Scion tC

mackabee · February 2005

mic813, the hold up here will be finding a car with the side airbags. Scion under estimated the demand for side airbags and is only building a small percentage of the total monthly production with side airbags. To answer your other question, some dealers are more on the ball than others. You can build you Scion online and e-mail it to the dealer of choice or print it out and bring it with you. The ideal situation and this is where the dealers on the ball come in, is that they will input your desired accessories onto the dealer network computer and "add" them to the vehicle you want. This ensures that the car arrives at the dealership with everything you wanted. If they aren't on the ball then they wait until the car gets to the dealership and install the stuff there. Nothing wrong with this except you have to wait for your car longer.

: )

Mackabee

mackabee · February 2005

Sorry, I didn't answer all your questions. You get 3 complimentary oil changes from Scion. Some dealerships may offer lifetime state inspections, and other perks but that's the dealership itself and not Scion. The XM radio is hooked to the main head unit and there is a small box that attaches to the rear of the vehicle. The Azure blue makes the car look expensive and elegant IMHO. The Flynt mica makes it look bold and expressive. Both are nice colors. You can't go wrong with either one. As far as delivery time goes, it's just a matter of finding a dealer that has that color with the side airbags allocated to them. In that case delivery time should be no more than 6-8 weeks.

: )

Mackabee

tckitty · February 2005

Re: color, I considered the azure blue also. I think I would need to see the actual car in that color to be certain but I have a feeling it could get old, also. I am personally going for the silver streak, I think. I thought about flint mica, but I live in a place that gets to 105 degrees regularly, and they already have a black interior, so a dark exterior would only attract more evil sunlight.

Anyway, just wanted to say that I think a color like that can get old, and I understand what you meant. On the other hand, if you are reading this and getting annoyed at what I am writing, then deep down you really like that color and should just get it.

My dealer here said he could get the car the way I want it in 2 weeks. I think after i get back from being out of town on Tuesday I'm going to order it. yay!

stickguy · February 2005

I have Flint Mica, and it looks nice on this car, especially with the dark glass roof.

But, I park near a Blue one at work, and seeing it in the daylight, I really like it, and might change if I had it to do over. Makes the car look different, in a nice way, but it is possible that the blue might look passe at some point.

Look at them both, and get whichever looks best to you.

mic813 · February 2005

Thanks for of the info and advice. But unfortunately I'm now more confused then ever about what color to get .. haha. Oh well, guess I'll make the gut decision this afternoon when I go to order. I can't wait.

atticdog · February 2005

maybe this will help

here is my indigo ink pearl

http://home.comcast.net/~jsmartin1300/iiptc.jpg

axiomowner · February 2005

check out the 06 Civic. It looks far too much like my tC to be a coincidence..

http://www.cars.com/news/stories/021005_storyd_cc.jhtml?page=news- story&aff=national

gee35coupe · February 2005

These are small cars. There are only so many ways you can mix it up. There's a lot of TSX up front and the rear looks like an old Ford ZX3 in this photo.

We only see the tip of the iceberg in the U.S., if you saw all the coupes and hatches availlable in Europe, you'd see how hard it is to be "different".

leadzero · February 2005

A month after I purchased the car I took it on a 570 mile jog down to St. Louis this week. The thing ran great, I still love how smooth the manual slides through the gears once it gets warmed up.

A few things that popped up along the way:

1) When you take the gas cap off most other cars seem to have a metal plate that will be pushed aside by the nozzle on the pump. Upon closer inspection I did not see one on the tC. Could someone else confirm this is or is not present on the tC? On mine it just looks like a black hole into the tank, no (brass I think) plate in the way. Reason I ask is #2.

2) Has anyone else had trouble getting certain gas nozzles to work in the tank? Twice today on my trip I had cases where the nozzle refused to pump gas into the tank because it thought the tank was full (did the little auto click off). The first one was at an older station with old pumps; I thought it might have been the nozzle so I shrugged it off and just waited to fill up. Then once in St. Louis I stopped at a QT that I know just went in a few years back (newer equiptment) but I had the same problem. This time I was able to back the nozzle out a little and then it worked fine. I'm just wondering if this and #1 might be related.

