i need opinions

[tC-iaN]

At the momment, im 16 days away from my first tour in iraq. But once i return im going to have lots of money and i plan on getting a new car. Im not new to the import scene. I own a 2001 eclipse thats turbo'd and several other add ons but the car is just to heavy. the power doesnt balance with the weight. i dont know much about the tC but i was happy with the acceleration when test driving one. compared to the stock eclipse the tC has a bigger difference. But other then the test drive i dont know much. I need some opinions on the car in general, modifying, and maintaining. Wether or not theres been any problems with yours cars would be a well appreciated piece of information. In the long run i'd like to get a car to pass my eclipse friends. So just give me some opinions on tC. thanks

[zero__zero]

I'm not sure how heavy an '01 Eclipse is, but the tC is close to 3,000 lbs. stock. I have an RS 2.0, and I LOVE it. I've only had mine for a few months, but I've had no issues whatsoever with it - one of my friends has an '05 that he got about a year and a half ago, and another has an '06 that he got at the beginning of this year - neither one have had any trouble since they've owned them, and both recommended the Scion when I was looking for a new car to replace my '99 VR6 Jetta. I took one for a test drive, and even though it had 14 HP less than my Jetta, I didn't even notice. Compared to my VW, this thing is about as easy as they come to get affordable aftermarket parts and install them yourself...I just put on an Injen CAI and TRD Exhaust (no power gains really, just sounds good), and that took about an hour and a half for both. Stock, it's not the fastest or the best handling, compared to cars like the Civic Si or Eclipse GS, but basing out at $4,000+ less than both of those, you have lots of room to work with. The TRD Supercharger, though not the best as far as power gains (adds about 40 HP, a bit more if you get the NST pulley), can be looped into your warranty if installed by a Toyota tech (though all the dealers around me tell me you need to pay for that separately and can't add it into the car's financing). If you're not worried about the warranty, then turbocharge it if you've got the money - the ZPI Stage 0 will double your stock HP, and the Stage 1 will take you to 300 HP.

To address the handling shortcomings of the tC, I have Hotchkis sways waiting to get installed (when I get the time and the use of a friends lift), and TRD shocks 'n' lowering springs (a mild drop, but again, this is my everyday pothole hittin', construction work avoidin', traffic sittin' car, so I need to keep relatively driveable) on the way. That should correct some of the shortcomings in the handling. Again, if you have the money, you could go with coilovers or something along those lines.

You have a lot of room to work with if you get the tC, and I'd recommend it highly. I hope this helps.

[tC-iaN]

thanks, the 00+ eclipse rs and gs are 3800 lbs btw. thats offly heavy for a 2.4l or any 4cyl car. I noticed on another thread the zpi turbo. But that leads to this question. Can a standard tc tranny support a stage 1 turbo kit? 300hp is not exactly a small addon if you get my drift.

[Alex8181]

Anytime you add forced induction onto a car that did not come with it, the engine is going to deteriorate faster. Seeing as how Toyota is offering a supercharger option, I don't think it would be a stretch for the tranny to handle turbo.

[hebee1982]

hey i spent 2 years in iraq myself and i want to wish you the best of luck. i actually used to own a civic that i poured every penny i could into. i have been out of the scene for a couple years now and just purchased an 07 tc and absolutely love it. there are plenty of parts out there for them and endless possibilities not to mention the car itself is fairly inexpensive. i would definately recommend getting one yourself and i am pretty sure you won't be disappointed. good luck!

[navylife59]

Best of luck to ya in The Sand Box. I have only flown over it mostly from Bahrain or Sicily.