"And the Camry's not invincible, so they'd better not get the feeling it is. Just from my personal experience, in the past two years, my 1998 Camry has cost nearly $1800 in maintenance and repairs to keep running (thank you Toyota for defective strut mounts that you claim aren't a widespread problem (BS)).... by comparison, my 1997 Taurus has cost only $230 to maintain, all but $50 of that being routine maintenance."
My relative had a '99 Camry and that strut problem was indeed a problem. They even had struts on the rear end which I didn't realize. His new 2005 Camry doesn't particularly impress me. He's got some kind of rattle in it. I much prefer my new Escape Hybrid. I actually think the quality is a good deal better.
What the Hyundai has going for it is the warranty. That's nothing to sneeze at.
Sorry you've had the camry strut problem, too - hopefully Toyota will come to their senses, but I'm not holding out hope. The '87 Camry had horrible rust problems and body trim that fell off of every single one I saw around town, but Toyota didn't do anything about it....
As for the newer ones, I think they're good vehicles - but they have had persistent dash rattle problems, if that's what you're referring to. Another known problem overlooked by the press. And I'd like to see a little soft-touch materials instead of the hard plastic thats becoming over-prevalent.
As for the Escape Hybrid, the Mercury Mariner was named one of the most reliable vehicles on the road by Consumer Reports (if CR has credibility left), and as an identical twin, the Escape should be there as well. Add to that the fact that many of the hybrid components are made by the same company that makes the Prius components, and I think you've got a solid vehicle.
And I certainly agree - I doubt Hyundai's quality is as good as reported, but a 10yr warranty certainly makes up for the difference....