Traded the Mach E for a Camry

[DennisD]

I traded my 2022 Mach-E Premium Extended Range AWD (24,000 miles) yesterday for a new 2026 Camry XLE AWD.

The timing surprised even me. I had planned to keep the Mach-E a while longer, but I received $26,000 for my trade, Toyota discounted the Camry $2,500 off MSRP, and there were no dealer add-ons or extra fees. Given the current market, it seemed like a good opportunity.

Overall, I enjoyed the Mach-E. My biggest complaints were occasional range anxiety on longer trips and the "bounce" in the ride on certain road surfaces. Other than that, it served me well.

When I bought the Mach-E in 2022, I ordered it early in the year and took delivery in September. If I remember correctly, I also received the Mustang Club discount and later claimed the $7,500 federal tax credit. Shortly afterward, EV prices began falling rather quickly. At the time, I remember some forum members paying $5,000-$10,000 over MSRP. I had expressed some concern then that those premiums might not age well, and unfortunately that's pretty much what happened.

As for the finance office, they offered the usual extended warranties and protection packages. I declined them, just as I have on virtually every vehicle I've purchased. I've bought well over 100 vehicles over the years for my business, and in my experience those warranties have never paid for themselves. Others may have different experiences, but they've simply never made financial sense for me.

With used EV values appearing to stabilize somewhat, I felt this was a reasonable time to make a change. I generally keep my vehicles about four to five years, so while this trade came a little earlier than normal, the numbers made sense.

I've owned a number of Toyotas over the years, both personally and in my business. They've been exceptionally reliable for me. While every manufacturer builds both good and bad vehicles, my Toyota and Honda fleet has generally required far fewer repairs than many of the domestic vehicles I've owned.

I just wanted to share my experience with the group. I've appreciated the knowledge and advice I've received from this forum over the years, and there are a lot of great people here.

I wish all of you many safe and enjoyable miles with your Mach-Es.

Have a great day!

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[AtomicInternet]

I'm curious what repairs your MachE required.

I've brought mine back once in 3 years for a parking sensor fix.

 

[engnrng]

I traded my 2022 Mach-E Premium Extended Range AWD (24,000 miles) yesterday for a new 2026 Camry XLE AWD.

The timing surprised even me. I had planned to keep the Mach-E a while longer, but I received $26,000 for my trade, Toyota discounted the Camry $2,500 off MSRP, and there were no dealer add-ons or extra fees. Given the current market, it seemed like a good opportunity.

Overall, I enjoyed the Mach-E. My biggest complaints were occasional range anxiety on longer trips and the "bounce" in the ride on certain road surfaces. Other than that, it served me well.

When I bought the Mach-E in 2022, I ordered it early in the year and took delivery in September. If I remember correctly, I also received the Mustang Club discount and later claimed the $7,500 federal tax credit. Shortly afterward, EV prices began falling rather quickly. At the time, I remember some forum members paying $5,000-$10,000 over MSRP. I had expressed some concern then that those premiums might not age well, and unfortunately that's pretty much what happened.

As for the finance office, they offered the usual extended warranties and protection packages. I declined them, just as I have on virtually every vehicle I've purchased. I've bought well over 100 vehicles over the years for my business, and in my experience those warranties have never paid for themselves. Others may have different experiences, but they've simply never made financial sense for me.

With used EV values appearing to stabilize somewhat, I felt this was a reasonable time to make a change. I generally keep my vehicles about four to five years, so while this trade came a little earlier than normal, the numbers made sense.

I've owned a number of Toyotas over the years, both personally and in my business. They've been exceptionally reliable for me. While every manufacturer builds both good and bad vehicles, my Toyota and Honda fleet has generally required far fewer repairs than many of the domestic vehicles I've owned.

I just wanted to share my experience with the group. I've appreciated the knowledge and advice I've received from this forum over the years, and there are a lot of great people here.

I wish all of you many safe and enjoyable miles with your Mach-Es.

Have a great day!

Interesting choice, Dennis. Reliability of Toyota is one of the best. However if you keep your cars only 3 or 4 years, that may not play much of a role in your choices. A quick search revealed that all 2026 Camry models are hybrids - is that what you purchased? I would be interested in hearing from you a year from now how you feel driving a gas burner instead of an EV. For me, personally, I have a 2018 Highlander Hybrid that I hardly use any more. My wife and I both drive EVs, even for long trips, but we live on the West Coast where the weather is mild and charge stations plentiful.

 

[mkazen]

We have a 2023 Mach-E and a 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid. The Honda barely ever gets driven because the Mach-E is so much better to drive - more responsive and just... better. I don't think I could go back to a gas car any more. After being used to the Mach-E, how is driving the Camry?

 

[DennisD]

Interesting choice, Dennis. Reliability of Toyota is one of the best. However if you keep your cars only 3 or 4 years, that may not play much of a role in your choices. A quick search revealed that all 2026 Camry models are hybrids - is that what you purchased? I would be interested in hearing from you a year from now how you feel driving a gas burner instead of an EV. For me, personally, I have a 2018 Highlander Hybrid that I hardly use any more. My wife and I both drive EVs, even for long trips, but we live on the West Coast where the weather is mild and charge stations plentiful.

Yes, all 2026 Camrys are hybrids.

Currently I own:

• 1981 Corvette
• 2016 Hyundai Elantra
• 2018 Toyota Corolla
• 2022 Toyota Prius
• 2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid
• 2024 Toyota Prius
• 2025 Hyundai Elantra
• 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
• 2026 Toyota Camry Hybrid

My wife works from home, so she was the primary driver of the Mach-E, which explains why it only accumulated about 24,000 miles.

The thing I'll probably miss most is never having to stop at a gas station. That really was one of the nicest parts of owning an EV.

