Scion tC

muffin_man · January 2005

You're out of your mind if you think the customer has some sort of entitlement to do that to a new car that they don't own.

Who knows how capable of a driver she is? Every 16 year old who test drives a car wants to go 100mph, and there is a good reason why they shouldn't!

Going 100mph in a new car probably violates the break-in. I highly doubt you would want to buy a new car that had been up to 100 mph 10 times before the odometer hit triple digits.

I'm not a car salesman, even though it is something I've considered trying on the weekends, but any customer that wants to endanger my life and damage my merchandise can take a hike.

719b · January 2005

the purpose of a test drive is to see how the car fits you and how you fit the car.

testing how a car handles, merges into traffic, passes on the highway, and braking is all part of the process. wanting to abuse someone else's property while breaking the law by driving at 100+ mph is rediculous... especially since the driver isn't familiar with the car.

the grave yards are full of people that thought they could handle 100+ mph.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2005

The problem is that 100 mph feels so "easy" in today's modern cars. But that doesn't change road dynamics or hitting a small obstacle at that speed. You have to be very very skilled to control a bad situation at 100 mph. Most people (I'd say 98%) aren't talented enough to pull out of a real bad deal at 100 (even if they THINK they are).

Besides, there are simple formulas available online to tell you how to calculate your future car's probably top speed and plenty of car mags to tell you how it feels at that speed.

stickguy · January 2005

anyway, the litigation exposure is huge. Just think of the lawsuit to the dealership/salesperson that OK'd the 100 mph burst that ended up in the back of a school bus.

Also why, when I get a new car, it was never test driven by anyone else but me.

axiomowner · January 2005

What??!!! Reckless endangerment is like russian rouilette (sp?). Just because you've been lucky in the past doesn't mean you'll continue to be lucky. If you continue, you (or someone else) will not be long in this world.

Mackabee makes a great point, please respect what isn't yours and the salespersons life.

Back to the tC: Has anyone else noticed the disparities in the service schedule?? It's almost as if Scion is forcing you to get all of your service at the dealer.

gee35coupe · January 2005

"Also why, when I get a new car, it was never test driven by anyone else but me."

I agree with that. I would never buy a demo vehicle.

Abuse can be done at speeds far lower than 100 mph. Such as redlining the engine before the it's warm, or slam shifting to 60 etc. I've seen all of the above done by salespeople along with travelling well above the speed limit. I never said it was an "entitlement" to be able to drive that fast. I just said I would find a salesperson who wouldn't have a fit "if" I decided to try out the car at far below it's capabilities.

Again, I sdon't know where any of you live, but my cars, even my 04 Odyssey see the top side of 100mph often. I would hate to find out it was gutless AFTER I had signed a contract for $30k.

azn.sf · January 2005

i would like to get the car above 100mph on a test drive but i understand for many reasons its usually not feasible.

do u always need insurance to drive off the lot or do some dealerships let u w/o it? (after u buy the car i mean)

a shipment of tc's is comin to LA, CA any day now. & a couple more days to process & ship it on a trailer to SF.

leadzero · January 2005

Is the passenger seat supposed to have fore-aft memory fore letting passengers into the rear? I can't seem to figure out how it works. I push the little lever on the side of the seat all the way, the seat slides forward and bends forward. You can then release the level and push the seat back to it's original angle, but the seat doesn't slide back to the original position, you have to use the bar under the seat to move it back.

Is this expected? Am I doing something wrong? Or should I have the dealer look at it?

Mr_Shiftright · January 2005

Unless you pay cash for a car, the bank will compel you to insure it before they give you a loan and repossess it the minute you cancel your insurance or miss a payment.

gee35coupe · January 2005

Many finance companies will let you go over 60 days into default before they reposess. They want the money, not the car. They also check your credit and address history to determine risk.

The same is true for insurance. There is a series of letter that go out before they actually repo. With insurance, many times it's clerical.

