You should skip the hybrid unless it is for a moral choice. Don't think it pencils out for the increase cost of car vs. money you save on gas. Plus I think you have to replace a battery with a hybrid every so often. If you go hybrid, Toyota does hybrid well and camry is a solid car. Something a little more sporty and fun is the Acura line with the Acura ILX going for about 25K. The Acura TL is a really nice car (much better than the camry, IMO) but you are jumping to to about 32K for that car. These days the newer german cars can be as reliable as japanesse cars (even american cars can be dependable these days). It is the jump in cost for a new or couple yr old german car that makes it tough to go that way. Buying an older german car vs a new toyota doesn't sound like the most practical choice.
So I just ran some quick n dirty numbers on 4 cylinder 2.5L regular Camry and the hybrid version. I was basing it on the combined mpg (highway and city) on the Toyota site, 28 mpg for regular and 41 for hybrid. If you drive 15,000 miles in a year and gas averages 4$ per gallon then savings will be $678 per year. That means if it costs $3000 more for the hybrid you will need to drive the car for 4.4 years before you are actually saving money. If you do mostly highway it will take significantly longer to break even, and if you do mainly city driving it will take significantly less time to break even. Hope that helps. Edit: related components for hybrid vehicles are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles by Toyota. In California it's 150,000 miles. They tend to be quite hardy nowadays, but does cost around $2500 to replace if warrantee is up.
We have two Hyundais. After having cars that break down all the time, they have stood the test of time -- except my Wife burns through clutches like crazy. I just had mine replaced at 97K miles. My wife went through 2 clutches in that many miles. Next car will definitely being an automatic. All the hills in Seattle.
If you don't have a family then you need a car that has a gas pedal that your going to enjoy at least.
I have a Honda CBR600RR motorcycle, which will dust off just about any car on the road. I think I'm okay in the speed department
It's "need to go on long trips and take a lot of stuff" department, in tune with the "it's raining outside and I don't want to get soaked" department that I think NB is thinking of here. oh and the "holy shit, it's 25 degrees and snowing I sure as fuck ain't taking my bike out there" department.
You would be me off the line....... But my V8 Audi over the long haul would beat you.....Sorry motorcycle boy. Sent from HCPs Baller-Ass iPhone 5...FAMS!
Ugh, Toyota Camry...my Grandma's car is a 2011 Camry and I've driven it several times, and I can safely say it's the most bland, boring, average, everyday car there is. It's not fun to drive. It never stands out from the crowd. You see about 100 of them per trip. Buying a Camry is the equivalent of investing your savings into a Certificate: as safe as it gets for investments, but very little interest/reward (especially these days), no frills or excitement, you know exactly what you're getting. It's like going to the Tillamook Cheese Factory for ice cream and getting...Vanilla Bean. As a car guy, I would never even think of buying a Camry, but if you can relate to my analogies, then a Camry is the car for you.
We ended up buying a Camry SE. We really like it. It gets good gas mileage, it's super comfortable, and it's a great commuter. If I want to have fun I'll ride my bike
Lame and responsible...... pretty much what we expected! Lets meet up on the old Gorge highway and see who has more fun. Should of gone Euro son!
