Here's my quick take (2006 FM tC 5-sp)

Positives:

* Good power with standard 160hp engine. Also, engine is very refined and smooth for a 4-banger
* I like the space in the rear with the seats down for carrying large objects. Also, unlike some other coupes, there's actually decent space for people to sit back there.
* Nice standard features like 17" alloy wheels, Pioneer stereo etc.
* Very good mileage. I get EPA mileage or BETTER almost all the time. My highway mileage is almost always 28+mpg ( I usually drive 75mph on the highway) and combined city/highway never goes below 25mpg in the summer.
* The car exhibits very little road noise and is quiet at highway speeds.

Negatives

* Good quality interior materials but very poor fit and finish. I have creaks and squeaks from the radio cover, right A pillar and moonroof.
* Rear hatch rattles. This is very annoying. And PLEASE DO NOT tell me to turn the radio up. There are times when I like to drive with the volume at minimal levels or completely off. A good quality car should not have rattles whether it costs $12,000 or $50,000.
* Notchy gearshift lever.


So that's it. Great value for the price that I paid and it's a car that I would recommend to others. However, the rattles and squeaks have made this a less than pleasant experience in many ways. If I can somehow get rid of all those minor problems, I'll love this car even more. Still, it gets a strong 8/10

 

you are still under MFG warrentee, take it in and make them fix the squeaks. Thats is what they are there for.

 

god i hate threads like this... i wont even go in to reasons why... but this stuff bothers me

 

the fixes can be fixed by the dealer and the shifting can be fixed by getting a short throw shifter...i recommend CC STS (70 dollars), or the TWM stage 2 STS (125 dollars). This mod will make shifting much smoother and shorter.

 

Ignore it then.

 

Thanks. I'll look into it. Also checking to see if the Red Line stuff will do any good.

 

* Good quality interior materials but very poor fit and finish. I have creaks and squeaks from the radio cover, right A pillar and moonroof.

OEM parts fit fine, and the material isnt top notch leather... i bought a 17k car, not a 30k

* Rear hatch rattles. This is very annoying. And PLEASE DO NOT tell me to turn the radio up. There are times when I like to drive with the volume at minimal levels or completely off. A good quality car should not have rattles whether it costs $12,000 or $50,000.

bull, take the time to sound deaden your car, ot take the plastic trim off your hatch and secure the wires differently.

* Notchy gearshift lever.

get a short shifter or an automatic, u knew that when u bought the car

 

Read my post again. I have no issues with material quality.

What's so "Bull" about it? If my hatch rattles in a brand new car that I've practically babied, it's my issue now? I don't have to and I'm not going to do jack about it. I've been tolerating it so far but it's been steadily getting worse so I'll be taking it to the dealers soon. Also, the way to fix a problem like this isn't to keep adding more sound deadning material but to isolate and fix the problem causing the noise in the first place. As far as my gearbox is concerned, the resistance that I'm feeling now didn't exist when I purchased my car.

 

w/e dude its pointless.. ill stop replin to this... im not gonna argue with you. but since i work at a dealer im tellin u all they are gonna do to your hatch is wrap a few wires in the trip of the hatch.

 

Remind me to stay away from that dealership

 

just turn the radio up

 

Scary to think that some of these people are actually selling cars.

 

No kidding! I don't see what's wrong with giving a user review on a product.

If you don't have anything constructive to add to the thread, don't post anything at all! You're not helping anyone!

 

i personally like posts like this, i like to hear about the owners review on their car.

i would agree 100% that the material of the car is satisfactory, but the pieces don't fit together that well. just look at the center of the dash. the sides of those two plastic pieces don't fit flush with the charcoal dash at all. that's why the whole cars sqeaks and rattles so much. and everytime you push on any polished silver material there is some kind of creak or noise. i thought the new civics were cheap b4 i bought my tC, but then after a couple months of owning the tc, i went inside someone's 06 ex and the fit and finish is far superior than the tC. no creaks or any other noise when you push on the material.

but i have to say though, when i thought the tC was made cheaply, i check out other cars that i ride in to feel the materials used. although i think the tC's interior finish is weak and cheap, pretty much all cars are made really cheaply. i noticed a couple of week spots on my sister's is300, and dad's 03 4runner. and riding in a cobalt felt terrible. but being better than a cobalt doesn't mean sh*t.

i also agree that a car costing 17k should be expected to have rattles...

my hatch rattled a little, but i just stuck 2 peices of rubber on top of the place where the boot hits the bumper.

i really don't see my tC as a high quality car. i mean it packs a lot of features for the money, but to me, they sacraficed a bit of quality.

i know it's my fault for buying the tC in the first place b/c i test drove it, but i'm disappointed in the way the car haddles. the heavy steering, no telescopic really makes the driving expierence not enjoyable. test drive is one thing, but owning the car for a while is actually what makes you know the car, and make you determine whether you really like it or not.

tC, not a bad car for the money, but i desire more out of the box performance and a bit better fit and finish on the interior... i'm interested in 07 Si if i can sell my 5 month old tC at a reasonable price...

