XerotC

I really appreciate the reply i really want to read more of this kind of stuff because alot of what your saying seems to be fair criticisms about the car (heh call me a masochist)

I notice alot of other people talking about chip paint on scionlife, and 3 weeks seems really quick to have chip paint, but other people make it sound like its normal.

MightyP

iTrader: (1)

I got the clear shield when I bought my car. At first I didn't really care for it (still not a big fan), but I will tell you, I don't have any chips in my paint. And I've already had to have my windshield replaced because I had a ton of chips and one very large crack.

talt2008

I bought my first Scion on 3/17/11 and for the money its a excellent buy. a few rattles that kinda bother me, but for the amount of plastic in the car Im surprised it doesn't rattle more. Maybe Im just picky because I once had an Avalon XLS, but the tC gets great milage for the power it has. It might not be a race car but the fast cars never seem to last as long. I just hope I wont have any problems with the clutch like I heard about with the 1G. Great job Toyota for continuing to design quality and safe cars. Oh and 25,000 miles of free maintenance is pretty cool too

Occam

I've had this car just short of a month, but thought I'd share here now, rather than waiting a bit longer - this is that sweet spot where initial impressions haven't faded, but I've had some time (~1000 miles) with her. I decided that since my divorce was finalized, I probably should get a car without my ex-wife on the loan, and said, "Hmm, I should check out the tC's... always kinda liked 'em, seemed like a poor-man's Accord EX coupe.

Exterior styling:

Definitely a love-it or don't. I'd always had sort of a thing for the first tC's though they seemed a bit plain, like a little two-door Camry (which, since it's basically an Avensis coupe, is understandable). They weren't offensive, but not particularly notable in any way from a styling point of view. The new ones somehow manage to look evolutionary, and yet the overall look is far more Pony-Car. Some hate it, I love it. The only thing that looks off to me is the short rear overhang and long space between the door and rear wheel. Still, that space means that it has a functional rear seat, so I won't complain about it.

Interior styling:

Some have complained; I think it looks better. Yes, the HVAC controls aren't as stunning (they remind me of the ones in my Element), but the overall interior design is good. A few plastic bits feel cheap, and the hard plastic center armrest is an annoyance. Hopefully I'll find something to cover it with at some point.

Comfort:

I had an Element for 3 years, which I thought was reasonably comfortable save for the lack of a dead pedal. I'd had a thing for the Fit since it came out, so I traded for a '10 Fit in late '09. I liked that car, a LOT, but with long legs, I just didn't ever fit it right. Awful thigh support, uncomfortably narrow yet squishy bolsters (I'm 6'1, 185#), and pitifully insufficient legroom.

Comfort is always relative... this car feels like it's perfectly designed for someone that is inseam-endowed like me. In most cars, I slide the seat back and wish for a bit more. In here, I slide the seat back, and it just fits perfectly. With the seat all the way to the rear, seatback reclined a bit, steering wheel at its lowest and fully telescoped position, this car feels damn near perfect. There's a bit of molding around the gas pedal area where the center console's plastic curves up over the pedal, and I sometimes rub my toes on it (size 12 shoes), but otherwise, it's all good.

Driving:

It's sporty enough for me. The other "high-scoring" cars on my list were the Accord Coupe, Civic Coupe, and Altima Coupe. The acceleration isn't breathtaking, but it'll move well enough. Engine noise is pleasant, though road noise is Honda-loud. The steering is very light at parking lot speeds, but tightens up significantly on the highway. There's not a lot of steering feel, but the firm suspension and sticky rubber keep the car where it needs to be. It reminds me a bit of a rental Grand Prix I drove in 2003 - low, spacious for the driver, lots of faux-sport design elements, and mostly a comfortable, leg-room generous touring car. You know, without the questionable GM engineering. I've always thought American cars did the interior measurements better - more legroom, larger seats, etc., that are more appropriate for the frame of a 6+ foot male. Usually Japanese cars only do this well if they are USDM specific designs (such as the USDM Accord/Camry).

Cargo: It's somewhat limited - the cargo floor seems really, really high, but it has enough space for most things. After owning an Element and a Fit, it takes a lot to impress me with cargo space.

I bold-faced my main minor complaints - the Stereo isn't bad, and isn't hard to use as many of the reviews have claimed (at least the base stereo isn't). If you made it through the and 90's aftermarket stereos and VCR programming menus, this thing is a breeze. But then, I've always been a bit on the techie side.

tyap

What kind of rattles do you have?

Enzie

Sometimes my center consol by the head unit rattles, and my door rattles like hell when i have the bass turned up, so i have to turn the bass down, waste of the upgraded Alpine system :l

tyap

Maybe this might help ==> https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=197480

cement

i second this!!! and when people ask me, "you only have one backup light?" "yup..." "well that sucks.." "naw... i think is unique..."

keeev

Overall fun car, but the single reverse light makes it hard to see what's behind me at night, especially when I'm parallel parking. I noticed the rev hangs, but this is my first manual car so I wouldn't know if that effects driving the car. The interior scuffs up easily plus the plastic material can be easily scratched up if it came in contact with keys or objects with metal points. The 2nd moon roof seems useless. The flaps that are covering the moon roofs become a nuisance when driving with the windows down because they start flapping. And finally, there's rattling in the doors when the bass kicks in. Besides these, the tc2 is an enjoyable car that is pretty impressive for its worth.

Xander2011

Absolutely LOVE my tC2. I love everything that it comes with and haven't had any major problems since I bought it a little over a year ago. What I dislike is that this car comes with MAJOR rattles! From exhaust to interior plastic rattles to rattles that I have no idea WHERE they're coming from. :/ I'm just glad I still have warranty and that I hasn't left me stranded...although I shouldn't have just said that...

Occam

So... 35,000 miles on mine today (in approx. 20 months).

Overall, it's been a good little car.

Likes:
- very comfortable for long trips - supportive seats
- mostly good controls
- ok mileage: 26.8 lifetime average.

Dislikes:
- gawdawful loud inside. It's a bit better with some new Firestone tires, but not by much. The roadnoise is worse than my fiance's little Versa.
- Some parts are pretty chintzy feeling. Hard plastic dash and armrest, rattly sunroof.

That's mostly it. It's hard to find much to complain about. I covered the tacky "Hi, I make $15/hour delivering pizza" (or whatever... I really don't know how much Pizza boys make) seat fabric with Clazzio covers, and replaced the shifter boot and covered the armrest with kits from some dudes out in Poland (needed a softer elbow rest).

But that's all beside the point. For a dirt cheap car, it's pretty nice. You get what you pay for when you buy bargain-basement; in this case, you sacrifice a bit in refinement and get more car overall (the same reason people buy Impalas).

EDIT: Oh, another drawback. Most folks assume you're a 20 year old dumbass at first glance. Not a big deal... it really makes no difference in my life. Mostly the occasional boy-racer that wants to drag from a stoplight. Yeah dude, I'm 31, divorced with two kids, engaged to get remarried, with a career, future, yada yada. I really want to get my insurance jacked up, or let a lawsuit eat into my savings account or stock portfolio because Jimmy the "sandwich artist" wants to race a cheap hatchback with a Camry engine!