Grounded to the Ground - Vanilla Cammie Chronicles
Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 12:44 am
Hello ladies and germs, as most of you know, I sold my R after 5 yrs and 93.5 k miles of relatively trouble-free motoring. It was a move for me, as I'm typically married to my cars for 6 to 8 yrs and drop them before they start to get unreliable, become a safety risk, or a financial headache. Well, in this case, none of these factors applied, and it was ultimately the chip shortages combined with a low point in my family's vehicle demand that convinced me to move on faster than I usually would have. The on the car sale was sweet. Basically, a $42k 2017 Aarr after a winter tire package, extended warranty, F&PDI and taxes is a $50k purchase. I would never buy a car like that MSRP, but I was sitting on a MK6 GOLF TDI also 5 yrs/100k miles in which got repurchased for nearly half of this thing thanks to Dieselgate... So YOLO this. That was my first stroke of luck with this handsome hatchback; little did I know back then that I'd be able to off it for $28.5K on its summer set of bent Pretorias, a broken windshield, and five years of door dings and salt/rust accumulation. Thus should be a 22k sale, especially with the insurance claim for $6700. I had a few tire kickers, but nobody wanted the car when they found out it had a big-ticket repair. I probably should have told VW to piss off and change the oil pan after plowing that landscaping rock, most of the damage was cosmetic on underbody components
Whatev, nearly 70% of MSRP back in hand for relinquishing this bitch to some corporation with a fancy car transporter who did indeed pay me hassle-free! Good riddance, I ain't shedding tears.
The family needs a slightly bigger car with a smoother ride for those longish GB getaway drives. I was also not impressed with the gearing on the R, which had me commuting at 3k rpms chomping away at 91 octane fuel thanks to a factory tune and large turbo.
To achieve my goals, I needed to find a vehicle with a longer wheelbase than a Golf, which is nearly everything. My life also took an exciting turn with an investment property, and to make it happen, a few things were set aside, including the C5.5 and most of our disposable income. I knew that the next car needed to be very efficient, experience with the TDI taught me that the lower cost of fuel adds up. The purchase price of the new thing should be within 10k of the outgoing car; Otherwise, the doesn't support the cause. At a $10k spread, I could scratch up enough loose cash to skip carrying a loan whatsoever.
Other factors on my mind included the amount of income I earned between Stellantis and Toyota. It gives me a sense of gratitude and thankfulness, and Toyota's business is head and shoulders above the rest. So buying a Toyota next was a no-brainer even with the politics aside. Their attention to detail, mentorship mindset, and standardization processes continue to elevate them as the most reliable and efficient brand bar none in my experience. Exactly what I needed in my corner right now, and I exhausted my patience with the VW service mindset, which left us on the hook for overly complex equipment that costs more to replace and service. A new and better business mindset is so refreshing!
Okay, so why a Cammie? Toyota has a few products that appeal to families. Most of them are SUVs, but the creme de la creme is the 4Runner/Taco if gas is a mere afterthought, which it is not. Also, price-wise, we are talking double what a Camry/Rav cost. It is the same story with the Highlander, but that thing can be had with a hybrid powertrain but I'm just not an SUV guy. The Venza is ugly IMO and still costs nearly 4R/Highlander money. It's silly. So those are the heavy hitters, and frankly more than I can afford, pal. The Rav4, Camry, Prius, 'Rolla hatch & Hybrid Sedan were the top contenders, and size was the name of the game, so the Rav and Cammie were the top two options. It turns out they are basically the same car, rear-seat legroom is within 3/8" of each other, both share the same platform and power train options, and both are within $2k of each other for comparably equipped models.
There's an optional 301HP V6 in the Camry that runs on 87 gas shared with the ES350, but the hybrid seems most reviewers favourite platform and outputs 208 HP in both the Rav and the Camry. The V6 is also thirsty and defeats the whole point of this move. FE figures lean towards the sleeker and lighter sedan, Rav Hybrid is 41/38 mpg city/highway, while the Cammie achieves 46/47 comfortably.
Camry: The lowest trim LE has a newer lithium-ion battery which Toyota isn't comfortable introducing on all of their trims just yet, and it's able to hit 52/53 mpg because it can regen to nearly full very fast allowing it to stay in EV mode longer. Those numbers are bonkers, and it's the trim I should get, but alas, vanity stands in the way! Regardless of trim, most reviewers prefer the hybrid power train over all the others, mainly because it is smooth and quick (enough), and drives very well, sounding much more refined than the standard four cyl gas-only spec. 0 to 60 is a leisurely 7.5 seconds but it pulls nicely with the linear electric motor.
I value AWD a lot but have learned that real-world usage is overrated, and I'm a good enough driver to handle all conditions easily with proper tars. So summer and winter set of wheels on anything I own is how I roll.
Cammie for the easy win. Wifey already has a very nice SUV, so I typically use hers for anything that requires a tow hitch or large hatch. She loves it and can sit up high; and I'm about to get grounded to the ground, lol.
The '22 Camry comes in a lot of trim packages, the LE (base), XLE which is their 'luxury' optioned trim and rolls on 19" wheels. The SE has different struts and strut springs, a larger sway bar, chassis reinforcements and a few other items including 18" wheels, and here in Canuckistania gets a few nice upgrades like a sunroof, leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel, heated sport-plex power seats with cloth inserts, heated mirrors, a 9" screen, and the "sport" appearance which includes a more aggressive front and rear clip and subtle skirt package. It's the sweet spot for pricing but falls short of the XSE package, which has a $4000 premium and gets a two-tone paint scheme, 19" black wheels, less comfortable heated and cooled real leather seats, slightly nicer head and taillights, and a larger and nicer TFT screen. I ordered the SE, but I wanted the XSE for the black roof, silver paint theme. I didn't want the 19" wheels that come with it, and the price tag didn't fall in line with my goals. No regrets on picking up the SE with the upgrade winter package.
