2012 Camry or 2007 lexus is 250?

(2011-08-27 14:30:10)

1. FREE M. Vick Says: Hello all, I would like to know your opinions, preferably that of an automotive person. I am in the market for a car and I've narrowed down my choice to these two models. Both are toyotas but an older lexus is 250 will run me about 19-22k while I am not sure how much the camry will run but its about that price. Please tell me of the two which one you would go with and why. Personally I am leaning more towards the lexus because I am not all that thrilled with the look of the camry but I cannot discount the fact that the camry is a brand new car. Please don't recommend somthing like a bimmer, I know they are cooler and better but I cannot afford one. These days only the rich and their tax cuts can splurge on a german car.

2. crnd Says: First off, understand that while a Lexus is a Toyota product, that does not make it a Toyota, in the same way that an Audi is not a Volkswagen and a Cadillac is not a Chevy.

That said......if those are your two choices, I'd probably go with the Toyota. New Camrys come with free maintenance for two years and a full new car warranty, neither of which you'll get with the 5 year old Lexus. If anything on the Lexus breaks, that's on you - and maintenance definitely will be. Lexus needs premium gas - Camry does not. Lexus insurance will be more expensive.

If price is important (and it sounds like it is), the Toyota is the answer. Even if you pay the same, the Lexus will end up costing you much more.

Finally, your Camry estimate is also a little low - an automatic transmission Camry with "normal" options will be in the $23K - $24K range, and you can spend as much as about $30K on a fully loaded XLE (which is too much for a Camry IMO).

3. Ash Purady Says: Well the brand new 2012 Camry looks fantastic - but although a boring car in the eyes of many americans i think toyota have cracked it with this one - plus it's brand new - it'll be reliable and it'll probably cost less to run but have you considered a ford fusion?