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New Toyota Camry Hybrid Owners - Give Us Your Report

646 messages,  Last post on Jan 27, 2013 at 2:14 PM

You are in the Toyota Camry Hybrid Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Camry Hybrid, Car Buying, Sedan

Messages Page 64 of 65

#627 of 646 So what are the added costs for owning Hybrid É Avalon by ncee

Oct 07, 2012 (8:03 am)

Hi. I'll be getting a new 2013 Avalon and would consider the Hybrid if I knew what to expect in the years to come.
 
- Repair costs?
- Maintenance costs?
- Long Term Costs?
 
I drive 36,000 miles a year and 75% is highway. Will I save enough to justify the added cost for the car upfront and then any added costs for up-keep in the years ahead?
 
I currently have a 2011 Avalon LTD, with 36,000+ miles (traded a 2008 Avalon Touring, (with 66,000+ miles) which was purchased from a Traded in 2007 Camry with 42,000+ miles).
 
I like the Avalon a lot, and yes, I like the idea of 40 MPG, but not if the upkeep is 10, 15, or 20% more, and repair cost for replacement batteries and such are a lot more down the road.
 
As you can see I don't normally keep a car long, but I may keep this will for several years (my wife laughed when I said this) and knowing that, I want to make the right discussion.
 
Any insight on hybrids would be helpful.
 
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#628 of 646 Re: So what are the added costs for owning Hybrid É Avalon [ncee] by bbrimmer

Oct 07, 2012 (12:47 pm)

Replying to: ncee (Oct 07, 2012 8:03 am)
I had a 2009 Camry Hybrid for 47K miles. I traded it only because it was not an AWD and we were experiencing a bad winter in New England a few years ago so I opted for a Venza AWD 4 cylinder and it gets about 25 mpg combined.
As for extra cost with the Hybrid, nothing additional except that the tires only went to about 35K. I cannot figure whether that was the tire or the way braking works with Hybrids. Also, I took a large hit with my trade-in. In January 2010 I was told by Toyota dealers that no one was buying pre-owned hybrids. That may have changed. You sound like a loyal Avalon fan, and the 2013 promises to be the best looking one yet. Good Luck.

#629 of 646 Re: So what are the added costs for owning Hybrid � Avalon [ncee] by va hybrid user

Oct 07, 2012 (6:10 pm)

Replying to: ncee (Oct 07, 2012 8:03 am)
I just had my 60,000 mile checkup for my hybrid Camry and it cost me probably $80. If you change the oil every 3K miles you should have negligible repair and maintenance costs.

#630 of 646 Re: So what are the added costs for owning Hybrid É Avalon [ncee] by snaab93se1

Oct 07, 2012 (11:48 pm)

Replying to: ncee (Oct 07, 2012 8:03 am)
No added costs so far... 2008 Camry hybrid just passed 69,000 miles. Oil changes every 5K, rear brakes replaced under warranty (defect) at 30k (no charge) still have 7 or 8mm left on those pads as well as the front. Original tires lasted 50kmi. Only repair so far was a melted trunk release from the phoenix sun at $150 installed. Intermittent problem with a rear door lock that will need attention at the next oil change. Hands down the most trouble free car I've ever had and 36+ mpg....tanks go between 500-600 miles between fill ups. Want a Avalon hybrid or ES300h but afraid to trade since this one has been so good to me and I have had 5 lemons before this one.

#631 of 646 Just bought my second Toyota Camry Hybrid by applegator

Nov 26, 2012 (1:55 pm)

I just bought my second Camry Hybid...this one is a 2012 Silver Camry Hybrid XLE with navigation, moonroof, leather pkg, auto-dimming mirror with Homelink, back up camera, smart key entry, and more. I paid $29,418.00 which included the $1,000. rebate and got 0.9% financing over 60 mos. on the $22,000. I financed. The MSRP was $32,340.00. I've been getting a little over 40 MPG even with all the hills I have to go over in Southern Oregon. I love my Camry Hybrid! My first Camry Hybrid was a 2008 and would have been an XLE if they had trims back then.

#632 of 646 Re: Just bought my second Toyota Camry Hybrid [applegator] by sonnyv6

Dec 10, 2012 (9:16 am)

Replying to: applegator (Nov 26, 2012 1:55 pm)
Hi Applegator,
Congratulations on your new purchase! I bought one with the same configuration & color on October 24, in Toronto. This is my first ever Hybrid & I have been pretty happy with the car. But.....I do not get the mileage you mentioned. Here we measure mileage by litres per 100 Kilometers. I get an average of 7.69L/100kms which translates to 30.57mpg. I wonder what I am doing wrong. I am not too heavy on the accelerator but we do use heating (sparingly) since its close 30F outside. I still have the original oil & lube on the car from the dealership & have travelled about 1400Kms (~690Miles) since I bought it. I have had a decent mix of city & highway driving so far, but the average has not fluctuated much.
Appreciate any tips for the fellow users!!

