2005 Scion tC review from North America

There is an annoying rattle which occasionally comes from the rear of the car, I believe it is the hatch, but I am not sure. It does not happen all the time.

The air conditioner has begun to smell of mildew or mold as of a few months ago (3 years after I bought the car new). I've heard that a $20 product will get rid of this but have not yet tried it.

Other than that the car has been mechanically flawless.

I paid 16K for this car new in '05, stock except for the pedestal spoiler. I cannot think of a car that is a better value. It comes with a decent sound system, solid engine, and a standard power moon roof.

As long as you are not expecting $25K build quality in this $16K car, you will almost certainly be satisfied. The dash is simple yet functional, the seats have no power options but are reasonably comfortable, and the amount of space behind the rear seats is impressive for a 2 door coupe/hatchback. With the rear seats folded down there is a lot of storage space in the back, enough to fit 2 full size bikes and a few backpacks.

A common complaint I have heard is gas mileage. I routinely see 26mpg in mixed town/highway driving, and have seen as high as 35 mpg with the A/C on driving 70mph on the highway. With this car as with all others, your mileage is very dependent on your driving habits.

I probably sound like a salesman right now, so here are some shortfalls:

-Rear headroom is horrible. Anyone over 5'6" is going to hit their head on the roof... but hey, legroom is awesome.

-The black interior (only option on the '05) gets really hot in the sun, and has started to fade slightly.

I do not drive this car hard, but at this rate I'll still be driving it in 10 years.