well heres my little problem..im getting a new car but i have no idea what to get
i narrowed down my choices to 3 cars which are the scion tc, dodge charger, and the vw gti. i went to all 3 dealerships and the cheapest of course would be the scion. but i just want to know if its true of "i am getting what i paid for." i read all the forums that vw has some reliability issues and the whole sterotypical issue that american cars are crap. my budget if anything is 25000 AFTER taxes and licensing sooo yeah..hahah help would be apprecaited. what do you guys think of the gti and the cahrger?

 

Charger = no good right now with gas prices!
VW Gti - dunno never driven one..they dont look bad
tC - i would get cuz i drive one hahah!! but its a great car especially on the gas

 

Ahhh this is like the 4th person to post this same thread in the last 2 days. As far as bang for your buck most would agree thats the reason they bought a scion. With 25k your choices open up quite a bit. A charger and a Scion arent even really on the same level as far as comparing which to buy. You may want to look into this thread to learn more about the tC and why one would buy it.

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=122083

 

are you looking to have a car that can be moded? if so then why not get the tc, the vw would be good also but the dodge COME on!!
but i would say the tc or the vw are the best of your pics

 

The only charger I would get would be a classic muscle car charger. None of these new mid-life crisis chargers.

I love the the VW. I took it for a test drive and I must say, it is a great car. However, you will be looking at spending a lot more and I have heard of several issues popping up with these cars.

You can get a fully loaded Scion for the price of a base VW GTi. I would say get a stock tC and put the extra money into it that you were going to be spending on the VW. In the end, you will have a much better/faster car than the VW while still spending the same amount, plus, it will be what you wanted to put on it, not the factory. Good luck and hopefully we will be seeing you on the boards soon with pics of your new tC

 

get the tc!!!

 

60% of the complaints I hear about cars come from issues that should have been assessed at the test drive.

I say try them all, make a pro/con list for each, and pick whichever feels the best to you. I'm going to be test driving my car choices this summer as well.

Good luck.

 

dont get the tc, every 1 and their mom has one, the car is getting old, even if u mod it.

look into a used s2000 or subbie wrx man, ull thnk urself down the road. the tc doesn't handle so well, especially on stock tires. Power is mediocore for the weight of the car also. jus my opinion, but id go for sometin else.

 

I concur with ddsboi. Don't get the tC without carefully considering alternatives. The tC has many rattling issues which you should first look into. Don't let the hype or looks get the best of you.

 

If you say the tC is common, then dont reccomend the WRX, they are like flies, everywhere. S2000 maybe, if you dont want any room in the car and simply want a sports car. But buying one used is like rolling dice. Buying a used sports car usually means you are getting something that has been driven hard as hell.


I really dont see that many tCs, but it depends on where you are located. But no matter what you get that will be the case unless you are one of the 2 year and sell people, which I am not, I like to keep a car and have it paid off personally, but some like to trade in every couple of years.

As far as power, it has as good or better power to weight ratio as anything else in its class with exception to the new Si, but that kinda pushes the class thing a little due to the price.


Test drive them all and make up your mind, that is the only way you will really be happy with what you have. The power complaints are all relative.. Toyota comes out with a 4 banger that is putting down better numbers that most cars like it, and people complain cause it doesnt have 200 hp... in two years kids will b!tch because the Si doesnt have 225 cause they think that is what a 4 banger should have.

The tC isnt the fastest, but does very well for what it is and is very fun to drive. it is a little nose heavy, and heavy in general, but not terribly so. It can be made to handle very well for not too much money. So performance wise it does pretty well. Dont expect a sports car.. but keep in mind a civic, integra, whatever, is not a sports car either.

Outside of performance, it has a lot of very cool features for the price that you wont get in simlar priced cars.

As far as Dodge, I have never seen a dodge go very long on a transmission, wheter it be a 1970 or 2005, any model. So as far as that aspect I wouldnt buy anything they build, especially since it has been a WELL known issue with them for almost 40 years and they continue to put weak transmissions and rear ends in thier cars.

VW, dont know, havent driven the new ones.. I do know that I have heard more complaints about thier cars than good things due to reliability issues.. so who knows about the new ones.

If I were considering anything close to the tC it would probably be the Si. Due to its lack of torque (meaning it needs to spin higher rpms to create good power, which makes more need for the 6 speed, hence more shifting to keep in the powerband) it doesnt create amazing numbers in the 1/4 mile for HP rating it has, but still does very well. The LSD makes it a lot better as well. But again, you will be spending more for it than the tC.

Also keep in mind, especially when hearing people talk about what will be coming out next and so on (especially from the really young drivers) that as soon as you buy something, another one will come out that is even better the next year

Just do your homework and test drive well (I drove the tC for 45 minutes by myself when I took it out) before making your decision. Also, determine what your priorities are before looking at anything. Make a list and rank the features you want so you have a basis for measurement.

 

Don't get a tC.. There's too many on roads already.

 

i mean yea for the price the TC is the best buy hands down. but his budget is around 23,000 be 4 tax and lis.

you can get a really good condition s2k or near new wrx. A used 350z maybe too. Just look around. get a used car w/ minimal miles man, ull be happier in the long run.

Also i live in So Cal and there are soooo many tc's on the road. I would not buy an SI, the price is too much.

 

To address the whole rarity problem, 25k could go a long way into customizing your tC.

For instance, I've overlaid my fogs and added TYC tails... that really makes my tC different from all the others on the road. Most don't have fogs, but perhaps the ugly spoiler (which you could also add too)... and hardly any have the TYCs.

 

Don't you think you're getting some biased opinion asking for which car to get at a scion forum? Go test drive the cars and weigh the pros and cons yourself.

 

In my opinion, it's not worth it to invest $25k into a tC. Aftermarket parts don't hold value very well. I would just buy a car with a little more class.

 

yea for 25k u culd boost ur car and customize, but for 19k u can find an 02 s2k with 40k miles and customize tht too haha.

 

I can tell you that for $25k you should not buy the charger. I happen to be a big fan of Daimler-Chrylser products. The Chargers are awesome cars for those of you who havent actually driven them. But if you spend $25k, you are only getting an SXT or SE. If you cant afford the R/T or SRT/8 dont bother. Sure the six cylinders go just fine, and are very comfortable..... but you will spend every day passing Hemi's on the road saying "Man i wish i had just bought that instead".
The GTI is a sweet ride, but requires premium gas (im pretty sure) and is extremely expensive for repairs. VW has had some serious reliability issues lately. For the money though there is very little on the market with comparable performance.
The tC was my choice and i had an 06 Civic, test drove a WRX, RSX, and GTI. While all of the above had slightly higher performance than the tC, they didnt have as comfortable of accomidations. Also, they all required Premium gas and had much higher insurance costs. The tC was truly just the best bang for the buck!!

 

^ i agree on those points fo sho.

but i wanna live life a lil

 

the new gti is a great car and a great performer, just see what you need in a car and choose accordingly. obviously just about everyone on this site will say tc...but use your own judgement

 

if you were going to go dodge i would go chevy cobalt... it has 200 hp fromstock if you get the ss one.. you can get the lsd optional with the optional pulley etc etc... for the price you want to pay, that is in your wheel house...