The car arrives in a month, so I'll possibly add a few factoids as i come across them. The FE has a lot to do with the battery/electric motor, but there's some pretty tech in the 2.5 4 cyl under the hood. For those who don't know much about it, you'll be surprised with what they've managed to bolt on to achieve the ratings we're seeing, I know that I was. This car is going to be pretty dope!
Whatev, nearly 70% of MSRP back in hand for relinquishing this bitch to some corporation with a fancy car transporter who did indeed pay me hassle-free! Good riddance, I ain't shedding tears.
The family needs a slightly bigger car with a smoother ride for those longish GB getaway drives. I was also not impressed with the gearing on the R, which had me commuting at 3k rpms chomping away at 91 octane fuel thanks to a factory tune and large turbo.
To achieve my goals, I needed to find a vehicle with a longer wheelbase than a Golf, which is nearly everything. My life also took an exciting turn with an investment property, and to make it happen, a few things were set aside, including the C5.5 and most of our disposable income. I knew that the next car needed to be very efficient, experience with the TDI taught me that the lower cost of fuel adds up. The purchase price of the new thing should be within 10k of the outgoing car; Otherwise, the doesn't support the cause. At a $10k spread, I could scratch up enough loose cash to skip carrying a loan whatsoever.
Other factors on my mind included the amount of income I earned between Stellantis and Toyota. It gives me a sense of gratitude and thankfulness, and Toyota's business is head and shoulders above the rest. So buying a Toyota next was a no-brainer even with the politics aside. Their attention to detail, mentorship mindset, and standardization processes continue to elevate them as the most reliable and efficient brand bar none in my experience. Exactly what I needed in my corner right now, and I exhausted my patience with the VW service mindset, which left us on the hook for overly complex equipment that costs more to replace and service. A new and better business mindset is so refreshing!
Okay, so why a Cammie? Toyota has a few products that appeal to families. Most of them are SUVs, but the creme de la creme is the 4Runner/Taco if gas is a mere afterthought, which it is not. Also, price-wise, we are talking double what a Camry/Rav cost. It is the same story with the Highlander, but that thing can be had with a hybrid powertrain but I'm just not an SUV guy. The Venza is ugly IMO and still costs nearly 4R/Highlander money. It's silly. So those are the heavy hitters, and frankly more than I can afford, pal. The Rav4, Camry, Prius, 'Rolla hatch & Hybrid Sedan were the top contenders, and size was the name of the game, so the Rav and Cammie were the top two options. It turns out they are basically the same car, rear-seat legroom is within 3/8" of each other, both share the same platform and power train options, and both are within $2k of each other for comparably equipped models.
There's an optional 301HP V6 in the Camry that runs on 87 gas shared with the ES350, but the hybrid seems most reviewers favourite platform and outputs 208 HP in both the Rav and the Camry. The V6 is also thirsty and defeats the whole point of this move. FE figures lean towards the sleeker and lighter sedan, Rav Hybrid is 41/38 mpg city/highway, while the Cammie achieves 46/47 comfortably.
Camry: The lowest trim LE has a newer lithium-ion battery which Toyota isn't comfortable introducing on all of their trims just yet, and it's able to hit 52/53 mpg because it can regen to nearly full very fast allowing it to stay in EV mode longer. Those numbers are bonkers, and it's the trim I should get, but alas, vanity stands in the way! Regardless of trim, most reviewers prefer the hybrid power train over all the others, mainly because it is smooth and quick (enough), and drives very well, sounding much more refined than the standard four cyl gas-only spec. 0 to 60 is a leisurely 7.5 seconds but it pulls nicely with the linear electric motor.
I value AWD a lot but have learned that real-world usage is overrated, and I'm a good enough driver to handle all conditions easily with proper tars. So summer and winter set of wheels on anything I own is how I roll.
Cammie for the easy win. Wifey already has a very nice SUV, so I typically use hers for anything that requires a tow hitch or large hatch. She loves it and can sit up high; and I'm about to get grounded to the ground, lol.
The '22 Camry comes in a lot of trim packages, the LE (base), XLE which is their 'luxury' optioned trim and rolls on 19" wheels. The SE has different struts and strut springs, a larger sway bar, chassis reinforcements and a few other items including 18" wheels, and here in Canuckistania gets a few nice upgrades like a sunroof, leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel, heated sport-plex power seats with cloth inserts, heated mirrors, a 9" screen, and the "sport" appearance which includes a more aggressive front and rear clip and subtle skirt package. It's the sweet spot for pricing but falls short of the XSE package, which has a $4000 premium and gets a two-tone paint scheme, 19" black wheels, less comfortable heated and cooled real leather seats, slightly nicer head and taillights, and a larger and nicer TFT screen. I ordered the SE, but I wanted the XSE for the black roof, silver paint theme. I didn't want the 19" wheels that come with it, and the price tag didn't fall in line with my goals. No regrets on picking up the SE with the upgrade winter package.
The car arrives in a month, so I'll possibly add a few factoids as i come across them. The FE has a lot to do with the battery/electric motor, but there's some pretty tech in the 2.5 4 cyl under the hood. For those who don't know much about it, you'll be surprised with what they've managed to bolt on to achieve the ratings we're seeing, I know that I was. This car is going to be pretty dope!