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Hybrid Cars...

Overman

Master Poster
Overman
Joined
Feb 2, 2006
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I am thinking about getting one...

Does anyone here own one or have reviews or opinions of any sort on them?

Thanks,
 
Overman said:
I am thinking about getting one...

Does anyone here own one or have reviews or opinions of any sort on them?

Thanks,
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I own Honda hybrid's Civic and Insight. I'm very pleased. They are more expensive and if Colorado didn't have a great tax credit program, I may have passed. I don't recall exactly, but together, I got back about $6k in state taxes. I can drive the Insight and get 65+ mpg (my daughter gets about 55). We average about 43 mpg on the Civic. With the state credit and federal deduction, add in no emissions testing charges and with current gas prices, my payback will be be just a couple of years.

Had they been available, I may have purchased a Toyota Prious. Now, I'd also consider a Toyota Camery.
 
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Personally, I'm waiting for these hybrids to hit my local showroom

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/volta.html

- Timothy



(Okay, actual information in the postscript. I have two friends who own Priuses and love them. Depends on why you want one ... financial, environmental, philosophical, or 'cause chicks dig 'em. There's an article in the April 2006 Consumer Reports -- who I consider to be pretty impartial -- outlining the cost differences between hybrid and equivalent gas vehicles. One of the biggest hits is in depreciation, which may not be a factor if you're planning on keeping it forever, which I usually do. And, as DavidJames points out, depending on the state you live in you may or may not get a valuable tax credit.)
 
Hybrids are a great idea. There is only one problem... They cost about $10,000 more than a the same model of car with a traditional engine.

Some of us can't afford to be environmentally pure.
 
Mark A. Siefert said:
Hybrids are a great idea. There is only one problem... They cost about $10,000 more than a the same model of car with a traditional engine.

Some of us can't afford to be environmentally pure.
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Does anyone figure in the cost of replacement batteries after the original ones wear out? -- and they do wear out.

From the link ...
Despite the dramatic price drop, hybrid ownership remains a nod to better fuel economy, not financial savings. CarPoint's review of the Prius, published in October, compared the hybrid's fuel consumption to a similarly specified Toyota Corolla, and reached the conclusion it would take 15 years before the Prius' fuel economy paid off the extra purchase price.

Add battery replacement every eight years to this equation, and replacement parts costs as the vehicle exceeds its planned life of ten years and components wear out, and owners have no chance of ever seeing a dollar back.
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I have read that you are better off getting a new generation diesel. Especially if you do a bit of non-urban driving (i.e. less stop/start) it will tear the socks of a hybrid for emissions and fuel consumption.
 
Has anyone found any data on the net environmental load of a hybrid vehicle versus its closest conventional counterpart? For example, saving gas and emissions is fantastic, but what is the cost of production and disposal of those battery packs, etc?
 
chulbert said:
Has anyone found any data on the net environmental load of a hybrid vehicle versus its closest conventional counterpart? For example, saving gas and emissions is fantastic, but what is the cost of production and disposal of those battery packs, etc?
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You might wish to scroll up to post #5.
 
thatguywhojuggles said:
Just don't spew too much smug into the atmosphere...
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South Park aside, I know plenty of people who drive hybrid cars and none are ever smug or preachy about it. When I ask them how they like it, they usually comment that they like the gas milage a lot. None have ever tried to persuade me to buy one, nor acted as if I were inferior because I didn't have one.
 
My question: are there any hybrid 4-wheel drives or all-wheel drives?

We need a new vehicle, and would like to get a hybrid (I have a long commute and could really gain on the gas milage), but we also need a vehicle that my veterinarian wife can use for emergency calls in the winter. She currently drives a Forester, but the tranny is going out.

Suburu showed a hybrid at a recent car show, but the word from the dealer is that they aren't going to produce it. What other options are there?
 
