Toyota lovers....update

Not on your list but I'm somewhat obnoxious when it comes to my beloved Prius. I drive about 40,000 miles a year and, with the Prius, I get about 60 MPG. It looks small but everyone comments about how roomy it actually feels. On your list, I have always liked Camry's. I like the size and feel of it. I am a loyal Toyota owner!

I just this week bought my first Toyota - a Venza wagon. I shopped for it for a long time. They last made them in 2015. I got a 2015 with 95, yes 95 miles on it. It had never been sold by the dealership - they had it as a company car. I love everything about this car. It has tons of leg room. The storage in the rear is very large. It is based on the Camry so it drives like a car, but you sit a bit higher. The leg room in the rear is really generous because the style could have had third row seating but it doesn't so all that room goes into the passenger and cargo areas.

They stopped making Venzas because people who would like this style preferred the RAV4. RAV4 sales are through the roof and it left the Venza in the dust.

I paid just about $21K for my vehicle with 1.5% interest rate for 4 years. There are Venzas available with very few miles on them if you are at all interested in a car like this. There is one in my area XLE with 9K miles.

Another Toyota fan here.   I am sorry you lost your beloved 4Runner and hope your are OK.

The Venza is awesome if you can find one. Every time I think about when we sold ours I get mad at myself. We should have held on to it. It was roomy, rode well, had great performance - I mean it was a Toyota and would have made a great car for my teen.  We needed a truck and went with the Tundra Crew Max.     I think a Venza would be a GREAT option for you. Not quite a 4Runner but I think you will like it better than a sedan. I found it very hard going from sitting high up in an SUV then going down to a lower sitting sedan.  I disliked it so much I traded a Camry after driving it for only a year and moved to the Venza.

Look into a Certified Used Toyota.  You may be able to find a 4Runner that meets this year's financial goals and still be able to buy a new Toyota next year.  Certified Used Toyotas keep many of the same "rights and benefits" as new Toyotas.  You get a higher factory warranty than other used cars and can buy the extended warranty.  You get Toyota financing options that other used cars do not get.  That's the route we took when we bought my daughter's Prius and we have been extremely happy.

Start with this website to search for Certified Toyota Used cars. Input your zip code and search radius and viola! I found five Venza's and one 4Runner in the DFW area for $20K or less with anywhere from 15K to 55K miles. The 4Runner had high mileage but you may find something in your region with lower mileage.

www.toyotacertified.com/

Good luck!

For my life I would choose a Camry over a corolla. Better comfort. Our spare car for years was an old corolla but it is a pretty small car, we gave it to a family member and she is a small person who fits in it just right but for our big crew it's too small. If you are small or your family is small you can't go wrong with the corolla for value though.

I just bought my first Toyota! A 4Runner that I . I wish I had gotten one years ago.

I looked at the Venza and Highlander, but after driving the 4Runner I just couldn't go smaller. I bought mine used from Hertz Auto Sales. It was a too good of a deal to pass up. It came with the remainder of the Toyota warranty and a Hertz warranty. You might be able to find one in your price range, unless you want brand new.

I have a friend who owns the hybrid Camary and loves it.

I had a 2001 Camry with 120,000 miles and very little rust. I gave that to DS.

I drive a 2014 Corolla for work and I really like it. I am going back to teaching in the fall and needed to buy a car. I really considered a Corolla. I've had such good luck with the Camry and this Corolla. I ended up going with a Jetta but I would still recommend the Corolla.

Lisa G.

We like Toyota. We have a Prius and a hybrid Yaris. I have no idea about truck type cars. They are too large to be practical where I live. But our Toyotas have been really reliable.

I loved loved loved my Avalon. Quiet as all get out. Drove like a dream. Loads of trunk space and even with the front seats all the way back, a 6 ft tall person could comfortably sit.

Only downside, my friends made fun of me for driving an old man car.

We were going to get a Venza last year, but dh fell in love with the Acura RDX.

I love my 2013 Prius. It replaced my 2007 Prius. Very good fuel economy and reliability and much roomier than you'd think.

I have a 2002 Camry V6 that I love.

We are a Toyota family. I currently have a 2017 RAV but someone in the family has had most of the models at one time or another. I think the Corollas are cute but prefer a bigger model like the Camry or Avalon as far as sedans go. I was a Prius owner previously and loved it too, but prefer to sit higher. The mileage was a dream though! We drove it cross country. My husband is a big guy and was very comfortable. Good luck!

I just wanted to add that the Venza is bigger than the RAV 4 just in case someone was wondering how they compare.

Our 2008 Corolla is an awesome car. We've only had one repair on it when we replaced the alternator. We needed a long term reliable car for DH to drive thru city traffic and it's held up beautifully thru Michigan winters. We plan to give it to our kids and replace it soon.

Avalon all the way! I'm on my second one. It rides like a dream. I get 28-30 MPG; depending on driving conditions. The interior is extremely roomy, and the trunk is huge. I've only got 115,000 on my current one, but whenever I need a car next, it will be another Avalon.