A co-worker and I were having a debate todat about the INITIAL target demographic for the tC. As in the demographic that toyota planned the tC to appeal to. I say 18-27. He insists that the target demographic is older 23-35. I know older people are buying the tC. Toyota had no idea that it would become so popular among adults that can afford Lexus's. Does anyone know if Scion actually released their INITIAL target demographic? Who is right?

I think it is 18-27

He thinks 23-35

Who is right?

 

i wouldnt say its 18-27 exact but your close.

try 16 - 27

 

I'd say you're both right. They want to change the minds of the younger set, but the older set is the ones with more income. The ads seem to target the younger set, but I know I bought my Scion without any ad influence.

 

i would say about the same maybe 16-25 but what ever i fall in t here so its all good lol

 

Our target demo. set by Japan is 18-28. Me as a dealer, my demo. is 18-81- I could care less as long as I sell em! Scion does have the lowest average buyer at 34 years old last I checked.

 

I work for the New York Times and they had an article about this...Scion wanted the tCr to be sold to 22-30 year olds and the xB to 18-26 year olds...turns out that the tC's average age is low 30's and the xB...in the 40's . Guess old people like it because its good on gas milage and they have a lot of room inside. I still have the article if anyone wants proof

Scions are also rated as the "trendiest" cars on the market, over VW cars, Jeeps, porsche cars and Mini's

 

I am hearing mixed responses. Is there one right answer?

 

yes, its 18-28. that is the only correct answer. I was trained by this company, there is no guessing or outside reading going into my answer, its what Toyota Japan is marketing towards. My boss even went to japan in march and met the whole scion team there, including mr Top dawg toyota pres. himself..... 18-28 is the one right answer (any other dealers care to back me on this?)

 

I believe you Waldorf. I always give my fellow Marylanders the benefit of the doubt. I'm just wondering what Xenon is talking about.

 

Theres a lot of people talkin bout this car, its one of the most talked about in the car industry right now, a lot of people form there own opinions and publish them, be wary of outsiders (americans) commits/opinions, always go to the source (Japan)

 

Yes, they are averages of those who BOUGHT the car and not the DRIVER of the car.

 

he wanted to know who theyre marketed towards

 

I find it fascinating that target market and actual buyers frequently fail to coincide. It's obvious that Toyota is targeting the 18-28 demographic for Scion; Honda targeted much the same demographic for the Element. In both cases, the cars are appealing to people considerably older than the target market (I saw an old man driving a tC a few days ago who was at least 70).

But what also fascinates me is that car companies think the 18-28-year-old demographic can afford cars in this price range. When I got my first job out of college, I bought a completely stripped-down Honda Civic hatchback for $8500 new and drove it for 12 years. I thought that was an extravagant purchase. I didn't know anyone my age who could afford to buy a nicer car. Even now, the only people I know in Scion's target market who can actually afford to buy a tC are at the very upper end of that age range.

Obviously there are exceptions -- some of the folks on this forum prove that. But I'd be curious to know what the average 16-24-year-old tC owner has to do in order to pay for his/her ride. In how many cases do parents help pay for it (even indirectly by not charging rent if the Scion driver lives with them), and if not, what lifestyle sacrifices have to be made in order to keep up with car payments in addition to rent and other necessary expenditures?

--mark

 

i new my ____ and got a good job while i was in high school and moved aroudn a bit till i found a great job. i found out in about a year after i get some certs my work is paying for i should be able to pay off my tc cash and look in to buying a small house witch i think is awsome since i just got out of high school a year ago lol. whos the man whos the man hahaha but yeah some ppl are lucky my friends dad bought him a 05 spec v just for the hell of it. while other ppl work hard my other buddy works 2 jobs to offerd his 04 altima 2.5 well not realy 2 jobs but sort of he is in the natinal guard and a butcher at sams club

oh and just to give you a tast of how mutch money just having this car is costing me its 411 a month for the payment then 175 a month for inc. and 55 a week for gas plus75amonth for the monthly ticket witch by the way i havent gotten this month *knock on wood* but i guess the car accedint substituited for that

so almost every mont the tc cost me about $800 give or take to keep around pluss i try and fix it up when i can so yeah money pit

 

Underneath all of the "pimpin' DJ" marketing crap is a high quality, high value car that appeals to people who are looking for those qualities. My tC will never have neon in it, it will never be slammed, there will never be one piece of carbon fiber on it ever. I just need a reliable commuter to get me through law school. And coming from a G35, I'm not willing to drive an xA, Accent, or Echo. The tC splits the difference between luxury and economical.

 

Scoobybri, that's exactly where I'm coming from. The tC is simply an outstanding value, and I think that's what a lot of people our age see in it.

Aarontrini85: I have the utmost respect for guys like you who work your butt off to get where you want to be. That's awesome. What gets me is kids whose parents buy them everything, and as a result they take all their nice stuff for granted.

--mark