I bought for the mileage, styling, the "green" factor, and because I am DONE with domestic cars.

It replaced an '02 Chevy Trailblazer with 47000 miles.

 

My white TCH with all options replaced my 2003 Prius, which I still own but am selling. So I've gone from 50+ mpg to an average of 'only' 40! I know it must sound wierd to those of you who traded from 15 mpg SUVs or Lexus, but I almost didn't get the TCH because of the comparatively worse mileage <g>. I'm glad I got it, it is the best car I've owned. But it's missing the "fun-to-drive" factor of the Prius. I'd gotten used to really feeling the regen breaking, the road and being able to zip around and turn in the smallest radius. Still, the TCH is smooth, quiet, very safe (I think the stability control saved me from an accident in the rain) and very 'mature." But Toyota should stop trying to hide the fact that it's a hybrid in the badging etc. I WANT people to notice.

Don't worry that you're saving less on gas now that the price is down. We have two more weeks to enjoy it ... after the election, they'll jack the price up again. (Sorry to disappoint the oil companies but the low-gas-price bribe won't buy my vote!)

 

Didn't trade for our TCH; we're supplementing an "01 Highlander and an '04 Prius. The Prius is now used mostly by our teenage son. The HL is being used only for hauling large items and heading into the "outback" on muddy, snowy mountain roads. I, too, miss driving the Prius sometimes, though I do get my hands on it from time-to-time. It has a closer feel of the road and it's zippier and easier to park in town. But the Camry is a MUCH nicer riding car and feels much more stable at highway speeds. It's also much quieter and feels safer. Whenever I say "safer" I think we should give the Camry to our son and take back the Prius, but he'd never go for that. He loves driving and being seen in the Prius! It feels strange "only" getting 40+ mpg instead of 50+, but the trade-off is well worth the 10-12 miles per gallon. I also like the greater range of the Camry. We're only on our second tank, but we're likely to go over 700 miles without any effort. The most I ever got with the Prius was 650 mi. and it took a great deal of attention to do so.

 

When the price of gas went over $3.00 and the war in Lebanon was at its height, I thought it was time to make some serious changes in my choice of wheels. We traded in a new 06 Mustang GT and an 03 F-150 Supercrew P/U. Though that still left us w/ an 05 GMC Yukon, 99 Isuzu VehiCross, 92 Toyota Tercel and a 91 Honda Prelude. We are never at loss as to what to drive, though the TCH is our long distance traveler. For a short time, as the price of gas has continued to fall, we considered selling the TCH, but now we're going to keep it knowing that its only a matter of time before our friends in the middle east decide the best way to terrorize the gas guzzling American Infidels, is to hit them with another spike in the price of a barrel of oil.....

 

My TCH replaced my '02 Prius.

Why did I get rid of my Prius. 105,000+ miles.

I chose the TCH over the '07 prius for several reasons.

First and foremost, I don't like Hatchbacks. My first
car was a Vega hatchback (garbage) and in college
I drove a chevette (worse). I like having a trunk.

I must admit, I did have some qualms about going
towards less MPGs. But, with the amount I drive
(roughly 80 miles per day), I really find I enjoy
the smoother ride of the TCH and the comfort.

The Prius, while I loved the car, was always a
bit cramped for me. The seat never went back
quite far enough (I'm over 6'), and it always had
what my Dad refers to as a "small car feel".

I've only had the TCH for about 3 days now, and
so far, its the best car i've ever owned.

And, so far, I'm getting around 39-40+ mpg on
my commute.

-cid.

 

My TCH replaced an old '97 Mazda Protege (>130K miles), which itself replaced a '91 Protege (>100K miles???), which itself replaced a '83 Protege... Basically a very monotonous routine up until now. :-)

These were my "work horses", perfect for daily downtown work commutes (25 miles each way) and usual shopping errands. Definitely not fancy at all, but not meant as such either: just cheap yet reliable modes of transportation in a Texas-sized metropolis lacking proper/safe alternatives.

Mazda stopped making Proteges this year (or last?), and it was time to trade "up" a bit to something with a great "family car" reputation. I was originally thinking of an LE, but going hybrid seemed like an interesting experiment.... Boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise when we got our TCH: I didn't think it'd become an instant Hybrid convert!!!

I am amazed at the technology behind it, the idea of saving at least SOME of our ever-decreasing fossil fuel reserves, reducing emissions (albeit oh-so minimally in the grand scheme of things), the whole PZEV concept overall... besides, the boring daily commutes have been (at least temporarily) invigorated by trying to beat my fuel consumption averages every time... something to do while stuck in traffic and driving the same old roads day in / day out.

 

Did not replace anything. 199 Camry was getting a bit long in the tooth. Running well but paint was peeling. And got only 20-22 mpg. I hated getting the Odyssey out of the garage each day and getting 15 mpg. And the $2600 + SC $520 tax credit sealed the purchase of the TCH.

 

My TCH (scheduled for 11/2 delivery) will replace my '94 Camry XLE (135K miles).

The XLE still looks good and runs well. I'm just getting tired of it after driving it for 12 years...

 

We did a roll-over. My husband refuses to buy new cars and I only want new cars, so he takes my hand-me-downs. This summer I was commuting for a couple of weeks about 30 miles each way (over numerous hills which included some 1000 ft climbs) and it was at the peak of high gas prices. When I had to purchase gas every 3 days at 22 mpg in the 98 Chrysler Concorde I decided it was time to start looking. (My normal communte is only about 2.5 miles!)

We test drove a Prius (could only find used ones to test drive) and a Honda Civic Hybrid. As I have noted in other posts the car I ended up with was in the showroom when I test drove the Prius, but we felt that both the Prius and the Civic were a step down from the luxury of the Concorde. When I was able to drive the Camry I was sold and was fortunate enough to almost buy it on the spot...(I waited a couple of days just to do some research online...)

So, my hubby is now driving the Concorde (19 mpg around town, about 135K) and he is hoping to get rid of my previous car (that he has been driving since 98) which is an 1988 Honda Accord with 265K on it and still not burning any oil! It just needs work like the muffler, AC, etc. It still runs pretty well!

We also have a 1996 Chevy S10 PU with the towing package for the 5th wheel...

 

When gas passed $3.00 a gallon, and my old F-150 ate it's second timing chain (250,000 miles on the same engine/tranny) I decided to replace it. I replaced the timing chain and will be putting the truck up for sale soon. My wife and I used to have 4 horses, and the truck was used for hauling them, hay, manure, dirt, ect., as well as commuting. My wife drives a FEH (traded in our '92 Explorer last year on it) and we really like how the hybrids drive, the lower emissions and better mileage.

I orginally wanted a Prius, but after driving one I wanted to also try the TCH before buying. Once I drove the TCH I was sold! I was hoping to get around 38mpg and have been amazed at the 44 to 45mpg I constantly get. Sure beats the 12 to 13mpg the old F-150 gets commuting.