i'm gonna be purchasing a tc in a month or two (once i move to nc) and was wondering what accesories do most people get at the purchase time versus just going back at a future date to add them on. i've seen most of the mods can be purchased for cheaper after. i know it's personal preference, but i'm just trying to get a feel for what most people have been getting initially. the only major thing i saw while building my car on the scion website was the side airbags. thanks in advance for the advice!

sincerely,

soon-to-be owner of an '06 fm tc

 

Mine was purchased off the showroom floor with the side airbag pkg. and nothing else. If you can live with the additional cost (which is not that much), I'd say at least get that. IMO, the extra amount is small change when it could possibly save your life and/or your passengers' lives. It's the latest technology, and I think it's worth it. If you are a gadgeteer like me, the only drawback is that you can't have an auto-dimming rear view mirror with homelink (because wiring runs through the a-pillars where the curtain airbags are located. I have dark window tinting, so, oh well.

If you are thinking of getting any other accessories, only get things that have to be installed internally (factory alarm, fog lights, XM radio) done by the dealer, unless you have the time and materials to install things yourself. The three things mentioned above are what I had the dealer install. EVERYTHING else (door sills, b-pillar appliques, rear bumper protector, even the mudguards) you can find elsewhere significantly cheaper on e-bay or other dealers' websites.

I recently purchased a DC Sports Strut Tie Bar, TRD Rear Sway Bar, and TRD Quickshift Kit, and my Scion dealer only charges $37.50 per item to install, so for me, this is the way to go, as I only have a small garage with few tools and little lighting.

Good luck with your tC when you get it. You will not be disappointed.

 

Yup....everything garciog said...with one exception. The autodimming mirror can now be installed with the side airbags. The power is tapped into the sun roof power instead

 

I bought the additional airbags because I like the piece of mind of having them, though I hope I never have to use them. Having them also saved me a few bucks on my insurance. I think it is worth the money. If money is the issue, remember you can always add other mods later but not the airbags.

 

All I bought from the dealer was SAB package. The rest of my accessories came from eBay or McGeorge.

 

SAB (safety comes first and I think I'm worth that $500)
Alarm (dont want a seperate remote from aftermarket ones)

 

I got the side airbags because they were included in the only flint mica manual transmission car my dealership could get me the day the tC was released.

I didn't mind the extra expense, especially since it brought down my insurance costs.

 

considering my father bought the car for me, his only criteria was that it HAD to have side air bags and a 5 speed - aside from that i got the XM coz its installed at port (so is the ipod connection/ i didnt get that coz of the line in adapter) and i plan to buy all other stuff i want later...for cheaper

 

Has a Scion dealer verified the mirror install with power from the sunroof????

We got an RS 1.0 with the airbags, and we wanted one with them. I think for safety they are a must and really inexpensive (when you think about it). Knee airbags are there also, and if you look at IIHS and NHTSA crash data....alot of low ratings are a result from dash injuries to one or both legs.

Also, my insurance (Wawanesa General, by the way if you have a good driving record....they are awesome) was lower with airbags. We were told that the tC without airbags would have been more.

 

honestly, how many people have seen a tC without SAB? i have yet to see one on the lot or in another drivers hands without this "option". the web site lists it as a "limited production" but every single tC i have seen (about 10 now) have had them. mebbe you can get them via special order, but every single one i have seen on a lot has had them.

 

When my wife and I bought our 1.0, there was another one Identical with the exception of the airbags so what they hey IT COULDN'T HURT!

 

I have seen many tC's w/o airbags. I definately wanted them on mine though.
The newer mirrors have installation instructions for tC's with and w/o side airbags.
Same mirror, but with different intallation instructions.

 

looks like dealers around here got alloted lots of bagged ones then. will keep looking for that elusive pacNW non-SAB tC

 

From another forum.....Power is fine from here

 

The dealer here is getting about half their tc's with curtain airbags. I'm getting an 06 with them installed. I heard that in 07 they'll be mandatory.

Steve

 

mine doesnt have them. The tC did really good in the side crash test without the side airbags, so im not really worried.

 

well i haven't gotten the side air bags with my tC. So far the only mod that I have gotten for my tC was the TRD exhaust and I bought that 2 weeks after i got the car. The way I see it, getting the muffler afterwards was alot cheaper. The scion website says that it costs $500+. But because i got it after I got the car it only cost me $495...$356 for the muffler and the reast was instslation and tax. I do not know why scion has the price listed that high on the site, but my best guess is that because scion is based in cali the parts might cost more....hope this helps.

 

$495? wow so u saved $5?

 

thx for all the help guys! i plan on getting the airbags, now it's just a matter of figuring out what is worth getting installed at the dealership when i buy it, and what is worth putting off and buying off the internet.

 

Only get the airbags as an option. Get everything else aftermarket. Dealers charge too much for parts and installation.