Good morning! Today, our quest for questionable used cars takes us to Houston, to look at two cars that have “X” in the model name. Why? So I could make that dumb pun in the headline, of course. Do I need another reason? Before we head south, however, let’s finish up with our Washington wagons:
Yep. The Cressida would be my choice as well. Better presented in the ad, lower miles (though not as low as I let on, apparently) and only five hundred bucks more. Absolutely worth it.
Today, we’re taking a look at two wagony-thingies again, but not in the traditional sedan-with-an-elongated-roofline sense. I’m not sure one of them technically counts as a wagon according to the inerrant and irrefutable rules of wagonhood, due to the lack of side glass where the cargo goes, but I don’t know what else you’d call it. They’re also two vehicles that were never, ever meant to be cross-shopped, but the cheap used car market is the great equalizer; it doesn’t matter what their window sticker said, or how many free oil changes their first owner got from the dealer. Down here at the bottom end of the market, they’re all alike.
2008 Scion xB – $3,700
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Houston, TX
Odometer reading: 230,000 miles
Runs/drives? Sure does
Scion, Toyota’s now-defunct “youth-oriented” brand, always kind of creeped me out. The brand tried too hard to become hip and relevant, and the result always felt a little cult-of-personality to me, and not the cool hard-rock kind. Irritating marketing or not, the cars themselves were Toyotas at their core, and that makes them a good bet as used cars.
In its second generation, the Scion xB got a bit, well, fat. It’s a foot longer, three inches wider, and six hundred pounds heavier than its predecessor. That extra heft did a number on the original’s nimble, light-footed feel, as well as its chiseled good looks. And to lug all that extra bulk around, the engine displacement went up almost 900 cubic centimeters, which took away a lot of the fuel economy.
But again, we’re talking about a Toyota here. This one has some miles on it, but it appears to have been well cared-for. It’s for sale at a dealership, so it’s unlikely we’ll get much of its history, but that’s typical of inexpensive cars. The seller does say everything works including the air conditioning, and the car runs well, so that’s a start.
I’ve never been much of a fan of the second-generation xB, but in this steely blue color, it looks pretty good. I still can’t understand those giant rear pillars, though. Blind spots are a bad thing, in my experience.
2006 Cadillac SRX – $3,000
Engine/drivetrain: 3.6 liter dual overhead cam V6, five-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Houston, TX
Odometer reading: 125,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep
Cadillac, of course, has a lot longer history behind it than Scion ever managed, but it has had its share of identity crises over the years. From “The Standard Of The World” to “The Caddy That Zigs,” from sixteen-cylinder monsters to badge-engineered Cavaliers and Tahoes, the brand has changed its look and act more times than Madonna. About twenty years ago, Cadillac ditched model names in favor of three-letter alphabet-soup designations. Probably not coincidentally, that’s about the time I stopped knowing which Caddy was which. I knew this car existed, but until I started looking it up to write this, I couldn’t have told you a thing about it.
The SRX, as it turns out, is a rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive crossover, powered by either GM’s “High Feature” V6 or a Northstar V8. This one is a basic RWD six-cylinder model, according to the ad. It’s got 125,000 miles on it, it runs, and that’s literally all the information we get. Not the most loquacious seller, this one. Come on, man; would it kill you to give us a little more to work with?
From what we can see in the photos, it’s a pretty nice car. The driver’s seat is clearly left out of the photos, which makes me suspect some wear or damage to the seat cushion, and there’s a sizeable dent in the passenger-side front door, but apart from that it looks all right. I do wish it was a real color, and not this boring dark sandy taupe, but in the used car market, sometimes you have to take whatever color you can get.
I confess I don’t know a lot about these, but I’m sure one of our readers has owned one, or serviced one, or helped design some part of it. I have yet to collectively stump you all, and I doubt I ever will. So please, if anyone can shed more light on this sort of cool-looking rear-wheel-drive luxury wagon, by all means fill the comments with your knowledge.
So that’s our show for today. Tune in tomorrow for more sketchy rides, dumb jokes, and questionable decisions, because that’s what we do here. See you then! Don’t forget to vote!
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
My instinct was the Scion – those xBs are ugly-cool to me, but it’s a 2nd gen with a ton of miles & pricey. The forgotten Caddy is cheaper but something says it’s not the better value. Scion gets my vote, but I wouldn’t buy it for that price.
Crazy that I’d rather have the Scion, but I would.
That second gen xB gets a lot of undeserved hate. Yes, it sort of sucks it got fat compared to the classic first gen. But it’s a highly useful, nearly un-killable box car that was a genuinely great deal back when they were new.
I never liked the SRX, having driven some as rentals. I much prefer the first-gen xB to the second-gen, but regardless it’s still the better choice.
I like that model Caddy, just not that one. Sunfade, body damage, lack of info makes the Scion the choice.
The effort put into posting these cars is pretty low. Is this how non-enthusiasts see their automobiles?