I'm very happy with my Prius. The only dissappointment was a drop-off in mileage during winter months. We were getting >50 mpg on our regular 10 mi roundtrip to town, with a record of 57. (My wife and I had a competition going.) It dropped to ~ 45 mpg when it got cold. Plus the expected Toyota reliability -- not one problem in 15 months.

Smugly yours.
 
Just thinking said:
Does anyone figure in the cost of replacement batteries after the original ones wear out? -- and they do wear out.

From the link ...
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That link shows the batteries lasting 5 years or more. If you think the rest of the car is still going to be around in 5 years I'd worry, but I doubt these things would survive that long anyhow, and cars really arent sposed to last so long, bad for the economy to do 10 years
 
pipelineaudio said:
That link shows the batteries lasting 5 years or more. If you think the rest of the car is still going to be around in 5 years I'd worry, but I doubt these things would survive that long anyhow, and cars really arent sposed to last so long, bad for the economy to do 10 years
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Well, I've had a 1975 Toyota last over 200,000 miles (+13 years).

A 1991 Acura (still in everyday service) over 140,000 miles.

My wife had a pre-1980 Datsun last over 200,000 miles (everyday driver).

And I'm sure you'll get others here testify to longevity beyond those years and miles -- so I expect my cars to last.

PS: And that's good for my economy.
 
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pgwenthold said:
My question: are there any hybrid 4-wheel drives or all-wheel drives?

We need a new vehicle, and would like to get a hybrid (I have a long commute and could really gain on the gas milage), but we also need a vehicle that my veterinarian wife can use for emergency calls in the winter. She currently drives a Forester, but the tranny is going out.

Suburu showed a hybrid at a recent car show, but the word from the dealer is that they aren't going to produce it. What other options are there?
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Yes, the Lexus RX400h - same technology as the Prius but 4x4 and a much bigger petrol engine. Expensive, of course.

I often drive a Prius at work - I'm quite impressed: very comfortable and smooth, adequate performance. We only get about 40 mpg in town driving but I'm sure I'd get more if I was paying for the petrol ...

Edited to add - The EV (or stealth) mode is useful for sneaking up on miscreants.

edited again to get the right model no.
 
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pgwenthold said:
My question: are there any hybrid 4-wheel drives or all-wheel drives?
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Yes, there are, but they might all be SUV's or trucks.

There's the Lexus RX-400h, a hybrid SUV:
http://www.lexus.com/models/rx_hybrid/400hawd_specifications.html

The GMC Sierra has a semi-hybrid version, which uses the same engine but some added electronics and electric motors which allow it to shut off the engine whenever it stops (a milder fuel economy improvement but also a smaller price premium).
http://www.hybridcars.com/silverado-sierra.html

Saturn is also going to be introducing a mild hybrid version of the VUE (a small SUV) later this year.
 
Just thinking said:
Well, I've had a 1975 Toyota last over 200,000 miles (+13 years).

A 1991 Acura (still in everyday service) over 140,000 miles.

My wife had a pre-1980 Datsun last over 200,000 miles (everyday driver).

And I'm sure you'll get others here testify to longevity beyond those years and miles -- so I expect my cars to last.

PS: And that's good for my economy.
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Your 1975 toyota was likely one of their awesomely over-engineered hemi motors. Very good builds, made to say " YES we can" to shake off the "cheap import" stigma, and just at a time when USA wanted more fuel economy

Lots of old cars were built to last. Ive never bought and never will buy a car newer than 1973. But seems nowdays everything is geared for "frie and forget". Five years, be happy. One off tooling, one off machining. "Aftermarket support" meaning, the remaining New Old Stock then pray. Lots of good technology to make kickass long lasting cars now. Very little will to do so.

Look at the final generation camaro and firebird ( of all things! ). Good mileage, decent power, GREAT handling! No spaghetti factory under the hood. Lots of tried and true and easily, cheaply replaceable parts...gone, of course like anything else good. Replaced somewhat by heavy, poor handling, crappy gas mileage "GTO" typical
 
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