3) Has anyone else noticed a click in the center of the dashboard? It happened for a period of about 2 hours this morning and then went away. I'm not sure if it was a side effect of the dash expanding as it warmed up; it was just a little annoying as it would click over bumps. I'm not worried about it, was the first time I had heard it, and it went away.

4) One thing I've noticed is the car tends to grind when trying to put it in reverse unless the vehicle is completely stopped. I've had other vehicles do this if there was any forward motion but never reverse also. Clutch is completely depressed when it happens. I couldn't be further from an engine wiz but is it because of a lack of a synchronizer on the reverse gear?

This could look like complaining. However, it is nothing more than nit picking. I love the car to death. I guess being the first vehicle I've owned I could be biased, but the whole experience from the sale to the drive has been nothing but satisfaction. The college grad program is a Godsend also. I was able to get a better rate than my parents (whom have very excellent credit) did on a corolla they bought last year.

stickguy · February 2005

I'll try.

No problem with pumping gas (But, since I am in NJ, I have never done it myself). Always goes in and fills up normally from what I can tell.

I have a few different clikc/squeaks/whatevers. One thing I did have the I found was the headliner rallted slightly over bumps, which kinda soundsed like a click from the center stack until I figured out what it was.

Reverse can be tricky on any car, and I think Toyotas are particularly notable for it. One trick, is to put it in neutral, let out the clutch, then depress the clutch again and move it into reverse. Somehow it frees up the gears. I think I got the steps right...

And, what kind of mileage did you get on the trip?

leadzero · February 2005

As for the final I'll have to get back to you. I forgot to grab the last receipt and enter it in and calculate. Halfway through I filled up and was only at about 25.4 if I remember. I've only filled a few times and so far it's been 24 (was a guestimate), 21, then 25. I'm hoping now that I'm >1000mi it will bring the highway up closer to the advertised 29.

I'll be heading back to the cold north in a few days though so I'll get a good trip now that the learning is over to see where it stands.

The drive is all highway, speed limits range from 55 to 70, average speed of traffic (and my speed) are probably around 70.

mackabee · February 2005

There is a click associated with the fuel pump. There is a note about this inside the car on one of the how should I put this. A small cardboard clip-on that hangs on the a/c vents. I first saw it when my son's tC came in. Most customers will probably not see this as their vehicle more than likely has been cleaned of any plastic and cardboard that's in the car. There should be a mention of this in the owner's manual. This is completely normal.

: )

Mackabee

sciontc1 · February 2005

Anyone know if the controls for the side mirrors are supposed to light up when you turn your lights on??

scime · February 2005

This reply may be a bit late for you, but maybe others can benefit from it.

My friend who works for Toyota hooked me up with a big dealership in the LA area. He couldn't get me anything off the price - unlike the great "VIP" pricing he has been able to get some of our friends. They told me it would be 2 - 3 weeks.

In the meantime I went looking at other dealerships, and was ready to buy a Flint mica tC at another dealership. This wasn't the car I wanted but it was available now. It had chrome wheels on it, which they had priced at $2K. The salesperson agreed to come down to $1500 (still way overpriced I learned later from this site). I had ny checkbook out and at the last minute the sales guy said his boss wouldn't let him sell the wheels for less than $2K. I ended up walking out, and I am hapy that I did. I git my TC from the original dealership, snd the pricing matched up exactly to waht the website said.

Bottom line - there are dealerships that wil try yo force you to buy leather seats, chrome wheels, higher end stereos etc. If you get one of those walk out, and find a dealership that is willing to live with the non-negotiable pricing that Toyota has established.

