Ok, this is pretty simple. I'm looking at a getting tC quite soon. However, they're pretty new to the market, so little is known about them.

They're built by Toyota and based off a reliable European Toyota platform. It uses the Camery engine and tranny. I've done some looking at as many reviews I could come across for the car. I've test driven the car for maybe 5 miles at highway speeds and through rougher construction areas through town. This is pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the car so far.

My initial thoughts on the car are good. From what little I've experienced, the car feels well made and set up well. Build quality is very good, and the ride is stable over everything I've driven over. The steering feel is near awesome, light and precise. The car is quieter than I'm used to as well. Even at highway speeds, the cabin is quiet enough to talk at actual normal talking volumes, unusually nice. I think the engine power fits the car well, smooth and powerful. It doesn't match the Subaru's grunt despite the similar numbers, but it's strong, very smooth, and provides enough extra when needed. Super and turbo chargers will definately be interesting on this car.

I do have a few initial gripes though. First, the back seats and the cargo area are a bit small. I usually don't carry much around, so I'm not sure how big of a problem this is. I came from a Subaru Forester and older GM full-sized cars before that. I'm used to space. My second gripe is small. I'd actually prefer 16" rims and some higher aspect tires. The tC seems to transmit a touch of road bumps through its low profile tires, added harshness through an otherwise comfortable suspension setup. As well, a 17" rim limits tire choices quite a bit. Living in Minnesota, some ContiExtremeContacts may go on there right away as snow isn't always light.


OK,
here's where you guys come in. I'm hoping to get some feedback from those of you who have owned their tC's for a while now. I'm pretty much looking for problems, something that may deter me from purchasing the vehicle. Although, I'd still like to hear praises and good points as well. Basically, list oddities that "developed" or carme into focus after owning the car a while. What did you come to hate about the car. What did you absolutely fall in love with the more you drove it. Things like this.
(oh, don't list sunroof rattle, seen a lot about that already, lol)

Comment away.

 

<-- in the same boat.

Heh funny how I actually used to dog on the car before I actually saw one in real life. Seriously nice cars for the price (and pretty powerful too! I got to testdrive a Indigo ink pearl 5-spd one not too long ago). I might be grabbin' one in Feb..heck it's a good chance I will be getting one. I mean for the price you get-

-Toyota Reliability (I have a cousin with a '94 Camry with about 170,xxx miles..runs FANTASTIC with little to no past maintenence)

-Pretty powerful car for the price (I'm sure it can take/hang 99-00 Si's/GSR's, SE-R spec v's, etc etc)

-Plenty of features with the price

The ride can be rough depending on the road (freakin' low pro 17's)..and I did hear VERY minor rattles here and there while driving it..but other then that the car handled GREAT and felt attached to the road..I likes..I really do

So fellow tC owners..shed some light for us! Do you regret purchasing the tC? What do you think the pros/cons are? etc etc..

..thanks alot guys

 

Living in MN, you might not like the tC due to snow/ice conditions. There is a trunk rattle most people are having and also a little rattle with the radio door. MINOR, IMHO.

Overall, this car is great (guess that is the reason for the normal 6-10 week wait that I'm sure other car dealers are much envious of).

The stock H/U and speakers are MUCH better than normal stock stuff. However, if you are an avid audio buff, then you will probably want to replace. Yes, there is lack of cargo room in the back but more than adequate for most folks. Back seat has PLENTY of leg room. Three can fit but not real comfortably.

I sort of lucked out as I did not know what option(s) to get. I ended up with the OBX sport pedals and the TRD exhaust. Both are excellent. Fog lights were tempting but way over priced.

The all glass roof is amazing and definitely unique. Engine has plenty of "get and go" for me but I did come from a Corolla. If your previous vehicle was a 6/8 cylc., turbo/supercharged you might be disappointed.

I like the 17" rims but they are just okay IMHO.

Good luck on your decision. You could not buy a better car for the price.

Kevin

 

lol my current car is a automatic Civic LX..so going from a mere 100hp or so automatic to a 160hp+ 5-spd ride with a decent amount of torque will be fun (I USED to have a b18b powered '90 Civic hatch with all kinds of mods, but I had to get rid of it)

Legroom won't be an issue for me..I usually ride alone, but I am the 'weekend' driver sometimes, and I do tend to hold about 2-3 extra people with me..so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Yeah the 17's are nice..not the best but they do the job.

