So You Own a Scion… Now What?
In case you haven’t already heard, Toyota recently announced plans to kill off its youth-focused brand, Scion, and transition some of the lineup to its own. After years of declining sales, Toyota decided it was in its best interest to get out of the Scion experiment while it still had a few impressive vehicles left. But if you’re a Scion owner yourself, what does this change mean for you?
[wptab name=”Service”]
Service and Maintenance
One of the perks of buying a Scion was the complimentary Scion Service Boost program. Vehicles covered by this program would receive free routine maintenance visits at the dealership for the first two years or 25,000 miles of ownership—whichever came first. Additionally, Scion Service Boost offered free 24-hour roadside assistance for the first two years of ownership no matter how many miles were driven. Scion owners will still be able to claim this benefit, under the ToyotaCare program, until it runs out on their vehicles.
[wptab name=”Trim Levels”]
Trim Levels and Options
Scion was known for its single-trim-level sales model. With only one available trim from which to choose, Scion owners were able to pick and choose their own accessories to customize their rides to their own tastes. While this will remain in place for the 2017 model year as certain Scion models transition to Toyota, the automaker will consider creating multiple trim levels for future model years in order to give drivers a wider choice.
[wptab name=”Pure Price”]
Scion Pure Price
Another thing Scion was famous for was its Pure Price sales philosophy, where vehicles were listed at low prices and customers were unable to haggle with dealership salespeople. This program was designed to take the hassle out of car-buying for its target Millennial audience. However, this program will not carry over to Toyota with the three models that will make the change, so future buyers of these models will have free reign to negotiate final sales price.
[wptab name=”Resale”]
Resale Value
When a car brand becomes defunct, owners assume one of two things will happen to resale values: they will either plummet, or soar. In Scion’s case, neither scenario is likely. Since most of Scion’s lineup will be rebadged as Toyotas, these models will still be available for purchase new. It’s unlikely that older models’ Scion badges will be enough to make buyers cough up more. On the flip side, this also means that resale values are not likely to drop, so Scion owners can rest assured they will likely get their money’s worth when it comes to selling their vehicles in the future.
[end_wptabset]
News Source: USA Today
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