable) amount back on the car from the dealer. The dealer probably made a very, very low offer since he wasn't also purchasing a new car. He probably wasn't expecting this and waited until the last minute. Now needs to ditch the car. It appears to have been driven up until the very end. Like I said, car seat still in the car, package of crackers still inside one of the cupholders.

This is what I'm telling myself. I'm trying to be optimistic, but it may be misguided. Which is why I'm asking GAF. Be my voice of reason plz.

 

[breadtruck]

Its a Toyota, so it should last a while

Go for it.

Plus xB's can look pretty decent if you put a little in to them (tint, wheels, etc)

 

[hobozero]

If it's a really good deal, you could always buy it, flip it, then buy what you really want

Edit: Flip it as in re-sell, not as in vehicular misadventure

 

[m_shortpants]

It's a Toyota, I'm guessing a 1.8 or 2.2 liter 4 cylinder from the Corolla or Camry.

If all you want is transportation, it'll give you no issues and will be reliable.

My uncle has a Toyota Matrix which was also a Corolla with a different body, over 300,000 miles and the only thing he's ever had done is oil, brakes, and tires.

Edit: it's the 2.4 liter, presumably from the Camry.

 

[BennyBlanco]

I don't think this is such a great deal, especially if you acknowledge it's an ugly car.

 

[Desi]

Eh, it's a Toyota product so it's reliable. It's alright, however for that body style, I prefer the Kia Soul myself. Is probably out of your price range though unless you want to finance.

I have a Soul. Join us, be one with the devil Kia.

 

[lem0n]

It's transportation. It's a Corolla/Camry/TC type car with a toaster as a body. It will go and go. The resale is pretty okay, so 8k for a xB with 60k miles isn't unheard of. I would daily one if I needed more space, just because I know it's got space, reliability, and they come with a manual gearbox.

 

[statham]

My friend has a model close to that and loves it, 60k is good, interior are very roomy. It has the scion TC engine in it but geared differently, thats a good engine IMO. I had a TC for years and never had engine problems.

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

I owned it for 6 months. Fastest I've ever gotten rid of a car. It was awful. Slow, terrible handling, boxy and you have to find winds even on a someone windy day. I traded it in for a Honda Element, which was way nicer car all around.

Oh thank god you got rid of that boxy xB for a --wait wtf??

To OP: I guess that's an OK deal. I would rather have a car I like than a car that I am getting a "good deal" on, really. Just keep in mind that KBB value is just a number. It's not an objective thing. You're not necessarily going to be able to sell the car for whatever it's KBB value is in a couple years or whenever you're getting rid of it. You're only going to be able to get what you can convince someone to pay.

 

[soundscream]

He knew exactly what the car is worth. All signs pointed to "legit" to me. He describes taking the car to a dealer to sell, but was offered a very low amount.

It sounds like he was probably expecting to get a certain (reasonable) amount back on the car from the dealer. The dealer probably made a very, very low offer since he wasn't also purchasing a new car. He probably wasn't expecting this and waited until the last minute. Now needs to ditch the car. It appears to have been driven up until the very end. Like I said, car seat still in the car, package of crackers still inside one of the cupholders.

This is what I'm telling myself. I'm trying to be optimistic, but it may be misguided. Which is why I'm asking GAF. Be my voice of reason plz.

Yeah the dealer will never give you the KBB because they want to make a profit when they resell it.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Oh thank god you got rid of that boxy xB for a --wait wtf??

To OP: I guess that's an OK deal. I would rather have a car I like than a car that I am getting a "good deal" on, really. Just keep in mind that KBB value is just a number. It's not an objective thing. You're not necessarily going to be able to sell the car for whatever it's KBB value is in a couple years or whenever you're getting rid of it. You're only going to be able to get what you can convince someone to pay.

I'm looking at it this way. I'm fine with how it drives (I've never owned a car that drove better. My old car was an Escort). I hate how it looks. But, I couldn't find another car with this few miles on it in this price range from a reliable manufacturer if I tries. Reliability trumps all else.

 

[hillsighed]

It's a Toyota and it wasn't already been driven into the ground? Buy it. I'm going go also say I don't like how it looks, but everything is subjective.

When the first generation xB came out I was in high school and a really good friend of mine bought one. He put rims on it, two huge sub woofers and yellow neon underglow and we balled the fuck out in the that thing for the rest of high school.

 

[Neverfade]

I secretly judge xB drivers.

It's the dog ate my homework let me scribble something down of the car engineering world. The design equivalent of shoving a can of spaghetti-o's down your pants and calling it art.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Dude, that's a really good fucking price. I got my Xb'08 for 11k at 100k miles last year. Jump on that shit NOW.

That said, I actually love the way this car looks. There literally has never been a passanger in my box that has gotten inside and hasn't praised it. It's absurdly spacious for the size and handles very well. I love everything about it and the number of standard features it comes with for the price. Front and side airbags too. Next time I'm buying a car, I'm definitely going Xb. I know the boxy look isnt for everyone though, but if I had it my way, I would have it even boxier, like the 04-06 model. Too bad that one os basically like driving a coffin.

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

I'm looking at it this way. I'm fine with how it drives (I've never owned a car that drove better. My old car was an Escort). I hate how it looks. But, I couldn't find another car with this few miles on it in this price range from a reliable manufacturer if I tries. Reliability trumps all else.

