Driving into a New Year

If anyone knows me, they know I love my car. If there was ever a good decision on a major purchase, it was buying a new Toyota Scion tC in 2007. Don’t get me wrong—my previous car was nice. I had the Honda Civic that everyone seemed to have, and drove it around like it was my sports car. Someone else must have thought so too, because it was stolen right out of the driveway of the house I was living at. Fortunately, it was already 10 years old and I had a good job so I was able to buy a new car.

When I first went car shopping, the style of the Honda cars had changed so I decided to take a look at Toyota. I went to a local dealership to look at the Corollas. When I drove into the dealership, my eye was immediately drawn to a new model. I evaluated the Corolla and then decided to ask about the model I had seen when driving into the dealership. I found out was the Scion tC. The car was the next model up from the Corolla and the price was reasonable. It wasn’t long before I decided that was the car I wanted. I ended up buying it at another Toyota dealership and selected from the colors they had available as a match to the price I was looking for. The price listed for the car was set, there was no need for haggling and negotiating. The process was really easy.

The Scion tC is considered the spiritual successor to the Toyota Celica in North America, made to appeal to the millennial market. The name tC stands for “touring coupe.”. Beginning in 2011, the tC is sold as the Toyota Zelas in the Middle East, China and South America, a name derived from “zelante”, Italian for “passionate” or “zealous.”.

One of the major factors I was considering when buying a car was the ease of putting my bike into the vehicle. With the Honda Civic, I had to tie the bike to the back of the trunk on the bike carrier. Although the Scion tC appears to be a compact-sized vehicle with a trunk it is actually a hatchback. The backseat pulls down extending the trunk area into the inside of the car. I could detach the wheel of my bike and slide it right into the back. The Scion tC also had a sleek interior and a stereo system that could adjust how the music was played from the speakers. I had previously had several car accidents in other vehicles, and was thrilled to find out I could control the music from the steering wheel. Music could be turned on and off and I could switch between radio preprogrammed stations, AM/FM, and CD all with my thumb from the steering wheel as I drove. The sunroof/moonroof lets extra light and air into the car while driving, and it opens up like a bat-mobile with its all-glass roof (which also is easy for cleaning). The car has bucket seats, front, side, and steering wheel airbags, and is spacious. On the exterior, the car has beautiful alloy wheels, maneuverable mirrors, and angled taillights for a concise rear of the vehicle.

I would have preferred to have this car to drive to work everyday and park it in a garage at home, as it deserved. It has became my most reliable friend the last 13 years, and an equal match to the affinity I have for the reliability of my insurance company. I have driven it to work, but I’ve also used it for recreation and life changes. I’ve driven it in and out of state on road trips, loaded the bike in it for rides around the lake, have moved constantly with it in lieu of movers while constantly being in housing transition, and have lived in it for extended periods of time.

The Toyota Scion tC has been a very enjoyable car with its sleek design, ergonomics, and safety features. For a car that was designed for most Scion owners to drive to the office and around town, mine has had a rough ride, but it has endured with its durability. It’s been in the body shop many times, including just a week after buying it, after being rear-ended on a major highway in Dallas, and was hacked 1,000 times on the side door gashed by a knife from people who hate me, and others have stolen it many times for joy rides while I was not around, I also managed to take a Sonic sign down pulling in for ice-cream, and I have had at least 5 front-end bumpers put on. The low-jack installed in it may have help catch intruders who took it off property, but I know now this was an unnecessary expense for me. I think with today’s technology, any electronics and security system can be bypassed. With all of this being said, there are only 2 drawbacks to the Toyota Scion tC. One is the paint can easily come off. The second is that they don’t make it anymore.

As I drive into the New Year with my car, I am thankful for all my car and I have been through and how it has kept me safe in so many ways. Even more important than the beautiful design of this car and all of the aesthetic features I love, the Toyota Scion tC has been a safe car with great performance. I’m at 161,000 miles and my life is far from the life I had 13 years ago. I am hoping this car lasts long enough until work can be found, despite an ongoing job search that has been as long as the time I have had this car. It’s not likely I will be able to afford a new car with my next vehicle and I am disappointed the Scion tC is no longer being made. However, my experience with the Toyota brand has been a very good one and I can only hope Toyota manufacturers a model similar to this one in the future.

Be safe on the roads tonight.
Happy New Year!