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New guy looking at TC(buying experiences plz)

2504 Views 44 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  fedcop, 
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Hey all.. I currently own a 2004 Tiburon w/ I/E and it last ran 15.3 with just the intake,(auto), and im thinking it shoudl be closer to low 15 very high 14.9(esp with pulley incoming). But anyways, when I was looking around at WRX's(that i cant afford =P), I realized just how bad the depreciation on the tib is. Im currently on a 72 month loan at like 9%(My credit is *alot* better since then) and my car is almost a year old now. Anyways.. I was thinking about how my car would be at the end of that 72 month loan, and honestly I dont think itll be in such great shape at this point. The tiburon is a great car for the money, but I dont think the long term reliability is all there.

Also, I CERTAINLY wouldnt mind a manual, and a tC is a car I could keep for a long long time (camry 4cyl right? my friends is pushing close to 300,000 miles at this point with honestly not much going wrong with it)

I called my insurance agent and it would be 400$ less a year to insure the tC, sooo that works out to a good bit over the long run. I know the stock times are similar as well as power... but were talking toyota vs tC.


Few questions:
The no-haggle pricing.... does that mean im going to be stuck paying alot over invoice? I paid pretty much exactly invoice on my tib.. I really dont wanna pay 18,000$ for a car that has a 15,000$ invoice.. What are your experiences?

I want to get a 5 speed not really interested in options except perhaps the TRD exhaust, but I can buy that later and bolt it on in my driveway anyways right? Considering how paranoid I am about current/future mods and my warranty, id probably stick to stock or factory parts for a while (interested in the s/c.. was pondering getting one for my tiburon.. id pay extra for the warranty for SURE..
You guys have to realize that that 40hp probably doesnt include new headers, exhaust, etc.. and roots blowers sound very sexy


How much can I really expect to pay for a bare bones 5MT tC? the only real option im looking at is the exhaust and if i can buy that at a later date, I will. Im down about 2000$ as far as trade in vs what I owe, and Im probably just going to come upw ith that in cash if I cant sell my vehicle private party.

Please post any experiences with the tC youve had, and especially any buying experiences(I wanna hear the better deals you guys have gotten). The dealer around me has quite a few on the lot.. Has a black one with a manual Im interested in, might get it a little cheaper if i pick it up off the lot and not order it?

Basically.. Im thinking of the tC because the money I lose now is going to be a LOT less than the depreciation/insurance over the next coupla years. Im in a 72 month loan and currently paying out 300/mo.. I could probably get a new tc @300/mo @60mos if I covered the difference I owe on my tib.
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Z
You'll pay invoice, not over....

You can bolt the TRD exhaust on in your driveway. You will not gain power from this.

www.trdsparks.com is a great page for buying all your tC parts. Ken is awesome.
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lo bux racer
You could have saved yourself a lot of typing by just reading the board. All your questions have been addressed in multiple threads. However, the simple answer is, there are NO deals on a tC. You pay the price on the window, period. No dealer packs, no dealer discounts, no haggling over the sale price or anything else to do with a Scion. I should know, I've bought two tCs.
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Originally posted by lo bux racer@Apr 16 2005, 06:03 PM
You could have saved yourself a lot of typing by just reading the board. All your questions have been addressed in multiple threads. However, the simple answer is, there are NO deals on a tC. You pay the price on the window, period. No dealer packs, no dealer discounts, no haggling over the sale price or anything else to do with a Scion. I should know, I've bought two tCs.
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Hmm.. seems like the 'no hassle pricing' kinda sucks, no? or is the end price not that bad.. 16,515 is what i saw on kelly with destination and etc, and the invoice was about 1000$ less. I suppose its not a *bad* deal.. lord knows.. my friend paid 4000$ than me for the *exact same car, same year, everything*
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lo bux racer
They make $900 total on every one they sell. That's not a lot of money. You would do yourself a favor to look at Toyota's record as an automobile manufacturer for initial quality, and longevity. No one beats them, especially for the price. They're not selling a $5k car for $16k like most SUVs, they're selling a quality car at an excellent price point. Toyota has a truly enviable record in the automotive world as well. Hyundai botched it when they first came to the US, and they have to make huge concessions just to get people to reconsider them. So they have low prices and 10 year warranties. Personally, I'd rather have no warranty and the assurance the car will operate as designed without major fault or failure for 5 years. I can say I've experienced this kind of reliability with my numerous Toyotas. I can't say that for people I know who've owned Hyundais.

