I’m thinking about buying this car… Any dopers have purchased this car? What did you think?? Also, anything should concern me about the lifetime of its hybrid components? This is my first hybrid… Thanks!
CR sez it’s “above average”, which ain’t bad. It’s a good car, but remmeber, you;ll get no IRS credit, like you would with a Honda Civic Hybrid.
OTOH, the Toyota dealer will screw you. :mad: 
If you must buy a Toyota, either buy used or buy from a Broker.
You can find a Broker online or in the phone book.
Firstly, you need to keep in mind that at the present time, the fuel savings don’t usually justify the extra cost of a hybrid in strict economic terms-- in order for them to do so, you have to do a great deal of city driving. The hybrid system’s advantage comes from recovering the energy wasted by braking-- if you’re driving on the highway, there’s no advantage and the heavy hybrid components are just dead weight. There are conventional cars that do much better on the open road and cost a lot less.
Real world data so far seems to suggest that the hybrid components are pretty reliable. First-generation Priuses used as taxis in Vancouver have racked up many hundreds of thousands of uneventful miles. The big question has been the lifespan of the battery packs, which are a several-thousand dollar replacement. So far, there does not seem to be a regular predictable service life on them and, while Toyota has put out estimates of 100,000-150,000 miles, customer experience seems to suggest that, at least measured in miles, they can be reasonably expected to last the life of the vehicle.
I was surprised to read this but have found that the feds have in fact phased out the tax credit for that car, I think because it has sold its quota.
I have a Camry Hybrid that I’ve had 17 months. We’re very happy with it, it’s our second Camry. When I drive it I get around 35 MPG, but I haven’t done any real city driving with it. The dashboard has all kinds of bells & whistles to show your fuel economy. We have needed to do no repairs, although it’s still relatively new. The only real drawback is the batteries take a lot of space away from the trunk.
Unfortunately we are subject to AMT and it was a rude awakening when I discovered while preparing my 2006 return that made us ineligible for a tax credit for alternative fuel vehicles (at that time the Camry qualified).
Incorrect! The regeneration comes from SLOWING DOWN, not just braking, and that slowing down isn’t just the car slowing down, it’s the engine slowing down. So, for instance, my Honda Civic Hybrid, cruising at 70MPH, while going down a gentle hill will, #1, shut down all the cylinders and cruise on electric only. So, no gas when it isn’t needed. #2 - on a steeper hill, it will regen while maintaining speed. Any dips in the road, and you regen. Now, if you’re driving on perfectly flat land at constant speed, yeah, you don’t use the batteries, but then you’re running on an ultra-efficient, small engine instead of the larger engine that is needed for acceleration, but is not needed to maintain highway speeds.
I get 50-55 MPG on the highway in my Civic Hybrid, which is well above what a standard Civic does.
Now, when I bought my Civic Hybrid, I was driving 250 miles a day, and I saved BIG bucks by getting the Hybrid ($50-$70 a week). Now, however, my commute is 7 miles each way, and it really isn’t cost effective. That’s why I will likely be selling it and buying a non-hybrid compact this summer…my monthly payment should drop about $150 a month, and I’ll have a new car. The gas difference for me will be marginal…about $10 a month more for the new car…still far less than the decrease in the payment.
Yes, Toyota has used up all it’s Hybrid credits. Honda, Saturn, Ford- all still good, but Honda only gets half now. Next year, Honda may get none. 
Yep, AMT sux dead donkey dick.
Last I heard, used hybrids were going for as much new ones, because dealers were selling new ones as fast as they could get them in.
Toyota’s overall quality rating has started to slip of late, but it’s too early to tell if the quality problems have made it over to the hybrid end of things.
If you’re not in a hurry to get a new car, then you might want to wait until the '09 models come out as many car makers will be offering diesel engines which get the same or better economy as many hybrids (I don’t know how the Camry hybrid’s fuel economy compares with the non-hybrid version, but I generally haven’t been too impressed the mileage figures I’ve seen for other hybrid variants of standard car models.)
Since the OP is actually looking for opinions, let’s move this one.
samclem General Questions Moderator
Not quite. There’s a lot more bargain romm in a used car, and I just talked to a salesman about a slightly used Honda Hybrid, savings was around 2K.
My girlfriend just bought a Prius which is less than a Camry Hybrid (depending on your options package). The Prius gets better mileage. There was a used Prius at the dealer’s (2007) that had 45000 miles on it already and they only took a couple thousand off the price.
The first Toyota dealer was a little shady with quoting my smart girlfriend a high price. She asked for the actual figures they were using (because they didn’t add up on Toyota’s calculator on their website or her financial calculator from college) so she went to another dealer and they were perfect with the numbers. Everything was up front, everything added up and the experience couldn’t have been any better (with an initial snag). She got the exact color she wanted and her payments ended up being less than she thought she’d be paying. The saleswoman from the first dealer chewed out my girlfriend on the phone during work because she felt “betrayed”. My girlfriend is going to tell Toyota and put as many recommendations online to not buy from that dealership.
Long story short, if you’re not getting the credit (which you aren’t), go with the vehicle with the credit or the Prius unless you simply don’t like the Prius.
I will bet a nickel that this other Toyota salesman took your GF in some way. Either on the Trade-in, the interest rate, the add-ons or the price. That’s what they are trained to do- if the customer is firm on one aspect, take them on another.