Before Bug was born, the first vehicle that I purchased was a ’06 Highlander Hybrid. I loved that machine. I was always against buying an SUV because I saw them as oversized planet killers. But I told Neelam that if I were ever to get one, it would have to be a hybrid. And sure enough, that is what I got. At the time, the hybrids were all built on the Lexus production lines in Japan, and in talking to the dealer, the one that I got was one of the first few in Canada (26 I believe he said). Sadly though, I had to give up my Toyota and downsize for economic reasons. But as I’ve mentioned a few times, things seem to be getting better.
As the lease was about to expire on my Mazda 5 – a capable little run around in it’s own right – I started looking for a replacement, and the first place that my eyes looked was to the Toyota hybrid line. But as it happens, Toyota dealers don’t like easy customers. Lexus dealers on the other hand? Well they work their tail off, and they win the customers. So what you see here is not actually the Lexus that I would up getting. I wound up with a dealer demo, base model for about 15k less than the current year. Yes, with some added bonuses on top, I am paying less for a nearly new Lexus than a new Toyota… and I’m getting better service to boot.
The Highlander and the Mazda 5 were both named Stitch, but this new baby – a shiny white ES 300h, is Baymax.
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