I worked at Carmax Auto Finance for 2 years. Reposession is a last resort and not something the finance company wants to do.

mackabee · January 2005

Of course you need insurance before you drive it off the lot unless you pay cash and I mean cash not a loan from your credit union. Get your car insurance arranged before you buy the car and call you insurance company before you leave the dealer to give them the VIN# of the car. Believe me, no one thinks it will happen to them but I have seen people drive off the lot with their new car and get creamed by a speeding driver. Yes right in front of the dealership. On more than one occassion.

; )

Mackabee

gee35coupe · January 2005

They would need insurance. The person on the road has the right of way unless the dealership is at a light. Speed really would have no bearing in a failure to yield situation. According to Ga law that is.

I also worked at a Carmax dealership. We had a few people get creamed pulling out of there. They were nearly always at fault. We chalked it up to excitement over the new car and they made a bonehead move.

pcr · January 2005

If you currently have an insured car, the company may cover a replacement for a short time before you have to provide them the VIN of the new car. Check with them.

cplace · January 2005

Recently, I launched my manual tC a little more aggressively than usual. In addition to the expected tire spin, I heard some loud "clanking" before my car began to move forward. It sounded like it came from one of the axles. Any ideas as to what this might of been? I have never heard the sound again, but I also have not launched nearly as aggressively since. What are the dangers of launching my car too hard? Also, can someone confirm that the tC has a rev-limiter? Thanks.

stickguy · January 2005

the passenger seat does not have a full memory. I think it (on my car) slides back to where it started, but you have to re-adjust the seat back angle. Either that, or it ends up about the place we keep it anyway, so I don't notice the difference.

I believe there is a rev limiter, but have not tried it out for myself.

No idea about the clank. I haven't, however, really ever hammered the car at launch. As to damage, yes, you are more ikely to wear out something or toast the clutch if you routinely do drag race starts, but driving it hard (within reason) shouldn't do any damage

z71bill · January 2005

I am starting a car search and have put the TC on my list -

Does the TC have steering wheel mounted stereo controls? The online pics don't show any.

Also - where are the cruise control controls! I like them on the steering wheel also.

How is the AC system - I live in Houston and 95 degrees + high humidity is a fact of live for much of the summer - I really need a killer AC.

tonylexus · January 2005

I absolutely hate it if the salesman insists on coming along on the test drive and if I cave in, hate it even more when they "direct" you on a route around the block.

If any of the two above conditions exist, I move on to another dealer.

In my exhaustive shopping experiences, I have found that given 3 minutes to scan any model brochure, I will know more about the vehicle than 99% of the salespeople pedaling the merchandise. I have concluded that auto sales persons are now financial people (leasing, payments, etc.)and not car people. I can site an encyclopedia of experiences and examples to substantiate my claim and it holds true from Kia to Mercedes.

I do not condone abusing a test drive and would never do so. I guess that's why Lexus is such a success, when I bought mine it was delivered to my home and I was allowed to have it for the day on my own to go about my daily business to make certain that the vehicle would meet my needs. The Scion dealer I purchased my tC from was nearly as accomodating and earned my business.

Service before and after the purchase can be more important than the vehicle itself. Don't know if Ford, GM, or Chrysler will ever buy into that concept, they sure haven't yet.

mackabee · January 2005

I always asked the customer(s) if they would like me to come along or stay behind. 99% of the time they would ask me to come along. I have always been the exception to the rule and am very well versed in the products I sell and the competitions. Unfortunately there are too many folks out there masquerading as "Sales Consultants" and they know little or nothing about the product(s) they are selling and give those of us that do a bad name. It's a sad fact of life but it happens. My policy is to treat every customer as if they are buying a Land Cruiser whether they are buying one or an Echo.

: )

Mackabee

gee35coupe · January 2005

where they let you keep the car for the night. I'm sure that was expensive, but seemed like thye best way to find out if the new car was a "fit".

stickguy · January 2005

No steering wheel audio controls (and I do miss them, but you don't get everything for 16K).

