Georgia Scion Car Dealers

I appreciate that this is not personal; it’s car buying, it never should be! I’m not going to dispute that the Scion is a good value at MSRP. It certainly is. For my needs though the incentives that are available right now and in this buying environment (one of the best ever for buyers), the Scion starts to lose some of that value. Let me give you some numbers comparing the Matrix and xB. (I used the Matrix base, because I wanted the better gas mileage of the 1.8; both are 5sp for my comparison.) This is what I’m looking for in a car, your mileage will vary: Price at dealer Matrix (base) (prices assume 4.8% over invoice, the same markup as the xB) With stability control & cruise: $17,260.56 add power package $18,090 add upgraded stereo to that $18,279.22 (included is all weather package, which is a required option on Matrix, which adds $269 to invoice) Scion (base): $16,420 At straight MSRP, it’s clear the xB is a better value, but here’s where things get interesting. Now factor in the incentives that Toyota is offering right now: $750 rebate or .9%/1.9% financing (36/48 mos.) (For my example, I used the financing, as it offered the best deal.) Total cost of the car only, including the financing (does not include sales tax, plates, tags or dealers fees; I’m looking at a straight apples to apples comparison) Matrix with stability control, cruise: $17,501.10 (36 mos. @.9%) $17,938.42 (48 mos. @ 1.9%) With power package added: $18,342.68 (36 mos. @ .9%) $18,801.04 (48 mos. @ 1.9%) With upgraded stereo added: $18,533.95 (36 mos. @ .9%) $18,997.09 (48 mos. @ 1.9%) Scion $17,849.40 (36 mos. @ 5.5%) $18,329.82 (48 mos. @ 5.5%) (I got my financing at AAA for 5.5%) For me, the base Matrix is a good deal, even in comparison to the xB. You can get one with stability control and cruise for cheaper than the xB. You also get better gas mileage (saving $114.72/year at 12,000 miles a year, $1.719 a gallon). What I lose with the Matrix is power windows/locks, no Ipod connector (but you have the aux. connector), no steering wheel audio control and no trip computer. I could certainly live without those conveniences. The Pontiac Vibe is also a contender. The red tag prices for a car with air conditioning are close to the xB ($16,681), but you don’t get cruise control. The Vibe does offer the better fuel economy (with the 1.8), satellite radio ($449 extra on the xB), 1 year of Onstar and a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. In normal times the Scion would offer your best deal. With the incentives being offered, it may not be such a clear cut choice, depending on your needs. I would agree though that for most people, that want the power accessories and the bigger engine, the xB, makes more sense.

I think I've ended my quest for an xB, at least for now. The best offer I got was to pay MSRP, plus a $249 documentation fee. The same dealer also offered me an 08 at MSRP with no documentation fee. I do not feel either deal is reasonable in this market so I walked. About six other dealers had much higher doc. fees (up to $600) and all of them refused to lower or eliminate the fee. I think I'm going to check out the Matix. It's a compatible vehicle, but you have to pay extra for cruise, stability control and some other convenience features. The Matix gets better gas mileage though.

I don't know where you are located at but I just bout a XD in the Central Texas area. I paid 15,997.74 otd. That included the $715 delevery charge and a $50 doc charge. The salesman/manger were pretty good about the whole deal, just asked what I wanted and didn't try to sell me anything else. Even fore warned me about the finance guy. He said if you don't want any of the extended warrenties or other stuff just tell him that. The dealer was pretty good. They had to order what I wanted but since they were bringing in some more XD's at the time, they still gave me a $400 in stock discount. It was a base manul with no options. All scion's come with a full tank of gas and the first two service's are free too. Atleast that's what it says in the manual.

Stability control on a FWD car is about pointless - no matter what you do on most you can't get them tail to come around at all. Traction control on a little 4 banger is similarly not really needed - you hit the gas too much, just lift :D . On my 06 xB I find that neither is ever needed or used, but on my RWD cars with more power then both can be lifesavers. My daughter's Civic is a much nicer car than the xB, but mine was a LOT cheaper. The trouble with the new xB is the price just takes it too close to the territory where other cars are better (to me) options. Dennis

Congratulations, that's a great price. I got the exact same xB (5spd blackberry) last October for $16270 w/o any add'l fees other than ttl (but I also paid cash, so I don't know if that's why they waived the other fees). It's a great ride and I've been more than happy with the mpg. If you don't drive much over 70mph and avoid jackrabbit starts it really returns great mpg. I get 33mpg on my normal commute to work which takes me 40 mins (22 miles one way); roughly 30%city/70%hwy. Oddly enough I got 32mpg on a cross country hwy trip, but traveling 70-75mph most of the way cuts into the gas. The xB's sweet spot is right around 50mph, so if you drive alot of rural back roads you should get great mpg. The only things I plan to do in the near future is to: 1) Install the TRD short shift kit. I've heard nothing but great reviews by other users regarding improving the smoothness and reducing the throw by a good 30% - 40%. My take on the stock shifter is that it's adequate, but gets notchy when rushed. 2) Begin using synthetic oil when I get to 15000 miles on the odo.