Option-wise..I'm not going to get anything. Stock 5-spd tC is fine for me ;)

Thanks for your input..and if anyone else wants to throw in somethine PLEASE feel free to.

 

I have had a lot of cars in my day...

v6 1989 Oldsmobile 88 165hp
v6 1999 Grand am GT 2dr 175hp
v6 2004 Monte Carlo SS 200hp
I4 2003 Olds Alero 4dr 140hp

I4 2005 Scion tC 2dr 160hp.

Im a huge fan of the look and QUALITY of this car. Take it from someone who has always owned American cars, the interior in this car is realy nice. It handles better than the almost 30k Monte I had. Nicer interior too. The Monte felt the fastest with its tons of torque. the TC is my favorite, I love teh hatch, and everything works so good! Id recommend this car to ANYONE looking for a 2dr in this range.

Options I got: Floor Mats/classic leather shift ****.

The Floor mats are great cuz you can remove the carpet and go 100% rubber in the front. This is great here in MI where the roads today were DUSTY from the massive amoutn of salt on the ground. People have been complaining about winter hadnling, but i have had NO problems. The only one that handled better was the Alero is brand new 15" all season tires on it, and 3300lbs.

I cannot imagine any other car under say... 25k that i would want! Go for it!

kinda wished i woulda got a manual at times tho, and other times im glad i got an auto... ahw ell!

 

I'm not terribly worried about winter. If I need more, I'll switch them. What specific model was it anyways? Saw it once, but forgot. RE92 or RE950? or other if I'm still mistaken.

The car I test drove had no rattling or odd noises. As well, other than being black, the test car may be the one I might purchase if I choose to go with black, no wait. I don't really have a wait option anyways, no car right now, sacrificed the Subbie's life for a deer

 

[quote="mvw2"]I'm not terribly worried about winter. If I need more, I'll switch them. What specific model was it anyways? Saw it once, but forgot. RE92 or RE950? or other if I'm still mistaken.

The tires are re92. The car is great the stock stereo sounds good but I wanted more mids so I upgraded to polk db650. Everything else in the car is sweet. I really don't have any complaints yet about it. I have never noticed a sunroof noise yet. Drives smooth no complaints. Halls as- when I want it to. Gas mileage could be a litte better, so I ordered a k&n air filter. Love it! Get one!

 

I've had zero wind noise too, although I've heard that at 115 mph the wind noise gets bad... laff, I don't know how many $18k cars can even go 115.

I've read that the stock tires are unreliable on ice - if its that bad you might look into some snow tires for the winter. The all glass roof was a worry for me since I'm in TX and the summer heat might be bad - got the windows tinted so I doubt it will be a serious problem. If you get tinted windows you wont need the autodimming rear view mirror.

I will be getting the mudguards installed soon, and should have gotten them when I bought it, as I don't like having all that stuff splashed up on a brand new car. Other than that the options you can get are a matter of taste.

Some people are paying thru the nose for insurance, although mine is quite reasonable. You may want to get a quote before purchasing, that could stop the whole deal right there.

Overall I have no regrets, but I would have liked to get a bit more for my trade in when I purchased.

 

- have had two rattles.. one from the center console where the radio is.. other was a relay panel down between the outside mirror controls and the hood release.. both fixed with foam tape..

- body has a slight pop when cold.. but my old civic had that too.. welcome to michigan's winter.. once the car warms up.. no more pop.. no worries there

- tires.. i upgraded to the pirelli pzero nero m&s.. (stock size 215/45-17) so far in 2 inches of snow/ice did pretty well.. once the tread wears down next year probably looking at snow tires then.. maybe some blizzaks lm-25

- seats are excellent.. i never want to get out..
- back seats are good for people under 6 feet tall.. more room back there than the civic coupe (1996)
- radio is pretty good, but agree an aftermarket speaker upgrade would be make the radio even better
- some blind spots but easy to adapt..
- acceleration is awesome.. you get on it.. it really pulls fun!! im getting about 24-27 mpg's.. (city) depends on how i drive..
- brakes are good, solid feel.. once they broke in..


My conclusion? Definitely buy one.. it's a lot of fun.. I do have the auto transmission, and I think it's responsive for an auto.. they did a good job on it..

