Scion tC is high in demand?

After my multiple experiences of being at ToyoGreenville off and on since October, I have noticed that tCs (here at least) do not stay on the lot at all. "Here today, gone in an hour" is the phrase I hear. In fact, seeing how much trouble it was getting my car from a very persistent dealership in Greensboro shows how salesmen can't keep a hold on them.

I think in some areas people have to still wait weeks or even months for their car to come in through allocation. Plus dealership trial and error in obtaining VINs can make that process longer. I've also read that if your car does come in and you do not return to accept your car within a certain time period, then that car can be sold instantly to anyone lucky enough to be there at the right time and with money handy.

Basically, if you're looking for a rarer-colored tC (i.e. Azure Pearl, Indigo Ink Pearl) with a side airbag (factory-installed) option, expect to wait much longer than you would for any other tC in a different color without that option, unless you're in the Southeast where they have larger allocations than in the rest of the US. And have your deposit ready once you set foot in at a Toyota/Scion dealership.

Originally posted by HaTeOnThYs05@Mar 31 2005, 09:41 PM
you cant really get em in new york also.

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I can totally attest to that, it took me 2 months of waiting to get my tC from my dealer (Neil Toyota/Scion in Lynbrook), the guy that placed the order for me was a friend and let me put down a $200 deposit, instead of the $500 that other dealers are usually asking for. I'd suspect that it would be more difficult to get a popular color, simply b/c there is a higher demand and bigger waiting list for the Flint Mica, Silver streak and the black sand pearl. I ordered an Indigo, and still had to wait a lifetime. I'd suggest placing an order asap, b/c you can always change your mind if you need to. Keep in mind that the deposit you put down on the order is refundable, don't let the dealer tell you otherwise. At the time that I bought mine (in August of 2004), they only had 1 tC on the floor available for a test drive. Here in LI, they're becoming really popular, I usually see 2-3/day on my commute, so I doubt the dealer situation has changed much. If anything it's probably worse. So yeah, place that order sooner than later.

OFF TOPIC: Hate, where are you from on LI?

We have one of the largest Toyota dealerships in the nation here in Memphis, so they get a larger allotment of Scions, I think. We usually have about ten on the lot for sale. But if you want special options like the side/curtain air bags, it might take a bit of looking.
One thing I would watch out for is if the car has been traded from another dealership some miles away. You can see this on the bottom of the sticker on the car. It lists the dealership that has initial title to the car. The car I bought was DRIVEN 200 miles from another dealership, not my preference in an unbroken-in car. I was not informed about this by the salesman. I have no idea how my car was driven its first 200 miles. They made no allowance for the mileage on the car since they are in demand. I could take it or leave it. I wisely took it and have no regrets. They are incredible cars! Just get one!

My problem was trying to find one that wasn't completely fatted out on dealer options, and non-auto-- I called about 30 dealers in a 100 mile radius, and ended up having to drive to Hollywood (about 90 minutes) to buy the only tC they had in stock. Longo (biggest Toyota dealer in the world) had zero tCs available-- all of their cars were already claimed/deposited.

Sure, the local dealer, only about 10 minutes from me had 5 tCs on the lot, but every one of them was decked with every dealer option available, down to the 6-disc indash, shift knob, and colored steering wheel. They had a black cherry with a window sticker of over $22k... I didn't even know what to say.

So here is SoCal, yes they are hard to come by. I got quotes ranging from 4 to 10 weeks for delivery of a base trim, manual tC-- and that was with no color preference. I got so damn lucky finding the IIP manual I jittered like an idiot all the way to Hollywood. The $800 in dealer options didn't even faze me at that point.