Re: Advice Needed
1) The Toyota Hybrid Camry ("TCH") has a lot of options that you will not even find on the XLE or are options (e.g., Vehicle Stability Control - a great safety feature, Smart Key (a very cool feature), Bluetooth). I have also read that they are removing some of the features that you find in the Hybrid for 08 to make them cheaper and then up sell them as options)
2) Federal Tax Credit is being phased out as Toyota sells more and more Hybrid models. When I purchased my TCH, I only qualified for 50% of the credit. Some of the other manufactures (e.g. Nissan, who has licensed the Hybrid Synergy Drive from Toyota, and is now offering an Altima Hybrid may be a good alternative to the TCH in order to qualify for a higher Federal Tax Credit due to the fact that they have not sold that many Hybrid models)
3) Keep in mind that purchasing a Hybrid, has other non-financial benefits:
ˇ Image Environmentally forward thinking folks, such as yourself, want to leave a greener planet for your kids/grandchildren.
ˇ Technology Investment Remember the days that DVD players and Plasma TVs were for the super rich? New technology costs more at first. We all know this to be true. Without those folks that were willing to help the Technology take off we would still be watching movies on VHS. The difference in this case is that we are investing in a better technology that will help reduce our carbon footprint.
ˇ Oil Dependency Right now, we few Hybrid owners, are a drop in the bucket, we barely have impacted the daily consumption of oil. That will change as the technology spreads, becomes more affordable, and good willing some help from Congress.
4) Technology Improvements The only thing that I think will help the Hybrid technology improve in the near future is battery storage capacity. Based on the few articles that I have read, battery technology enhancements are 3 to 4 years out.
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