Since several of my vehicles are used in my business, I deduct the operating expenses, so fuel costs aren't a major factor in my decision. When I look at total ownership costs, the Mach-E's depreciation was by far the largest expense. I also do my own oil changes, and the Camry came with 10 complimentary oil changes over the next five years, so maintenance costs will be minimal.

One thing that has consistently worked well for me is buying new Toyotas. They tend to hold their value exceptionally well. For example, I bought a new Prius in 2015 for about $20,000, drove it 115,000 miles over six years, and sold it for $15,000. That was certainly an unusual case because Toyota was heavily discounting them when I bought it and I sold during the COVID used-car market, but over the years I've found that my Toyotas have generally been very inexpensive vehicles to own.

For me, this trade wasn't really about fuel costs—it was about the overall economics of ownership and getting what I felt was a very good trade value at the right time.

 

[DennisD]

We have a 2023 Mach-E and a 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid. The Honda barely ever gets driven because the Mach-E is so much better to drive - more responsive and just... better. I don't think I could go back to a gas car any more. After being used to the Mach-E, how is driving the Camry?

To be honest, I've adjusted to the Camry much quicker than I expected.

The first thing I noticed was the ride quality. My 2022 Mach-E had a tendency to bounce on anything but very smooth pavement, whereas the Camry rides much more composed over the same roads.

I also prefer the seats in the Camry. They feel more supportive and the interior materials seem a little more refined to me.

That said, I do miss the large center screen and the instant acceleration of the Mach-E. Those were definitely strong points of the vehicle.

Overall, though, I've simply had better long-term experiences with Toyota products. Since I tend to keep my vehicles for several years and put a lot of miles on my business fleet, durability and long-term fit and finish are important to me. Based on my own ownership experience, Toyota has consistently met those expectations.

 

[mkazen]

To be honest, I've adjusted to the Camry much quicker than I expected.

The first thing I noticed was the ride quality. My 2022 Mach-E had a tendency to bounce on anything but very smooth pavement, whereas the Camry rides much more composed over the same roads.

I also prefer the seats in the Camry. They feel more supportive and the interior materials seem a little more refined to me.

That said, I do miss the large center screen and the instant acceleration of the Mach-E. Those were definitely strong points of the vehicle.

Overall, though, I've simply had better long-term experiences with Toyota products. Since I tend to keep my vehicles for several years and put a lot of miles on my business fleet, durability and long-term fit and finish are important to me. Based on my own ownership experience, Toyota has consistently met those expectations.

Yeah, I can understand from a fleet perspective how the reliability and comfort of the Toyota products play a role. Since my wife and I are just driving for fun though, you can have my Mach E back when you pry it out of my cold dead hands...

 

[Eagertrader]

I wish that Toyota had an all electric Camry, then I’d applaud your switch. With proper planning no range anxiety for me.

 

[DennisD]

I wish that Toyota had an all electric Camry, then I’d applaud your switch. With proper planning no range anxiety for me.

I wish Toyota offered an all-electric Camry as well. If they did, it probably would have been on my short list.

I also looked at Lexus. They ride exceptionally well and are incredibly quiet. I owned an ES 350 years ago, and it's still one of my favorite vehicles I've ever owned. Unfortunately, the models I was interested in were either difficult to find here in the Midwest or carried a much higher price tag than I wanted to spend.

For what I was looking for—excellent reliability, outstanding fuel economy, a comfortable ride, and a reasonable purchase price—the Camry checked all the boxes.

After driving it for a short time, it's easy to understand why it's consistently one of the best-selling cars in America. It's simply a very well-rounded sedan.

 

[Teslaeata]

I traded my 2022 Mach-E Premium Extended Range AWD (24,000 miles) yesterday for a new 2026 Camry XLE AWD.

The timing surprised even me. I had planned to keep the Mach-E a while longer, but I received $26,000 for my trade, Toyota discounted the Camry $2,500 off MSRP, and there were no dealer add-ons or extra fees. Given the current market, it seemed like a good opportunity.

Overall, I enjoyed the Mach-E. My biggest complaints were occasional range anxiety on longer trips and the "bounce" in the ride on certain road surfaces. Other than that, it served me well.

When I bought the Mach-E in 2022, I ordered it early in the year and took delivery in September. If I remember correctly, I also received the Mustang Club discount and later claimed the $7,500 federal tax credit. Shortly afterward, EV prices began falling rather quickly. At the time, I remember some forum members paying $5,000-$10,000 over MSRP. I had expressed some concern then that those premiums might not age well, and unfortunately that's pretty much what happened.

As for the finance office, they offered the usual extended warranties and protection packages. I declined them, just as I have on virtually every vehicle I've purchased. I've bought well over 100 vehicles over the years for my business, and in my experience those warranties have never paid for themselves. Others may have different experiences, but they've simply never made financial sense for me.

With used EV values appearing to stabilize somewhat, I felt this was a reasonable time to make a change. I generally keep my vehicles about four to five years, so while this trade came a little earlier than normal, the numbers made sense.

I've owned a number of Toyotas over the years, both personally and in my business. They've been exceptionally reliable for me. While every manufacturer builds both good and bad vehicles, my Toyota and Honda fleet has generally required far fewer repairs than many of the domestic vehicles I've owned.

I just wanted to share my experience with the group. I've appreciated the knowledge and advice I've received from this forum over the years, and there are a lot of great people here.

I wish all of you many safe and enjoyable miles with your Mach-Es.

Have a great day!

Au revoir

Enjoy your new ride.

I’ve had all sorts on my fleet of vehicles and found Toyotas virtually bomb-proof which they need to be for the taxi trade, reliable, dependable, relatively inexpensive to service maintain though fairly unremarkable.

Sounds like you got the sort of deal you couldn’t better, well done

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