TOYOTA CAMRY vs CHEVY SILVERADO?

Who would compare two such vehicles? Chevrolet's venerable Silverado and Toyota's most understood and vetted car, the Camry, would face cross-shopping about as often as sneakers & high-heeled shoes; McDonald's & Spago. 

Why then is GoodCarBadCar positioning the two in a tangle? Honestly, it's like comparing apples and oranges. No, not apples and oranges - maybe apples and roast beef. There is no consumer-driven comparison. However, there is a comparison worth watching. For the first time in The Good Car Guy's memory, the Camry is poised to wrest silver place in American vehicle sales away from Chevrolet's pickup truck. Granted, an identical vehicle by the name of GMC Sierra feeds the same coffers as the Silverado but isn't tallied with the Chevy in sales statistics.

What's the next step? (Why does every paragraph in this post begin with a question?) Rather than the typical comparo that lays out the best reasons for buying one vehicle or another and concludes with a winner; this Numbers piece will simply display the facts. For more facts, check the GasBuddy link at the bottom, where Detroit's gas prices manifest part of the reasoning for the trends you'll read about. Read on.

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37,231 - total April sales of the Chevrolet Silverado in the USA

40,016 - total April sales of the Toyota Camry in the USA

160,010 - year-to-date sales, through April, of the Silverado; a 20.8% decline against the first four months of 2007

147,018 - year-to-date sales, through April, of the Camry; a 2.3% increase against the first four months of 2007

192,951 - year-to-date sales, through April, of the Ford F-series; a 15.5% drop when compared with Jan-Apr of '07

26 - consecutive years that the F-series has been the best-selling vehicle in America

10 - years, out of the last 11, in which the Camry was the best-selling car in America

18,720 - base MSRP, in USD, of the cheapest Camry available to American car buyers

18,425 - base MSRP, in USD, of the cheapest Silverado available to American truck buyers

31 - fuel economy, measured in highway miles per gallon, of the most inexpensive Camry

20 - fuel economy, measured in highway miles per gallon, of the most inexpensive Silverado

268 - maximum horsepower available in a V6-powered Camry

367 - maximum horsepower available in a regular duty (1500) V8-powered Silverado

3,483 - fewest pounds with which a Camry can be delivered

4,453 - fewest pounds with which a Silverado can be delivered

7.5 - extra gallons of fuel, at the least, the Silverado is able to take on board compared with the Camry

106.5 - extra (theoretical) highway range available with the largest fuel tank compared with the much more fuel efficient Camry