One Of The Cheapest, Most Reliable Used Toyotas Doesn't Wear A Toyota Badge

Buying a used car is a delicate balance between finding a bargain and avoiding reliability problems down the road. Shoppers often turn to second-hand Toyotas but find that strong resale values can make them pricier than counterparts from other brands. Yet, there's a way to get a reliable used Toyota for a bargain. You'll just need to look beyond the Toyota nameplate and start shopping for a Scion, Toyota's ill-fated, youth-oriented brand that was axed in 2016. The xD, a subcompact five-door, sold in the U.S. from 2008 to 2014, deserves special attention because it's an under-the-radar option that holds its own in the reliability department against its full-fledged Toyota hatchback peers.

The Scion brand was launched with great fanfare in 2003, with U.S. sales topping 173,000 units for the 2006 model year. A steady decline from this peak ultimately sealed the fate of Scion, what Toyota dubbed its "test laboratory division." The brand's final model year, 2015, saw sales of just over 56,000 models. This rise and fall translates into a buying opportunity with the xD: there were enough built that finding one isn't a challenge, and because Scion is now part of automotive history, it's not always on buyers' lists.

J.D. Power gives several Scion xD model years "great" quality and reliability scores, ranging from 84 to 89 out of 100. One of the best examples comes from 2012, with the xD's 89 rating beating the same-year Toyota RAV4 (83/100) and Toyota Yaris (87/100). In a recent article, SlashGear called out the 2012 Scion xD as one of the ten most reliable cars under $8,000. The 2010 xD received an 84 from J.D. Power, edging out the 2010 Toyota Matrix (83/100), another subcompact hatchback with station wagon vibes.

One Redditor cited the Scion xD as "One of the best cars you'll ever own...," while another chimed in with it being "The best car if you have a sub-7K budget." A third commenter adds, "Reliability is amazing." CarComplaints.com shows few owner reports about the Scion xD, with the 2008 debut year being the most troublesome, receiving 20 instances of engine issues (including complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). That's out of about 39,000 examples sold during the 2007 and 2008 calendar years. Reported engine problems declined steadily in later xD model years.

As mentioned, the xD is off many buyers' radar because the brand is no longer sold in new car showrooms. That can translate into savings instead of going the Toyota route. Let's explore pricing for comparable 2012 base models based on average national pricing from Kelley Blue Book (KBB). The xD sells for $5,870, compared to $9,793 for the Toyota Matrix. While the Toyota Yaris comes close in price ($5,946) to the Scion xD, it's worth noting that the entry-level, five-door Yaris has an original MSRP of $15,900 versus $18,588 for the cheapest xD.

The xD-Yaris price gap increases in the 2014 model year. Here, KBB indicates that typical buyers of the last year for xD can expect to pay $5,592, while shoppers wanting a 2014 Yaris five-door will have to shell out an average of $6,646 (Toyota discontinued the Matrix after 2013). Going back to 2009 still favors the xD, with a KBB average price of $4,695. A same-year Yaris retails for $4,967, while a Matrix costs $6,228.