[mrzod]

I only started seriously considering the Scion brand the past 2 days (initially, I was thinking either the Matrix or Vibe) but given that the xB has so many standard features (pwr locks/windows, keyless entry, air cond., stability control) and the lower price, the xB seems very appealing.

I'm wondering if any new owners were able to successfully negotiate on price? I was reading about the Scion on Wikipedia and it seems that this "Pure Price" strategy by Toyota is trying to prevent customers from getting a lower price? Is this true..??

 

[jazziz]

$300 was taken off mine to pay for rental car for the 2-week wait time.

 

[callmemrbill]

Well as far as I am concerned it was true. They did take some off of something because of the pure price thing. But those finance guys talk fast so I cant remember what he said it was. I guess it was a good thing for Toyota. So I guess for me yeah the pure pricing was pure pricing and they wouldn't negotiate at all.

 

[ryeguy]

I'm not sure, and I wonder about it. They say that the "Pure Price" policy means that the price posted clearly in the dealership is the price you pay. Which means, no haggling over the price... AT THE DEALER. But it also says that dealers are free to set their own prices, which confused me a little.

When I bought my xB, I interpreted the policy as meaning that it would be the same price no matter where I bought it, so I chose the dealer that was most convenient and most courteous/helpful to me. Which is probably exactly what the policy was intended for. But now, in retrospect, I wonder if I could have gotten a better deal by using the approach of pitting dealers against one another in a bidding war, since they are "free to set their own prices". If you try this approach, you will have to be aggressive and ask a lot of questions, because they will try to explain the pricing policy in a way that makes it sound like you would get the same price at any dealer, but I'm not sure that's the case.

Regardless of your approach, the xB is still a great value. I was in the exact same situation as you, considering the Matrix and Vibe (and Jeep Compass and Dodge Caliber), when someone pointed me towards the xB. They all start at around the same price point, but xB has everything that I wanted as standard equipment. On Matrix and Vibe, once you start upgrading trim levels and adding options packages, they quickly bump up over $20K. You get Toyota reliability and resale value at a budget price, unique styling, simplified purchase process, at an incredible value. Win, win, win, win.

 

[L0stS0ul]

I just bought mine and I talked to 4 different dealerships. One of them was thru the usaa new car program. All of them told me the same thing. Price out what I want on the website and the price that it comes to is the quote. The USAA dealership was unable to get me any different pricing and they usually get quite a bit off.

All of the prices for everything, including options, were what you see on the website. I didn't pay a penny different. About the only thing I was able to haggle on were some of the fees the dealer charges but that only can save a few hundred and that has nothing to do with scion.

 

[Geezer]

I thought for sure that the "Pure Price" deal wasn't quite so pure, but every dealer I checked out had the same response. The posted price is the price you pay. The dealer I bought mine from even told me that Toyota would penalize them if they undercut the list price. However, they offered 20% off parts prices for one year if you bought the car from them. For that reason I bought the basic xB and have been adding options myself. Oh, and the 5K and 10K services are included for free.

What you have to watch out for are dealers boosting the basic price with "dealer markups", paint protectant, upholstery fluffing and other bullsh*t options that primarily serve just to pump up the dealer's profit.

Ditto to the xB being a great value and worth every penny of the "pure price".

 

[callmemrbill]

I heard that same thing Geezer. They told me that Scion comes down on them and checks their sales to make sure they aren't deviating from the price. But sometimes it is not easy to take their word at face value.

 

[Eric]

As mentioned, pure pricing means that a dealer lists a price for a Scion model & has to sell all of that model at that listed price. Where the price can vary is in options, labor & trade in value. And I believe the commission isn't a % - it's a flat rate (couple/few hundred dollars if I'm not mistaken).

 

[eviljack]

This is why scion posts the price of the xB online. Have you ever look at a company's website and then went to a dealership only to find the car cost more? I have, plenty of times. Its due to many different things. Sometimes if the car is rare or highly sought after they add a "Market Value" increase in price. They did it when the new beetle was hard to get, and when they had the 30th anniversary Camaro's and such. However I didn't once see a "market value" increase on my RS which is a rare special edition. Sometimes they add things before you get the car that you can't have taken off. Like undercoating. Your telling me that the manufacture doesn't install this normally. Man the bullshit I have seen and heard over the years. I used to work at a dealer. They never put undercoating on. You know how messy of a job that is? So yeah pretty much its a guarantee that you pay what you see online and nothing more. Its also a guarantee that you won't pay more on certain accessories. However you can pay less on those if the dealer gives a discount on them. Thats up too the dealer though. So about the only haggling you can do is for some free accessories and such. I paid for my floor mats but I heard of people talking the dealer into throwing in a set for free.

 

[ryeguy]

Slightly off-topic, but another thing I love about Scion is the simplicity of the purchase process. You choose color and transmission, all accessories are "a la carte". No confusing trim levels to figure out and options packages you're strong-armed into buying.

