2005 Scion tC Reviews, Pricing & Specs
What owners say
"Overall, drivers love the 2005 Scion tC for its fun driving experience, stylish design, and value for money. Many appreciate its quick acceleration and handling, especially with the manual transmission. However, some owners mention issues with build quality, rattles, and a less than stellar handling in corners. Gas mileage is often noted as decent but not the primary focus of the car."
For a four banger the acceleration is exceptional. I love that it'll get me there when I want to go fast but it saves on gas when you need it to with the VVT-i. The only thing that's gone wrong in the year I've had it is the throttle body went out but the was the consequence of driving through three feet of water. I love the looks of the tC. It's very sporty and the interior is very nice. Surprisingly for a two door the back passengers have quite a bit of leg room. From experience there is more leg room in the back of the tC then a four door civic or subaru impreza. This car is very fun to drive and handles like a dream. The steering is very responsive and so is the throttle. Over all i love this car and love that this is the way i was brought into the Toyota family.
August 21, 2009For a car that is less than $20,000, the tC is a pretty impressive little hatch. It has a good blend of performance, comfort, design, build quality, and attention to detail. It interior says “I want to be German”, not the “Hey look how cheap I am” that you get in other cars less than $20,000. The performance is pretty impressive, the car accelerates quickly, but don’t think you can beat every car that pulls up next to you. There is a strong surge of acceleration up to 5500 rpm and just noise from that point to the redline at 6200 rpm. The car grips very well and the steering feel very good (for a Toyota). When cruising down the southern California freeways, the tC has no problem braking form 80 to a stop and it stays flat in the process. If you are like me, get a radar detector, because this thing does not have a problem getting to its top speed. Unlike most other toyotas, MPG is not a selling point of the car, not that it gets bad gas mileage (it gets great gas mileage), it is just not the goal of this car. There is hop, you don't have to give up driving enjoyment to get good gas milage like you do in other toytas (yaris, corolla, prius, camery, prius) The tC does not make any statements with its styling, it is elegant, an looks like something that would come from Germany. The Panoramic roof is great in San Diego, and the sound system is not half bad either. In addition you don’t feel like you are driving a low priced car. Some times you feel comfortable parking next to the Aston Martin parked in front of Morton’s Steak House. The car has fairly good build quality, but there are some areas for improvement. The bad roads in Point Loma bring out the structural faults with the tC. Many bumps will send rattles through out the cabin, mainly near the hatch, and the glove box. The moon roof also lets you know that the chassis is twisting when entering a drive way diagonally. The manual transmission can be inconsistent sometimes, which can result in rough shifting form 1st to 2nd. It dents easy, don’t park in narrow spots. Despite the faults, it is easy to look past them, especially at the price. Hey Its not a BMW, event if it somewhat tries to look like one. It is a fun car at a reasonable price, just keep your eyes in the rear view mirror.
April 14, 2008Performance is awesome for a 4cyl. Clutch squeaks sometime. Gas mileage average for a sports car. Extremely fun to drive on the streets if you want a little more power and less maintenance fees. Exterior is very sleek ad aerodynamic
October 28, 2009What owners say
For a four banger the acceleration is exceptional. I love that it'll get me there when I want to go fast but it saves on gas when you need it to with the VVT-i. The only thing that's gone wrong in the year I've had it is the throttle body went out but the was the consequence of driving through three feet of water. I love the looks of the tC. It's very sporty and the interior is very nice. Surprisingly for a two door the back passengers have quite a bit of leg room. From experience there is more leg room in the back of the tC then a four door civic or subaru impreza. This car is very fun to drive and handles like a dream. The steering is very responsive and so is the throttle. Over all i love this car and love that this is the way i was brought into the Toyota family.
