I can totally see the appeal of the Scion tc to the younger crowd - I've seen some well thought out cosmetic mods done to them. Keep in mind I am speaking from a visual perspective and not a performance perspecitve. To some younger people, the MINI may seem too "cute" for the crowd they hang with. Yes, you can make the MINI an aggressive looking car (I should know) - but there are always those out there with pre-conceived notions, and in some circles, the MINI is not going to cut it....

 

The Toyota Matrix/ Pontiac Vibe ride on the current Corolla Platform.

The Scion tC is supposed to be a more refined alternative to the Corolla/Matrix/Vibe. I want to see how the all new 2006 Honda Civic will stack up against the tC, one of its main market competitors.

More those seeking the "ultimate" hip/urban scene set of wheels, I think the xB fits the bill much better than the tC. It seems to me the market audiance of the xB and tC is different from each other.

A lot of kids are into the "Asian" car thing, and if you show up with a non-asian car you "lose" respect among the crowd.

Funny thing though, in Japan the classic Mini and new MINI have been a homerun hit, disproving the theory that Asians only approve of Japanese/Korean cars.

While I can see the appeal of the xB from a price/practicallity point of view, I just don't see the appeal of the tC versus a MINI or even a Mazda 3.

 

hey, i don't approve Korean cars.

 

Hey, you're a mind reader. I was thinking of the mazda 3 was well. The xB is almost like a Mini Van but hipper. My wife hates the xB though. Sez it looks like a toaster on wheels. I was thinking breadbox on wheels myself.

I tend to think that the only thing the xB and tC have in common is their ability to be accessorized. Is that a real word? So I agree that their targeted market is different.

offtopic, I am starting to like the shape of the MC more then MCS. I am not sure why though.

 

Pretty funny...no I am the Dad! (I think! ). Anyway, C4, yeah I'd agree given engine HP, tC should be compared to MCSand not the MC, but now the price delta is $5K more for MCS vs the tC instead of only $2k for MC....and $5K at this price point and for this target market/age group is big bucks! (20-25% of the total cost). So that's a big differential and why it's hard for kids to consider the MCS.
Also I think another reason for the appeal is that Toyota nailed the marketing...Scion is distant enough from Toyota for the age group to think of it as a cool image brand, but other influencers (parents....journalists etc.) still know it comes from Toyota and can research the reliability and safety advantages...so the brand has the target group and the influencers of that group pulling for it.....pretty clever. Lastly in terms of resale value, given the demand (2-3 month waits that have stayed consistent), the reliability, the low price point, the no haggle pricing, the current lease residuals and current resale projections...it appears the tC will have resales close to MINI.....so overall if the boy wasn't going to go MINI, I'm liking his choice.......plus yes! if he decides to do any mods (in a few years), that will be a fun project to help him with!!!).

Keep up the MINI passion folks!!

 

I would say that in some circles, the younger buyers looking at Scion tc's might not even consider the MINI...and yes, it has more to do with the JDM thing.

 

To be honest, I come from two really fast cars previously, and so the Cooper just didn't have enough grunt for me. The S does...well, barely enough. But then, straightline accelleration, while wonderful, really isn't what you buy a Mini for now, is it?

 

And C4 and I go from arguing to being in agreement. I concur here, it's not a really fair comparison really. Of course, I suppose it's enough that these two cars serve the same market segment, but they really are two distinctly different cars with different design philosophies.

 

I want to chime in again.

i hang out with the riceburner crowds (note spending my whole birthday at a ricer car show) and although my age group doesn't REALLY appreciate the MINI, or understand why we do, and what it's capable of (and why the heck we'd spend so much money to buy it, and hook it up) They're kind enough to pretend to think "to each his own." As i'm sure i stated before, a ricer club wouldn't even let me join. They said it's because my car is stock/doesn't meet club requirements (3 exterior mods, 2 interior, 1 engine) half the club, including the president, doesn't meet requirements. Unless you include advance auto parts "mods..." But i think it just doesn't appeal to them, or they're scared other people won't be attracted to the club with all these cars with body kits, gaudy rims, altezzas, and intakes (can't forget the wire loom and walmart floor mats!) But sadly, my MINI and my ex's miata attracted the most attention. They both LOOK clean, consistent, and stock. They have sleek body lines, and can handle the pants off these cars supposedly built up for drag.

I dont know what age range the people that have been posting on this thread are that are using the words "hip" and "in" for ricing out cars... but technically, most of the people on this site are "hooking up" their mini's. Only difference is most of the parts available for my age group's vehicles are mainstream, can find at any local auto parts store. And we aren't Japanese, but neither is a Neon, and they can be hooked up.

Not many people i know like the tC. The xB is pretty popular, and the xA is mostly owned by females.

And i agree about the price making the S out of the hands of the younger crowd. I had that problem, but it didn't stop me from getting a mini, period

 

I'd have to say that when I think of the Mini "tuning" scene, I think of track events and seeing long lines at autocross days with Mini's tuned *****-to-the-wall.

