Why would someone purchase a regular toyota camry over a hybrid (2007)?

Question

Hybrid Camry is only a few thousand more but you make it up with gas. Why are people still buying regular Camry's?

Answer 1

Because in order to justify the additional cost over 5 years, the average gas price would have to be nearly 3 times what it already is. The maitenance costs and the additional upfront costs really don't work out to being economically effective at all.

Answer 2

More important:

Why is Toyota still manufacturing regular Camrys?

I have never understood why companies will produce a product which is supposed to be an improvement over the original yet continue to sell it?

Dishwashing soap is an example. If Palmolive introduces a "new, stronger, concentrated soap, more powerful and use 1/3 less", why do they sell the original version?

The same question holds for automobiles. That said, there are a few issues which need to be sorted out before hybrids catch on.

The biggest problem with hybrids is what to do with the batteries once they're kaput, and the cost to replace them. Not all consumers know the answers to these questions.

Also, the improvement in mileage isn't THAT much. Hybrids were touted to receive well over 50 mpg. When the production models came out, the average mpg is 25, with a few getting 40-50.

Do you remember the Honda which was manufactured in the 1990s which got over 40mpg, and was a regular combustion engine driven vehicle?

If manufacturers can produce regular vehicles with that sort of mileage, where are don't all hybrids exceed that?

The answer is that a majority of Americans are addicted to speedy and powerful cars- they're not quite ready to accept 3 cylinder engines, or 0-60 in 20 seconds.

Answer 3

i swear to god some of you people need to read up on hybrids before bashing them.

the hybrid battery cuts power in an accident (there are multiple redundant relays to ensure this) so the jaws of life can be used as in any other car.

the battery is warranted for 8 years/100k miles. let's think about technology. what does it do over time... oh yes it gets cheaper. by the time you run through that warranty the current *UNDER 3K* pricetag should hvae dropped substantially.

actually, they've been testing and improving their battery technology for about 8 years now, and there are many priuses (who run on the same hybrid drive system) that have gone more than 250k and no sign of battery trouble. and the hybrid camry has an improved and more powerful battery, with better management software.

what else... oh that consumer reports thing. they did lash the power hybrids that are trying to advertise as worth the money. which was indeed deserved. but you notice the efficiency hybrids were indeed cheaper. and comparing a prius to a corolla is a joke, you wouldn't catch me dead in a corolla. yet it ends up cheaper than the corolla!

electric motors require no routine maintenance and the gas engine, which is prone to problems in all cars, is used a substantially lower percentage of the time, which makes for longer engine life.

the continuously variable transmission has no parts to grind against one another as in a manual or an auto tranny, so there's no blowing out your 3rd gear or anything.

maintenance overall is lower... mostly an oil change and tire rotation every 5k or so. the occasional coolant flush, air filter change, etc, but definitely not more than any other vehicle on the road.

i dunno... a 40 mpg camry over... 24 mpg city for a standard camry? sounds like a lot less gas to me. let's think about this. say you drive 1000 miles.
so at 24 mpg, your 1000 miles takes 41 gal of gas.
at 40 mpg, your 1000 miles takes 25 gal of gas.
at 3 bucks a gallon, which is a very realistic number at least where i am, that's $123 vs $75. hmm. so saving $48 per 1000 miles, you end up having to drive 62.5k to break even. i know people who do that in a year or so.

total cost of ownership is actually lower over time, since there are a number of parts that don't experience nearly as much wear as in a regular car. no alternator, no starter, no brake replacement due to the regenerative brakes...

however, what you don't see is the fact that the hybrid contains some pretty high end options not standard or not available in the standard camry. one particularly important option is their vehicle stability system, VDIM or vehicle dynamics integrated management. there's also the upgraded stereo system, the information screen, smart key system, steering wheel controls, dual zone climate control... and on and on. so that extra money isn't all for the hybrid system, there's a lot that goes for the high end options they stuck in there.

anyway. for a few grand, in the scope of dropping twentysomething on a car, it does make sense to get the hybrid. however, as you can see in this set of answers alone, there are a lot of myths floating around that scare people away.

Answer 4

It might be just me, but these seem like two vehicles on two different spectrums. A turbocharged Swedish General Motors vehicle or a Japanese gas/electric hybrid? I'd go with the Camry Hybrid. I never liked where the ignition was on a Saab. If u spill your Starbucks down there, then what happens? You'd be better off with the Camry.

Answer 5

Because the total cost of ownership is quite a bit higher. It would take the average owner up to 10 years to recover the extra cost of the hybrid, if ever. By then, you're faced with a battery replacement, but that's only "a few thousand more" $$$.

Check out Consumer Reports cost comparison on their website to see how the number crunch out. It's just not a money saver. Yet, anyway.

Answer 6

Because people who buy Camrys are generally either senior citizens, know very little about cars and/or are totally risk averse.

Asking this market to try something new, especially when it costs more, is generally a waste of time. They read consumer reports, not Popular Science or car magazines.

Answer 7

camry hybrids are not that expensive to buy than an accord hybrid. accors hybrid is about $32.000 and the camry hybrid is about $26,000 the regular camry is somewhat $19,000 or the luxury version of camry(XLE) is $1,000 cheaper than camry hybrid. people can buy that hybrid just pretend to buying camry XLE.

I couldnt still understand why people doesnt buy that hybrid,it is cheaper than most of bigger hybrids. it is not a hybrid that has to plug in in the everyday.

hybrid wont last longer............

Answer 8

If you keep the vehicle for a few years you may want to look into the $5000 battery cost. The fact is nobody really knows how long the batteries will last.

Answer 9

it takes several years to reap the benefits of a hybrid. if you do not plan on keeping the hybrid for several years, it is cheaper to get a regular vehicle. several cities had ordered hybrids but found out they are not cost effective for short term(few years).

Answer 10

Why would anyone buy a Toyota Camry?