I purchased this vehicle on 12/30/2005 after ordering it on 12/1/2005. Besides being upset on the wait time, I am very pleased to finally have my new Scion TC. In summary, this is really a great car. It took me about 2 months of research time before I settled on this vehicle. I drive 20 miles each way to work and I wanted something that would be good on gas yet good on pickup/acceleration. To think that I would be able to get this type of vehicle for under $20K was a pipe dream, or so I thought. I was thrilled to find out that this vehicle is really a Toyota (The word Scion means "Descendent of", obviously Toyota) and looks phenomenal. From a pure-pricing strategy to a roomy back seat inside a "small" two-door coupe, made this purchase a fool-proof winner for me. Please see my ratings below:

Performance: B
The Scion tC comes with a 2.4-liter DOHC VVT-i power plant with 160 hp and 163 ft.-lb of torque. Gas mileage is between 22(City) and 30(Hwy) MPG. Even with that great gas mileage, the car has good power. My car is has a manual transmission and the only drawback is that there really is no first gear. Most of the time I start in second just to save myself some time. If you are expecting good low-end torque, do not purchase this vehicle. Once you are in second and third gears, the car does move out quickly. The engine in the tC is the same as the Camry engine, which makes it quicker than the Camry due to the smaller size of the vehicle. The tC is equipped with power-assisted 4-wheel disk anti-lock braking system (ABS), double wishbone suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and front MacPherson struts all standard. The car absolutely turns and stops on a dime. The performance of the tC alone is worth the price of the vehicle.

Appearance: A
The tC looks great from both an exterior and interior perspective.
Exterior - The tC is a two-door coupe with 17-inch alloy mag wheels featuring a hidden hatchback design. There is a neat design crease just above the door handle giving the coupe its sporty look. Side mirror turn signals also come standard on the tC. Exterior options include: Spoiler (fin and pedestal), Body Kit with ground effects, upgraded wheels, fog lamps, TYC tail lights, appliques, mud guards, Yakima rack, front-end mask and license plate frames.
Interior - The tC's standard interior is the cat's meow of the car. The upholstery is very high quality and just one step below leather. All of the controls for the center console are appealing. The panoramic moon-roof (front power and rear glass) steals the show and seals the deal if you weren't sold already. The back seat is very roomy with backward-reclining back seats!! The rear seats also fold forward when extra room is needed for cargo. The steering wheel has stereo controls for volume, channels and mode (to change between FM, AM, CD, and MP3). Options include: Amber or Blue LED light enhancements in the foot-wells and cup holders, color steering wheel, shift knobs, sport pedals, door-sill enhancements, Scion security system, 2-in-1 carpet and cargo mats, cargo net tote and liner, SRS side and side curtain air bags and auto-dimming mirror.

Sound System: A
Every tC comes standard with a 160 watt maximum Pioneer Stereo and these features:
MP3/WMA disc playback with text display, A mini-jack for your MP3 player (you must use your MP3 player's interface to navigate and play your collection), 6 speakers (including two tweeters), Scion Sound Processing (SSP), Built In Digital Sound Processing (DSP) Sound Equalization, Automatic Sound Levelizer (ASL) that adjusts the volume level to keep the sounds pumping when the cabin noise picks up during higher driving speeds, Satellite radio ready (XM and Sirius Satellite radio requires the installation and purchase of separate tuner), Customizable screen, SRT and Steering Wheel Controls mentioned above. Options include: IPOD capability, 10-inch Subwoofer by Bazooka and XM or Sirius Satellite Radio. This stereo does rival many aftermarket systems available and is protected against peering eyes with a retractable cover.

Price: A+
One of the greatest features of the Scion tC is the "Pure Pricing" methodology that Scion advertises. There is no haggling over the price and you don't feel dejected when you leave thinking that you could have bargained for a better deal. The car costs only $16,740 for the base model and then goes up from there depending on what options you would like to add. Hint-Go to Scion.com and you can "Build your own" car with the options you want and then bring your print out to the dealership to make sure you are getting the right prices. For financing, the dealership will run a credit history on you and place you into an APR based on your credit score. They actually show you the table they use to determine your APR. Hint-If you miss the next best rate by just one point, you can talk them into bumping you up so that you get the better percentage rate. The tC comes standard with a 3-year 30,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. You can purchase an extended warranty (5year/60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper) for an additional $930.

Miscellaneous: A
I bought my tC from Classic Toyota and Scion in Waukegan, IL and they did a phenomenal job. They answered all my questions well and they even gave me a free bucket of car cleaning materials (a $100 value). I do hear that most dealerships operate this way. You will not be pressured into getting options that you really don't want. They just put on the options you ask for. in addition, you can add options on after your purchase, where most dealers limit your options to the factory.

In summary, this is truly a great car for the money. It would even be a good car at $25,000. If you decide to get XM satellite radio (which I did) make sure that you are tuned into the FM mode at the 87.9 frequency or else it won't work. Also, when you subscribe to XM, be sure to tell them that you purchased a Scion and they will give you your first three months free. Now all you have to do is enjoy your new customized ride.