I've had my eyes on the Scion tC for some time now, but I've posted in some other fourms and most car enthusiasts seem to think the tC is a joke -- not worth spending time or money on if you want something fun. They reccomend I get a used Celica instead.

I know this fourm is pretty biased - but it comes down to this - I want to go fast. I don't really care a whole lot about special features that I can add later. Used Celica or new Scion tC w/ upgrades? I love the way they both look.

 

If fast is your MAIN concern... do not get a tC. Don't even get a Celica IMO...

Now if you want something quick and fun to drive... then either one would be great for you.

 

I want something as fast as I can get it for under 20k. I perfer new or only slightly used. the tC seems to be the best bang/buck

 

If you just want speed: SRT4

 

I'd get a tC over a Celica any day.. I eat Celica GT's for lunch, straight-line or on a road course.. Though my tC is a N/A beast..
It all depends on what you want to do with the car.. Autocross and road-course racing is my thing, and I wouldn't trade my tC for anything else in the price range. What are you wanting to do? Drag? Drift? AutoX? Or just a car that's fun to drive? How old are you? (That'll make a difference). I'll be glad to give you an unbiased opinion. No really. Unbiased. You know, just like Fox News. Oh wait... :-p

 

neither is 'fast' but the celica is a lot lighter which makes it more FUN. the tC is more of a cruiser. Find a celica GTS that hasn't been beat on and you can have a good time with that. But both are 4-bangers so if your budget is $20k then that is what you have to stick with.

 

Damn I got most my questions answered while I was typing... For the money, get a used (gently) SRT4.. They handle really well and are fast as crap.. (Turbo'd). The problem is that its a Dodge and, well, it'll be a fix-er-upper before you know it.. You might want to just get a BASE tC ($16K) and put $4K into header/intake/exhaust/short throw shifter and coilovers and a rear sway bar.. that right there will give you TONS of fun... If you do it right, you should be able to get 170-175 hp at the wheels, slightly more torque, and the handling will be superior for a car in that pricerange.

 

get a used corvette, mustang cobra, trans-am WS6, Camaro, etc... for speed.

a celica/ tC is a reliable, "zippy" car, but there's no replacement for displacement. sorry for the cliche' but it's true.

I bought my tC to last me a long time, if you're going to start slapping on performance parts, you may as well go with a used car imo.

 

4k for that? maybe 2.5k for those mods.

don't forget if you find a little bit of cash laying around, there's always the TRD supercharger or one of the many turbo kits out there available.

 

TRD supercharger.. Good point.. Warrantied boost is always good.
I was basing that total on what I spent on mine. My 4-2-1 headers with S-Pipe were $525, Draxas Exhaust $600, TWM short throw shifter with weighted **** $225, Injen intake $215, Megan Racing coilovers $975, Hotchkis rear sway bars (front/rear) $300.. thats bearly under $3K there.. You get what you pay for though.. I'm making 183 at the wheels, all-motor and she corners like on rails.... Looks like I rounded up too much :-D But that's a good standard to base your should-i-mod decision on..

 

scion kills celica in terms of speed and acceleration, thats what the dealer told me, but imo the celica looks alot better

 

Ask the last 2 celicas I raced at firebird if the tc is a heavy slow econobox Since I beat both of them by around 4 legths. ha!

 

Your making 183 at the wheels..?

 

am I missing somthing or did the short throw you buy add 30whp?? Were on earth are you getting your hp numbers? going off estimated crank hp..?

 

i would have to say the celica is more fun to drive. if you ask me, i'd rather have a new si. that thing is really fun to drive.

the response on the tC is somewhat disappointing imo. not as responsive and quik steering as si. it's been years since i test drove the celica gts, so i forgot how that feels like.

 

New civic si or used subaru wrx

 

new civic si's are kinda slow....for the money. get an srt4 for just cheap speed. or a wrx and mod it a bit.

 

The tC is a fun to drive, extremely low-priced 3-door hatchback. For the price of any of those other cars, what kind of tC could you build?

If you don't love the car, don't get the car. I'm still very happy with my tC, and slowly upgrading it as I go. But I loved this car the first time I saw one on a lot, and worked hard at getting one.

Go out, test-drive some cars. If you don't like it, don't buy it. If you have a tC and don't like it, go sell it and get something you like.

A lot of new car owner's blues be solved by figuring out what you want, and getting it, instead of going with everyone else's opinion.

 

^ What he said. Plus I've driven the Celica GTS and rode in a Civic Si and you have to rev those engines up high in order to feel their potential. The tC on the other hand has good low end accelleration, but the high end is lacking. I think you'll be happy with either car unless you listen to everything everyone else says.

 

For speed < 20k? And that's all you care about? Get a used Mustang or Camero. You can't buy a <$20k new speed demon, period.

For 18k you can get a decently in shape pony car. For about 2k in adds, you can have a 13sec car.

But if you want real speed and you want it real cheap? And you want it new? Just buy a donorcycle. For 12k, you can have a crotch rocket that a $500k car would have trouble keeping up with.