So I traded my Lexus 330 for a Toyota Camry Hybrid. I've had the Camry for a couple of weeks now and felt the need to share how GREAT this is all working out for me.
When I considered trading the Lexus - I had three goals in mind: to lower my payment, use regular unleaded gas - not premium, and get better gas mileage.
Wow - have I succeeded! Wish all goals were this easy to achieve. I'm only on my second tank of gas (yes, REGULAR unleaded) - have driven over 600 miles and I'm getting close to the 34 mpg touted by Toyota for this car. If I could stay off the highway - I know I'd be getting more as this car loves the stop and go and lower speeds of city driving.
It's pretty fun to drive - you can watch the gauges to see when the car is using gas, when it's using the battery and when the battery is charging. Very fascinating stuff. Great acceleration - fantastic turning radius, nice quiet ride; for someone who hasn't driven anything but vans & SUVS for over 10 years - it's definitely different in a good way.
I thought I would have to give up a lot of luxury and features with the Toyota but that's not so. This car has everything my Lexus had except a back up camera and memory driver's seat. It's solid and quiet and the inside feels just as luxurious as the Lexus. It's actually longer than the Lexus and there is plenty of interior room for myself and passengers.
Anyway, I'm really impressed and happy. Love the color, too - Barcelona Red - which for me translates to Northwood Red. So this blog entry really is about Pittsburgh real estate. I'm driving all over Allegheny and Washington County selling houses in a red car that matches my company's colors and getting great gas mileage while doing my part for the environment. It just doesn't get any better than this.
Thanks to Mark Petrosky - General Manager at Rohrich Toyota for a great deal and a great car!