High mileage Scion xA- What to look for/expect?

[Johnez]

I'm in need of a new-to-me vehicle relatively quickly, and this car (2005 Scion xA, manual transmission) covers all the bases for me, being within budget and good mpg being top priority. I want to do everything right in this car purchase because I'm going to be driving about 50-100 miles a day as a part of my new job and want to keep it in top shape from the beginning.

In my research it appears the front wheel bearings are a common fail point, I'm wondering what else I (and my mechanic friend) should shine a light on. Mileage on this car is relatively high (154,000), what repairs/maintenance items should I be concerned with? I'm thinking timing belt, brakes, but I'm sure there's more. Any tips or help Scion xA specific or used car in general is greatly appreciated. This is my 3rd car purchase, but my previous method was simply buy and pray, so think of me as a first time used car buyer. Thanks for reading!

[Johnez]

Topic too specific? Figured at least a reply or 2, heck this was MMM's car of choice!

[hollis]

I have a Scion Xb with 207,000 mi on it.  Have had it since 161,000mi.  It has the same engine as the Xa / Toyota Echo. No real issues except normal old car stuff.

The time chain never needs replaced on the xa / ab. I am averaging 35mpg this summer.  Sometimes over 40mpg.

Buy it!

[innkeeper77]

Topic too specific? Figured at least a reply or 2, heck this was MMM's car of choice!

Well you did post on a saturday morning- most people probably haven't even seen it yet!

I am replying to follow- I have an 06 (only 100k) and want to hear about this. I'll have to look into the wheel bearings- thanks!

[MayDay]

We have an '03 Civic, so fairly similar sort of car.  Ours has 139K miles.

We did timing belt at 100K but sounds like you may not need to worry about it with a timing chain.

We expect we will likely need brakes sometime soon-ish.

We have had 2 automatic windows fail (pretty cheap to fix, or just leave them if they are stuck up).  Just something to make sure you check.

Our headlight covers are getting hazy.  New covers are expensive but 3M makes a fix kit, others may also.

We may need a clutch at some point.  Our '99 corolla had the clutch go in a very sudden and drastic way at 180K miles.  We replaced it and then the whole car died in another year.  Sad. 

Hopefully that gives you some ideas. 

[Johnez]

Topic too specific? Figured at least a reply or 2, heck this was MMM's car of choice!

Well you did post on a saturday morning- most people probably haven't even seen it yet!

I am replying to follow- I have an 06 (only 100k) and want to hear about this. I'll have to look into the wheel bearings- thanks!

Ha, yep forgot about Saturdays. I picked up the wheel bearing issue on Edmund's consumer reviews section, at least 3 mentions.

Inkeeper, thanks for the input-that's the kind of info I'm looking for.

Hey Mayday, that's a good place to check out. I test drove the car and noticed first gear felt sttange. Could be my foot being  used to my old Chevy truck, but I'll have my mechanic check it out for sure.

Thanks for the input fellas, been real helpful. I went for a test drive and absolutely loved the interior, especially the seat position which feels tall for as small as the car looks. My standards aren't too high coming from my old truck, but I did appreciate the modern styling inside. Ride felt pretty zippy as well. Come Monday I'll have the mechanic take a look. If he finds issues I'm considering focusing my search on just the xA, and possibly the xB.

[Kriegsspiel]

I had an 06 Scion XA manual trans, about the same mileage as your prospect. It was blue. I had ZERO problems with it, just oil changes. I wish I still had that car. You're driving a fuckton of miles, but in the XA you're "only" going to be burning about 2 gallons of gas. A real man would bike.

[Thegoblinchief]

I'll add making sure to find an empty parking lot or cul de sac. Crank the steering fully over to each side and drive in a circle. Listen for knocking that indicates CV joints about to fail. Not something super common to find in a test drive but it's an expensive repair (if not DIYing) and a good thing to avoid.

Other things: make sure to do your test drive without any music, no fan (or lowest speed) - you want the ambient noise as quiet as possible to check for noise. Do this with windows rolled up on higher speed roads and windows rolled down on lower speed. Evaluating noise can be subjective but I've test driven a few cars that had weird/odd noises and felt better just walking away. One (with some really odd behavior and noise) the seller kept trying to insist a mechanic had checked it out and it was just fine.

If you live in salt  country, check wheel wells, jack points, and exhaust for severe rust.

Not familiar with Scions specifically but I've owned a lot of small 4 cyl cars over the years.