 

EW, the RE92's, lol. Tire Rack does not like those one bit for snow...or most anything else. I was hoping RE950 as the ratings were a lot better. Oh well, the tread looks like I could handle packed snow ok. I don't think it will like my gravel roads though with the narrow grooves(reminds me of my bro's SP5000 M's, not good tires either).

Think I could persuade my dealer to switch tires for free? lol


Question on the speakers, since it was brought up:
how much mounting depth is available? I'm thinking Kodas and they need about 3". It's not of a great concern, but it's something to think about for later.

 

im sure you have been reading a lot about rattling sounds from the roof and rear. But also keep in mind, a lot of people dont have any of these problems (myself included). So if you do get one, test drive the hell out of it to make sure there are no unwanted sounds.

My only complaint is an exponential increase in wind noise from the rear when it rains. I am waiting for a rainy day so i can show toyota the problem. This problem drives me crazy, but no one else seems to have it.

Other than that, i am 100% satisfied with the car.

Goodluck!

 

you're asking about the Bridgestone RE950? I had them and they weren't that good.. had them for about 2 weeks and returned them (thankful for the 30-day test drive money back guarantee).. problem? they didn't have enough traction, plus they began to grow loud.. Sort of like a truck tire noise.. they also made the tC's suspension feel "heavy".. like it would hit a bump and it reacted heavily..

I switched to the pirelli pzero nero m&s and after a couple that were out of round (vibration).. i got ones that work.. they are more nimble, ride better, smoother ride, and quiet too.. my mpg's didn't go down like they did with the re950's.. probably because the re950's weight more per tire than the pzero nero m&s..

so was that what you needed to know?

 

Just got a BCP tC on dec 18. Previous owner of 2003 Honda Civic Si. Hp wise, pretty much the same, but up hills, the tC pulls out a little harder. intererior is SPECTACULAR, compared to the si, but i do kinda miss the buckets in that car. plus, the trunk space in the si was a little more generous. all in all, i've always liked the tc, starting to LOVE it!!!

 

I love my tC. It's a pleasure to drive, it's comfortable, and Toyota history shows that it should be reliable. The only thing I wish it had that it doesn't is an aux jack on the front of the stock radio

The main complaints you'll hear about are the rattles. I haven't had any yet, but I'm just now approaching one month in the car.

The other thing people are talking about here in the forum is the tires. Personally, being from Michigan where we've had a lot of rain and snow the last month, I haven't had any problems.

 

Thanks a BUNCH for the input guys..seriously

I'm kinda gettin' tired of Hondas..(owned 4 Hondas heh..previous one was a hatch with a built LS motor..I'm currently driving a '98 Civic LX which I am going to hand over to my mom once I buy the tC)..and I think the tC is DEF. the way to go.

You get ALOT for cheap, plus the car will last a long time considering it's a freakin' tuned Camry motor..plus I truthfully think tCs look BEAUTIFUL with some clean 18's and a nice 1.6ish-2.0 inch drop 'n stuff(clean, simple lipkit and a spoiler). VERY sleek..then of course you got a motor that responds very well to mods..etc etc..heh ok I'm blabberin' :-P

 

Now, I hope that I can be of some help here. I've had a Black Cherry Pearl Auto tC since the end of June. Now, I hear that the 5-speed is a lil more peppy than the auto, but the auto is more than good enuf for getting around town. Now, I was coming from a nice 92 Olds Delta 88 that I purchased from a family member, and everything worked when I bought it, and then it all fell apart within a years time. The A/C went in the summer, the window at the end of summer, the brakes were screwed, and some other small probs, and my GF owned a Civic and was happy, so I was considering Japanese, but wasn't really sure. Now, I wanted a 2001 Ram Air Trans Am and was ready to put a down payment on one til I got my insurance quote, and OUCH, that was out of the question, and still breaks my heart every time I see one, lol, but then fell for the tC. Good overall value, BLAH, blah, blah, here's my take as I just rolled ober 6,000 miles yesterday.

- Going for my oil change in the morn (a 1,000 over due to a busy work/school schedule) and absolutley no probs

- Acceleraton is not that of a "true" sports car, but is good enuf

- Sometimes the panaromic moonroof "creaks" if you will, but it's tolerable

- Stock sound system is pretty decent, although can be improved w/ aftermarket stuff

- Another question brought up here, what about the tires??? Now, I'm about a min flat outside the city here (Chicago), and we've had some snow and rain here already, and honestly, there's a lil bit of wheel slippage (I have a lil heavy foot though), but it's def tolerable, not TOO bad at all if you are a driver with common sense (you know what I mean here)

- My bottom line advice, no car is perfect and this "new" car fit my needs perfectly at the time, and I'm happy with it 6 months later

 

It depends on what you are looking for. It is a driver's commute car not a baby/cargo hauler or a sports car. But let it be known that we loved it so much we bought two.