 

[mrzod]

that's exactly why teh Scion is so compelling to me!!

I did a simple excel spreadsheet of things that were important to me and the Matrix had the features, but they were addons (VSC for example) and the Vibe as well (power lock and windows as part of the "preferred package").

The Scion to me sounds like a simple purchase. This is also my first car, and it can get confusing to understand all the details sometimes.

One more question: does anyone know if there are any special financing rates available? It seems like 0% financing (lease/buy) is quite popular here in Cali, but not sure about the xB when I called into the dealership.

 

[callmemrbill]

by the way,
Welcome to the site mrzod!!!!

 

[wangster]

When I got my '09 a few weeks ago, I called about 10 different dealerships. They all said the same thing. PURE PRICING. What you see on the sticker is what you pay. Also, I've saved a couple hundred to a thousand through the Costco auto buying program but when I contacted them, they said because of the pure pricing policy, they had no dealerships in the Costco Auto Buying Program network. Capital One Auto Buying Program said the same thing. But different dealerships were offering different incentives. They were somewhere along the line of:

1. Free oil change for 1 year (I'd have taken it if that dealership was the closest one)
2. 10% of future accessory purchase (they said that they can't do the discount on what's already on the car)
3. $100 gift certificate on a referral
4. $500 off next Toyota purchase

If you can find any ways to save even a $100 on the Scion, please let us know. I should have negotiated on the rental car since they didn't have the color I wanted.

 

[mrzod]

how would the getting $$ money off due to a rental work? Toyota won't let them budge on the MSRP ... I can see accessories being discounted.

Btw, I think I'm going to get the RS 5.0

 

[ryeguy]

I asked about 0% financing on Scions when I was shopping. Because of the pure price policy, they don't offer 0% financing options. 0% financing is one of the features used in the "shell games" they play with you when purchasing a vehicle through the traditional method.

What I did, (and you can do too) is shop around online and have a "blank check" from Capital One Auto Finance or Eloan ready to fill out and sign off on. Whoever has the lowest interest rate gets your business. In my case, Toyota financing had a slightly lower rate than my Capital One Auto Finance check, so I just signed with Toyota and tore up my Capital One check, no love lost.

 

[TulsaToaster]

that's exactly why teh Scion is so compelling to me!!

I did a simple excel spreadsheet of things that were important to me and the Matrix had the features, but they were addons (VSC for example) and the Vibe as well (power lock and windows as part of the "preferred package").

The Scion to me sounds like a simple purchase. This is also my first car, and it can get confusing to understand all the details sometimes.

One more question: does anyone know if there are any special financing rates available? It seems like 0% financing (lease/buy) is quite popular here in Cali, but not sure about the xB when I called into the dealership.

I'd suggest building the exact XB you want onlinel. Armed with that printout, go to multiple dealers and ask them for their best deal. I did that and the first one said he couldn't shake an extra penny loose. I went to the second dealer, and when he saw he had an opportunity to steal a sell from the competition he knocked about $800 off the options. He tried to get me to take one they already had but when I balked at paying for stuff on it I didn't want, he ended up throwing that in at n/c.

It never hurts to talk to them, let them know exactly what you want, and then leave them with your name and number. Prices tend to loosen up as managers see sales trending below forecasts.

 

[L0stS0ul]

From what I understand of the Pure Pricing model if Scion finds out that the dealer is doing that they could get penalized. Every dealer in the Washington DC area would not budge off the pure price. They all made it clear that they could not budge on the options as well. My car ended up coming with a few options I didn't want but I still had to pay for. I could have waited for an 09 model but from what all the dealers were saying it's about 2 months out before they will get any so I just decided to go with the one they were able to find. Still paid for the options though.

 

[rosconey]

all my local dealers had the fixed price thing- the one i settled on had all no option ones so you could just add what you wanted (and 1 -5.0 rs)- the others all were loaded with extra stuff-

 

[scion]

My Scion had "floor mats" and the dealer took them out and off the sticker. Now, I don't know if they would do the same thing for the optional wheels or stereo stuff, but it is worth a try to ask. My dealer has 3 teal 08' on the lot and they love to load them up. They all had the $499.00 wax job! I believe on something like that they will deal if they want to sell the car now.

FYI. Today while getting my oil changed I talked to my salesman to pass the time. He said that in June they sold there allotment of Corolla's - 1000 of them!! They sold 400 Corolla's in the last 10 days!!!!

 

[Notahonda]

Hey guys I'm new to the forums and just thought i would comment. The best route to go is used if you can find one. I found a 08 XB used with 800 miles on it. Found out the story behind it turns out some guy won it in a contest and sold it back. I was able to walk out of the dealership paying 15K. That was for a base model with leather and a spoiler added.