mdroproductions

Hey guys, my name is Mike. I test drove a 2007 Scion tC Automatic with 114k on it for $5700.
It's a beautiful car, the dealership I went to said this car hasn't had the burning oil issue. It's been driving and shifting perfectly fine. I test drove it and didn't notice anything,
and no burning oil smell no nothing. I checked the dipstick and the levels were all good. The battery had a bit of corrosion though.

I've been researching this car and hearing about how reliable Toyotas are, (my ex had an Echo that was
barely maintained and it's over 200k and still going)

but I've heard mixed things about the Scions mostly about the excessive burning oil problem leading to engine failure.

I love the body and everything about this car and want to buy it but I'm a little scared because of these engine problems.

Am I overthinking it? or should I avoid this car? Is there a way to prevent this since
according to the dealership/ my test drive the car didn't have any signs of this.

I have my own OBD2 sensor (which I forgot to bring to the test drive) but next time I see the car are there any codes in there I should look for?

I know you guys have Scions and love them but I need some objective advice. I'm good about changing my oil and maintaining my cars all around, but I want to be
sure I will have a car that is reliable up to at least 200k or possibly more.

I have 2009 Legacy that I was considering buying, but the Scion being a little cheaper plus a 2 door made it number one on my list. Please give me any advice you can.

Thank you.

samatman

I have an '09 that has high oil consumption. My understanding is that this issue affects '07 as well. From reading about this it is pretty clear that people experience this to different levels. You aren't going to smell oil - the only way you are going to notice it is to drive the car and check the dipstick every 1000 miles. No dealer is going to tell you, and I doubt they would even know if that specific tC has the problem.

Ok that said, maybe it consumes extra oil - I would probably assume that until you know otherwise. If you check the oil and keep it at the proper level, I don't think you would have any other trouble. The problems start when the oil gets low and it isn't added in time before an engine failure.

Subaru isn't immune to excessive oil consumption. If you read those forums you find a lot of complaints there as well. The biggest issue here is you are buying used and you don't know if either of those vehicles were maintained well or whether either experienced low oil while being driven by the previous owners.

The tC is a great car. It's fun to drive and you can pile a ton of stuff into that hatch. As someone that actively maintains their cars you have less to worry about. But read whatever warranty the dealer is offering carefully and check your oil often in that warranty period.

One more thing: when we recently bought a Subaru, the dealer specifically told us that (if) we wanted to trade the tC he wouldn't offer us much because Scion was a defunct brand. We weren't looking to trade so it was a non-issue. But you may have more bargaining power on the tC for that reason.

Y2KG20

Take it for a 1000 mile test drive haha... Seriously, do it because if it has the oil consumption problem it's worth probably $2000. Or check if they have any kind of warranty.