The Cadillac could be the nicer car, but they make us guess about that. Too bad.
I already was pro-XB the moment I saw the SRX.
But the article title and the XB’s “Gimme the Fat Scion” line hits home pretty hard…. hard enough for a chuckle or two.
I wanted to take the Caddy…I really did, but that thing presents like a vehicle that was barely maintained over its life. Even with almost 100k higher miles, it looks like the Scion owner cared about it, and that goes a long way. I realize that the dealer has probably cleaned it up a bit, but there’s only so much you can get out with compound and carpet cleaner – this one wasn’t bad to begin with.
I’m in for the CRX. I think it’d make a way better weekend driver.
I have a lot more faith in an aging Toyota than I would in an aging Cadillac. I don’t find either of these vehicles compelling, but the xB combines practicality with reliability and decent fuel economy. I’ll give it the nod today.
The only true xB is the 1st-gen xB.
I’m voting 2008 Scion xB, but I may be biased since that’s what I already drive…
Long term owner of a 2009 xB here. Still under 100K mileage. Maybe not the most exciting ride in the world. But a damn good value, and extremely reliable. Caddy? Eh, not so much…
I like the SRX but this one gives me some bad vibes so I went for the Scion.
Isn’t that 3.6 engine from GM plagued with a lot of issues during those years? Plus GM weird wiring issues from those years… I will stick with the Scion
There is a reason that the 3.6 is known as the “Chain Thrower”. One that is well maintained with regular oil changes might be reliable but that’s not this car.
The SRX had lots of trouble when new, so there’s no way in hell it can beat a Toyota, so I voted for the corn-fed fattened-up XB aka Scion XL
Eh, that’s the bad Xb, and I’ve always liked the SRX, so it gets my vote.
I had a 1st generation xB dislike the 2nd generation for the same reasons listed here.Nonetheless, I think I’d take it over the Caddy.
Im actually going Caddy here. Back when I did crisis work that required us to go out and meet with patients in the field we had a fleet of cars to use that consisted of 2 CRVs, 2 XBs, and a Ford C Max. To be fair picking was like deciding if you’d rather have the flu or Covid, but the XBs were always chosen last…not only by me but also the normies.
The things are absolutely horrendous to drive and are total penalty boxes. I still remember how stiff the damn brake pedal was. You had to absolutely mash the thing to get the brakes to bite. It made the CRVs and C Max feel like sports cars, they knocked and rattled over every bump, and the plastic palace interiors turned into saunas if the temperature was above 70 degrees.
The Cadillac is comfortable, it’s correct wheel drive, and that 3.6 liter V6 is underrated in the grand scheme of things. It’s a nice engine…although I experienced it in a Camaro which definitely isn’t an apples to apples comp. So yeah…I’m going against the crowd here and picking the Caddy. SO ROLL, ROLL, THE 83 CADILLAC COUPE DEVILLE!
This was a tough choice, but I’ve always liked the first-gen CTS, and this is basically a CTS wagon … so we’ll take the Cadillac over the Scion.
I’m not liking the Xb gauge cluster. I’m not liking the beat up left to die caddy. I picked the Xb just because it looks like someone took care of it before it went to auction, when this part time dealer picked it up for $1K. Plus I like the color
The xB is ugly, but it’s supposed to be. That Caddy is ugly from neglect. I’m going to hang out with the young people and take the Toyota, errrr Scion
Hello, CatMan
lol it’s a virtual cat show Stray Cats – Stray Cat Strut (Official Music Video) – YouTube
A first-gen XB would get my vote. Fun, distinctive, somewhat useful. The redesign, well, sucked. And still does.
Doesn’t mean I’d go for the Caddy, though. These weren’t bad — in fact, they were pretty good — but this one looks to have been abused in ways that could be unpleasant. That’s just a hunch, as most of the Cads I’ve seen stay shiny longer. And undented.
I’d rather pick up the over-the-hill youth brand option. Toyota’s 2.4 certainly wasn’t perfect, with oil consumption and head bolt issues, but it’s still more trustworthy than the 3.6 egg GM laid. They say it’s robust…except for all of its issues. No thanks, I know how that horror movie ends.
At the time I liked the Caddy for looking like a big wagon rather than an ersatz truck (or another RX clone). I still kind of do, but looking at it right now, it just seems MASSIVE.
I’m meh on the Scion in general, but boy, that’s a pretty color. And it would actually fit on my city street.
Neither. No Mopar here.
My man.
Actually, It’s the Caddy – HANDS DOWN – based on mileage only. Anyone who would purchase a (non diesel) vehicle with 250,000 miles on it has to be nuts.
230k on a Toyota is effectively the same as 130k on a Caddy. 🙂
You know why it’s called a xB? Because XBox was already taken. Never liked that car. I’ll take the Caddy. The 3.6l is GM’s ubiquitous engine. In everything from SUVs, pickups, sedans, and even the Camaro.