Faults:

Paint job has not held up, had paint chips right away. Headlight lenses are pitted and scratched from sand on the road. Front bumper is completely shot, needs a new paint job already. High pitched whistle when driving through windy areas. Really bad blind spots. Cheap stock cd player.

General Comments:

This car is fun to drive, peppy, lots of options for the price, and a reliable engine. If it weren't for the paint job problem, I would give this car a 10.

Faults:

As with most people with a 1st generation tC (at least) there is a rattle in the roof in the back. But, I have a high tolerance for noise, so I turn my stereo up and can't hear it.

The thing I can't ignore is the console squeaking. The door over the stereo makes a high-pitched squeak pretty much all the time, BUT not ALL the time. After the car warms up it usually gets worse.

And don't expect any special treatment when you try to cash in your free oil changes. You have to plan to leave the car for several hours since they don't take appointments for it and you have to bring it after normal hours. Or at least the place I took it to did.

General Comments:

The first thing anyone says about this car is what a great deal it is. It is surprisingly inexpensive for everything you get standard.

It has a big engine which gets surprisingly bad mileage (about 22mpg?). It is fast as an auto, and I bet a lot faster with a stick. It gets you going, even after 20,000 miles.

It's small, great for parking in the city and has a pretty good turning radius.

The suspension is stiff and good, but it is very nose-heavy. Makes going around some corners a little hairy. The paint is pretty thin, and the bumper has rock chips all over it.

Overall, I am very happy with this car. I have not been in the shop for repairs, and that is a wonderful change of pace from my previous car. I would suggest, and HAVE suggested this car to other people. A friend of mine bought one of her own (obsessed with it).

Faults:

Rear hatch rattle (that's it!).

General Comments:

I purchased a 2005 Scion tC automatic in March 2005. I have been very happy with my car, and would highly recommend it.

I love the styling of the car, inside and out. The ‘panoramic’ sunroof looks great, can be enjoyed from both the front and rear seats, and brightens up the interior.

The seats are very comfortable and supportive. I like the seat cushion adjustment (tilt), but would also like to have a lumbar adjustment. The seats are comfortable front and rear.

I don’t really care for the silver-faced gauges that light up orange at night - I think Toyota had it down when they used white-on-black instruments that lit up a light green at night (like the mid-90’s Corollas and Camrys). I would prefer two large, centered, equally-sized gauges for the speedometer and tachometer, with the temperature and fuel gauges on either side. Oil pressure and voltage gauges would be nice too.

I don’t care for the up/down buttons for the volume on the radio - and it appears that others feel this way, as they have redesigned the radio with a volume knob for 2006. I think the stereo sounds pretty good, and I enjoy the MP3 feature.

The HVAC controls look great and work very well. I’d like to see separate clock and outside temperature displays. The glove compartment is very roomy.

As for utility, the hatchback design is excellent. Although the ‘trunk’ is shallow, it’s big enough (there are useful compartments under the trunk floor), and the amount of space available with the rear seats folded is huge. I can easily fit my bicycle inside, and still have lots of room left over.

I enjoy the tC more each time I drive it. I tried the 5-speed and enjoyed it very much, but I drive in a lot of traffic, so I went with the 4-speed automatic. I would have liked the 5-speed automatic used in the Camry, but I understand Scion wanted to keep costs down. It shifts very smoothly and responds well to the accelerator.

The handling is great, I’ve driven the car on twisty mountain roads, and was very satisfied. The brakes work very well, I’ve triggered the ABS a few times on slippery surfaces; it’s amazing how it keeps the car under control in these situations.

Likes - Styling, Performance, Reliability, Comfort, Features,

Dislikes - Hatch area rattle (identified with the help of information found on scionlife.com, have yet to implement the fix, however). A wiper for the hatch window would be nice.

Overall, I really like this car and would highly recommend it.