I'm the proud new owner of a 2007 Camry CE (4 Cyl., Automatic Transmission). Purchased from Koons Toyota near Annapolis, MD. Final price was $20,955 (including tag, title, tax, etc.) My experience there was good... we also tried Carmax in Laurel, and Toyota of Bowie (where we live). Neither Carmax or Toyota of Bowie could get us the CE we wanted due to low stock and low production of the 07 models. (Purportedly the low production numbers were due to the fact that Toyota wants to sell off remaining SUV and 06 stock...)
Question 1: While driving, I observe some oddities in the shifting. It seems that when climbing a slight incline, the transmission decides to downshift much earlier than expected (at higher RPM) leading to a noticeable "rev-ing" of the engine. However, I have not noticed some of the gear hunting while cruise control is engaged that others have complained about. Should I be worried about this?
Question 2: The dealer tried to guilt-trip us into the extended warranty, but I knew I didn't need to purchase right away. A previous post asked about the necessity of an extended warranty, i'd like to hear thoughts on it. Specifically Toyota offers the Platinum extra care program, at the 75k 7years bumper-to-bumper for around $980 (this option was best for my driving style and plans for keeping the car). A) Does price this sound reasonable? B) has anyone here purchased the extended warranty on a toyota and actually used it after the standard warranty period is over?
I realize that *statistically* only like 1% of extended warranties actually pay themselves off, so as it stands now, i'm inclined to stuff $980 into a CD or investment and use that as a hedge against post-warranty repair costs.
Question 3: The car comes with some sort of ionizing air filter for the interior air (To remove pollen and mold). I recall that "ionizing filters" create ozone (O3) as a byproduct of the ionization process, which is a pollutant. This was so much of a concern that the companies that produce home ionizers began adding filters to convert the O3 back into O2. I think that until I find out more, I'd like to disable this "feature". Any thoughts or comments on this?
I appreciate your time and constructive comments. Feel free to e-mail me or respond to the group, I check both frequently.
Thanks,
-Ben