Then I would just make sure you compare it to the reliability of other cars you can get for the same $8,000 and not the KBB value of other cars you can get for $8,000. And the looks may grow on you, who knows. Personally I like that it looks different.

 

[TheDrizzlerJ11]

$8,000 seems like a lot for a toaster.

 

[plainr_]

My mom has one. She hasn't taken care of it much but it still runs great.

 

[Bodacious]

Generally I like Toyota but that car is made for Japanese city traffic ... suited for low speed, low power, flat pavement. If you lived in Chiba maybe I'd say go for it (except in Japan it would be too old to bother with because of their rigorous inspection regimen).

 

[HideyoshiJP]

Seems a hint high. Aside from the fact that the second gen xB looks like crap compared to the first, you'll be fine.

Edit:

Generally I like Toyota but that car is made for Japanese city traffic ... suited for low speed, low power, flat pavement.

It's got a 160hp 2.4L, more than enough to push its 3000 lbs around America.

 

[Kurt Angle]

scion tcs look pretty cool

don't know about the xb. either it's Toyota innards so you're good on the mechanical side

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Seems a hint high. Aside from the fact that the second gen xB looks like crap compared to the first, you'll be fine.

Edit:

It's got a 160hp 2.4L, more than enough to push its 3000 lbs around America.

High? Really?

 

[Qblivion]

It is ok, but not $8000 ok.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Scions are in no way connected in quality to Toyota. They are made cheap and typically perform poorly.

Get an old Civic. I could have most cars within reason and you simply cannot beat the efficiency and quality. I got 41 mpg on my last fill up.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Engine is the same that's in the Camry from this year evidently.

 

[Bodacious]

It's got a 160hp 2.4L, more than enough to push its 3000 lbs around America.

huh. Except for it still having the small wheel, low pan style, you're right. I had no idea the 2nd gen model had been beefed up like that.

 

[statham]

just doing a quick search at the first city that popped up, its a great price as long as everything is in great shape, which it sounds like.
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.co...=&engine=&drivetrain=&fuel_type=&page=1&sort=

only one cheaper has 145k miles, another equal has 80k, something close but still 6k more miles, 11k.

 

[pje122]

Nope, it is not.

 

[Dai101]

This along with the aztek are cars that i rather still taking the bus over owning one.

 

[soundscream]

Scions are in no way connected in quality to Toyota. They are made cheap and typically perform poorly.

Get an old Civic. I could have most cars within reason and you simply cannot beat the efficiency and quality. I got 41 mpg on my last fill up.

I owned a TC for 6 years with no problems whatsoever.

 

[Eos]

i hate that box car body shape

 

[thekonamicode]

I have 150k miles in my 2006 Tc and have had ZERO issues. My mom's Xb is the same story with 110k miles. Regular maintenance only.

Build quality is great.

 

[Item Box]

Damn, so much hate on the xB. It's not the best looking car but at least its not a fucking pt cruiser.

 

[User 406]

I can't speak to the xB, but I bought an xA some years ago and I've been delighted with it. Very reliable, good gas mileage, and a surprising amount of room for the size. From a lot of the other posts in this thread, the xB seems to have the same design philosophy. I will say whenever I see an xB I appreciate how they've managed to put a fairly large interior into a car that doesn't have a stupidly tall ride height. If I needed something bigger than my xA, I'd definitely be interested in an xB.

 

[ZealousD]

Scions are in no way connected in quality to Toyota. They are made cheap and typically perform poorly.

Not the case with the xB's. They're just as reliable as any of the other cars in the Toyota line, even if their other cars like the tC are lower quality.

xB's are like bricks on wheels.

Damn, so much hate on the xB. It's not the best looking car but at least its not a fucking pt cruiser.

Or a Mini Cooper. =P

 

[SoulUnison]

I love my 08 xB. Only problem I've had with it was a recall that was taken care of for free. (The spark plug sheaths were defectively designed.)

I know not a lot of people like the look of it, but it appeals to my sense of aesthetics, somehow. It's like a weird situation of "function over form over function."
People that don't like its outward appearance are always surprised by how classy, comfortable and roomy it is on the inside, too.
I prefer the "rounded" 2nd generation xB look to the "straight up cube" look of the original, for the record.

I secretly judge xB drivers.

It's the dog ate my homework let me scribble something down of the car engineering world. The design equivalent of shoving a can of spaghetti-o's down your pants and calling it art.

And I think it's a great "functional" design. It takes "a box with 4 wheels" and makes a style out of it.
It discards caring what the people outside the car think to make the interior as roomy and comfortable as possible for the people that actually have to experience driving/riding in it.

Tastes. How do they work?

(I also think the Kia Soul is pretty awesome looking, but I don't think I could ever get myself to buy a Kia. When you have a "buy one get one free" sale on a CAR, something seems fishy...)

 

[davepoobond]

Damn, so much hate on the xB. It's not the best looking car but at least its not a fucking pt cruiser.

this is true.

its an eyesore, but it isnt a terrible car.

 

[sarcastor]

people just showed up and called while you were checking out the car? Sounds like a semi-complex confidence scam yo.