I'm thinking of buying a 2006 Scion tC 149k mileage (fair condition). Plan on having my mechanic look at it first. For first gen owners (esp 2006), what was your experience with this car? What were the major repair cost/labor (alternator? Battery)?
Planning a cross road trip- any experience with using the tC for 3k drive? Can the tC handle long distance drives? I'm also negotiating the cost with the seller. How much would you say the purchase price is (KBB tends to over value used car).

Anything else I should consider?

Thanks,
Dan

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I have owned my car for 2 & 1/2 years and have had no real severe problems, bought it for roughly 6k (Had to trade a vehicle my parents got suckered into buying). I have enjoyed driving this car and it is very practical as a hatchback.
The only real problems were the coil packs failing and the coil pack connectors being zip-tied because they cracked, understandable since it is 14 years old. I just got some coil packs off Amazon (AA Ignition Brand) for around $50
and some new coil pack connectors off eBay for $10 and bought some new NRG spark plugs.

I have done the basic maintenance and it has never given me problems. I would say the tC can handle long-distance drives well.
Going on the condition of the vehicle and mileage, I would pay $2.5-4k. This would also be assuming the owner kept up on maintenance, the AZ-FE engines had oil burning issues after 06 because of engine changes (07-10), but the (05-06) were better
IMO as they didn't have this issue of excessive oil consumption, but all cars will start to burn some oil as they age.

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Let's see, the blue book is retail and the black book is wholesale. You could reference both and offer the midway point or go 60/40 etc, depending on the car's condition.

The cost of ownership is reasonable. A NAPA battery might cost ~$250 but you can get a top shelf battery at Walmart for ~$100. As for alternators, starters and or water pumps. Aftermarket parts are more affordable than dealership options. I typically avoid dealerships altogether. Some genuine Toyota parts are available online. Amazon and Ebay are good places to starts. Lots of vendors and price ranges.

Depending on the condition of your coolant, oil and ATF (assuming it's an automatic trans) it should do 3000 miles standing on its head and then some. About the only reason a tC croaks faster than an xB is the drivers are typically younger, drive harder and maintain at longer intervals. Good luck with the price.