Prius electrical

Well I just don't care for the styling.

Why, oh why, can't Toyota make a Camry and Corolla wagon?

I'd be interested in either.

Why do you need a wagon? I suspect to carry the kayak, you can do that with a Sienna too. Mileage will be not as good, 5 to 10 mpg less, but you will have a lot of cargo space inside. Fact, you could get the kayak inside the Sienna maybe. If you don't drive a lot it won't make that much difference in the pocket.

The Corolla (and Camry) is an excellent choice for transportation and economy. We rented one on one of our trips to D.C. Great auto.

Impressive.

One of my (female) friends owns one - she loves it. I don't like its styling all that much, incl. the instrument panel. Those shiny silver circles are distracting & annoying, IMO.

Or bring back a Corolla liftback? (I vaguely seem to remember an Accord liftback years ago, but not for the Camry.) If you took my '84 liftback, & combined it with the engine & other newer technology of my '04 sedan, 'twould be great!

Cathy

Well the Sienna is a bit high for kayak carrying.

My car is the perfect height to sling it up on.

I have NO idea why I like little wagons, but I do.

Yup.

Real world with my driving style, in HOT weather, keeping myself perfectly comfortable (let the cold air blow, baby), I see between 41 and 43mpg.

Let the weather get more moderate, much less demand on the HVAC system (which requires less energy be expended for passenger comfort), drive

We only have about 5 months of AC season here in Denver.

"Moon Goddess"...

I used to live on Capitol Hill, there (just off Colfax), and I never needed AC for the four years I was there. The smog was a killer, though.

(1978-1982)

Natalie

Depends on the temp range you like. We like it under 70 for doing without AC, in the car under 60 because we don't open the windows due to allergies & asthma.

The smog has been better lately it seems, not sure why. More breezes?

"Moon Goddess" ...

I *hate* hot weather, (born and raised in Florida), but I don't ever remember needing AC, even when I lived in an air conditioned apartment in the area.

You don't have those "stay-in-your-house-if-you-want-to-breathe days anymore?

Natalie

$3.00 / gallon gas have anything to do with it?

The number of gallons of gasoline burned is about the same as last year. In fact, I think it is up slightly.

Jeff

Not sure. I quit following the local news or reading the papers, so I feel fine. :)

LOL I should have tried that.

Natalie

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I have to disagree with you here. I don't think the Camry makes a good commuter car. The '06 is suppose to give you 24 city, 34 highway, but my experience with the '06 LE 4-cylinder is more like 20 miles to the gallon in the city, maybe even 19. Can't tell ya highway, because I do very little highway driving.

For regular daily commuting, the Corolla is a better car.

I would tend to agree with you.

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And the 20 mpg figure comes from using non-ethanol gasoline, which offers better mileage. In St. Louis, those unfortunate folks are all stuck with 10 percent ethanol gasoline at *all* the gas stations (city-wide statute). I guess you can think of the St. Louis gas as E-10 (different than E-85).

In Columbia, MO, 100 miles west of St. Louis, we're still lucky enough to have a choice between normal non-ethanol gas, E-10, and E-85.

From what I've read, I now believe 10 percent ethanol gas is not so much environmentally friendly, as it is farmer-friendly, as in big agri-business--like ADM (Archer Daniel Midlands).

Another one of Bush's wacky topsy-turvy policies.

Not Bush. Local state government mandated ethenol. I agree, ethenol gives me less power and lower gas mileage. Plus, raises the price of corn. Food or gas that is the question. Corn farmers like it because they get more for their corn, that is if we buy local rather than South American ethanol. I'd like it to be outlawed altogether.

I don't know if ethanol actually gives you less power. It does help with emissions.

Anyway, food prices are already being raised and less