Hybrid vehicles

[clearwtr]

Any other hybrid owners out there? I've had my toyota prius for about 3 weeks and love it.
Great mileage, super navagation system and fun to drive. And... you never have to plug it in.:droplet:

 

[chrpai]

I recently assisted my sister-in-law in choosing between a Honda Civic and the hybrid version. Other then the argument that she could drive it on the HOV lanes and ease her commute, we couldn't make a business argument for the hybrid. It just simply cost too much money and had too many unkowns for service costs down the road.

 

[Seadiver5]

Does it make a good dive car?

kevin

 

[clearwtr]

I'd became interested in the hybrid technology after driving 3 jeep grand cherokees over 8 years.

Some reasons I considered when looking at a hybrid;
-I estimated my savings on fuel to be at least $85 per month.
-$2000 tax deduction
-8 yr/ 100,000 mi warrenty on the hybrid system
-Hatchback design with fold down seats for room when you need it.
-The technology works and I feel that I need to support it. The car was $25k with every option (20K base). I may have been able to get something else a little cheaper, but I would still be supporting the old style gas engine. Iwant something else for our future.
- The navigation system is super
-The battery is charged by the brakes and the 4 cylinder engine
-No transmission
-No starter
-Stealth mode
_bluetooth compatible
- It's quick and can get >50mpg at >70 mph.

It's also a good dive car. i fit all my gear, tanks, etc. in the hatchback and had plenty of room,w/o putting the seat down.
John

 

[chrpai]

$25k?? Ouch. That car with every factory option only has a TMV of $22k. You either bought everything from LoJack to Undercoating or you got screwed.

Now I compare a Hummer to a hybrid and make the argument that a hybrid is better, but lets stick to apples to apples.

2004 Honda Civic Hybrid Edmunds TMV $20,700
2004 Honda Civic EX Auto w/o Side Airbags Edmunds TMV $$17,700


Now the $2,000 is a tax deduction not a tax credit. So assuming 30% tax bracket your talking about a $600 savings on tax. That maxes the difference in price to be $1,400.

Now lets look at the cost savings of the gas:

EX city MPG = 30mpg
Hybrid city MPG = 60mpg

Lets say 15,000 miles per year.
EX gas cost 1 year $750
Hybrid gas cost 1 year $375

Thats a 375 savings. At that rate you will have to drive the car 6.4 years to break even. Thats 96,000 miles. Doing highway miles its even worse.

And lets not even talk about unkown maintenance costs. The guy at the dealership wouldn't even tell me how much it would cost to replace the battery or service the regenerative breaks.

Have fun with your hybrid. Personally I'll be waiting for fuel cell vehicles. (and probably waiting a long time)

 

[Big-t-2538]

clearwtr once bubbled...

-No transmission

How the hell does it turn the wheels then....is it just a 1:1 gear box on each wheel or something....to me this is confusing.

 

[Big-t-2538]

chrpai once bubbled...
Have fun with your hybrid. Personally I'll be waiting for fuel cell vehicles. (and probably waiting a long time)

For once, I actually agree with you chris....the only thing I didn't see you mention is that there's the peace of mind in "helping with the environment"

But I agree...the cost of servicing that nice pretty little vehicle has to be substantially higher than that of a traditional combustion engine....very few people can do it....and even less will do it right.

 

[ScottyK]

I'm also interested in hybrid vehicles from an environmental perspective. The problem is I'm a hard core American made only car buyer. I also want the technology to mature for a few more years.

In the meantime I try to stick with smaller trucks for diving and am waiting to see if the new Ford Escape hybrid I heard about ever materializes. I currently use a 4 cyl Dodge Dakota for diving, and just bought a new 2004 Jeep Liberty on Friday. I'm picking it up on the 8th.

Scott

 

[Big-t-2538]

ScottyK once bubbled...
In the meantime I try to stick with smaller trucks for diving and am waiting to see if the new Ford Escape hybrid I heard about ever materializes.

Dude....you and I know not to hold your breath....and further more if Ford is making a hybrid....I'll be surprised if it even gets 40 mpg....Oh yeah....if I haven't mentioned it before Ford prodcts aren't worth much besides melting down and re-using the scrap metal.....

 

[ScottyK]

That's why I just bought the Jeep. I'm more interested in seeing Ford start the ball rolling for American hybrid SUV's than in buying one.

I'm not a big Ford guy, although one of my first cars was a 72' Torino ala Starsky and Hutch. It was pretty cool on those rare occasions when it wasn't stuck in my driveway