The CC is on a little stalk that hides just behind the wheel. I almost never use it, but it is well designed and convenient.

I think the AC is just fine, but keep in mind it is a dark interior, and has a glass roof (with shades and tinted glass though), so not the ultimate design for best AC coverage. But, I also hardly used the AC, so I might not be the best source.

mackabee · January 2005

That's the oldest trick in the book. Offer them the car overnight so they see it in their driveway and the next day it's hard for them to bring it back since the neighbors will probably come over and ask "Wow, you bought a new car!" and so on. I only use that when I have a very warm and fuzzy that the client is most definitely going to buy a car and offer the overnight test drive. That can back fire on you if the client(s) are not really completely 100% percent sold on the car and you gave them figures to go shop. I have seen this happen and it happened once to me in my 8 years of selling where someone from the competing dealership brings your vehicle back because "your customer" bought at their store. You'd be surprised how many people think dealerships are like Wal-mart or K-mart where they are all owned by one large corporation so it doesn't matter where they buy the car.

              ; )

              Mackabee

Just to stay on the subject, my kid wishes his tC had steering wheel audio controls but for the money he has no complaints.

One thing I noticed the other day that no one has complained about is when you open the radio lid it hits on the FM2 button on the radio and changes your station. A customer told me this as we were taking her car over to our body shop to fix a minor paint imperfection on the hood. Oddly enough, the lid "problem" didn't bother her at all but the radio station changing did.

               ; )

           Mackabee

tonylexus · January 2005

Either I am extremely tolerant or I have a one-of-a-kind tC. Have not experienced the station-changing problem you described nor any other problem with the radio cover. I do think it to be an unnecessary and rarely used item especially when no steering wheel controls were provided-oh well. I would redcommend that Scion either do away with the cover or add steering wheel controls. Either of these would make more sense and I wouldn't care which was instituted.

As for the overnight "trick", I'll let them attempt to trick me every time! The "around-the-block" test drive reveals absolutely nothing about the vehicle. I'm not contending that one should take it to a race track, but it could prove very helpful to have you and your wife try to park it in different situations, load groceries, and closely inspect and interact with the livability of the vehicle. If that is "tricking" me into buying it - bring it on.

While being "ticked" into buying my RX300 I also spent some time being "tricked" by a Mercedes dealer trying to sell me an M Class. After spending some 'quality' time with the M, I found that I did not like many things about it and would have been very disappointed had I not been able to make the early prepurchase discovery.

As for clients shopping price - that's what it is all about given today's internet-info-saturated consumer. Thus, seller beware, rather than trying to soak us, give us that best price up front, that's the only way to keep us from roaming.

pcr · January 2005

The Scion dealer let me rent/borrow a tc for a day. I came back to buy one over a month later, after careful shopping.

I haven't put the radio cover down since I bought the car. Would steering wheel controls work with an aftermarket radio?

mackabee · January 2005

It's not really a problem. I just noticed she was putting undue pressure on the radio cover and the back was touching the radio's FM2 button. Yeah, right. "give us your best price upfront" Come on now. How many times have I heard that. Just like "I don't like to negotiate" then a 2 hour marathon session ensues. What gets me is that since it's an established policy at Scion and Saturn, people gladly pay what's on the sticker. We should try that with Toyota. I bet you people would pay it too.

; )

Mackabee

stickguy · January 2005

I don't think I have closed the cover more than 6 times in the 7 months i've owned the car, and that was mostly to show it to someone. I just don't see the opint, but would find steering wheel controls very handy.

tonylexus · February 2005

There is something to be said for the no-haggle concept. It is at least a legitimate measure of value vs. a phantom, 'hope-we-can-get-some-sucker-to-pay-it' MSRP. The tC is priced fairly and even widely considered a bargain, thus, indeed I was satisfied to pay it and feel I was getting value for the cost. If the no-haggle price was $21k, I would not have bought it, and also would not have bought it were I able to "negotiate" that price down to $19.5k.