Mine is Azure Pearl and I love it - get the exhaust add on, it makes the car.

markg4 · February 2005

i took the plunge today. i went in to test drive a tc and bought a 5sp flint mica which will be delivered in 2 weeks. it was the smoothest car buying experience i could hope for too. the only issue was the trade in on my 2000 si with 64k miles. they wanted to low ball me at $8,300 but after i showed them the edmunds online trade in value of $9,500 they gave me the $9,500 for my car (not bad seeing that i paid $16.5k for the si 5 years ago). it comes with the upgraded floor mats and a chrome exhaust and had a sticker of $16,600 with the dest. charge. i will pay the $7,300 (i left a $500 credit card deposit) balance in cash when i pick up the car in a few weeks. the whole transaction only took 1 hour and was a complete pleasure. i plan to order a a few things like the wheel locks, mud flaps & speedstar shifter online from scionpartspeople.com. can't wait to start tooling around in my new car!

tckitty · February 2005

I ordered my car yesterday! I made a bizarre switch at the last minute to Azure Pearl. After seeing it in person, it has more color to it than the Silver Streak, and I liked it. It is not overly blue. Anyway, it will be about two weeks and they offered me crap for my Honda, so I'm trying to sell it on my own. I'm very excited. Thanks for your advice and stuff. I'll post a picture when it gets here.

buster71 · February 2005

Just wanted to say hey to everyone. Ordered my tC (silver) today and it's set to hit port on 3/3, so my dealer said I should expect it by the 15th. I'm stoked! Buying experience was awesome, and the dealer even wrote up the order for the "old" tC retail ($50 less than currently listed retail). Nice. Been lurking on this board for weeks and hearing all the good things written about the tC here definitely influenced my decision. Thanks!

axiomowner · February 2005

I changed from Silver Streak to Azure Pearl at the last minute too. I saw all of the colors in person and loved them all. (Online pics and the small paint chips at the dealer don't do any justice.)

The Azure Pearl hides the 'road dirt' very well and looks cleaner longer than other colors I've owned. It wasn't a decision factor for me. Rather, more of an observation since I've had it for 6 months now.

tckitty · February 2005

That's funny! It seems like Azure Pearl is really another silver option- a blueish silver instead of a white/grey silver.

And YES, those paint samples at the dealer don't let you know what a real car will look like in that color. The impact of a color on a vehicle is much different than on a 4"x12" flap of laminated rubbery material.

Yay yay yay car! Actually the azure one I saw was someone's that had just come in and it had a SOLD sign on it. Soon I will see one that looks like that- for ME!

markg4 · February 2005

i ordered the B pillar & rear bumper app's along with the mudguards, obx shifter & wheel locks. any one else have the app's on their tc? i am wondering how they look. i should have my car this week btw.

tonylexus · February 2005

Appreciate any help in/re Cold Air Induction.

What is involved with installing on your own?

Would self-installation effect the warrenty in any way?

Does anyone out there have it? Is there any noticable performance effect or change in gas mileage?

Find the sound of the performance exhaust a little bit much, but am considering the cold-air and not sure if it, on its own, is worth the effort and cash.

Thanks in advance.

tckitty · February 2005

Did I spell "dilemma" right?

Anyway, I have a little problem. My car came in today!!! I still have not sold my Honda! It
is a 2000 Civic hatchback, and they dealer offered me $4300 as a trade-in. I think I could get about $2000 more if I sell it myself. If I get my new car tomorrow, and don't trade it in, what if I can't sell my Honda and I didn't take the trade in? But that's such a small amount.

3 Options:

Trade it in and get my new car
Get my new car and keep trying to sell my Honda
Delay taking delivery of the new car for a week or two if they will hold it and keep trying to sell my Honda.

What would you do?
Thanks.

stickguy · February 2005

If you think you might end up needing to trade it in, definitely have them hold the tC while you try to sell your car. That way you keep all your options open. They shouldn't have a problem holding it for a reasonable amount of time (dealers do this all the time).

Frankly, a 2000 Civic should be one of the easiest cars to sell that you could have, so I can't see it being a problem, unless it is really bombed out or has 200K on it.

tckitty · February 2005

yeah, the Civic is in really great shape and has under 66K. So I think I'll see how long my deposit can hold the Scion, keep trying to sell it, and then go from there.

I don't want to be stuck with two cars if possible, but when I bought my Honda this happened and I was able to still sell my 1988 Saab 9000. It took a month. And I got three times what the dealer offered. Trading my car in should be last resort, I think.

