OK, well I just got a call from my dealer, and he said that they just received the "allotment" on the TCH that I ordered 6 weeks ago. I am not quite sure what this means, but he said that the car should come in the end of September or in early October.

If he is correct, my total wait time will have been about 3 months, which is pretty much what I expected.

But does anyone know what an "allotment" is in this context and how Toyota distributes its hybrids to dealerships?

 

It kind of sounds like they were just told they are scheduled to get the car they (you) ordered. As in, they get their turn.

 

Before placing an order did u check out other dealer inventories in other cities and states>? I would think its better to travel for the right car then wait months.. Just my opinion

 

Truthfully, I would rather just wait for the car because my current car (2002 RAV4) is in great condition and it is serving me well. I would rather go about my normal business for 3 months than kill an entire day traveling. Also, I have had many bad experiences with traveling to dealers who claimed to have the car I wanted in inventory only to get there and be given a song and dance.

 

I totally understand and I'm sure following your heart you will never go wrong.. I'm wondering is there a differance in 08 and 09 camry option wise?

thanks and good luck!

 

To followup this post. For August TMS USA reported: Camry 44064 total of which 3456 were hybrids. Prius sales were only 13463. So the percentage of hybrid Camry increased to one in thirteen.

 

My daily commute is very short (about 3 miles each way) and I live in a cold-climate state (New York). Under the circumstances, what is the gas millage I could hope to get out of the Camry? Will it be any better than a conventional car under these conditions? In my current car, a 4cyl rav4, I get between 22 and 23 MPG day to day and 26 when traveling on the highway. Will I see better or worse millage out of the TCH?

 

It's tough to predict a hard number, but with a commute of only 3 miles each way, a hybrid may not be the optimum vehicle for you. I drive 21 miles each way to work, and average 40MPG or so for the whole trip, but according to the trip-MPG display on my car, my average doesn't get much above 25MPG until after I've gone 2 or 3 miles. It's the rest of the trip (once the car is completely up to operating temp and the battery is fully charged) where the higher mileage really comes into play.

 

That's what I was afraid of. Perhaps I'd get better millage out of a Mini Cooper.

 

Just be aware that no matter which vehicle you get, the first few miles are going to be hard on the mileage. When an engine is cold the ECU will run it richer to try and warm it up faster, so no matter what the sticker in the window says the EPA number is, you will get much worse on a 2-3 mile commute.