Here are some cons that don't bother me:

Rear headroom is bad (but the seats recline so let them suffer)
Moonroof creaks (but I opened and closed mine for the first time and that got better)
Rear hatch creaks (not enough to make me take it back)
Stock tires are noisy, have poor wear ratings, have poor wet traction and are expensive
Stock rims easy to curb due to low profile tires (I would have liked alloy 16's as well)
Cargo room is small (but it's only me and the beer fits behind the passenger seat just fine lol)
Blind spots (aim the side mirrors so you can't see your car anymore and it will point right at it)
A little too heavy (lose the reclining rear seats haha)
Fragile paint (well this may very well bother me)

Pros:

Price (with no dealer bull$hit haggling)
Quiet interior (except tires ;P)
Great handling (get at least the TRD sway bar and INSTALL IT YOURSELF)
Stock stereo (w/ subwoofer) excellent (w/o subwoofer, merely adequate)
Torquey engine (easy to 'accidentally' shoot past 80 bone stock, and I'm an auto!)
Auto up/down windows
Side markers (why don't ALL cars have this?!!?)
4-wheel disc brakes standard (one of the reasons I didn't look for a cheaper used car)
Fading on/off interior lights (nice touch!)
VERY adjustable drivers seat (great seats in general)
Great stock headlights
24MPG in city and it is still breaking in

 

Thanks for the info guys. I'm about this close <pinches fingers together to almost touching> to getting a tC. Still, the rear headroom and cargo space still concerns me. I'm usually by myself and sometimes with a couple friends. I don't normally haul much, but there may be occations.

One ? from this:
Is there a hitch available so I could use a small trailer with it. Yes, I read somewhere that Toyota says not to pull stuff with it, but still, I'd hope there is a hitch available.


The paint issue concerns me. How bad is this? In what way is it "fragile"? I hope they aren't being too cheap in this area. It's reminicent of the old GM's and their profuse paint pealing and clear coat deteriorating. What paint process do they use? Base and main only? Clear coat on top? (want to say no, but don't remember) I live on a gravel road. Should I worry about rock chips in the paint?


As far as tires, they did all right in the snow when I took a test drive this morning, well enough to not initially worry about them. Icy surfaces were a little bit different though, not so sticky. If I find the RE92's to be a real problem, I'll move to a better tire.

I too would have liked to see a 16" wheel option. I think it would have matched the suspension setup better. Oh well.

 

have to say, as far as room this has either a) good rear seat room, or b) good cargo room. with the seats up your cargo room is pretty limited, but if you take off the "shelf" you'll get another half foot or so height, more than enough to take several loads of laundry to the laundramat. however, if you lay the seats flat you get a TON of room. it's probably 5.5-6 feet between back of the drivers seat and think that the actual number is 60 cubic feet. the split folding rear seat is nice too, before I had my rack I fit a bike and all our gear for a weekend trip, and still fit 3 people total in the car.

technically the tC shouldn't tow anything, but its engine (in the Camry) is rated to tow a decent amount, so theoretically it should be possible. I wouldn't want to tow a lot, but that's up to you.

the tires were ok for me in the snow this week, but it's FLAT here. not sure about what happens when we head up to VT to go skiing... ;)

hope this helps.

 

this sat will be my one week anniversary of having the car. i loves it!!!
gotta love the "comfort" front seating: being able to recling it almost horizontal is great for.....laying down! back seats reclining is another plus. the interior is freakin roomy, PERIOD. sound system is great, although i still have not figured out how to change "scion" into "push my button" (the dealer brochure is lying!) for what you get, it's a STEAL.

future mods:
-cf hood
-cf trunk (?)
-cf eyelids (the top part of the headlights are kinda ugly)
-underbody lips for front/rear
-cf wind diffuser under front lip
-tein coils
-trd upper sways
-18in. volk gtu in gold or 18in work vs in gold
-bride ergo's dr/pass in black

i know i haven't listed in real power mods, but i'll wait till they come out w/ more stuff!