Hybrid vs. regular Camry

[bfreeman333]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the site, but I've been trying to research/do a cost analysis on the Camry in order to figure out whether it is more practical to purchase a hybrid now, or go with a regular camry in hopes that the technology will be improved enough in the next few years that, when I go to buy my next Camry, I will just purchase a hybrid then?

I live in the Los Angeles area, and so far, I've found the best deals to be at Hollywood Toyota (you can check out there website here --> http://www.hollywoodtoyota.com/). However, I heard from a friend of mine that they got a great price on a new camry hybrid over at Valley Toyota ( http://www.valley-toyota.com/), so I'm wondering if that is more worth the drive...

Anyways, I'd like to hear from you guys to see whether it would be cost effective for me to go with the more expensive hybrid now, or just wait a few more years for the price to go down? What do you think of the vehicle? Is it worth the extra cost?

[njerald]

Depends on the price difference, miles you drive, price that you project gas will go to, the avg. mpg you think you will get on both cars, any tax credits (if you pay taxes), how long you are going to own it, residual prices, etc.

2010's (GEN 6.5) will be out within 2 months.

Use fitzmall.com for real world pricing on either model.

That's enough hand-holding for me.........

[Frodo65]

Originally Posted by bfreeman333

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the site, but I've been trying to research/do a cost analysis on the Camry in order to figure out whether it is more practical to purchase a hybrid now, or go with a regular camry in hopes that the technology will be improved enough in the next few years that, when I go to buy my next Camry, I will just purchase a hybrid then?

I live in the Los Angeles area, and so far, I've found the best deals to be at Hollywood Toyota (you can check out there website here --> http://www.hollywoodtoyota.com/). However, I heard from a friend of mine that they got a great price on a new camry hybrid over at Valley Toyota ( http://www.valley-toyota.com/), so I'm wondering if that is more worth the drive...

Anyways, I'd like to hear from you guys to see whether it would be cost effective for me to go with the more expensive hybrid now, or just wait a few more years for the price to go down? What do you think of the vehicle? Is it worth the extra cost?

Worth it is also a determined by priorities.

Pro TCH:

1. Fuel consumption is ~40% less than the 4 cylinder. Unless gas spikes back to > $4/gal, don't count on that to pay back your difference in initial cost.
2. The TCH is smoother than the regular 4 cylinder. You will not get the 4-banger-tingle (which, admittedly isn't that bad in the regular 4). You will also never feel a 'shift' because the HSD acts as a CVT. You will get an occasional 'stumble' when the ICE turns on, but it's still smoother than the regular automatic.
3. Emissions will be notably lower in the TCH, with a PZEV rating. Obviously, when the ICE is off, it's not going to emit any HC, NOx or CO, or CO2. Secondary is the additional evaporative emissinons reductions Toyota did to qualify for PZEV.
4. It's actually quicker than the 'regular' 4 cylinder. Strangely enough, it may not feel that way due to how smooth the power delivery is, but the stopwatch doesn't lie.
5. Hybrid components have a 150K mile warranty in CA. That's a good thing.
6. Regen braking means never needing brake linings if you drive reasonably.
7. The HSD has no friction components subject to wear in the same way as the internals of a conventional automatic. Remains to be seen whether that translates to longer ultimate durability, but to me it certainly has a potential. IAC, that's not likely to be visible until well past 200K miles.

On the downside:

1. Trunk space takes a big hit, losing ~30% capacity. What's there is quite useful, but you lose the rear-seat pass-through for all practical purposes.
2. Purchase price is ~ 1500-1800 higher than a XLE. Unless you spring for leather, you'll get LE-grade cloth, unless you wait for the '10 model.
3. Lack of 'on your sleeve' Green cred you get with a Prius. That could also be a GOOD THING.

[Tideland Prius]

If you want the latest hybrid technology, the new 2010 Prius is coming out in a few months, otherwise Frodo's pretty much covered everything. It's also a great highway cruiser (all recent Camrys are)

[bfreeman333]

Originally Posted by Frodo65

Worth it is also a determined by priorities.

Pro TCH:

1. Fuel consumption is ~40% less than the 4 cylinder. Unless gas spikes back to > $4/gal, don't count on that to pay back your difference in initial cost.
2. The TCH is smoother than the regular 4 cylinder. You will not get the 4-banger-tingle (which, admittedly isn't that bad in the regular 4). You will also never feel a 'shift' because the HSD acts as a CVT. You will get an occasional 'stumble' when the ICE turns on, but it's still smoother than the regular automatic.
3. Emissions will be notably lower in the TCH, with a PZEV rating. Obviously, when the ICE is off, it's not going to emit any HC, NOx or CO, or CO2. Secondary is the additional evaporative emissinons reductions Toyota did to qualify for PZEV.
4. It's actually quicker than the 'regular' 4 cylinder. Strangely enough, it may not feel that way due to how smooth the power delivery is, but the stopwatch doesn't lie.
5. Hybrid components have a 150K mile warranty in CA. That's a good thing.
6. Regen braking means never needing brake linings if you drive reasonably.
7. The HSD has no friction components subject to wear in the same way as the internals of a conventional automatic. Remains to be seen whether that translates to longer ultimate durability, but to me it certainly has a potential. IAC, that's not likely to be visible until well past 200K miles.

On the downside:

1. Trunk space takes a big hit, losing ~30% capacity. What's there is quite useful, but you lose the rear-seat pass-through for all practical purposes.
2. Purchase price is ~ 1500-1800 higher than a XLE. Unless you spring for leather, you'll get LE-grade cloth, unless you wait for the '10 model.
3. Lack of 'on your sleeve' Green cred you get with a Prius. That could also be a GOOD THING.

Wow, thanks for that in-depth analysis there! That really helped me out a lot! And you're probably right about the gas, I doubt it will make it back up to $4/gal, but that's another thing to keep in mind!

[bfreeman333]

Originally Posted by njerald

Depends on the price difference, miles you drive, price that you project gas will go to, the avg. mpg you think you will get on both cars, any tax credits (if you pay taxes), how long you are going to own it, residual prices, etc.

2010's (GEN 6.5) will be out within 2 months.

Use fitzmall.com for real world pricing on either model.

That's enough hand-holding for me.........

Thanks for the advice! Those are all very good factors to keep in mind. I have considered most of those things, although not the tax credit option, but seeing as our CA governor over here has told us we will be getting IOU's, that probably won't make a very significant difference anyways. But, seeing as the next generation of hybrids will be coming out shortly, I might as well wait for the price drop! Thanks for your help!