New convert here, buying a car out of college and almost definitely going with a manual xD. Heading for the dealer in a couple weeks here.

Now, I know most of this has been hashed out before (my apologies), but I thought it'd be nice to have it all in one thread. What should I be looking for when I run over my new car at the dealer's? Here's the checklist from what I've read here so far:

Paint - Check that the paint does not fleck off easily ... especially with the blue ones.
Brakes - Hit the brakes and see how much the nose drops, as it sounds like the rear drums sometimes need to be adjusted from the dealer.
Cables - Not a biggie, but be sure the iPod cable is in the glove box.

Anything else I should watch for? Does anyone know if the college graduate discount program is still running?
Thanks all! Great forum , I hope to hang around here for awhile (especially to update the MPG thread, I have a piece of the hypermiler bug).

 

Yes, the college grad program is on... and they just increased (temporarily) the rebate for it to $1000. And you get top tier interest rate, roadside assistance, etc.

 

Just a followup post ... thanks for the tip on the college grad program, ack. Dropped the (already low) price even lower ... $14,320 plus taxes, fees, etc.

Got a black 5-speed xD, have been driving it for a couple weeks now and love it. Accelerator pedal is much more responsive than I'm used to (coming from a 2000 Chevy Prizm with the same 1.8L Toyota engine), but that's definitely a good thing =D

No problems at all, having a blast driving the thing, and looking forward to many years of reliable driving.

 

Well its not the same engine, even though it is the same size...

the 2ZR-FE just came out