Q: Is a Hybrid car worth it?

[battleknight24]

In other words, will it help save someone a little bit of dough at the gas pump?


Peace,

[noahmijo]

1. long run it will

I plan on getting one someday more for the value of trying to do my part plus I hate huge vehicles.

And for those who say just don't drive at all hey sorry not all of us live in big cities where we can just walk to work I take the bus currently but even the bus stop is so far away that I have to drive to it.

[jessicazi]

2. Yes, in the long long term.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I heard on tv, that while you save money at the pump, the increased cost of buying a Hybrid doesn't make up for the savings at the pump for at least 10 years. Of course with rising gas prices, the time it will take to recoup the increased costs might only be a fraction of 10-20 years. I would buy it, ASAP.

[leesa]

4. They aren't that expensive compared to most cars and SUVs

18-20,000. My neighbor just paid 30,000 for a Toyota SUV, small one, 19MPG.

[RummyTheDummy]

3. Depends on your financial situation

Hybrids are nice and all, but not if you're adding another 18-30k in new debt depending on the model you buy. The low end hybrids go for about 18k while the high end, like the Accord Hybrid, goes for 30k. Few if any people pay cash for these cars. This is NOT a good time to be adding debt IMO.

[Redneck Socialist]

5. Depends on the type of driving you do

If you do a lot of stop and go, then yes you will see better gas mileage. If you drive at a steady rate then the mileage won't be significantly better than a car that gets good mileage now.

[jobycom]

6. Yep.

A Prius, for its size, will pay for the difference between a comparable sized and quality car rather quickly. People compare a Prius to a stripped down Prius or Corolla and say the mileage isn't enough to justify the price difference. But the Prius is the size of a Camry, not a Corolla, and it is a higher quality car (though the stereo sucks). So compare it to a well equiped Camry to figure the difference. Figure in the tax break (if it's still available) and even without the good feeling of driving a car that uses as little gas as possible and has the lowest polution emissions of any gas car, it is worth it.

Add in really high resale value, and long lasting engine, and it gets even better. The Prius runs on its electric engine at least half the time, so the internal combustion engine doesn't wear out as fast. I've seen them with over 200K miles (the older model Prius, 2001--it was used for a courrier) that ran smooth and clean and got the same mileage.

The only dangers is that the batteries or motor may give out after the seven year warranty is up, and who knows how expensive that will be to replace.

And by the way, they are a lot of fun to drive, and look really cool.

[RummyTheDummy]

7. I really like the Prius but it's not as big as a Camry

Not that it should matter these days. Do you mean Corolla?

[Paulie]

16. No, compared to Camary.

Both are mid-size cars. If you run a comparison on Edmunds.com they are quite close.

It's not just the fuel savings, but it's also the emissions.

Take a look at this calculator from Toyota:

http://www.toyota.com/prius/key_features/fuel_cost_sav_calc.html

When I compare my Wife's Honda CR-V, I'm saving almost 3k in fuel costs per year. Compare to a 12mpg SUV, it's like 6 grand at 3.30 for regular unleaded.

[lectrobyte]

23. 3K in fuel? Sorry if I seem a bit skeptical, but I'm looking pretty

hard at Prius right now, and have been crunching the numbers.

CRV, let's say 25 MPG.
Prius, let's say 50 MPG (yeah, I know EPA 51 hiway, 61 city, but looking at priuschat.com makes me think 50 is somewhat realistic average)

Maybe off a bit, but close enough...

drive 15K mi/yr each.
CRV = 600 gallons, 1800 dollars
Prius = 300 gallons, 900 dollars

Sorry, I'm having trouble seeing the 3K per year
savings, even at $3 / gallon gas. Unless you drive 50K mi./yr. or something.

[lectrobyte]

17. I love the Prius, but it'd be hard to justify it on economic basis

alone. It's maybe a tad bigger than a Corolla, but definitely smaller than a Camry. If you just crunch the numbers and compare it to a less expensive but similarly equipped small car, the payback is iffy, even figuring $5/gallon gas...

That said, it is amazing technology, and clean. For example, when you turn the car off, a pump kicks in and pumps the hot antifreeze into a thermos jug-like container to keep it hot to speed up the warm up cycle on the next start up. Can you tell I know way too much about these cars? They are a technological leap and a lot of the stuff could be applied to normal cars to help with efficiency and longevity.

The keyless entry, the power button, the smooth CVT, all the unique design touches (you put it in Park and it turns on the dome light etc.) If people can justify something like a Corvette on emotional grounds, then why not a Prius on technological and social grounds?

My point? Not sure myself some days. What I think I'm getting at is that for folks that are interested in a hybrid, they have to look at it from more angles than just the economic one.

[tulsakatz]

26. battery

I heard the battery could be quite expensive. That would be the only bad thing to me. Since the battery is used as much as the gasoline engine, it would be a good idea to buy an extra warranty for the battery if that's even possible.

I heard that the battery itself could cost about 1/2 the value of the car but I don't know if that's a reliable figure.

