I also voted before I read your assumptions. When I bought my TCH, gas was $2.50 a gallon. Even at that price and looking at the XLE, it makes economic sense to buy the TCH.

We also have to consider that oil is a finite resource and cannot continue to waste it.

I would also question the assumption on mileage on the TCH. Toyota's synergy drive will allow far better mileage than that. My lifetime mileage is nearly 44 mpg. Without even trying, I can always exceed 40 mpg.

 

I probably wouldn't if I thought gas would remain below $3/gal. My situation was a little different. Got our HCH on a 2 year lease at $200/mo. That's $2400/yr and I'm hoping to get all of the $2350 tax credit. If so, the car will cost me $50 for the first year plus all the savings in fuel compared to the V8 Commander that it replaced. Will very likely buy the car at the end of the lease as I like driving it and it is great insurance if (when) prices do go up again. For now, I'm thrilled to pay about $17 to fill up and drive over 400 miles.

 

I bought mine without even figuring out the fuel costs. I am a techno-geek and wanted the technology. Besides, I'd rather give my hard-earned cash to Japan than to the Middle East.

 

As I've said, repeatedly, this is only a theoretical question seeking to find out if people would buy the car if they knew that there would be no way to recoup the extra cost in terms of fuel savings.

 

"...that alone closes the gap..."

And if I never plan to re-sell....?

What then..??

 

That is very interesting information. Thanks for sharing.

 

I think even a "fantasy survey" should make some attempt to align with the realities we know. I think you have made an attempt to do that, but as others have pointed out, there are a few things that just don't jive. One item that has been missed, so far, is the fact that VDIM is standard on the TCH, and there is no way to get it on the non-hybrid camry.

I got the TCH when gas was $2.20/gallon (dec 2006) in CA. I wanted to support further investment in the technology because I know that petroleum is a limited resource, and that gas will not always be cheap like it is today. I also think that the long-term solution to global warming may involve a carbon tax, likely at the pump.

 

On a per unit basis, there is far more benefit to the environment if UPS were to replace one of their brown delivery trucks with a hybrid equivalent then if the average consumer were to switch from a Camry LE to Hybrid.

I found this. Apparently the effort is being hampered by the very large price premium because of low volume. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/au...s/27TRUCK.html

There are lots of big vehicles that exist for a reason other than emotional, and they generally get more benefit from hybrid conversion in terms of gallons consumed per year than a tiny sedan.

 

Once again, I observe that my reasonably well loaded TCH actually cost LESS than the comparably equipped XLE V6 that I would otherwise have bought; so the current price of gasoline really did not enter into the decision.

That said, even if the TCH were to have cost a lot more, I surely would have gone with the hybrid anyway REGARDLESS of the current price of gas, no matter how low, because the major cost of an auto,for me, is depreciation, and the only way to minimize depreciation cost is to buy the least expensive car that will satisfy needs for a long, long, time and then keep it as long as possible. So, I usually keep my cars for 15 to 30 years. And, my expectation is that within 15 years form now, the cost of gasoline will probably be "out of sight".

 

My wife and I bought this back in '06 before gas really shot through the roof. Even if gas had been cheap at that time I think we would have gone with the Hybrid over an XLE. And Honestly, I wanted something a little different than the norm. While they may be more common now, back then I didn't see that many Hybrid Camry's on the road. And we'd definitely get another one again if we were looking for another car.