Scionlife.com - It's been nearly 30 years...

...since I last owned a car with an automatic transmission.

Hi everyone, I'm new to the Scion brand and just picked up this 2012 tC on Monday, 2/19.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...6f8d334e78.jpg

I bought it from a good friend of mine who is a tried and true "car guy", so I know it's been well taken care of. Currently has 134,500 miles, has been impeccably maintained, and everything works.

I remember when the tC was first released, I really wanted one. I was 31 at the time, closer to the higher end of the brand's target demographic. Well, 20 years later at age 51, here I am. I'm not quite as enthused with the brand as I was back then; Scion no longer exists, I'm older, design and technology has progressed, etc. And oddly I preferred the 1st gen styling when the 2nd gen was released, but as I look at both now, my preference has flipped on that 100%--even now, the 2nd gen looks edgier and stands out a bit more even among newer cars. I really like this color, too, though I still need to look up what exact color it is...one thing I tend to do with each car I own is research and learn as much as I can about it.

I'm coming from a 2011 VW Jetta 2.5L, which had an electrical ignition/immobilizer issue about a month ago which prevents it from starting up, and rather than drop ~$1600 to fix, I opted for a new (to me) car. The tC is automatic, which is a big downer for me, but it was a necessary compromise as my wife needs to be able to drive it. It's my first AT car since the very first car that I owned from 1990-95. My impressions in the first few days of ownership are that the suspension is stiffer and much sportier than the Jetta, and thus handles a whole lot better, the steering feels more direct (though that could be a side effect of the more dialed-in suspension), and it's quite fun to drive despite the autotragic transmission...in many ways more fun than the MK6 Jetta--even its 5-speed transmission never felt that great.

For fun, here's the full list of all the cars I've owned (only myself, not including the ones I've jointly owned with my wife), and the years I owned them:

1987 Chevrolet Nova Sedan 3-speed auto (1990 - 1995)
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...f41c338d63.jpg

1995 Jeep Wrangler S 2.5L 5-speed (1995 - 2002)
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...f8b8b44c32.jpg

1999 Ford Explorer Sport 5-speed (2002 - 2009)
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...57ec1532ee.jpg

1991 Mazda MX-5 Miata 1.6L 5-speed (2005 - 2009)
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...f65975027c.jpg

2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 2.3L 6-speed (2009 - 2019)
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...69fdb0a5b9.jpg

2002 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon GLS 1.8T 5-speed (2018 - 2019)
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...cda787b01d.jpg

2011 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5L SEL 5-speed (2019 - present)
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...f7b2dafe2a.jpg

1978 Triumph Spitfire 1500 1.5L 4-speed w/OD (2021 - 2023)
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...802eb63d10.jpg

1979 Triumph TR7 DHC 2.0L 5-speed (2023 - present)
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sci...63299222b2.jpg

Glad to be a part of this group and I look forward to learning more about the tC!