truth about hybrids

catmandoo

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ia
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story in the omaha world herald today finally spells it out.quote( most people would save thousands over the 1st 5 yrs of owning a gasser rather then a hybrid.edmunds.com compared 4 hybrids to their gas only counterparts and assuming they drive 15,000 a year gas would have to be $5.60 per gallon for the hybrid to surpass the gas only models.says people are buying them for the environment not to cut gas bills!local dealers say they now count the hours til they sell one not days like they used to,and they are selling for sticker price,even the 16 or so on backorder.
 

19Tango

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Your figures are more than likely correct.

However, I paid well under sticker for my 255hp Accord hybrid.
 

bigEZ

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yeah, but if you're paying well under sticker for your accord hybrid, then others are paying well under sticker for regular accords, so you are still paying a high premium for that hybrid.
 

19Tango

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Could be. But I bet I can get a decent price for either the Accord or the Passat should I want to sell either.

If not, I'll just enjoy driving them.
 

bigEZ

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not that i'm nay saying hybrids. they're just not my cup of tea, but if it's fuel efficient, i don't care what other people want to drive. i'm just making an observation.

the people i don't care for are the holier-than-thou, "i drive a hybrid so i'm a big shot" types. if you want to drive a fuel efficient car, that's terrific. if you expect me to believe that you are saving tons of money, when in fact you really paid much more money than a comparable gasser engine, that's baloney. people say you can't put a price on a prius, b/c there's no comparable gasser version. i say, compare it to a corolla, then come back and tell me the price difference was worth it.

i'm not addressing you, tango, just some of the self-righteous attitudes i have run into.
 

catmandoo

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ia
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just saw an ad on tv last nite for the ford,escape hybrid or whatever the heck it was and the suppossed owner of the new hybrid said (and it get 33 mpg in the city),but they made no mention there or in the fine print disclaimer at the bottom of the screen of what it got on the highway,not false advertising, but i believe very deceptive.
 

kanester

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I was told that the escape gets much worse milage on the highway and if you turn on the a/c the milage goes right in the tank!!
 

PlaneCrazy

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Discussion over on hybridcars.com: I said hybrids are for those who flunked math; they say they're the fuel economy car for the college educated.

The reality: it's the fuel economy car for those with enough disposable income to throw at a car that makes them feel good about doing something about the environment.

The rest of us with families to lug around and mediocre mid-level jobs (but who passed math!) need cars that offer value, not gee whiz technology that would take 15 years and indestructible batteries for any kind of decent payback.

I can get a VW Jetta GLS TDI for $1500 less than a Honda Civic hybrid, and about $2500 less than the cheapest Prius. In Canada the Jetta has way better resale value than the HCH.

I know which car I would buy. Real world, the economy difference between the Jetta and HCH is minimal unless you drive mostly city.

If I really wanted a Civic, I'd get a base DX at $16,800, nearly $12,000 cheaper than the HCH. I figure real-world, the HCH gets about 1 liter/100 km less on the highway (where I do most of my driving). Even I, who drives close to 60,000 km/year would only save about $600 a year with the hybrid. Which means the payback would be 20 years. Maybe 10 if I compared to a top-of-the line conventional drivetrain LX.

I guess you have to cover your weakness in math with a lot of self-righteous snottiness with that kind of economics.
 

bigEZ

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The reality: it's the fuel economy car for those with enough disposable income to throw at a car that makes them feel good about doing something about the environment.
bingo! that's it in one succinct sentence.
 

owr084

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The reality: it's the fuel economy car for those with enough disposable income to throw at a car that makes them feel good about doing something about the environment.
bingo! that's it in one succinct sentence.
Actually, it is more basic than that in Northern VA. These are the people who feel that their time is too valuable and more important than the rest of us. They are the ones who used to cheat the HOV 3 restrictions and then pay the fine as a cost of doing business. When they finally raised the fines and starting charging points to the license, these people had to find something else. Enter the hybrid and free entry to the HOV-3 lanes. As a result, the HOV lanes are clogged with these people. The hybrid is just a roundabout way of adding HOT lanes - the price of admission is an overpriced niche vehicle. And they give them a tax break to boot...

And as an aside, look at the latest development in hybrids - the Lexus 400h and the 265hp Accord. Do we really need an overpriced SUV with so-so (compared to a diesel) mileage? And what is the point of a 265 hp hybrid? Whatever happened to "saving the environment?"
 

catmandoo

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ia
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"fuel economy car for the college educated"as i told my little sister as she went off to college(they will take away your common sense)they had it by thanksgiving!
 
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