But my tC is waiting for me and it's so cute I just wanna go get it. That is the real dilemma.

stickguy · February 2005

don't get greedy on price, give the Civic a nice detail, and you can probably sell it in 1-2 days without even trying too hard.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2005

Use Emdunds True Market Value pricing on the Home Page (www.edmunds.com) and shoot for the "private party price" they show there.

tckitty · February 2005

They won't hold the car for me. They're like "we're not supposed to store vehicles, blah blah blah." I said "look, I'm extremely busy, you told me it would be two weeks and it came in in five days and I don't see why my $500 deposit should not buy me a few days at least."

He said they could sell it and order me a new one in or something, but that was after I told him I'm come in on Tuesday. Why is this guy being such a d*ck? I know he wants to make his commission. He's kind of one of those people who talks like he thinks he's smart but he's really an idiot. I am just going to pick it up on Tuesday and try to sell my honda myself. He said "you'd really save more on taxes if you just traded it in" and I said "Not two thousand dollars worth." I'll just have both cars for a few weeks, no big deal. I don't know why this is so annoying, mostly it's just that I felt like he is not being very accomodating. I know I'm not purchasing a $60K Lexus or something, but come on, buddy- work with me, here.

It's so clear they WANT my Honda so I'm sure I can sell it easily, once the new AutoTrader comes out with my ad in it. Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better now.

iluvmysephia1 · February 2005

go get your beautiful new tC and sell your old car yourself. You'll sell that pup within a coupla weeks. I'd have to go get my tC if they told me it came in. Waiting would not be an option!

iluvmysephia1 · February 2005

crash test results. I didn't know that the handsome new compact had even been crash-tested yet at all. Is this legit?

http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/3176.html

If so, the front and side crash protection for the driver and passengers looks to be very good. Good news, eh?

dick_strokum · February 2005

I just got delivery of my Flint Mica TC auto on Saturday. Finished the paperwork on Friday, car was there after closing Friday night, drove it home Saturday night. Just a shy over 300 miles. Test drove a black auto with the side curtain bags and mats, but I thought it was just too dark. My first choice was the indigo blue, but delivery would take a week and they came with a buttload of add-ons I didn't want or need. So I settled on my second choice, the fint mica. I hear the bluish silver is nice, but it didn't impress me in the showroom with the paint samples.

I only got the spoiler for now. Thankfully the dealership didn't tint the windows or Lo-Jack it or anything like that.
What is everyone's opinion on the wheel locks? Think they'd be an eventual necessity? Anyone actually get the footwell lights added on?

What's the trick to opening the stereo faceplate with ease? I was pushing pretty hard last night trying to get it open and only managed to change the radio stations.

My dad suggested that I get the salesman to hook me up with free detailing every couple of months. He thinks it would only be fair since they kinda took advantage of me in F&I, being that this is my first new car purchase.

After tax, the price of the car was about a little over 19. Then after fees and F&I add-ons (Gap, extended warranty, and the bank's life insurance premium) I ended up financing about 23,500. I'm happy the warranty extension and gap, but he didn't explain to me that I'd pay over 2 grand in life insurance premiums. My brother said he ought to break my arm so I can't work or make payments for a few months... get that life insurance to pay for itself.

gee35coupe · March 2005

Just refinance the car with a credit union or something.

salaj · March 2005

I just picked up black cherry (stick) for my son's 16th birthday last Saturday, on Monday he got his driver's license and I wonder if anyone has tips on break-in the engine in addition to what already is recommended by Toyota.

dick_strokum · March 2005

wouldn't I have to wait a litle while and make about 6 months or more of payments before I can refinance?

mackabee · March 2005

How did they take advantage of you?
: )
Mackabee

gee35coupe · March 2005

By "packing" his deal. I know when I think back to my first car purchase I got "stuck" since I didn't have any experience. I didn't know I could refi. I looked at the papers recently and saw a 20% interest rate. I had better credit than that back then. That would never fly now.

Normally you can cancel and refi at any time. Check your credit union/bank rates.

iluvmysephia1 · March 2005

wow, you bought your son of 16 y/o a brand new BCP Scion tC with a 5-speed tranny no less? Whoo-hoo...that is the exact tC I would get...if I were to buy a tC. Hope he says thank you! Pretty cool rig to have at 16.

salaj · March 2005

I found these tips and I thought I will share it with rest of you:

1. Don't take it above 4000 RPM (shift around 3000-3500) the first 500 miles. After that, hit Redline a FEW times, not too much thugh, but at max, don't take it above 4500 RPM until 1500 Miles. Also, don't drive the same speed for very long when below 500 miles. You want to vary RPMS and MPH.

