Oppopinions on the Scion tC?

"HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute" (hondoyota) 02/11/2018 at 14:12 • Filed to: oppopinion time

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A buddy of mine inherited one from his older brother, and it’s an automatic (booooo) but I think it doesn’t look too bad, and gens 2 and 2.5 (facelift) are actually pretty nice. And they’re available with a stick! Used prices are $5-$16k for the last generation and from $1-8k for the first. Is it worth it? What is your opinion on it?

Nibby > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:14

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way2blu does a rev update > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:16

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General consensus among my friends is that it’s basically a Camry Coupe. That’s not necessarily bad though, it’s just a coupe version with similar advantages and disadvantages.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > way2blu does a rev update 02/11/2018 at 14:17

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I thought this would be a Corolla coupe, if anything. The Camry Solara was the Camry coupe.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Nibby 02/11/2018 at 14:22

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So... It’s a sleeper?

/s

facw > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:22

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Hate the look of the newer ones. The older ones are better, but:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a31298/liftgate-scion-tc-hatch-handle-history-and-diy-best-practices/

way2blu does a rev update > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:22

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The Corolla never got the big 2.4-liter engine of the tC. Honestly the tC is probably a little more sporty than the Solara, so it’s a middle ground between the Corolla & Camry.

If you want a true “Corolla Coupe,” though:

Final-gen Celicas can be had with a manual for similar prices to the tC, but are more fun to drive and can be had with the 1.8-liter 2ZZ-GE (basically Toyota’s K20 VTEC equivalent.)

AestheticsInMotion > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:22

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I guess you have to ask yourself, do you really want a coupe version of a modern Camry/Corolla..? The 1st gen at least had unique styling for the time but.... Well. Nibby said it best

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:26

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They’re alright. More of a corolla coupe than a sports coupe but a reasonable vehicle. Back seats are useless and mileage isn’t that great considering it’s a corolla coupe but I’d have one.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > way2blu does a rev update 02/11/2018 at 14:26

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I’ve heard the tC was supposed to be the successor to the Celica, but highly doubt it

dogisbadob > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:27

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The Scion TC is a quality car that will give you many enjoyable miles with no problems. Plus, it has a little sporty flair and a cool dual-pane sunroof

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 02/11/2018 at 14:30

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Back seats are HELLA useless. My buddy had me and our friends in it and although it was only 4 of us, it was PACKED.

Maxima Speed > way2blu does a rev update 02/11/2018 at 14:32

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Ahemm! As the owner of a 2004 Solara V6 I resent your opinions on sportiness of the tC. 

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:37

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Like I fit in the back of my friend’s Cooper S but it can be only me and thats how the scion was. I can get back there but no reasonably sized person can sit in front after.

CB > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:40

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“it’s an automatic (booooo)“

So?

My opinion? Seems like a solid first car. Reliable, not absurdly powerful to get into trouble, I think I’d enjoy one.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > CB 02/11/2018 at 14:43

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Just cause I’d prefer a manual to hone my skills on. I know how to drive stick but haven’t in a while and what better way to perfect it than in this car or similar?

way2blu does a rev update > Maxima Speed 02/11/2018 at 14:43

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Are they fun? I’ve only driven the tC and I was assuming it’s a little lighter than the Solara. Educate me, which V6 does the Solara use? I guess it’s probably a little faster than I gave it credit for.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:45

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I like them a lot, particularly the 2nd gen pre-facelift. The interior is nnnnnnnnnnnyuh cheap but acceptable. But you can’t go wrong with 180hp hatchback and 3 pedals (or two if you desire). It’s #1 advantage being that it will give you no fits during long-term ownership. But I’m also someone who likes Toyotas, doesn’t hate FWD, and thinks 180hp is good.

TylerJ > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:53

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Which generation? My old first gen had super crappy room in the back but it’s definitely more roomy in my wife’s second gen.

TylerJ > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 14:59

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Hey, a question I’m more than suited to answer. I owned a first gen for ~6 years and my wife has a second gen and we’ve been together for 4 years. Do you have any specific questions? I’ll list some general differences below.

1. Interior quality. The 2nd gen (and 2.5 even more so) has a better interior. The 1st gen had sooo many rattles.

2. 1st gen is quicker off the line than the 2nd (not sure about 2.5) if both tCs are auto. 2nd gen’s auto is quite lazy to shift. 2nd (and 2.5) get better gas mileage and don’t run at like 3.4k RPM just going 70 like my 1st gen did.

As someone who has extensive experience with both, definitely get at least the 2nd gen and 2.5 if you can stretch it.

ToyotaFamily > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 15:00

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I’ve driven both generations of the TC in a manual and the clutch & shifter feel were terrible in my opinion.

I may be a bit biased because I’m coming from driving Honda’s manual products.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > TylerJ 02/11/2018 at 15:04

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First gen.

Nick Has an Exocet > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 15:06

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I owned a first gen.

Pro: Pretty practical. Decent gas mileage. Reasonable fun driving it fast.

Con: Poor build quality with lots of squeeks and rattles, it’s slow, mods won’t make it handle much better, cop-target

I got 3 tickets in 2 months with mine. Not really driving that fast or aggressively. Something about it just says “pull me over”.

boredalways > dogisbadob 02/11/2018 at 15:40

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Didn’t the 1st gen have water leak issues with their sunroof

Under_Score > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 15:55

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I heard a c.2008 model driving around recently that was making a loud clunk. Not good!

Maxima Speed > way2blu does a rev update 02/11/2018 at 16:05

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Oh, trust me, its as boring as the as the Camry its based off of. It uses the 3.3 Liter 3MZ-FE V6. Its got 225HP and 240 ft/lbs. of torque. Its decently quick in a straight line and the TCS and VSC is amazing for getting you around corners wicked fast. That being said, as quick as it is, (especially with Direzza DZ102's) its so lifeless and joyless. Also the 5 speed Auto is a soul sucker. Its a great daily driver, and a comfortable road tripper. Also it is most definitely heavier than the tC, weighing in at a portly 3400 lbs for the coupe version that I have. For reference in “testing”, my buddies Ford Fusion with the 2.0 Ecoboost soundly beat it up to 60mph.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Under_Score 02/11/2018 at 16:12

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That’s unusual. My friend’s driven-to-hell tC that was owned by his teen brother doesn’t seem to have much wrong with it. Speedo doesn’t work though.

BahamaTodd > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 17:21

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If I suddenly needed a reliable car it would probably be my first choice with the hatch.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/11/2018 at 20:34

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Gonna tell you the same thing I told the guy on YouTube who told.me a tC was better than a fiesta ST because it had a bigger sunroof - if all you can say is that it has a nice sunroof, it’s not exactly a good car now, is it? It’s a fine runabout, but think of it as a Corolla coupe, not as a celica.

Jayvincent > ToyotaFamily 02/11/2018 at 21:10

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same here - prefer the Honda predictable clutch to the weird Tc no-feel, instant engagement style

TylerJ > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 02/12/2018 at 01:08

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Yep, first gen had no headroom in the back.