When I think of the Asian import scene, I think ridiculous body-kits, cheap looking exhausts and air intakes and a long line of hopped up cars sitting in a parking lot with kids wearing baggy pants and too much jewelry leaning against them while rap or beat plays from someone's stereo which features like, seven 15' subwoofers crammed in the trunk of an Altima.

Hmmm....track day, or standing around.

I know which scene I'm glad I'M a part of.

P.S. Having read your admission early about buying everything yourself, I feel lots of respect for you, since I've come from the same background.

 

Don't think i won't spend 7 hours straight at an autocross event... or 4-5 hours on a fun twisty drive. Or 3 hours at a MINI club meet.

But i can't pass up two days of laughing at rediculous riceburners, and rubbing in their faces how they should have gotten a mini

And i'm not going to say i didn't own a miata that i slapped some altezzas on. But, my reasoning for that was because the stock brake lights were almost non existant the altezzas had big bright lights. Also had an intake, lightened flywheel and racing clutch, high flo cat, and stock replacement, only slightly louder muffler. With the exception of the intake, i dont see most riceburners adding those kinds of parts. As you said, it's cheap cracked body kits on paint-flaked cars with a fart can the size of a coffee tin. Oh, and me and my dad powdercoated my stock rims, but it was nice to have a father/daughter project like that. And i put anime fabric on my dash... and i spent hours polishing my engine bay to a mirror finish... I also used to stand around in parking lots...ok someone shoot me.

 

All of which sounds fine. See, I'm not against folks that modify their cars merely for looks and admit that. Like, "Yeah, I just like the way dis body kit and big rimzos make my whip look, yo!" Well, that's fine.

It's the people who put all these appearance mods on their car and then expect that they're now capable of taking on actually fast cars. I live in Orlando, FL and I can't count the number of riced out early nineties Accords I destroyed in my Z28. It was pathetic, really.

 

ok, I want to see that anime fabric on your dash.

 

try cardomain.com/id/im4foot11. the pictures wont load for me

And i KNOW my miata had some pep in it's little body i miss it so much now

 

I changed my oil at the recomended 15k interval a few days ago for the 5th time in ownership. One thing I like about my Coop; in 2.5 yrs and 80k miles, no oil was lost. Well... except by the Dreyer Reinbold dork that missed the fill and spilled it down the back of the block last "warrentied" service.
Maintenance after warranty defenitly ain't cheap. With oil changes nearing $90 bucks at the dealer and replacement parts that can only be bought at one place, the MINI dealership OWNS us, literally. I do change my own oil and reset the service intervel myself which makes service more cost effective. But things do pop that I can't fix. The dealership's $90/hr labor and the instant "comma" in the fix price would leave me very hesitant to own two.

Whether or not your new purchase will see the warranty's end in your hands remains. The TC appeals to the same crowd the MINI was intended. The TC is cheaper, will undoubtedly be cheaper to maintain, will last forever, appeals to him, and being a "boy", I can't deny the aftermarket support of the TC.

 

That is exactly why Toyota is downplaying the advertising. Way too many Toyota savvy, middle-aged people were buying the Scions and they DO NOT want the Scion brand associated with all the "old coots". They wanted the SCION as the innovative brand to migrate what sells up to Toyota and then Lexus.

 

Whoot, PimP my ride dude!

 

too late! A co-workers mother bought an xB and she's in her 70's

 

My X-Boss (in his 60's) also drives an xB. It's one of those cars people either love or hate. I think they're ugly as fek, but that's just me.

 

I think it's great that the demographic of the xB is so much broader than Toyota intended. Hopefully it'll wake them up to the fact that not everyone wants Corollas and Camry sedans that get bigger and bulgier every year. The Matrix has also helped to prove that point.

If the MINI did not exist, I'd be driving either a Toyota Matrix, an xB, or a 2001 Civic hatch (last year of the non-Si version, which Honda was lame to discontinue). Fuel economy is a primary factor for me, which is another reason the tC does nothing for me. It gets similar fuel economy to the Ford Escape and MCSa.

 

The tC has a big engine for the class (2.4L).

 

bestcars for heading off to school..... http://money.cnn.com/popups/2005/aut...t.exclude.html

 

I think one of the real reasons that so many older people are getting the xB's is that you don't have to climb into or out of them. They are very easy to get in and out of and they are very affordable. Both of these things are great to folks getting on in years and on a fixed income. That being said, I'm 26 and we have an xB as our "economy" car that we don't mind putting miles on, that we get lots of stuff in, and gets better gas mileage than eitehr of our other cars. I used to hate the look of them, but now I love it, plus everyone that's driven it loves it too and wants to get one as a daily driver

 

Imagine that

 

hey, I wouldn't mind having a xB. Im thinking about possibly getting it when my civic's lease is done. i will mod it a little (spings, dampers, wheels)
but that's about it. no exhaust or anything like that.

i have a 10.5month old so need somthing where i can carry his tricycle
and stuff down the road when we go to the forest preserve for some BBQ
or go for a walk.

we'll see... if i have more disposable income i'll opt for the Odyesse
Touring.