 

hey........breakaway.....do you sort through threads all day just trying to find people that
you can tick off? it sure seems that way. the whole point of the review was to let other people know about his experience with the car......and i agree with him.......all new cars should be free of major rattles like the tc has.......i am not happy with it either.

have you people ever heard of having a conversation with someone in a car? you know, talking to other human beings? ( insert massive amounts of sarcasm here ) the radio does have a power button, i would love to be able to turn it off and talk without my interior squeaking like a battleship.

the review given was very intelligent and thorough and for you to fire back with some lame remark really gives testament to your maturity level. You must have been a bully in high school.......or maybe you're still a fourth-year senior.........anyway, try thinking before you type.

 

its a 17k car, your not gonna have a 100% quiet interior like a lexus, no matter how many times u bring it into a dealer. people reviewing the car is fine... but its been done 500000 times. use the search button to see what other problems owners have had with the car. and i STILL dont understand what u are saying is a "poor fit" on the interior. because everything is OEM and fits perfect, unless your dealer pulled a piece off and didnt know how to put it back on.

and if you dotn wanna come to my dealer, that is your choice. but i am by far (as well as a few select others) for more knowledgable on the Scion line then any other salesmen at a toyota/scion dealership.

 

BrEaK_AwaY, I wasn't complaining. That was a quick review and I was making some observations. You're the guy who jumped in and started making random unwarranted comments.

Fit and finish can also mean how well materials hold up with time. If parts lose their dimensions by expanding or contracting with heat/cold or if they cease to maintain their tolerances after some vibration, then the interior is going to fall apart. Ever ride in a Chevy Cavalier? All the parts are OEM when you buy it new and everything looks like it fits together perfectly. But in just a few years that car inevitably turns into a rattle pit. TERRIBLE! Why? That's because of bad design and poor quality materials with bad fit and finish. My radio cover started squeaking at under 2000 miles and the right A pillar at about the same mileage. The roof started creaking just shortly after that. However, the worst rattle is the hatch. My old 1999 Corolla barely had any noise at all even towards the end. It was a very simple car but it was put together very well.

By the way, go to clublexus and check out all the Lexus owners moaning and whining about the terrible rattles in their new GS cars. This has become somewhat of a problem with Lexus and there are many people on that forum who're avoiding the GS because of this issue. Bottomline, at any price point, it is possible to design cars with interiors that will hold up well over time. And the hatch shouldn't rattle period. You wouldn't see all these complaints if there wasn't an issue with it.

One more thing, after reading your last paragraph, it's hard to believe that you're 20 years old. You come across as an immature 12 year old in some of your posts. Tone down the attitude and think twice before opening your mouth next time.

 

rofl with the name calling, and assumptions towards myself.

the fabric used in the tC (seats and doors) is the only poor areas on the interior. the 05 floor mat's are also bad, which toyota corrected in the 06 mat's

the tC's glass roof is held up by a steel frame. when you bend the car in a certian way (going over speed bumps, hills, etc.) it will make a noice, compairable to if you have a rear sway bar, and take a speed bump diagonal, you will hear a squeeking because it doesnt want to flex.

we all know the tC isnt perfect, EVERY car has its flaws, but for the money, is one hell of a car. i just get tired of reading post like this over and over and over again. i usually ignore them, but this time i wanted to step in and say my .02

you may think i act like a 12yr old, and thats fine. what you think about me doesnt concern me one bit. but it is out of line to assume such a thing.

 

maserati quattroporte has squeaks and that's a 100k car

 

agree with you on everything except I have no issues with the shifter.

I use to drive a 1991 Nissan Stanza with 320,000 miles on it and the interior was put together tighter and had fewer rattles than the hatch of my 2006 tC.

I don't care if it cost 10k, 17k or 50k, a new car shouldn't make noises like this. I guess I was brainwashed by Toyota's reputation, because I expected better.