I have a 2007 Scion tC in Flint Mica. I purchased the car new in December 2006 and have put a bit over 4,000 miles on the car. Everything on the car is stock.
Dealer Experience
Like most readers of this site, I did all of my research online prior to visiting the dealer. Assuming the test ride went well I intended to purchase the bike that day. I went to my local Toyota/Scion dealer and told the first sales person I encountered that I was interested in a Scion. He pointed me towards the Scion rep., who I spoke to briefly and was handed the keys to the demo tC. The rep. said to take it for 30 minutes and just call him if I would be longer. It was the best test ride I had ever taken. Since I was alone I could really concentrate on the car and the ride rather than making small talk with a sales guy.
When I got back I told the sales guy that I wanted to purchase the car if he could make the financial side work. Scion has what they call “pure pricing,” so you pay MSRP no matter what. There was still room to haggle on my trade-in. We went back and forth on numbers and eventually settled on an amount I was happy with. From there we did the traditional paperwork with the business manager and financing people. I did find the experience took too long, in my opinion, but that’s been the same experience I have had with every car I’ve purchased.
Exterior
One of the things that really drew me to this car was the exterior. I think that the car has taken a lot of styling cues from Lexus and some of the other high-end manufactures.
The car comes stock with 17” low profile tires and nice looking rims. I don’t think any other cars in this class come with 17” tires. There are also other nice touches like turn signals built into the side mirrors.
The tC has a very unique sunroof set up. Unlike most sunroof’s that are a small square cut out of the roof the tC’s sunroof is the entire width of the car. From the outside it looks like your entire roof is open. On the inside the sunroof isn’t quite the whole roof, but much larger than any other car I have sat in. This car also has a non-opening sunroof over the backseat.
One complaint I have had with the tC is that the paint seems to chip easily. I am not completely sure if this is a problem with the paint that Scion uses or possibly the conditions I am keeping my car. I seem to have picked up chips in my paint all along the door edges. I do not think that I have hit the door into anything, but I can’t say what has happened to my car when I’m not around.
Interior
I would say that Scion has cut some costs with the interior of the car. The seats are cloth and the dash is clearly plastic. I do not believe there are any leather upgrades available. That said, the materials are all what I would expect from a $17k car. It is easy to forget from the outside that this is still an economy car.
All of the gauges are nicely illuminated and somewhat easy to see. I do have a problem seeing the bottom of the instrument cluster (where the blinkers flash) over the center of the steering wheel. The steering wheel is unfortunately not adjustable.
I find the front of the cabin to be very comfortable. I am 5ֹ” and with average sized female legs. The seats do not go as far back as other small coupes I have sat in and I think this could be a tight squeeze for a very tall person. On the flip side the back seat is roomier than other cars of its size. Because the front seats do not go as far back there is always leg room in the back for medium sized adults.
I recently went on a long trip with some friends. I was very comfortable in the front seat and the car handled well. My only complaint was when I took a turn sitting in the back seat. I found the back seats to be much less comfortable than the front. I was bounced around a lot and felt like the seats were less padded.
Scion markets its cars to the young adult audience. One of the features for this group is what they call “social space” in the car. The back seats recline to a 45 degree angle and the front seats (with headrests removed) recline to be flush against the back seats. Essentially you can create a bed with the seats and then gaze at the stars through your giant sunroof.
Mechanics/Performance
I’m not very mechanically inclined so I will leave the nitty gritty details for a more knowledgeable reviewer to write about. All I will say is that this car is fast for a 4-cylinder economy car. The gas pedal is very touchy and the car has a lot of low end pull.
Looking at numbers the 161 hp engine has similar stats to some of the more expensive sport coupes such as the base Acura RSX.
Additional Perks
The Scion’s seem to be fairly maintenance free. The maintenance schedule recommends oil changes and tire rotations every 5,000 miles. And the best part, Scion pays for the first three oil changes!
The tC comes with a standard 3 year/36,000 mile warrantee. Scion is, of course, part of Toyota and all of their service and warrantee work is fulfilled by Toyota. Toyota vehicles are generally highly regarded for their reliability so with a Scion you are getting that same quality and service.
Conclusion
Overall this is a great car. It is on the inexpensive side and that shows in some of the interior parts. However, for $17,000 I think you are getting a lot of features that most people look for in high end cars.
Amount Paid (US$): 17440
Condition: New
Model Year: 2007
Model and Options: Automatic
