Ok I have searched the forum and got some answers I just wanna make sure that I got all my info straight. I'm still 16 at the moment and working like crazy to save up money to get my tC next year. ATM The plan is to get a stick Nautical Blue tC with blue LED lights and Alarm system. Just have a few questions.

1)Do Insurence Companies see it as a Sports car? I live in NY and Insurence isn't gona be the cheapest for me. Would the Insurence company see it as a sports car? Or is it a "depends" kinda thing

2) What could I do to improve my mpg. I would like to get an AEM CAI and an HKS Hi-Power muffler and my understanding is that I would see imrpoved performance if my driving habits remain the same but is there anything else I can do that would be relativly easy to do? Also would the dealer be able to install these for me or no? I don't wanna lose my guarentee over 2 mpg u know.

 

1) I live in NYC, and when i was 18, i was being charged $350/month for having a brand new tC in my name. My insurance sees the car as a 2 door, import. But i have heard that other companies consider it a hatchback. Bottom line is this - you are a male teenager in NYC, so they are going to shake you down for lots of money.

2) An intake and an exhaust isnt going to help your MPG, in fact, it can only hurt. Increased air flow means increased fuel consumption. However, you will barely see any difference in fuel consumption if your driving habits don't change. Of course you could have the dealer install these items, and by law, they cant deny your warranty unless a problem comes because of the intake or exhaust. However, most dealerships charge ridiculous prices for the install, and most of the time, they won't guarantee a part that isnt bought from them. Your best bet is to go a local shop with a good reputation and see how much they charge for this sort of thing. Honestly, if you are just installing an intake and exhaust, you could probably do it yourself in less than 3 or 4 hours tops.

Good Luck.

 

i'm sure with the influx oftC accidents, some insurance companies will start charging more than they have these last few months.

also... i believe the term you're looking for is warranty.
and before anyone flames you for not searching.... you can read this:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=55338

 

i live in nj and my car is considering a 2 door hatchback which works for me. i got a great insurance plan through progressive

 

Well, when I bought my tC, my insurance went down a couple hundred dollars a year from my previous rate from my old car. BUT, the reason it went down is because I have every airbag in my tC. I would put airbags on your list of priorities for your car. Yeah, they do cost what, $650? But in time, how much you save on insurance will cover that if not more, and plus - more safety for you (which is ALWAYS a good thing).

 

Thanks for the reply. Lol Guarentee what was I thinking Thanks for the link. Another question I have. Does Scion do window tint? I don't see it on their site but when I went to visit my local scion Dealership they had a brand new tC with window tint on it. Is this after I buy the car or can I do it before? Because I'd rather have factory window tint then the tape on.
Hmmm. My parents said that when I do get the car I can be put on their insurence as long as I can pay for everything on my own. They've got a pretty good record, No accidents and only 2 tickets in the past 10 years. So I think I would be spending around 200-250 a month for my scion as far as insurence goes. Does this sound right or would I be more likley to be spending more? Their with Geico btw.

 

I would check with your insurance company on the side airbags. Some actually have higher rates because its more to fix and some are lower because it is safer for people in the car. I shopped around when I got my car and got both answers.

 

Dont estimate, take a couple mis and get a quote from your insurance company about the price. Then you will know exactly.

 

As far as window tint goes I'm not sure what "tape on" means but all window tint is going to be a film that is heated and stretched over the windows. I don't know about your dealer but my dealer did mine for me. I'm sure it is a service that most dealers will provide. I gave the guy $100 bucks cash and he hooked me up with limo all the way around. There was no guarentee but only because it was illegal.
My insurance lists the car as a 2 door hatch back which really helped on the rate.
As far as CAI and exaust goes man save your self some money and do it yourself. It took all of about 45 mins to do the Injen CAI on my car and that was with me taking time to figure how to take the bumper off and all that stuff. Now I could probably do one in about 20 min hahaha. Good luck man. The tC is one of the most fun cars I have ever owned.

 

If you're that concerned about fuel efficiency, then buy a Fit or an xA. There's not much if anything that you can do to increase fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance.

 

Fuel efficency isn't somthing that I'm too worried about. But it'd be nicer to have a more fuel efficient car. By tape on I mean aftermarket tint that i can get from a store and do myself. Although they're cheaper most of what i've seen looks like crap.

 

the stick on tint you can buy yourself....i dont know, but its something i personally wouldn't do...better to have someone else do it, that way if they screw up they pay for it

my intake and exhuast have not decreased my mpg....and i drive it the same way as before...if you open it up everytime with the intake and exhaust, the gas mileage drops like crazy, but be decent to it, you'll get good mpg..i get 26 or so around here, thats a mix of city/highway

the install for both takes like no time at all, its simple

i pay 207ish a month in insurance....they onsider it a 2dr sportcompact, so its not a low rate for me by anymeans(w/o discounts its like 270 a month)

 

my exhaust took 10mins to install myself! Very easy!

I also pay $107/month for insurance with progressive. Under my parents name! i got the tint from the dealer, 35% all around. Im gonna be going darker soon with 25% and im getting it for free since my uncle does tint! dont buy the tint from the store, get it professionally done!

what are your plans for the tC when you get it?

 

Well I don't have many plans since I won't have money to spend as I please when I do get the car but heres what I'm def getting

Stock-
LED Interior Lights- Blue
Scion Security System
Possibly Airbags if it lowers my insurence
Window tint probably 35% if my dealership does it

Aftermarket-
AEM CAI (possibly not definate though)
HKS Hi-Power Muffler (possibly but more likley)
35% window tint if dealership doesn't do it
Escort Passport 8500 X50 cuz I know I'm gona have a heavy foot when I get the car.

Other then That it's gona be bone stock Until I get a much better job. Then I'll get the Super Charger and all that fun stuff

 

well, i'd skip the scion security and the interior LED's. aftermarket pieces are a hell of a lot cheaper and better IMO. alarms can be had for just a couple of hundred bucks and as for interior lighting, you can put together a kit over @ oznium.com for under 40 bucks and it's brighter than the OEM piece.

If your so worried about the insurance aspect of owning a tC, maybe you shouldn't drive crazy? That normally leads to some tickets which will kill insurance rates at our age.

 

I don't drive crazy, and compared to some of my other friends i'd consider myself a good driver. Only problem that i have is following the speed limit on an Empty road in the middle of the night. When ever I drive at night on an empty highway I tend to get up to 90 mph. Other then that I'm not a crazy driver like some of the people that do 90 during rush-hour goin in and outa traffic.

 

well, if it means anything to you, when your running 90 mph, your at around 4k rpm's in 5th. your gas mileage goes to sh*t REAL quick turning that.

this isn't to bash, this is just information going from 1 poor teenager to another

 

Yea I know. I'm sure i'll start driving more consciencously once I start payin the price. Anyway, thanks for the input guys, Completly altered the way I'm gona spend my money on this car in a good way. How hard are the LED lights to hook up?

 

I just got the Randode.com blue light kit for $100 and it wasnt that bad. Most of my time was figuring how the wires would get to where they were supposed to, but once I actually realized what the directions were saying, it wasnt that bad. It was a pain to ziptie the things under the seats. I had to lie upside down for a while... But well worth it.

 

try taking the seat out next time. It takes like 2 minutes to unbolt the front seats (2 bolts up front, 3 bolts in the rear, all bolts are 14mm). with the seats out you can lay down on your back and put your legs up on the back seats. It's a hell of a lot more comfortable working in that position than it is hanging out the door at an awkward angle.