If it really is all about getting a "good deal," think about the after sale events when you are sizing up the quality of the deal. You'll never beat Scion.
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wolo
tC = good
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Originally posted by lo bux racer@Apr 16 2005, 06:38 PM
They make $900 total on every one they sell. That's not a lot of money. You would do yourself a favor to look at Toyota's record as an automobile manufacturer for initial quality, and longevity. No one beats them, especially for the price. They're not selling a $5k car for $16k like most SUVs, they're selling a quality car at an excellent price point. Toyota has a truly enviable record in the automotive world as well. Hyundai botched it when they first came to the US, and they have to make huge concessions just to get people to reconsider them. So they have low prices and 10 year warranties. Personally, I'd rather have no warranty and the assurance the car will operate as designed without major fault or failure for 5 years. I can say I've experienced this kind of reliability with my numerous Toyotas. I can't say that for people I know who've owned Hyundais.

If it really is all about getting a "good deal," think about the after sale events when you are sizing up the quality of the deal. You'll never beat Scion.
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Uh yeah.. why do you think im interested in a tC?


That and basically itd cost me the exact same amt of money to a) keep my tib or b) buy a tC.

Hell, if you want a warranty, subaru has an incredible warranty in both what it covers (it covers a lot more than most , and is very plainly written), and the length. I learned a while ago that a big warranty means jack.. No need to get hostile man


Just in general with most dealers you can get about +/- 500$ within invoice with a little haggling.. that said the majority of times the pricing policy is pretty great.

Theres a few dealers out here (most of them) that are REALLY out to screw people.. Dodge neons selling for 18k after rebates to people.... eclipses well over evo prices, tibs for 21k, etc
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lo bux racer
No hostility. You'd know if I was being hostile, just presenting the facts as I know them.

Yeah, some cars can be bought for what appears to be invoice pricing. The whole car market is on its ear these days. Just don't go looking for something hard to find, they'll ALL try to squeeze every dime they can out of your pocket.

I tried haggling over the price of my Supra in '94 and ended up wasting about 9 hours at the dealership, and they still wouldn't move in my direction.

The best deals for price are the total plain vanilla cars. Base Corolla, base Lancer, base Eclipse or Galant. Anytime you start seeing something special or desireable, the price goes jacked right away. That is tne nice thing about our tCs. They are desireable, and they certainly could have stacked a $2k or $3k dealer add to them last summer and fall, but they decided to do something different. I do like it better.
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I agree on that much, the tC is fecking amazing for the money. Which is why I wish it was out when I was in teh market for my tib.. Wouldnt ahve been a contest at all.
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pharoh
Originally posted by Wolo@Apr 16 2005, 07:46 PM
tC = good
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^^^That pretty much sums it up for me as well.
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wolo
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Originally posted by Pharoh+Apr 16 2005, 09:24 PM-->QUOTE (Pharoh @ Apr 16 2005, 09:24 PM)
<!--QuoteBegin-Wolo
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@Apr 16 2005, 07:46 PM
tC = good
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^^^That pretty much sums it up for me as well.
[/b]
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I am a man of few words.
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E
Just drive one. That's all. I am still finding out how unbelievable this car is. This car is loaded and it is a STEAL.

Oh, yeah, have to add your tC will still be driving great when the Tibu is in the junk yard.
My Toyota experience with my Camry was out of this world great. Nine wonderful, repair-free years, $189,000 miles.
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Originally posted by easyrider@Apr 17 2005, 02:47 PM
Oh, yeah, have to add your tC will still be driving great when the Tibu is in the junk yard.
My Toyota experience with my Camry was out of this world great.  Nine wonderful, repair-free years, $189,000 miles.
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That is my main reasoning for considering a tC.. I will go up to the dealer on monday and see what kind of deal I can work out with my trade. I may end up trying to sell it private party (would likely get more than I owe at that point, plus I have a nice 1000$ paycheck coming from some heavy OT that I can spend 1000% towards D.P if i need to even things out.


