After several months of research and a fair amount of looking, we bought a new car for my wife, Betsy, this morning. Her 2000 Ford Focus ZX3 was starting to be less reliable with over 120K hard miles. The A/C had quit, the clutch master or slave cylinder was not functioning properly, and we had recurring bouts of rough running. It was also getting a bit ragged looking, as she had "encountered" a wild pig (breaking the front fascia and fog light), a pole (dinging the rear hatch) and a parked flat bed truck (gouging the rear quarter panel and ripping off the gas fill door).
Her requirements are few but exacting. Her car must be small and nimble. It must get very good gas mileage. It must be a stick shift. It must be inexpensive. It must be practical. It must be reliable. And, in some fashion, it must be "cute".
Some of the contenders included various offerings by Hyundai and Kia (but were not nimble and not "cute", in fact were boring), Chevy Aveo (but we avoid anything with a GM nameplate, even if they didn't build it), MINI (everything fit perfectly except inexpensive), and PT Cruiser (a close second to what we actually bought).
The winner? The 2006 Scion Xa. Yeah, the one that Toyota is marketing for Gen Y, 18-24 year olds. With offered accessories like illuminated cup holders, iPod connection, bazooka subwoofer, surfboard rack LED enhancements and fake carbon fiber trim.
What they kinda forgot, however, was that a small 4-door hatchback that has enough pep yet gets 32-37 mpg, with Toyota reliability, just might fit the needs of folks on a fixed income, as well. The thing comes with 6 speaker, 160 watt Pioneer CD/radio, power windows, locks & mirrors, A/C, tilt steering, anti-lock brakes, halogen headlights and even a first aid kit. The first 3 oil change/dealer service are free, and all tires and batteries are free for life if you bring it back to the dealer for service every 5,000 miles! All this for a sticker price of less than $14K, all fees and delivery included.
They only had one 5-speed at the dealership and it was the wrong color, so it will be about a week before we get it. The only option we added was keyless entry for $289. We're getting a silver one to match the silver RV; the colors are a close match.
I checked, and I can get a tow-bar baseplate for the Scion, and with the 5 speed, there is no issue in towing it behind the Sprinter. It only weighs 2340, so it will tow with ease. The other picture shows the old Focus and the new Sprinter with the trailer attached; if we tow the Scion, we won't need the trailer. We can carry extra stuff in the Scion that won't fit in the Sprinter.
Her requirements are few but exacting. Her car must be small and nimble. It must get very good gas mileage. It must be a stick shift. It must be inexpensive. It must be practical. It must be reliable. And, in some fashion, it must be "cute".
Some of the contenders included various offerings by Hyundai and Kia (but were not nimble and not "cute", in fact were boring), Chevy Aveo (but we avoid anything with a GM nameplate, even if they didn't build it), MINI (everything fit perfectly except inexpensive), and PT Cruiser (a close second to what we actually bought).
The winner? The 2006 Scion Xa. Yeah, the one that Toyota is marketing for Gen Y, 18-24 year olds. With offered accessories like illuminated cup holders, iPod connection, bazooka subwoofer, surfboard rack LED enhancements and fake carbon fiber trim.
What they kinda forgot, however, was that a small 4-door hatchback that has enough pep yet gets 32-37 mpg, with Toyota reliability, just might fit the needs of folks on a fixed income, as well. The thing comes with 6 speaker, 160 watt Pioneer CD/radio, power windows, locks & mirrors, A/C, tilt steering, anti-lock brakes, halogen headlights and even a first aid kit. The first 3 oil change/dealer service are free, and all tires and batteries are free for life if you bring it back to the dealer for service every 5,000 miles! All this for a sticker price of less than $14K, all fees and delivery included.
They only had one 5-speed at the dealership and it was the wrong color, so it will be about a week before we get it. The only option we added was keyless entry for $289. We're getting a silver one to match the silver RV; the colors are a close match.
I checked, and I can get a tow-bar baseplate for the Scion, and with the 5 speed, there is no issue in towing it behind the Sprinter. It only weighs 2340, so it will tow with ease. The other picture shows the old Focus and the new Sprinter with the trailer attached; if we tow the Scion, we won't need the trailer. We can carry extra stuff in the Scion that won't fit in the Sprinter.
Attachments
Last edited:
My next up for their driver's license, my oldest daughter, would like a car similar to what you bought or one of the Honda Elements. I personally think the Element is butt ugly, but the kids love them. It appears as if they have excellent crash ratings, like the car you bought, and also have excellent reliability and fuel economy ratings. I suppose she could want something worse.
Oh yeah, I assume that the NOX kit is already ordered? 
