So, I’ll keep this short. Looking for forum members that have either owned an Xb with high mileage, or have worked on one.
I’m looking to buy a 2008 Scion Xb. I think that was the year of the redesign.
I’m looking at this particular model because it was HIGHLY recommended by a well known consumer magazine (they recommend the 2008 to 2010 Scions, I believe).
I’m looking at the 2008 model with high mileage (almost 200k) because it’s what I can afford and there’s one available, and he’s done the maintenance and kept it up.
Here’s what I know.
In the past 6 months to one year – it’s had:
rebuilt transmission put in
L + R front axle
new tires
rear brakes
new front coils/struts suspension
Two owners. He’s owned it since 2011. He’s moving back in with his folks and dad has a spare car for him. He doesn’t need this one anymore.
I know that things go wrong with high mileage vehicles. I currently own one. Just looking for anecdotal evidence of people’s experiences with them etc.
I haven’t had one but I think these have the same Camry drivetrain/etc, so should be reliable. Now this one has already needed a transmission rebuilt, so who knows if it was maintained poorly or just gave out due to mileage.
It all depends on how much tolerance you have for repairs/down time. You can have your mechanic check it out.
On a similar note, I will say that when you have limited budget, you have to cast a wide net and look at various makes and models so you might get lucky and find a good deal. Limiting yourself to a Scion XB could be a negative.
Even though this car is rated high by CR or whoever, a Chevy/Kia/etc with half the miles might be more reliable and cost the same.
Definitely have it looked over by a mechanic of your choosing before buying it.
My last two cars have been higher mileage ones. To me, it all boils down to whether the miles were highway or city driving. Nearly 200K miles on a 10 year old car is kind of high… but maybe there’s an explanation (commuter car)?
My current car had 94K miles on it when I bought it. However, the then current owner had just put a new transmission on it, and he had to sell it because his wife told him to (they had small kids, and a 2 door car doesn’t work very well). So I was much less reluctant to buy it with a new transmission.
Just a comment about this… I would be concerned that maintenance has been lax over the last few months because the guy obviously doesn’t have any money. That is a concern unless daddy was already footing the bill for 1,2,3,4 and 5.
@Stegy_Frany Going to throw out two unasked for opinions ( is there another kind ).
I don’t know how many miles you drive a year but a web search will find some really low cost leases on new cars and at the end of lease you could buy it and know history.
I recently bought a new second car and during my search I found many left over 2017 vehicles discounted a lot Example - I saw a 17000 sticker priced Ford Fiesta SE for 11999.00 at a dealer.
The Xb shows much better than average reliability every year they rated it, back to 2010, according to Consumer Reports. (The April 2018 car issue’s used car data do not display before 2010.) Reliability and durability are good things, but buyers have to decide what is important to themselves.
Thanks for the comments and advice! I’ve got some food for thought.
I decided to take a second look, based on Galant’s advice, and just see what was available at my maximum price or lower in a 500 mile radiius. Why not.
So… speaking of high mileage vehicles… a 1998 Honda Civic with 230k miles on it turned up. He says it’s been in the family since it was new, and ALL the maintenance for the last 10 years has been done by one local dealer. He even included a Car Fax report for free in the listing.
So… yeah. High mileage vehicle. But it’s a Honda, and it gets significantly better mileage (by about 5 to 7 miles a tankful) than my beloved Suzuki. And… the fact that the Scion did need a new transmission… that does worry me a bit. The only major issue with this car seems to be that the Tachometer is a little wonky. Other than that, seems to have been meticulously maintained.
So… bottom line… it’s nice to have alternatives. I do really enjoy the boxy Scion design, but I think it’d be nice to have peace of mind too, and I think maybe the Honda (for around the same price) might possibly be a better deal.
We’ll see. Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate everyone’s time!
I test drove the Honda today. Seems very nice for a 20 year old car! OTOH… it’s a 20 year old car! LOL. I do like that he’s meticulously maintained it.
My 1999 Civic EX is probably the best car I’ll ever own. 180,000 miles, well cared for, original clutch, brought back from dead (totaled) this past winter. Replaced timing belt for the second time a few weeks ago. That is necessary preventative maintenance on these engines.
It is a 19 year old car that continues to please. Newer ones seem awfully fussy. I’ll get used to one if and when I have to.
For about the same price there’s also a 2008 Hyundai Elantra SE (5 speed manual)… 10 years newer and half the miles. I was reading on Edmunds and it got glowing reviews. Basically, same kind of MPG as the Honda Civic.
Once again, this is a 10 year old vehicle so those reviews mean absolutely nothing. Old used vehicles need to be evaluated on their current condition . I get the impression you are just jumping around on craigslist .
Not really, no. Just going back over the listings on cars dot com again (for I think now the third time) to see what I missed. Mainly because I would prefer a small SUV (like the Suzuki I have now), so my first time around I mainly by-passed all the sedans.
When I did a search with a 500 miles radius, it snagged a lot of interesting options (some surprising). But I also realized that driving some 400 miles to test drive a car is highly unrealistic, so now I’m just looking at stuff near me.
I am a researcher at heart, so… I do actually approach things fairly methodically and enjoy the process of gathering information. LOL.
I can totally appreciate your thoughts on the Edmunds review, but I would hope some things (like general impressions of how it handles on the road, interior design/layout of the controls, etc.) would still be somewhat similar.
I actually gave up on Craigslist years ago. Not that it doesn’t occur elsewhere, but too many scammers for me.
Well… I’ve tried to do my “due diligence” in looking at all the possibilities, and it would appear that the meticulously-maintained one-family owned 1998 Civic (all recommended maintenance done by a local dealer for the last 10 years) is my best bet. Thanks for all the advice and input. I still feel a bit funny about buying a 20 year old car, but… I think that will soon be displaced with the joy of owning a car that isn’t nickel-and-diming me to death.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.
Drive on! Great choice! (I’m biased: love my 1999 Civic.)
BTW if the headlights are less than like-new clear and sparkly, there are very OK knockoffs available very affordably at rock auto. Big diff in car’s looks and most importantly night driving safety. Not too hard to install.
Thank you ok4450. The timing belt issue DID cross my mind. A “valve lash inspection” is not something that occurred to me though.
Basically, the seller was very transparent about everything… the for sale listing included a free Car Fax report, and he told me the name of the person he has worked with for the last 10 years at the local Honda place, and invited me to talk to her about the car. All I know is that he said whatever they recommended, in terms of maintenance, he did it.
All of this is probably a moot point anyway. I couldn’t bring myself to buy a 20 year old Honda, so… it looks like for the time being I’ll be driving my little Suzuki until just the right thing comes along.