Basically my dilemma is
a) keep tib and watch it depreciate and probably not last as long as Id like it if I actually paid the whole thing through.

b) Take at most ~2k hit if i trade-in(Diff quotes ive gotten have it lopsided about 1000$.. and with a slightly better interest rate payments would still say about the same.. and I had a 72 month loan to begin wit) And get a car that IMHO is much cleaner/refined (slightly slower yes =P... but the tib isnt a drag queen without alot of money invested.. I should be running at about 15.1-15.2, less if i put in pulley).

Would likely be even or slightly ahead if I sold it private party. At that point itd be a sin NOT to get the tC

I also currently have an Auto and would much like a manual.. Also the transmission is probably the weakest part in my tib.. The shifts are kinda harder than id expect(though Im gonna reset the ecu and have it 'learn' at a slower driving pace and see if that helps.. it has been shifting at higher rpms cuz basically it will adopt the pattern you use in 'sport shifter' mode for regular driving, prolly has something to do with it.) It just unsettles me to see a car with 8500 miles have questionable tranny issues. Alot of 03/04 tibs ahve Transmission Control Computer issues and theres been alot of reflashes and replacements going around. Basically when driving in sport mode its fine(till it really starts to go) but in regular drive it shifts quirky because the TCM starts to get fubar'd.

Yeah I put it through a few runs at the track, but IMHO, it shouldnt be more wear on the tranny than most people around here. (most ppl with slower cars in my area drive them 11/10ths 24/7 to make up for the fact that theyre driving next to some ungodly expensive mercedes,bmw,etc .. Dunno for all the porsche cayenne S turbos that are here, we certainly lack some really nice corvettes/z's/cobras/supras/etc) considering that with the tib you have to so very baby it on the launch (like rev to 1250 or get wheel hop..) The supercharged guys start in 2nd and the guy who has the 13.06 auto basically has to launch at idle.

And honestly My tastes/needs have changed.. I have no need to go to the dragstrip and beat the crap out of my car anymore.. was fun for a while, now time to move on and worry about keeping my nice car nice for a long time.

Its nice to have the power on tap when you want it though.
(prob with the tib where the low end is awesome, the high end just dies.. engine stops making power at 5500 or so and redline is at 6500)


I dont skip on maintenance.. ive been running synthetic since my first oil change and am always early and ontop of things like that.
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moriarty
don't do it. the tC is a horrible car.



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pharoh
And the Flint Mica is a horrible color.


(Sorry, I still can't get over seeing more and more of my car everyday)
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Yes, flint mica is nice !.. However I will probably go with black or the indigo ink.... or *cough*flintmica*cough*

My friend has a black tib with some silver/chrome accents, and it looks really really nice, esp w/ the cf hood.
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moriarty
black is not a good color either.
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I've got an indigo 5sp and I've loved my car all the way past the 12,000 mark. I've had it since august of of 2004, driven in every type of weather you can imagine (yay! NY weather!) and I still do a double take at the parking lot as I walk away. Chances are you'd prolly get screwed if you trade your tibby, so I'd suggest to sell it privately. In terms of the pricing, you what you see is what you pay. No haggling. The only thing that makes pricing differences is the sales tax. in NY it's rediculous, I ended up paying 18000 total with tax on a stock tc, so depending on your location, your final price may vary. Even if you suffer a slight loss on the sale of your car, in the long run, I think it'll be worth it, you'll probably make it up in resale value. This is my first new car and I'm planning to keep it through at least the next 5 years.
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Yeah... I found a dealer with a nice 5sp Manual in black ..


Im going down today and seeing how the deal works out. If i dont get one now, it will be in about 2 months (basically, my credit score should go from 600's to 700's from what my credit watch thingie from USAA says.. just paid off more or less everything this past week from a rather large check and tax return thats coming.. sooo) and Ill have some cash to put down/time to look at selling my car privately.
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A
Don't walk, run away from the hyundai.
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