3rd Jan 2011, 17:11
"I suppose 24 is a realistic real world mileage for the Camry, however I wonder how these people calculate that their Camrys get 30-35. Wishful thinking?"
I'm very sorry you got taken in by a myth. My friend's 4-cylinder RAV 4 gets 19 mpg on the highway. All Toyota's are very over rated in both reliability and gas mileage. Our large domestic SUV gets better highway mileage than my friend's RAV 4.
As for used cars, nothing beats a good, solid domestic Ford or GM. A co-worker of mine just bought a mint 1998 Pontiac Bonneville with the 3.8 engine and only 69,000 miles for just $3500. The car only had 69,000 miles. A GM service department checked the car out before he bought it, and told him it should be good for another 200,000 miles. That beats the heck out of paying ten grand for a piece of Japanese junk that won't last 6 months.
3rd Jan 2011, 15:58
You cannot compare a Bonneville to a Camry, the Bonneville is a much better car for the money.
Like you said, the fuel economy is about the same, but you have much more power on the freeway.
I have driven Camry's, and they feel cheap and unsafe, not to mention noisy at highway speeds.
Why people will pay 2 or 3 times more for a Toyota is beyond me. They require expensive maintenance to be reliable, and you are driving a cheap economy car.
Must be a status thing or something, trying to be better than your neighbor with an expensive economy car that offers less luxury and comfort than a cheaper domestic.