#633 of 646 Re: Just bought my second Toyota Camry Hybrid [sonnyv6] by applegator

Dec 10, 2012 (1:11 pm)

Replying to: sonnyv6 (Dec 10, 2012 9:16 am)
Hi sonnyv6....congratulations on your hybrid purchase! Yesterday we got gas and this time we got 34.5 miles/gallon. One thing I do which you may do already is take your foot off the gas and just coast down hills whenever you can although the 2012 does not coast as well as my 2008 did. My 2008 would coast down the smallest of hills! My 2008 hybrid averaged 35 - 36 miles/gallon. I have read the larger tires on the 2012 cause resistance that the smaller tires on the 2008 did not. The other thing I do is when I'm approaching a red light is take my foot off the gas and just coast to the red light. My husband said he believes that vehicles get better gas mileage after they are broken in and after the first oil change. Our salesman recommended we use ECO mode except for in stop & go traffic he told us to switch to EV mode to get the best mileage. Using cruise control helps get better gas mileage too. Please let me know what gas mileage you are getting after your first oil change. I am certain it will be better than the 30.57 miles/gallon you are getting now. One thing I did not mention in my first review was that I had over 83,000 miles on my 2008 Camry Hybrid when I traded it in and had no problems with it whatsoever. The only thing I had to do was the routine maintenance. One thing hybrid owners should know which I found out by accident. A hybrid should never be left not driven for more than one month because this will damage the electric battery. A retiree told me this. He said he pays someone to drive his hybrid every two weeks since he travels for months at a time leaving his hybrid in his garage. I googled it and found this to be true although I was surprised the dealerships did not inform me of this important issue and we own a Honda Civic hybrid as well which our son drives. When our son travels we drive the Honda every two weeks. The Camry Hybrid has never been left sitting for more than 10 days.

#634 of 646 Re: Just bought my second Toyota Camry Hybrid [sonnyv6] by hearingman

Dec 11, 2012 (4:43 pm)

Replying to: sonnyv6 (Dec 10, 2012 9:16 am)
Just saw your message and I too have purchased a 2012 camry hybrid xle fully loaded. Firstly your car has not been broken in yet. It should take approx. 10000 km. however, I'd like to confirm that the Toyota posted feul efficiency is not accurate. It is advertised as 4.7L/100km city and 5.1L/100km. The milage I'm getting is approx. 6L/100 hwy, 5.9L/100km city. Additionally, I have found approx. 5 addresses that the GPS can not find. Added to that the voice activation does not work all the time. To top off things there are many more problems one of which is that the passenger side window does not work properly and the dealer has attempted to fix it twice with no resolution.
This vehicle has to date been the worst I have ever owned and at present, I would never recommend it to anyone.
 
All that being said, I just want you to know that you are not alone.

#635 of 646 Re: Just bought my second Toyota Camry Hybrid [applegator] by sonnyv6

Dec 20, 2012 (8:46 am)

Replying to: applegator (Dec 10, 2012 1:11 pm)
Thanks for all the advice. I will wait & see. I have very happy with the purchase other than this aspect. A similarly equipped VW Passat which is much cheaper & equally fun to drive, was my 2nd option & I hope I dont regret not going for that.
The whole point of getting a TCH was the rated fuel efficiency factor, which I know is never true but did not imagine it would be this off.
I am on ECO mostly, use EV mode whenever it is available (I must say its quite rarely available or switches off if one attains any kind of meaningfull speed), drive in a way (coast to red lights, stick to speed limits, no jack rabbits or sudden braking, accelerate slowly which some times makes people behind me honk, fuel 87 at premium gas stations mostly at Shell)which makes me look like a Great Grand daddy...but STILL DO NOT attain fuel efficiency anywhere near the rating....Spent all this money & as they say on CNET...one cannot brag to his friends that he bought a Camry.
To add further, my previous car had 225 55R17 Winter tires & I got them mounted to my TCH. The 10mm difference in width leads to higher drag & resistance. 2 things: Safety is paramount, 2nd the money I would spend to buy new set of 215 size tires...that made me go this direction.

#636 of 646 Re: Just bought my second Toyota Camry Hybrid [sonnyv6] by ncee

Dec 20, 2012 (8:59 am)

Replying to: sonnyv6 (Dec 20, 2012 8:46 am)
I can't speak about either car in general other then to say, my years working at a VW dealership, made sure I would NEVER purchase one!
 
While they may have gotten better over the best few years, they REALLY sucked back then, and I hated to have to wait on VW customers, who for the most part were very unhappy and often angry when they dropped off the car, and equally as mad and often more so, when they picked up the car and got the bill!
 
30+ cars later, 8 of which have been toyotas, (2 Tercels, 1 - 4 Runner, 2 Camry's and 3 Avalons) I can say the Toyotas have been COST FREE, and TROUBLE FREE to own (for the most part).
 
Don't be abscess with MPG, as it will drive you crazy, and you may find yourself being a hazard to others around you.
 
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