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Originally Posted by lkatz
I have narrowed it down to 2 cars.....2006 RAV4 and 2007 Camry. I can't decide if a small suv or sedan would be better. Both cars seem to have good ratings as far as performance and reliability. I guess it comes down to looks......I hate to be superficial but that is what it comes down to. What is your opinion on which car looks better? What is popular nowadays? Also, is leather interior better than cloth?
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Well, first of all, I wouldn't pay too much heed to laphan's worries about reliability issues with the new Camry. Yes, we've got some folks who have experienced problems, and while there's no doubt these folks have experienced problems, I think our numbers of those folks total around the area of "two dozen." Looking at Toyota's sales figures, it appears that they've sold over 110,000 new Camrys since it debuted in March. That's part of the "problem" with these online forums -- we get a pretty skewed view of the world. It's probably quite likely that you can say that something like 99.99% of new Camry owners aren't having any problems with their cars at all. And, it seems that Toyota is taking pretty good care of the folks who've actually been having any problems.
I can't say much of anything equivalent about the Rav4, since I haven't been in any discussions about it -- but I do continue to believe that Toyota maintains a healthy edge on darn near the rest of the entire planet in terms of reliability and build quality. In the end, I think you'll do quite well with either of these Toyotas, or any other Toyotas that you might consider.
So, I'd say it comes down to a few basic issues -- pretty much "safety" and "fuel economy." Any SUV like the Rav4 is going to be a whole lot likely to tip over during any accident you might get into, whether that be a single-car accident where you might lose control of the vehicle, or a multiple-vehicle accident where someone smashes into you. Think about the past few years and any accidents you've seen where a vehicle wound up on its side or its top, and how often those vehicles have been SUV's. I've been rather amazed to see over the past few years how many accidents like in 30-MPH traffic areas, where an SUV involved in the accident wound up on its roof! Utterly amazing!
So, think about that, and also think about "airbags." In this era of automotive technology,
DO NOT accept anything that doesn't have a full complement of side and side-curtain airbags. The new Camry even goes one better than that, including driver knee airbags. Again, if you've been involved with folks who have been in accidents over the past few years, you might well have seen how side and side-curtain airbags could make the difference between "walking away" from an accident, or being crippled for the rest of your life. Again, I'm not sure where the Rav4 is in terms of the extra airbags, but the new Camry certainly is about as "state-of-the-art" as you can get these days, certainly in this price range.
Then, it comes down to fuel economy -- I wouldn't buy a car today without spending a few minutes thinking about "five dollars per gallon gas," which you might possibly see over the life of any new vehicle bought these days. I think both of these cars will deliver perfectly fine performance with their four-cylinder engines, but I expect the Camry does a bit better than the Rav4 does, mainly due to weight and aerodynamics.
So, other than looks and the basic vehicle configuration differences between an SUV and a car, I'd say that safety and fuel economy would be the biggest issues from my perspective. Ultimately, of course, go take test drives in the vehicles, and even in four-cylinder and six-cylinder versions of each vehicle, and see what you like the best!
Finally, as for leather vs. cloth, I sure prefer leather. I like to "wriggle around" in the seat to get the best, most comfortable position, which is much easier with the leather. And, some cloth seats can be VERY restrictive in that regard -- depending upon the cloth, how much you sink down into the padding, etc. I also find leather to be far more easy to clean and maintain -- just a quick wipedown with any of the leather cleaners/conditioners on the market, and you're good to go. Finally, you usually can get "heated leather seats," which, once you've experienced them, you'll never ever want to do without so long as you live. Or, at least, if you're in a colder climate where I happen to live, here in Rainy Oregon....
Hope this helps -- good luck!
(Lexus has double front knee bags.) So if you get either vehicle...make sure you get all the air bags. the Camry's are standard...I do not know about the Rav4. I know the Corolla it is optional and that car is not good in a crash unless it has them ALL. 
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