August 21, 2009For a car that is less than $20,000, the tC is a pretty impressive little hatch. It has a good blend of performance, comfort, design, build quality, and attention to detail. It interior says “I want to be German”, not the “Hey look how cheap I am” that you get in other cars less than $20,000. The performance is pretty impressive, the car accelerates quickly, but don’t think you can beat every car that pulls up next to you. There is a strong surge of acceleration up to 5500 rpm and just noise from that point to the redline at 6200 rpm. The car grips very well and the steering feel very good (for a Toyota). When cruising down the southern California freeways, the tC has no problem braking form 80 to a stop and it stays flat in the process. If you are like me, get a radar detector, because this thing does not have a problem getting to its top speed. Unlike most other toyotas, MPG is not a selling point of the car, not that it gets bad gas mileage (it gets great gas mileage), it is just not the goal of this car. There is hop, you don't have to give up driving enjoyment to get good gas milage like you do in other toytas (yaris, corolla, prius, camery, prius) The tC does not make any statements with its styling, it is elegant, an looks like something that would come from Germany. The Panoramic roof is great in San Diego, and the sound system is not half bad either. In addition you don’t feel like you are driving a low priced car. Some times you feel comfortable parking next to the Aston Martin parked in front of Morton’s Steak House. The car has fairly good build quality, but there are some areas for improvement. The bad roads in Point Loma bring out the structural faults with the tC. Many bumps will send rattles through out the cabin, mainly near the hatch, and the glove box. The moon roof also lets you know that the chassis is twisting when entering a drive way diagonally. The manual transmission can be inconsistent sometimes, which can result in rough shifting form 1st to 2nd. It dents easy, don’t park in narrow spots. Despite the faults, it is easy to look past them, especially at the price. Hey Its not a BMW, event if it somewhat tries to look like one. It is a fun car at a reasonable price, just keep your eyes in the rear view mirror.
April 14, 2008Performance is awesome for a 4cyl. Clutch squeaks sometime. Gas mileage average for a sports car. Extremely fun to drive on the streets if you want a little more power and less maintenance fees. Exterior is very sleek ad aerodynamic
October 28, 2009This car handles great. The 5-Speed manual transmission is awesome. The hydrolic clutch is easy and engages pretty high. This car is so easy to turn into a tuner car. It's pretty easy to add a turbo. It's pretty slow from the factory but it's got tons of potential. It's affordable too! I bought mine with 25,000 miles on it for 16k which was great. It's really good on gas too!
August 2, 2008This is by far the best car I've owned yet. Quality, interior room (surprisingly, back seats are very spacious), performance, style and appearance are all top-notch. I had 148k without a single issue (besides rear-brake replacement), and it's unfortunate we're switching it out for a more family-friendly vehicle. Great car!
June 23, 2014This car is just perfect for a first car. Easy maintenance, good gas mileage, fun to drive, and cheap to own. So far I have put 80,000 miles and only had to do regular maintenance like oil changes, tire rotation, brakes, and just the usual stuff.
July 31, 2010Disclaimer: I have some racing experience with autocross and also with faster, better handling cars. I refuse to select 'sport coupe' as this is my only trim option, but overall I enjoy the car. In stock form the braking, handling, and acceleration are about what you would expect but not exceptional. The car is used primarily as a daily driver but it is at least somewhat involving to drive, aided by the fact that mine is a 5 speed. There are a few areas that are prone to rattles, but I've learned to live with them. The hatch can rattle a bit on uneven pavement and/or in cooler temperatures. There is a service bulletin on this but it doesn't really fix the problem. The only issue that has happened to the car to date was an oil leak from the timing cover which was fixed under warranty. If I drive conservatively gas mileage can be between 30-32 mpg with combined highway and city driving. Usually I average around 28-29 mpg with about 30-40% city and the rest highway. As mentioned above, it is a fun car to drive. What would really help this car is weight reduction. Lighter cars are just a lot more enjoyable to drive. The car could also benefit from a 6 speed transmission. I expect this would give the car a few more MPG on the highway.
September 29, 2009Great fun first car for a teenager. Worked well for me all through high school and college. I've done the regular maintenance on it and everything is still running fine in the engine. I like all the room in the trunk and its quite peppy when getting on the gas.
April 11, 2014this car has been a very good car to own,its easy to do maintenance on and has been excellent in all weather conditions.im a little dissapointed that i never got to put a turbo on it to see what she can really do
November 26, 2012Its a great car, Build quality is good being that it comes from toyota. Ive had it for almost 4 years and have had no major problems. The car is a commuter.. not a performer. Handling isnt great, nor is acceleration or braking, but its not mean to be a GTI. Overall if you dont have to put up with snow... its a fun little hatch with a lot of standard features.
November 20, 2009
