Hey guys and gals,

I'm in the market for a new/used car and was thinking about a tC. I'm open to what model,year,auto or stick but just want to make sure it's worth getting and won't have expensive known issues, I don't want to buy something that is more headaches like my past car I just sold. I seen many salvage title cars for sale but don't know if they are worth buying,what do you guys think?I know all used cars will need normal maintenance but aside from that what advise would you guys suggest when looking into the tC's? what year would you guys say is the most reliable and problem free? I will be traveling back and forth from LA to Las Vegas to San Diego at least 4 times a month so I want to make sure I have a very reliable car that isn't going to end up needed major work after only a few trips. It will be driven a lot. Also as far as maintenance how expensive are they to own? I have driven a 07 automatic but the leg room space is very small I'm only 5 10 and for some reason cant really get in a comfy position are the Manuel tC's any bigger as far as leg space? Also what is the theft rate on these? I know a lot of people mod them but are they stolen or broken into often like Honda's and other modded cars? All help and advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

all i can say is...i'm 6'3", and i've driven my manual tc for over 73k miles, many times for hours straight on the high way and while the leg room isn't great, it is livable dude. i drove 14 hours straight on my way home from my vacation and i did just fine.

i drove 2 hours each way when i was working through college each week between campus and school.

a good well maintained tc can do it all easily. just change the oil and air filter.

but ultimately, the xb would more economical because the tires last longer, the gas mileage is better and the leg room is bountiful, but they don't come with cruise control, you have to buy and install it yourself or at a dealership.

 

I'm 5'10" and I have more than enough space to drive comfortable. It just sucks if you're that height and have to sit in the back, that's the problem (but that's what happens pretty much with any 2 door car). The latest year for the model is usually the most reliable, so I would say the '07-'09 depending on which tail light and headlight combo you like. Reliability is minimal throughout the years though, as they're very very reliable cars. I drive from norcal to socal yearly without any problems even with a lowered tC. Maintenance is simple, just important to change the oil and filter regularly (but that's with any vehicle).

More importantly, it's a good idea to just test drive cars that are of interest to you. If the chemistry between you and the car blends well, that's pretty much all you need to know.

Note: Civics, 4cyl Accords, Corollas, 4cyl Camrys, tC, and the xB are great commute cars as they are cheap and reliable with low maintenance.

 

I thought about the xb but I hear to many issues with the windows cracking, and on the tc and xb's the clutch going out within the few thousand miles some even under 10-20k

 

buy mine $9k but she has 97k miles on her but thats because i use to commute alot

anyways scions are very reliable cars ive never had ANY trouble with mine. what ever u choose it will go and go and go as long as you treat it right and keep up with the maintenance

 

Correct me if im wrong but the only things that have changed with the tc is the grilles and headlights and tailights. there reliable, never had a problem. If you want to have fun get a standard. I'm in the navy and in guam, usa so im not sure about the cars in the states right now but when i got mine I noticed that used tc's were not that much cheaper then a bone stock brand new one. but that was almost 2yrs ago so idk anymore. new tc in guam: 20G's there easy to work on too. i personally have not had a clutch issue and i have 43,000 on my 05. ultimatley its what you are looking for. the tc is as roomy or roomier then other 2 door cars and plenty of head space from my experience. if you sat in an rx-8 you would feel like you cant move your legs. thats how i felt. easy to work on, just maintain it just like any other car, pay attetion for ppl toolin out and be safe. should last forever, its toyota.

 

tC is so comfortable for a daily driver/vacation. I have a 350z now and when I take trips I wish I had my tC on it. No more road trips in the Z anymore haha..

Also get stick. I got automatic and still hatemyself for it everytime i take the tC out.

 

Thanks guys, I also hear some things have changed on the 07-08 models? is this correct? What would be the best/most reliable/problem free year for the tC so far? 08?

 

the changes are minimal, mostly cosmetic.

05 was the first year, 06 got steering wheel audio controls and different radio interface, and ipod connectivity, 07 got revised engine, different MAF, heat shield, silver brake calipers, 08 has new headlights, taillights, grills and slightly different orange colored LED buttons, 09 has slightly darker seat fabric.

so mechanically, almost nothing has changed that would really effect reliability, performance, fuel mileage etc.

 

I am 6'2", and I drove 566 mi – about 9 hours 7 mins from home to vegas in my tC and I was fine. I got out and walked around a little when I got gas, but other than that, I was fine.

