The car is a compromise.
 

I bought a new 2015 scion TC in December of 2014. I bought the car because it was a compromise of the things I wanted in a new car and I had to take some of the things that others may view as assets. I like the two door and the fact that I could get the car in a manual transmission. The hatch back is good too for hauling stuff around.

I do not like the sun or the moon roof, it is just a place for the noise to gather. It is not needed for everyday driving. I cannot see it being used too many times unless you were living in the warmer climates like California, Florida, Texas.

I added some foam between the sun screens and the glass to quite down the noise a bit, and put a large piece of rubber in the back over the spare tire to keep the road noise down there also.

I do not like the radio, it takes too much attention to use while driving, not really something that is safe. The 18" wheels are not necessary, and the extremely low profile tires are not useful for the North Eastern part of the U.S. where they have pot holes. It is hard to avoid pot holes in the North East, and the aluminum wheels are too fragile. The low profile tires are a killer. There is not much rubber there to absorb the shock of a pot hole. I assume that if I have the car for any length of time, I will replace the aluminum 18" wheels with steel 15" wheels so that it can take the pot holes easier.

I got the optional crappy cloth deck lid cover with the snaps. Come on, Toyota/ Scion could not make a hard plastic deck lid cover? I think I will either have to find the time to make one myself or commission someone to make one for me. The cloth wraps around the rear head rests. So now I have to make a choice. In the past I have to taken out the rear head-rests of the cars to allow a greater view through the rear view mirror. But, if I have a passenger in the back seat I replace them. So because the cloth wraps around the rear of the head rests, I either want to be able to see through the rear view mirror without the head rests in the way, or I want to be able to cover the area under the deck lid. Is this insane?

The electronic steering is something I have to get used to. It is a strange feeling that when I go over a bump and do not feel the road through the steering wheel.

And of course, the gas mileage is not really what I expected.

Scion is most likely marketing this car to the wrong audience. I feel they would improve sales on this car if they were to get rid of the 18" wheels and the extremely low profile tires, offer a solid rigid deck lid cover, get rid of the glass on the top of the car, and put in a radio that is easy to operate while driving. Also, if they change the gear ratios on the transmission to get better gas mileage.

Thanks for joining, evolving_machine! Glad to have you as a part of our community :)

Confused
 

So the TC was the closest vehicle you could find to satisfy your criteria.
I didn't realize car choices were so limited.

I can't tell if you're trolling or not...

welcome, nonetheless.

Yeah, I like small cars instead of trucks. I like manual transmissions. There are really very few manual transmission, reasonably priced two door cars out there. The extra glass on the roof is something I will most likely use maybe 4 or 5 times in the next 5 years.

In the class for these cars would be the Mini Cooper. I did not like the way that car was built. Seems very cheap to me. It does not seem like it would last long enough to pay for the car. Yet, the car is roomy inside for the driver, like the TC, and it does have some good handling qualities.

The next car would be the hyundai veloster. It also has some good features, like the the three doors. This allows the driver to have a larger entry door, it also has a hatchback, and comes with a manual transmission. I am uncertain about how long the car would last though.
The only way for this car to get horsepower would be through the optional turbo charger. I am more of the philosophy where I like to keep things as simple as possible in cars. Adding the turbo charger, even as a factory item, is just asking for something else to go wrong with the car and you are dependent on it. I know many people have no problem with the turbo chargers, but it is complicating the system and allowing it to fail because of the complexity. This is the same reason I would rather have a clutch and manual transmission. I would rather have roll down windows instead of the electric windows, I would rather have the old fashion door locks too. Sometimes the added features are just not worth the added ability for the system to break down.

The next car was the Mazda 3. It had a manual transmission, it had a hatch back. I was willing to take the car even though it was a four door. But the breaker again was the door handle, map pocket, speakers, window and door controls, made the door so large on the inside that I was touching my knees again when the door closed.

The Honda Civic came in a two door, did not come with a hatch back, but I was willing to live with that. But, the new Civics have the door handle, map pocket, speaker mounting, and the door and window controls, that extend into the cab. So when the door is closed I feel like my knees are touching. The Civic comes in a manual or an automatic.

Some of my friends have pointed out to me that my choices become smaller and fewer every year.

With the sales figures of the TC on wikipedia. I have to predict that if the sales of 2015 do not rise significantly. The TC looks like it may be out of production soon too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_tC

Well it sounds like you did major research as opposed to most consumers.
And it seems you did not base your decision primarily on looks which again puts you in the minority. Hopefully you will adapt to a degree, and as I've said for years, the Toys I've owned make me more content with my choice the longer I drive them.
Best of luck and welcome to the Forum.

csb