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IntelliChoice Value Rating
The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.
One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.
What is a good car value?
A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.
But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?
For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.
This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)
Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.
Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.
So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.
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Review From Motor Trend Magazine
Long-Term Arrival: 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
Cheers for frugal driving pleasure
By Ron Kiino
Photography by Julia LaPalme
Since we at Motor Trend are required to keep the fuel tank of every test vehicle filled to two-thirds full, the arrival of a gas/electric hybrid -- especially one that'll be here for a year -- is a welcome addition. The reason, naturally, is fewer visits to the gas station, which means fewer instances of being irritated by Angelenos blabbing on their Bluetooths while fueling. In the case of our latest long-termer, the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid, there's a lot more to enjoy than just fewer fill-ups and annoyances. Wearing an as-tested price tag of $27,909, our Titanium Metallic Camry Hybrid came equipped with three useful options: a voice-activated DVD-based navigation system, which includes a booming 440-watt JBL premium stereo with an in-dash four-CD changer, MP3 playback, and Bluetooth compatibility ($1200), the last for talking in the car only, of course; a carpet/trunk mat set ($199); and heated outside mirrors ($30). Our Camry's lack of options is really a sign of its high level of standard equipment, which includes four-wheel disc brakes (plus electric regenerative braking) with ABS, seven airbags, a tire-pressure-monitoring system, a Smart Key setup with pushbutton start, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a power driver's seat.  Already with 4841 miles on the odometer, the Camry Hybrid has impressed every staffer who's spent time behind the wheel. From the Lexus-quiet cabin and intuitive nav system to the up-to-the-minute fuel-mileage display and convenient auxiliary audio jack, the Camry has proven pleasurable to drive. More important, the real-world fuel economy from the Camry's 2.4-liter four-cylinder/electric motor hybrid system has delivered a frugal 32.0 mpg. That figure is below its EPA numbers (40 city/38 highway), but we expect fuel economy to rise as the miles do. Perhaps even more impressive is the Hybrid's acceleration: 0-to-60 mph in 7.7 seconds and the quarter mile in 15.9 at 89.1 mph, both of which are quicker than those of the Buick Lucerne CXL and Mercury Montego Premier AWD we tested in June. We should also note that the Camry Hybrid serves up around 10 mpg more than the Buick and Mercury. As technical editor Kim Reynolds puts it, "The Camry Hybrid makes you ask how other carmakers can defend their comparative inefficiency." | 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid | | Base price | $26,480 | | Price as tested | $27,909 | | Vehicle layout | Front engine,FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan | | Engine | 2.4L/147-hp/ 138 lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus 141-hp/199 lb-ft electric motor | | Transmission | Continuously variable auto | | Curb weight(dist f/r) | 3589 lb (58/42%) | | Wheelbase | 109.3 in | | Length x width x height | 189.2 x 71.7 x 57.5 in | | 0-60 mph | 7.7 sec | | Quarter mile | 15.9 sec @ 89.1 mph | | Braking, 60-0 mph | 134 ft | | Lateral acceleration | 0.76 g | | EPA city/hwy econ | 40/38 mpg | | Total mileage | 4841 mi | | Average test mpg | 32.0 mpg | | Unresolved problem areas | None | | From The Logbook | "It doesn't matter if you get 35 mpg or 40 mpg; it's way better than most cars of this size and power output." - Brian Vance |
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Toyota Camry reliability
I am looking at used cars and would like to hear from Camry owners (1998-2001 models) concerning problems with front...
02/22/2007 | 16:02 PM | epojr
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XM & Sirius Satellite Radio
Score one more for SIRIUS: "SIRIUS Satellite Radio Now Available in Toyota and Scion Vehicles" SIRIUS Satellite Radio...
10/09/2006 | 15:10 PM | seoandrew
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2006 Future Shock!
Here they are, the 59 hottest cars, trucks, SUVs, and concepts headed your way in 2006 and beyond.
more
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