In my opinion 07 is the best year for engine/ecu as well as design.
05 is not worth it to me because of the lack of steering wheel controls, and 06 just adds a few things.

 

but the 05's are the originals! also, not having steering wheel controls is great since they become useless when you have an aftermarket stereo in the car. lol.

 

Honestly look around bro, if the TC is your car (I know went threw a DSM stage that was total fail) do your research. Honestly if your not buying preowned (under 10K) and your not worried about warranty go threw the FS car ads on here and try and find some moded ones around your way.

If I knew about SL before I bought my tc I would of bought one that was 100% reliable turbo tc. And just spent my extra cash on wheels and suspension. But that is just what I would do, it would be cheaper over all and save you money in the long run.

 

Nothing wrong with the transmissions in the cars........if a clutch burns out in 10-20000 miles it is because the driver hammered on it ,it does not take much to burn any stock clutch up...........

lots of people have trannys with stock clutch in them still for well over 50000 miles and no problems.

You will find a lot of people hammer on their tC like it is a sports car........stock clutch is not meant to be dropped and fry the tires........it can but it will fade fast like any clutch if you do it a lot.

How much are you wanting to spend..........how much you got down........what is your credit like..........used cars financing is gonna be a lot higher interest rate right off the bat than for new car and most times the higher interest makes the cost as much as a new car or more...........

If you buy used try for one with under 25000 on it........there are lots out there with that few a miles........

 

I've had a broad spectrum of cars in my day and the TC is by far the easiest and cheapest to maintain. You don't even have to change the plugs until 100k. Just oil and oil/air filter changes and put gas in it! The oil changes take about 10 mins after you've done it once in your driveway. It only takes 4 quarts and gives you 26+ mpg city even if you play around a little with the stick shift model. As far as years go, the 08+ headlights are cool but the 07 grilles look better but other than that, they are all aesthetically the same. In 07 they made a few tweaks to address squeaking and rattling issues with the hatch and a side impact air bag false deployment issue so I would go with 07+.

 

Thanks for the information guys, I retract my fitting and comfy statement since I drove my friends 2007 automatic tC last night, I never noticed the latch to make you go lower that helped out the fitting part very well I just got used to driving my Roadster with full bucket Sparco seats so getting into something that wasn't a 2 seater and well almost fully built beside the motor it felt weird driving it, but after the adjustments to the seat it felts pretty good aside from the size difference I'm sure a Broadway mirror will fix those little blind spots and ill get used to driving and estimating how much room i have to switch lanes or park. I want to drive a 5 speed and see how I like that is the clutch engagement and feel anything like driving the scion xB?

"In my opinion 07 is the best year for engine/ecu as well as design."
So do 07+ have the same exact motor and ecu?

 

All years have the same engine. They just tweaked a few very minor things in the 07+. Otherwise 07+ are all the same mechanically.

 

Is it true that the 08+ motors got oil squirter's? I read it on a post somewhere.

I'm considering a salvage title tC what do you guys think good move or bad move? the main reason is due to wanting to go private party. I wanna avoid all the extra charges and higher price tag.

Do all "TRD" packaged tC's come with the supercharger or is that another extra add on? I ask because I found a 2008 tC with side TRD stickers on the back windows and it also has the red TRD front strut bar and a add on lip kit does that sound like a TRD package? The motor looks stock.

Also how is the clutch engagement and feel on the tC, anything like driving the scion xB?

Thanks for all the help guys

 

there is no such thing as a "trd packaged" tc, with the exception the rs 5.0 tc which has trd exhaust, rear sway bar and lowering springs.

all other tc's come from the factory stock, and you buy all the accesssories and have them installed by dealership, shop or yourself. trd stickers mean nothing. this salvaged title TRD stickered tc sounds like it belonged to some punk-@$$ kid who thought the stickers would give him the power and driving skillz of his favorite character in fast and furious who wrecked it.

as for a salvaged title car, it is hard to get them registered and insured, and are obviously expensive to repair and get road worthy again.

if you are savvy with cars and junkyard searching, or have connections for new parts and time to fix it up, or are going to make it a project car, go for it. but if you need a reliable daily driver, and are short on funds, move on.

 

X2

 

Thanks sorry I didn't explain myself to well by salvage I meant it has already been fixed and is for sale with no visible damage to the naked eye. Below is a picture of the car I am referring to be a already fixed salvage title car with the TRD stickers.