2. Then get your First Oil Change.

3. After your first oil change, you can drive it harder (in terms of RPMS) And hit redlines a bit more, you can shift at the 4,000 mark more often, and 5,000 even, but try not to push it too hard.

3. Drive it like that for about 3000 miles. A little hard, a little ez, not too hard, its not worth it to take your car to the track and bounce the rev limiter etc. etc. Take it ez.

4. With your next oil change around 4500-5000 Miles. Free Game. Do what you please, just don't kill your car.

min32 · March 2005

I am planning on getting the ground effects because I think they really do make the already sharp image a bit more sporty. On ign.com they commented that the car really does need the upgraded 18" or 19" inch wheels. Can you guys comment on this? Should I get the 18" OEM or should I look for some aftermarket rims/tires that would be better and/or cheaper?

Couple other questions. I really don't want to stray away from the warranty but if I can find optional parts from a 3rd party company for (sometimes) half less, such as the shift knob, pedals, exhaust system, do you think these are hard to install? Can pretty much any veteran mechanic do it or is there a specific technique only found in Toyota? (doubt it but making sure.)

Is the strut bar worth 225?

When will the 2006 models be rolling out? It is pretty late for the 05s which were out since last summer. Have you guys heard any news of the 06' models?

excalibur1327 · March 2005

Hey Mackabee, do you think the tC will be noticeably redesigned for 2006 or minor changes? I'm looking to purchase a tC but I dont want to buy an 05' if the 06' is going to be way better. BTW, I'm looking to sell my 05' Corolla Type S for the tC, as far as bang for your buck, does that seem to be a good enough excuse to get the tC? Do you still work for a dealer?

mynameiswicks · March 2005

Hey guys, I am pricing some tCs and I wasn't sure if the Scion dealerships work like Saturn in the sense that you can't negotiate price. Is this true? or is it like any other car dealership?

Mr_Shiftright · March 2005

19" wheels would be a BIG mistake. 18" are of dubious advantage other than looks, and you bump up your replacement tire costs a lot mostly for looks and a harder ride to boot.
Easier to damage 18" and 19" rims, too.

min32 · March 2005

It is March now and the '05 Scion tC shipped last summer (early?!). So do you guys believe the new '06 models will ship around that time?

oldtcguy · March 2005

For those of you who are interested, Scion will soon be out with a special edition tC, including the 18-inch wheel and tire package and some other goodies. They will build just 2,500 of them, numbered of course, and the color will be Absolutely Red. I will have the first one in my area, thanks to an very inside source.

oldtcguy · March 2005

min32 · March 2005

Price tag on the new tC?

gtw · March 2005

My daughter has the single disc CD player in her tC. She has 2 disks stuck in there. Anyone know an easy fix to get these out?

iluvmysephia1 · March 2005

your news is greeted with open arms by this mid-Missourian. Can you guys imagine how cool a Scion tC would look like in the same Absolutely Red that Scion painted their xA RS 1.0? That is awesome...I'm gonna have a hard time resisting this new Scion tC! It's gonna be named the Scion Special Edition tC? Not tC RS 1.0? Doesn't matter what they name it...it's gonna absolutely rock. Very cool news. It's between one of those and a new Kia Sportage in Volcanic Red for my two fave cars right now to keenly watch.

mackabee · March 2005

tC will remain unchanged with the exception of some new colors. In addition to the Absolutely red which will be available from March-April, there is also a Blue Mica which will be available from May-June. I'll double check the dates. The only changes to the tC will be upgraded stereos (2) and the 2006 roll out in June of this year. I'll get more details to you guys as I get them. This I got from a memo from our district manager this week. Haven't posted much this week due to fatigue. Have a good weekend.
: )
Mackabee

mikey00 · March 2005

Are you by any chance the old Tonychrys from the RX300 forum? The writing style looks familiar. If so why did you disappear?
Mike

min32 · March 2005

Mackabee, how do you pre order one?

Scion tC

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