Toyota Camry Hybrid

what about the 1988 jeep grand wagoneer? did you give up on that as well?

 

How much did you get back from the LS430?
From a flatship Lexus back down to Camry seems a pretty big shift.

Nah, we are not as loaded as you do for another mild-hybrid.
Why spent extra dough on a TCH when one Prius is good enough for practical use? (extra MPG too)

 

I got rid of my prius, and later picked up the Camry, and don't regret a minute of it. The Prius is an OK car for a daily driver, but if you have a family and car pool them every day, forgetabouit. The Camry however works out perfect for us, with the wife and 3 kids all fitting in, works great. You may be fighting over who gets to drive it, I like the car and injoy driving it. I also find it funny that it looks like a lexus from many angles, much in the way my Veracruz looks like a Lexus.

 

We were planning to go the Prius + Camry hybrid route, but when we went to drive it we weren't as impressed as we thought we'd be. The ride was nice, and the extra power was nice, but it felt small to us due to the sedan configuration. We have two kids in big car seats, and had hoped that maybe the Camry would be wide enough for an adult to sit in the back with the kids, but it didn't really seem to be. All in all it made us realize just how much we loved our Prius, so we bought a second and joined the 2xPrius club.

IMHO if I were trading down from a LS430 I would wait for the HS250h. Compared to the TCH it should be a nicer car, with better mileage, for not that much more money. I would assume that means a Camry hybrid refresh is not far off either. Of course there are some smoking deals on TCH's out there, particularly used. The one we drove was an '07 base+moon roof, certified pre-owned w/ 39k miles and we had worked them down to $18,000 and $2,500 for our trade that we ended up only getting $1,500 for on the Prius (most folks only offered us ~$800). With the trade difference that would have been $17k, or about $6k under kbb retail, $1500 under tradein. Technically a better deal than our prius, which we got for about $1k over tradein, or $3500 under retail (2008 pkg 4 w/10k miles for $20,800).

Rob

Either way congrats for downsizing your ride!

Rob

 

I also traded a Prius for a Camry Hybrid, because my wife was tired and afraid of driving it on the highway, and I didn't feel like carrying 2 car notes. Despite what some kool-aid drinkers may say, the Camry is a far better highway car than the Prius. A 7 hour trip would wear me and my wife out in the Prius, due to getting blown around by cross winds, and its poor linear tracking ability (and yes, I had done alignments, and added the brace, to improve performance). In the Camry, long trips are a pleasure. I agree the Camry isn't all that much bigger for carrying passengers than the current Prius, but the comfort is much greater (less noise, better ride and seats, and infinitely better linear tracking). I do miss my Prius, because it was a lot more agile and fun to bop around in town with. The Camry is a tad lumbering and boring by comparision (your father's oldsmobile), even though it has almost exactly the same technology. That said, you will definitely not regret getting the Camry. It's my understanding Toyota just announced a slight refresh of the 2010 Camry (including the hybrid), which comes out around March.

 

We have an '07 Prius Package six. In '08 our Hyundai XG350L got totaled. We bought an'08 Hybrid Camry, totally loaded. We average 35mpg and have all the luxury. The best part was that we got this loaded '08 Camry Hybrid for $1700 more than the loaded '07 Prius was. The Prius was bought in June of '07 and the Camry in March of '08. It doesn't get the mpg, but it is a whole lot more car for the comparitive money. Lots more comfortable and stable on the highway. Also, there is no exact gas engine model to compare the Prius to but for all the same options except the Hybrid on the Camry there is only a $200-$300 price difference. I
know this to be true because I priced both Camry models on the official Toyota build and price your car website. Only things I miss on the Prius are the sunroof and the heated seats.

 

From Chicago Auto Show Site:

2010 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID: Like the gas powered Camry, the 2010 Camry Hybrid receives new features, inside and out. Exterior enhancements will include a unique hybrid grille, a distinct front bumper, a wider lower intake, restyled fog lights and 16-inch alloy wheels. Inside the 5-passenger cabin, the Camry Hybrid adds a newly designed meter cluster and Fraichir, a combination of silk protein and synthetic fiber, cloth seating surfaces that are gentle to the skin. Equipped with Toyota's industry-leading Hybrid Synergy Drive, certified as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle, the Camry Hybrid is just one of a handful of cars that meets this strict standard, producing over 70 percent less smog-forming emissions than the average new car. Pricing for the 2010 Camry Hybrid will be announced shortly before it goes on sale this March.