If your RAV4 was no-haggle priced at a fair amount and I considered it a legitimate value, yes, I would pay the price. The key word here is VALUE rather than cost. We both lose in negotiating. You 'should have stood your ground' for the extra $500, and I, since I just found out that my neighbor paid $500 less than I because he bought at the end of the month.

Maybe I've been fooled and don't know it yet, but to me, Scion did it right. Gave me a great car for a fair price - haggle or not.

If you are indeed a vehicle salesman that knows his product, I commend you. You are indeed a rarity. I am amazed at the number of baffoons actually making a living at selling cars and really wouldn't know the difference if were a washing machine sitting behind them in the showroom. I've had to teach a Mercedes salesman how to fold the rear seat in an M Class and laughed myself silly watching him try to find the CD changer - also got a good laugh watching a Ford man try to price out a new F150 6-cylinder, 6's are no longer offered in the new F150.

At the very least, it should be mandatory that sales people read the model brochures, they'd be amazed at how much they could learn with a minimal amount of effort.

markg4 · February 2005

mackabee,

since you work for a dealership do you have any idea when the 2006 model tc's will be available?

thanks!

mackabee · February 2005

No official info yet. I would guess around June of this year or maybe the fall. Who knows? Scion is doing things differently than your "traditional" car manufacturers. For example: the xB is only going to be around for another model year 2006 and then it will be replaced by a different model. In fact the xB which is known in Japan as the Bb was about to disappear from the Japan market before Scion was born and it's life was extended for our market under the Scion brand. If you get a chance go to www.toyota.co.jp which is the Toyota Japan website you will see the inordinate amount of vehicles they sell over there. Some which may come here as Scions or as Toyota.

: )

Mackabee

tundradude · February 2005

I agree that they need to divide the Scion salesman from the Toyota salesman even in their own dealership. The Scion experience involves the use of letting the driver makes up his/her own mind. I do agree like myself that the person looking at a Scion is way more knoweldge about the vehicle than the saleman.

When I test-drove a tC last week, the salesman threw the car around and cut off the engine. Noticed he also drove half of the test drive. I was impressed with the car for the amount I drove it, but the salesman was a pure idiot.

The salesman also did the no-no of playing the sales pressure game. I finally just told this idiot that I knew more than he did. This guy actually told me you had to pay for the free Scion initial oil changes in the add-on dealer package.

markg4 · February 2005

thanks for the info mackabee. i am planning on selling my 2000 si this year and buying an 06 flint mica tc as soon as they are available. i hope they come out in june so i dont have to put any more miles on my si than i have to. since the 06 will be exactly the same as the 05 hopefully i wont have to wait until fall to buy it.

tckitty · February 2005

Hey there.

I was five minutes from impulse buying a new tC and decided to do a little research first. I have a manual 2000 Honda Civic hatch right now, but I have to get an automatic car because of the problems I am having with my knee, IT band, and tendonitis in my hip along with Sciatica -all from 5 years of hard shifting! (I'm only 29 and I sound like an old lady... "my bad hip!")

Anyway, I've been reading along and thanks for the great info so far. I don't get something, though. All the people I know who think they are smart about cars say you should pay like $300 or $200 over invoice. I looked up dealer invoice on the manual tC and it's like $15,152. I think the auto tranny adds about $700? So it's under $16k and msrp is $17,500 or whatever. That seems like an awfully big difference for a no-haggle car. Now, don't get me wrong: I drove it and loved it and you get a lot of things standard that are options on most cars. A similarly appointed Corolla is like $20K and BORING. But what's up- was I misinformed about invoice on this car? Or deluded about how things work?

It seems like the best way to get anything out of the dealer at this point is to insist on a very high trade-in value, and that's never gonna happen...

Thanks for your help in advance.