[whistle]

8. Yes, but they cost $5,000.00 more and that would take a lot of gas savings

...to pay back. My present car gets about 20 mpg around the city and about 25 mpg on straight highway driving at Interstate speeds. If I trade in my present car for the same make and model at my best deal I might get a $2,000 discount. If I decide on a hybrid with the same features, less roominess and comfort I'll receive no discount and would also take a lower trade-in by say $1,000. So that would be almost an $8,000 differential.

My annual miles are about 15,000 and my city vs highway driving has been about 75% city to 25% highway, so my annual average mileage overall then would be about 21.25 mpg. That means based on 15,000 annual miles I would use about 15,000 miles / 21.25 mpg = 705 gallons.

At the present $3.00 per gallon that is $2115.00 for fuel.

If the hybrid gives me a 25% improvement, my payback on $8,000.00 would be: $8,000 / $528.75 = 15.1 years of use. I doubt if the car would last that long.

Now, a national energy conservation program that paid for the difference through either tax incentives or cash refunds from the government, might make that a more attractive investment.

[Paulie]

21. I'm averaging 51mpg.

That's more than 100% more than you're getting today and I just paid $3.30 for fuel this evening. How do the numbers look now? Your 75% city may get you 55mpg average as well, real life.

I'm at 23k, got the car last Nov 1st.

As for size, the Prius is a mid-size hatchback. It's not small. I fit 4 no problem, 5 just fine, even with 2 large, 3 small suitcases in the back taking the inlaws to the airport with the wife as co-pilot. :)

Base price on a Prius is 20k, fully loaded with every option under the sun is like 26k. And the AT-PZEV and SULEV emissions really set it appart from a regular gas only or Honda IMA car.

[manic expression]

9. What about a motorcycle?

they are pretty fuel efficient. I was thinking about getting one, but my entire family objects because of safety reasons.

[RummyTheDummy]

10. Motorcycles are a good option if....

You live in the right climate. But honestly, in most states it's not a year-round option. Then there is the safety factor. Road pizza anyone?

[noahmijo]

13. I'm a rider a motorcycle is only a toy unfortunately

Even in climates like here in Az you have a some days where the heat is just way too much to handle or it rains and well unless you're a daredevil who doesn't really cringe at the idea of a lost limb or paralyzation a bike isn't a good thing to depend on.

[TheWebHead]

11. there are some issues

-insurance is higher than an equivalently valued all-gas powered car due to some of the parts being more expensive as anything that isn't mass produced would be.
-the batteries have a shelf life and could be expensive to replace especially if the technology is upgraded and the old style batteries aren't compatible or mass produced 10 years from now.
-they cost more than an equivalently sized car or non-hybrid equivalent
-the older hybrids are new technology so there could be several maintenance issues that haven't been debugged

there are high-mileage gas cars available that can compare to a hybrid's mileage, and that would be my choice.

[RummyTheDummy]

12. I agree, especially on your last point

IMO, what's left of the economy is ripe for a massive tumble. That means two things, inflation and rampant unemployment. Since most people finance cars, adding new debt at a time like this is a really bad idea.

[LeftyMom]

14. that, biodiesel or waste veggie oil

Biodiesel or WVO you could make yourself with resturaunt waste oil (or get it from a co-op or filling station in some areas) and you could do it with a used vehicle (a big plus to me, I'd hate to have a payment.) If you're not up to that headache, a hybrid would be my next choice, followed by a high mileage gas or diesel vehicle.

[LastDemocratInSC]

15. Consider the cost of replacing batteries, part of standard maintenance

The cost of replacing batteries when they age can be high - I've read from $5,000 to $7,000, depending on the brand and model. The pipeline for batteries is tight because most going into new cars. If your batteries need to be replaced before manufacturing on these ramps up, you may not be able to get them, even if you can afford them. This issue should get better as time goes by but it will be a problem for quite a while yet.

[lectrobyte]

19. The Prius warrantees them for 8 years. Not sure about other cars.

[jbond56]

18. sure is in atlanta today. 6.00 add up quick nt

[Ready4Change]

20. If you keep it about 4 years or more

Do a spreadsheet with your own versions of these numbers

Miles driven per year: 20,000
Gas cost per gallon: $3.50

Non-Hybrid MPG: 32
" gallons per year: 625
" gas cost per year: 2187.5

Hybrid MPG: 50
" gallons per year: 400
" gas cost per year: 1400

Cost savings per year: 787.5
Extra cost of Hybrid: $3000
Years to recover cost: 3.81

[LSK]

22. not at $25k a pop

If you drive a paid off car, its not worth it. Save your money for the coming recession.

[tulsakatz]

24. I would love to have one!!

Bill Maher drives a Prius and he says he fills it up about once every 3 months!! Of course, I don't know how much he drives. But living in California, I would guess he drives quite a bit.

Still, at the current gas prices, even if you only filled it up once a month, it would still save a bundle!!

[Tyranny_R_US]

25. Yes, IF I COULD AFFORD ONE!

[still_one]

27. hybrid Prius or Civic definitely worth it

the SUV hybrids definitely NOT