Best Used Scion Coupe - tC
The strategies surrounding an automobile lineup is an intricate thing. Without a doubt, vehicles are targeted to appeal to a specific demographic, with the aim of snaring buyers so that they end up buying the same brand of car again and again. Ideally, drivers are introduced to the automaker's products as young as possible in order to maximize the number of years that they are able to spend moving up the vehicle lineup. This means that car companies must build appealing, attractive automobiles that are not only fun to drive but also inexpensive enough to be purchased by first time buyers.
Toyota had enjoyed unprecedented sales success throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, building an empire that dominated almost every segment of the automotive market. Their passenger cars, vans and crossovers were renowned for their quality and reliability, and their Lexus luxury division had acquired an exceptional amount of prestige amongst the upper crust of automobile connoisseurs. However, the lower segment of their product lineup was not nearly exciting enough to attract the youthful buyers that the company coveted. While the Corolla and the Matrix were excellent vehicles, they didn't have the same resonance with twenty-something drivers that came part and parcel with the Honda Civic or the Mazda3.
Toyota's answer was to this image problem was to create an entirely new corporate division. Named Scion, its stated goal was to focus exclusively on creating hip and accessible vehicles that would be fun to drive and be priced to compete at the entry level. The meant that cookie cutter sedans were out of the picture - Scion's primary weapon would be unique and interesting designs, starting with a hot coupe that bore no resemblance to the other, more economy-oriented automobiles in the Toyota lineup. Known as the tC, the vehicle's sporty good looks would be backed up by a factory-supported line of upgrades that included parts to improve both the coupe's performance and its exterior appearance.
The idea of a sport compact that came with access to factory speed equipment that wouldn't void the vehicle's warranty was a popular one, and the tC managed to shake Toyota's dowdy image and come into its own as a legitimate competitor at the lower levels of the market. This article goes into detail regarding the best used coupe available from Scion, and makes a case for it as being an excellent purchase for performance-oriented car shoppers.
2005 - 2007 Scion tC
The 2005 - 2007 Scion tC takes a more muscular approach to the compact coupe template, creating a vehicle that looks more at home beside larger automobiles such as the Infiniti G35 coupe than its chief competition from General Motors and Honda. In addition to its striking appearance, the tC also provide a full glass roof from front to back, a luxury that is rarely found at the lower end of the pricing spectrum.
Mechanically, the Scion tC keeps things simple. A 2.4-liter, 160 horsepower 4-cylinder engine provides the grunt for each tC, matched with either a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual transmission. Fuel economy is 22 miles per gallon in the city and 29 miles per gallon on the highway, good numbers for such a peppy vehicle. To make up for the single trim that the tC is sold in, Toyota makes available a wide range of goodies that can be installed in the vehicle in order to improve both acceleration and handling. A supercharger from Toyota Racing Development boosts power to 200 ponies, and a number of suspension upgrades such as lowering springs and more aggressive shocks are also available
The 2005 - 2007 Scion tC comes with air conditioning, cloth seats and power windows, door locks and mirrors. While the interior might be put together simply, care has been taken to make sure that the coupe feels as sporty on the inside as its exterior would suggest. The front two positions are quite comfortable, and Alcantara surfaces are available through the special RS packages which were sold in limited numbers.
The entry-level segment is sometimes ignored by bigger car companies more focus on squeezing extra sales dollars out of high margin SUV's and luxury cars, and the 2005 - 2007 Scion tC is a breath of fresh air for used coupe buyers who want their car's design to be more than just an afterthought.