-kitty

gee35coupe · February 2005

That's the beauty of "no-haggle". If you get "screwed" by the prices being charged, you are getting no more or less screwed than anyone else who bought a Tc from that dealer. If the market is bearing MSRP, those that want invoice are obviously gonna have to look elsewhere.

tckitty · February 2005

I see what you're saying. But my priority is getting a good price for me, not better than the "other guy." But I guess what you are saying is that the "fair" price is whatever the market will bear. Apparently people in my area are paying just about sticker price. (That is according to the Edmunds TMV calculator.)

I suppose I could just go down and talk to the dealer and find out what they are willing to do and walk out if the price doesn't work for me. And wear a really low-cut shirt. And don't bring my boyfriend. Are salesmen that shallow? Is it possible to influence car price with boob size? I should do an experiment...

k9kreationz · February 2005

In my area, base on a manual is $16k. Not including destination charges. They told me, whatever you see online is what you'll get, including the finance portion of it. NOTHING will be negotiated, nor changed.

As far as I know the ONLY part that is negotiable, is the trade-in.

So, I"m curious, are you talking about going to do the dealer for a tC to see what they'll do? Because when I went, they flat out said to me, "we don't deal on Scions". Because then you're just wasting your time.

Also, they wouldn't even talk finances with me until I put down a deposit to order a car. With my trade-in, I have NO IDEA what I'll be getting until the car comes in (because why quote a car, and then something can happen to it, they don't wanna be stuck with that quote).

All I know is my dealership was very adamant about "what you see online is what you get".

So if you are talking about the Scion, good luck. I hope you're goign to go in to see what they can give you for your trade-in, cuz they don't negotiate otherwise.

k9kreationz · February 2005

I just got a call from the dealership telling me someone cancelled their order, so I was next inline. Therefore, instesad of waiting 2-3 weeks, I'm waiting another 72 hours. I ordered it on Tuesday. Woohoo! Is that some kind of record? lol.

I didn't realize, though, that they do all the aftermarket installations here. Interesting. But okay. So.........here I am, antsy as heck. WAiting, waiting, waiting.....

~C

tckitty · February 2005

I guess if "no haggle" really means "no haggle" I'll be wasting my time. BUT it says on the Scion website, under the whole "Pure Pricing" explanation "Dealers are free to set their own prices." WTF does that mean? No haggling, but dealers can set their own prices? It doesn't makes much sense to me.

Also, I'm curious if people think that base MSRP of 16,515 (posted on the website for manual) is a lot when invoice is 15,152 (manual).

Here is the Scion pure pricing spie. It seems to mean "no deals!" but the car still seems like a great deal for everything you get. I just find it an odd business model and am curious what you all think about it:

"Why Haggle?

Scion is unique because both the products and buying process are designed to create a whole new culture that will change the consumer's car buying experience. At Scion we respect your time by creating a simple, straightforward, easy to understand approach called "Pure Price".

Scion's "Pure Price" purchase experience means no haggle, no hassle. The price you pay for all products and services offered equals the dealership's posted and advertised price. Price menus are clearly posted in the dealership showroom for all products and services. Dealers are free to set their own prices."

tckitty · February 2005

well, the salesman swears they sell the Scions for the advertised price and no lower. The addendum that said "dealers are free to set their own prices" means they can charge MORE as long as they post the menu of official prices in the dealership. Weird. They didn't have the color and transmission i want so i gave the guy my number. He was cute.

stickguy · February 2005

They can also charge less. The policy is they have to clearly state and post a price, and sell at only that price to anyone that comes in. They can change it if they feel like.

Seems like they are having no problem selling at the MSRP, so no reason to lower it.

DOn't get hung up on MSRP and invoice. Just look at what you would get for the money, compared to what else you can get. If you think it is a good value, suck it up and buy it, unless you would rather get a left over Cavalier since they have big rebates!

