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.