We are really enjoying the new 2024 Venza! This model has a few extra features like the JBL audio/Nav system, which we’re totally in love with. The paint looks fantastic too. One thing we noticed is that it’s a lot quieter than the old one when in EV mode, and it doesn’t make that weird police siren sound when coming to a stop. The wireless everything is going to be really helpful for my wife, who works a lot from her car (not a lawyer, but close).
Sadly, we lost a lot of money in the accident—$1000 just with the insurance deductible and being one payment away from breaking even. Plus, the MSRP on the new one is $3000 higher than the last one, not including the added options. There’s also a slightly higher interest rate, so financially it wasn’t ideal. But the important thing is no one got hurt, which could’ve been a real risk in my wife’s old Camry. The deer probably would have gone through the windshield if she was driving that. We’re hopeful Snowball will last the 10 years we wanted out of the last one.
TomHarris said:
So happy to hear you’re okay. I’m loving our 24 Venza XLE
Thanks! They really are great cars, and I’m sad to see them discontinued. I checked out the Signia when I was at the dealer, but I wasn’t a fan of how it looks. It has a wagon appearance like the older Venza and sits lower, which wouldn’t work well for my wife, who has bad knees. Plus, we live near Buffalo, so we need the extra road clearance the current Venza offers.
Blueprint was my first choice, but I ended up getting a 2024 in pearl white. At first, I wasn’t sure, but now I actually really love it. It’s almost a matte white, which is unique compared to other white SUVs. I’ve seen other Toyotas with the same pearl white (like the new Prius), but it looks best on the Venza.
Ha, good eye! We had to drive out to their Canandaigua location to pick it up, but Saturday was perfect for a road trip. My wife and I shared my car for over a week, and that was a week too long for her. No one tells you that when they total your car, you have to return your rental within 48 hours. It took another week for the paperwork to get to Toyota Care for financing to clear for the new one.
@Finnian
Haha, thanks! I saw your original post about the accident. Just a thought, if you didn’t get the fair market value for your Venza, you could have challenged the insurance and brought in an independent appraiser. Collision Safety Consultants seem to get good reviews. Also, who made you return the rental? Your insurance company? I think you can keep a rental as long as you want, but you have to pay for it.
@DukeJames4
Oh no, my insurance handled things well, considering it was a high-mileage 30-month-old car and we didn’t take GAP insurance. My issue was more about the price difference between the 2022 and 2024 models, which increased a lot because of inflation. In the end, we have a new car, and hopefully it’ll last 10 years like the last one.
As for the value of the car, I did think about disputing it, but I didn’t want to delay the process more. We considered the value fair, given the 57,000 miles. Regarding the rental, yeah, that was through GEICO, but they were pretty good about it. The Enterprise guy warned us the rental would need to be returned quickly after the car was totaled. We didn’t want to pay for a rental, so sharing my car wasn’t an issue for us.
It was just one of those annoying things after losing a car we still thought of as almost new. I remember back when we bought the first Venza in February 2022. It took 8 tries to find one in stock, and we had to pay MSRP, which I had never done before. But we expected it to last 10 years.
rodneyjames said:
You picked the best color! Every time I see my Pearl Venza in the moonlight, I can’t believe how pretty white paint can be.
I actually thought about calling it Pearl, but we ended up naming it Snowball because of the snow theme. Last year, I painted our bedroom in a white from Lowes called Snowbound, and it really shines in the light. Plus, we live near Buffalo, so it fits with the snow, even though we don’t get the huge amounts they do elsewhere.
I’ve owned so many cars—about 50 in total, including 13 Mustangs (the gem being my 1965 fastback). But I’ve never named a car until now. When we bought the blue one, Sapphire just came out naturally because of my birthstone. I really enjoy the hybrid motor on the Venza, even though I’m used to power. It’s fun driving slower just to keep it in EV mode!
Big congrats! That matte white color looks amazing! I saw your original post about the accident. Glad everyone was okay. I just got my 2022 Venza Limited as my second car, upgraded from a 2009 Subaru Tribeca. I’m really enjoying the Venza and hoping it lasts many years. Mine’s Titanium Glow, and I named it Vera. Enjoy your new quiet ride .
@Zadie
Thanks! I’m happy with how things turned out. It did hurt the budget a bit, but it was meant to be. My wife’s son was driving it back from lacrosse practice, and he normally would’ve been in his old Camry. But that day, it was in the shop for new tires. We think he would have been hurt in the old car, especially with the size of the deer. So, we just focus on the fact that it wasn’t his fault.
I’m glad you like your Venza too! When we were picking out my wife’s car, we went to the Buffalo auto show so she could see different options without feeling pressured. Of all the midsize SUVs, we both agreed the Venza was the best, and a month later, we bought one. When the first one got totaled, we knew we wanted another one.
nelly said:
How much did you pay for yours? I just bought a 2024 Limited in white without the moonroof!
I think the total was around $43k, thanks to the residual from the old Venza and the 8% tax rate. The sticker was nearly $42k, but they knocked $2000 off. It was better than back in February 2022 when we had to pay full MSRP for the old one. I saw a Limited version too, but my wife didn’t like the two-tone interior. This time, we added the TSS package, which comes with the digital rearview mirror, 360-degree cameras, and a few other gadgets.
Congrats on the new ride! The 2024 Venza looks amazing in white! I’ve got a 2021 Venza XLE in Blueprint and also really love it. It’s a fantastic hybrid and super reliable .