It does seem that some dealers have been making up a bit on the trade ins, something that Saturn did for years (to be able to stick to the one price plan).

tckitty · February 2005

Yeah, the thing is that I don't like any other cars that are in my price range nearly as much. So you're right. They salesman made it clear that these cars are not staying on the lot for long. If they sell so easily I cannot expect him to give me a special lower price, I guess. Anyway they are getting one in a color I like (flint mica) with auto transmission in a week or two and he's going to call me. I might have them do a trade-in appraisal just our of curiosity, although he did say I'd do better selling it on my own. The problem there is when to sell it! If i sell it and they have no Scions I want yet, then I'm carless. That's a disaster where i live. That means trading it in would be a way easier thing for me. But I know I'll pay for that ease... what to do? Ah, what lovely problems to have. Life is good.

mackabee · February 2005

If they have one you like coming in why don't you put a deposit down to hold it? In my dealership that's what we do. You'd be surprised how many phone calls I get asking if I have a tC in stock. When I tell them I don't but I have one or two coming in and suggest they stop by and leave a deposit to hold the car for them they decline and tell me they will check back when the car comes in. I tell them they will be lucky to see the tail lights leaving the parking lot as we are pre-selling every single one we get. As far as the pure pricing no haggle bit, as long as the cars are selling for MSRP why lower the price? We had a case with the xA not selling as well as we thought it would at first but what Scion did was upgrade the single cd standard stereo to the six cd. Now we have the opposite situation, we can't keep the xA in stock either.

: )

Mackabee

tckitty · February 2005

I might do the deposit thing. But I have to sell my car first and then it all depends on when my car sells and when the other one comes in. I talked to my bf about it and he said we could share his car if there is a gap between my honda and my tC. So I think it'll all be good.

I assume a deposit would be refundable...I asked the dealer about it and there was a rude-[non-permissible content removed] woman there who would not level with me. I asked her "if I decide I don't want the car can I get my deposit back?" she said yes but then went off about how it would not be fair to them if they special ordered it and then I didn't want it, blahblahblah. I said "of course I wouldn't ask you to get the color I want from another state unless I was serious about it, but if I don't like it when it gets here, I don't want to buy it."

One issue with ordering a car or reserving one that's coming in soon is that I think I like the flint mica (from seeing a color sample) but it might look very different when I see it on the actual car. Ya know? I think I'll go to the other delearship in town because the one I was describing above was kinda rude. There are only two in Tucson, but I'm going to check Phoenix, too. So do you know about bringing cars in from other states?

Thanks again for all your info, you all. And you are right- why should they haggle if people are buying the car for MSRP? And I do believe it is a good deal. I went on the saturn website and compared the Ion and there were so many things that are standard on the tC which are options on the Ion and the value for the tC is so much better. Plus, it just looks freakin' cool.

-kitty

cullens · February 2005

I also ordered a flint mica tc from McGeorge Toyota in Richmond, VA. They also asked for a $100 (maybe $200?) deposit on my credit card. But, they never ran in it through, they said they wanted the deposit just as a good faith gesture, and they said if I came in and saw the car and didn't want it for any reason, they'd refund my deposit (if they'd actually run it through in the first place.)

I've had other car dealers do this and it seems like it's their way of finding out if the person with whom they are dealing is serious enough to incur the expense of ordering a car or if the prospective customer is just killing time on a Saturday afternoon. Under the terms that McGeorge suggested, I have no problem with that approach.

As it turns out, I bought the car, love it, and the folks at McGeorge couldn't have been cooler about the whole thing.

As far as trade-in is concerned, I took my old truck to CarMax (I'm not sure they are everywhere but they are in a lot of markets around the country) and they will buy any car that comes in whether you buy one of their cars off the lot or not. CarMax gave me a written offer to purchase (have to use it in seven days or 300 miles whichever comes first). I took that offer to McGeorge, where I bought the tc, and they took one look at it and said they couldn't beat it. To prove what good sports they were, the salesman from McGeorge drove my old truck back to CarMax the night I bought the tc so I could finalize the transactions on both the new car and the sale of the old one without making a second trip to either dealership.

I had a great experience with the Scion dealer and the whole transaction. So far, the car's as good as the salesmanship. Good luck hunting for a new tc!

k9kreationz · February 2005

I just wanted to say. Most of the cars are "ordered" from Japan. Not from other states. Of course, living in CA, it could be because we have "ports" whereas in AZ, you don't. So, I have no clue where your car would really come from.

