Can you see us in one of these?
If not, you better work on your imagination because it is now the official vehicle of the Gretencord family. After many months of evaluating all the choices, we have decided upon a 2006 Scion xB. Why “the box”? Well, here’s how we came to this conclusion.
Any vehicle that would be of consideration to meet our family’s needs would first have to perform well in 4 catagorires:
- Safety
- Reliability
- Fuel economy
- Passenger space
The top contenders within or close to our budget were the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Toyota Matrix, Mazda3, Mazda Protegé5, and the Scion xB. Our experiences with previously owned American made cars will attest to their absence from our list.
We cut out the Mazda3 since it lacked any sort of cargo space. The Protegé5 is liked by many but it was only out for 2 years, and that was 3 years ago. Servicing it would might have been trouble and we never saw one that wasn’t a smoker’s car. Weird, huh? The Toyota Matrix was a little pricey, even for a used model… not to mention it is the same car as the Pontiac Vibe. You know how we feel about Pontiacs.
This left us with the Accord, Camry, or xB. We searched continuously for a good used Accord or Camry around 2-3 years old, when safety features were standard or available options. However, every time we inquired about the price, we’d look over to a new xB with comparable options for the same price: same standard safety features (ABS, airbags), better fuel economy (30/34 compared to 30/30 and 23/32), proven reliability (Scion is owned by Toyota and this is the 3rd year for the xB), and ample passenger space. I don’t think we’ll get 3 car seats back there but I believe that was wishful thinking on most vehicles anyway.
Some have asked, “why not a minivan”? Well, one is certainly in our future, but not now. With gas prices rising, our fuel expenses have practically doubled since the beginning of the year… and that’s with one car for part of it. I’m certainly drawn to a minivan’s space and versatility, but at 19 mpg and a higher price tag it doesn’t quite balance out the difference. Another reason is that we plan on going back to one vehicle for a while. We still have the Cougar but it’ll be up for sale shortly. The xB will more than likely become the commuter vehicle when the minivan arrives.
Well, there you have it. We’ll see you soon on the great American highway.