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Car Buying Advice

Duddy

Duddy

Diamond Member
Looking to buy a car and I need some advice.

The cars I'm looking to get are:

-Scion xB

-Toyota Matrix

-Mazda Protege5

-Scion xA

Does anyone know anything about either of these vehicles from personal experience?

Also, any other recommendations?
 
I don't know sh!t from personal experience about any of those cars. But why did you choose the xB when 2 of the others are hatches/wagon-types, and one is a wannabe compact sedan? Go for the tC. And I wouldn't touch the Protege5 considering the 3 owns it in every aspect. And the xA makes more compareable sense considering its closer to the Matrix than the xBoxyPOS.
 
I put the xB on the list because it is different. 😛 And the xA is too small for it's price.
 
Originally posted by: Duddy
I put the xB on the list because it is different. 😛 And the xA is too small for it's price.
Click to expand...

They're both "Suck" for the price as well. Only Scion worth buying is the tC, and that's a stretch.

Get the 3 hatch - comes with the 2.3L engine standard I believe.

- M4H
 
I like the 3 Hatch as well. I found a used one on autotrader.com for $13,900. I'll look into that one. 🙂
 
This topic has been discussed so many times.

I have a mazda3 4 door and love it - I looked into the tC also but chose the 3.
 
I've been looking into similar cars as well-

The Kia Spectra5 is getting good reviews.

The Subaru Impreza is really the one I want but a bit out of my pricerange. By the time you get the Mazda3 Hatchback it ends up costing the same as the Impreza, which IMO is the better car. You get AWD with the Impreza.
 
friend has a matrix XRS (with an auto somehow). i can tell you that the ride is nice, and the engine is pretty alright for commute (don't expect it to be as fun as the celica GTS), gets pretty good gas milage

as for the interior, i can say that it is one of the most practical car i've seen. back seats fold down as do the front passenger seat, the interior is nicely designed and feel nicely assembled. the seats feel pretty good and durable. however it does suffer some "hard-plastic syndrome" where the door panels are just leather-looking hard plastic. otherwise the interior is roomy and fits 4,5 adults easily.

as for looks, it looks decent enough for me.

and as a toyota, your best bet is to buy a new/fairly new since used ones won't be so cheap for its high resale value.

overall ride is comfortable, gets pretty good gas milage and is practical. a good commuter.

i'd also suggest a used subaru forester, a used hyundai elentra GT, and even a 00'- 02' saab 9-3. any of them should cost less than $15k
 
Actually, I'l be buying used unless the price of the new car is under $15,000.
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If you find the Mazda3 Hatchback for <$16k I'd be suprised. It has the bigger engine, and Mazda3's are hot. I can't find any used ones at all.
 
Originally posted by: Duddy
Actually, I'l be buying used unless the price of the new car is under $15,000.
Click to expand...

IMO Scion came out with really crappy designs. The xA and the xB(ox) simple are atrocious in appeal. I dont know what Toyota was thinking when they decided to launch a car company with models holding such horrible aesthetics. I cringe whenever I see that box on the road.
The tC is sporty but many reviewers said that it did not have enough pep when driving. It also looks too much like a saturn.

I'd go for the Matrix
 
I'd go for the Matrix
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I was looking at the Matrix as well. Unfortunately the AWD model is kind of sluggish or I'd go for that. It has a relatively small engine too. Toyota's cars are bare-bones too. By the time you add everything you want it's well over $17k. The AWD model is closer to $19k.
 
I drive a Scion xB and I love it. It's no speed king, but its VERY ROOMY, you get more features for your buck than any of the cars listed. I get great gas mileage, have been averaging aroung 29/30 mpg in city driving. For an econocar, it's got decent handling, a very stiff suspension.

Plus, it's a Toyota, it'll last FOREVER! 🙂

My best advice to you is to drive every one of these cars - internet opinions mean nohting (trust me, I know, I bought my xB even though everything I saw online made me HATE it).
 
Originally posted by: zoiks
Originally posted by: Duddy
Actually, I'l be buying used unless the price of the new car is under $15,000.
Click to expand...

IMO Scion came out with really crappy designs. The xA and the xB(ox) simple are atrocious in appeal. I dont know what Toyota was thinking when they decided to launch a car company with models holding such horrible aesthetics. I cringe whenever I see that box on the road.
The tC is sporty but many reviewers said that it did not have enough pep when driving. It also looks too much like a saturn.

I'd go for the Matrix
Click to expand...


What's crappy about them? They might not appeal to you, and their aesthetics might turn you off - but their design is intuitive, and their quality is top notch. Besides, Toyota can't keep them on their car lots - the xB and tC are in great demand, and are in the industries fastest selling cars.
 
I have test driven all of these cars already. I truthfully liked the Scion xB the most. It was so fun to drive and all my friends loved it.

If I bought that xB I would HAVE to change the wheels to 18" Enkies.
 
i just bought a mazda3 hatch last weekend, already put 800 miles on it and absolutetly love it! amazing performance and content for the money, does great on back roads and gobbles the highway up nicely as well. feel free to pm if you want to know any specifics!
the cars i also considered were the matrix, the spectra5, used wrx wagon and a protege5. out of all of them, the mazda won w/out a challenge. the matrix i just didn't like....didn't fit with me right, the kia was nice, a bit smaller than the the 3, but good value for the money, and perhaps had i not gone to redrive the 3 right after the kia, i would have looked at it more, as it was, that sealed the 3 for me. i couldn't find a wrx wagon that wasn't abused in the area and for the money, made more sense to spend a lil more, get a better protege5 thats brand new. i don't regret it at all, and you won't either!
 
I really want to like the Mazda 3, but I just have the feeling the price is too good to be true. I have the feeling it's the kind of car prone to fall apart as soon as the warranty expires.
 
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