Also, my dealership said to me, it's a $500 deposit and we WILL cash the check or run the credit card. We will return it if you choose not to. I asked them what will happen with the car, and he said, "we'll sell it that day, the cars do not sit on the lot very long".

So, for me, at my dealership, that's how it works.

Good luck on timing the whole sell, get the money, buy the car bit. lol. I didn't want to go thru the hassle, so i'm just taking the loss on my Honda.

BTW, there are cars that sell easily over MSRP, because it's all about supply and demand. I know I want a BMW M3, and it's easily $5k over MSRP. So, for the tC to sell at MSRP, okay, I'll take it. lol.

Good luck.

~Cheryl

stickguy · February 2005

In theory, the cars sit at the U.S. port, and when you place your order, the dealer attaches to oneand has your options installed, then it is delivered to the dealer.

If you haven't even been able to try the car out, the deposit will be refundable.

The dealer isn't going to lose anything if you don't take the unit, they will just sell it to someone else.

I think the small deposit is mostly to get you to feel committed. If nothing else, it makes sure that you have to contact them at least one more time (to get the deposit back if not buy the car).

mackabee · February 2005

Not only that but at least it gives you a chance to at least get to test drive the car, something a lot of folks haven't had the chance to do since most tC's are being sold before they hit the lots. At least in my area.



tCkitty, I would go to another dealership if you didn't feel comfortable and were not treated with courtesy and respect.

                 : )

                 Mackabee

tckitty · February 2005

Yes, that's a good point. You're totally right. I got a much better vibe at the other dealership, so I'm just gonna ignore the one where they were weird to me.

I'm going to call the nicer one and ask about getting an automatic car in the color I want and putting a deposit down and all the stuff we were posting about. I love the internet. There is so much great info- on this site, especially!

tonylexus · February 2005

Just to share buying experiences - I was trying to time my tC purchase to the expiration of a lease (Jeep). I had visited a dealership near my work several times and found a young guy there to be quite helpful and accomodating. When it came time to order, for reason of convenience I ordered from an acquaintance at a dealer closer to my home and wanted only a Black Cherry Auto.

As time ticked away, I spotted an available Black Cherry at the original dealer and had my friend call to see if he could get his hands on it. They would not trade the car, so with my friends best wishes ended up buying from the original guy after all.

This dealer also owned a DCX dealership and conveniently accepted my Jeep return on the spot saving me a lot of hassle. All-in-all my experiences with Scion dealers (and I visited at least six of them on a regular basis trying to see every color option) was very favorable in spite of the fact that I knew more about the car than any of them. I chalked that up to it being a new model and the fact that I have come to expect very little along those lines from any car salesman.

As for after sales service - hey it's a Toyota, I wouldn't know about that, I never have to go back to the dealer.

stickguy · February 2005

Most dealers will hang onto the car for you for a while if you are working on selling your old one, so if there is a little overlap that way, it shouldn't matter.

axiomowner · February 2005

I just noticed on the scion site that all Scion prices went up a tick..

mic813 · February 2005

Hey everyone. Have been reading posts for a few months now and I think I am finally off to order my new TC tomorrow. Just a few quick questions for you all. First is color? I never thought I would like a blue car, but when I went to test drive I saw the Azure Pearl and thought it was gorgeous. Its either that or Flint Mica which is on display in the mall and also looks sharp. I think the blue might grow old. Anyone have these colors or opinions.

Also, if I was to order tomorrow and I know I want side airbags, fog lights, 6 disc and XM, any idea on the time frame for delivery. Also more specifically aboout the XM, does it come installed through the radio? I have a XM receiver in my car now, but I thought it would be more of a hassel to have it removed and then installed in the TC. Any thoughts?

And lastly, is there any sort of special service plan when you buy the car (oil changes, check-ups?)

Thanks!

Michele

Scion tC

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