Environmentalism aside: Is the car payment for a hybrid worth not paying as much gas?

[Lynnchee]

We are thinking of trading in my 2005 Honda Accord for a Hybrid car. Maybe a Prius, since I''ve read positive thing about it in Consumer Reports.

When the time comes to seriously think about it, I will test drive the variety of different hybrids available and see if it''s right for me.

My parents are totally against me getting a Hybrid because they''re not powerful enough, too slow for the free way, not safe.. and yadda yadda yadda. They also don''t believe in global warming.. so, whatever. My Dad thinks that polar bears will magically evolve back into the brown bear.

But that''s neither here nor there.

Hybrid cars still use gas, so how long do you have to own the car til it pays for itself by saving money on gas?

 

[JulieN]

12 years. or something like that.

don't see why it's too slow for freeway, or not safe.

In CA, hybrids can use carpool. So you'll be zipping by everyone else stuck in traffic.

 

[neatfreak]

If you are comparing say the Honda Civic hybrid to the regular one, it takes awhile to pay back. So it''s only worth it if you keep cars for a number of years, financially speaking. If your goal is long run cost savings AND the environment, the hybrid may be worth it. But if you are strapped for cash on a monthly basis, the non-hybrid is a better choice because the monthly payment will be a lot less.

 

[Lynnchee]

I live in Georgia. The state of Georgia doesn''t care about environmentalism. Hybrid owners don''t get privledges here. You should see what I have to go through just to recycle. It''s almost not worth it!

12 years though? I don''t think they''ve been aroudn that long.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/29/2008 12:40:17 AM
Author: JulieN
12 years. or something like that.


don''t see why it''s too slow for freeway, or not safe.


In CA, hybrids can use carpool. So you''ll be zipping by everyone else stuck in traffic.

I don''t think they have any more carpool/hybrid stickers left though do they? My MIL who lives in San Diego said there are only a limited number of them and you can''t get them anymore?

And the slow factor is probably that they are thinking the FIRST hybrids, which were very slow and thus a bit unsafe on the highway. This doesn''t apply to the newer hybrids which have very high top speeds.

 

[neatfreak]

Interesting article calculating EVERYTHING about hybrids. Haven''t had time to check the validity of it, but it''s interesting none the less!

http://www.omninerd.com/articles/Is_a_Hybrid_Worth_It

 

[neatfreak]

Oh and for the Honda Civic hybrid vs. regular comparison, the hybrid comes out ahead (as of right now) after about 5 years. But that difference is a lot bigger if you are comparing cars with much different price tags and/or if you drive a ton.

 

[JulieN]

Sorry, just remembered that "12 years" was an article from 2 years ago. So gas prices went up, it should be less time now.

 

[Lynnchee]

Oooh, thanks neatfreak. Very nifty webite.

 

[Lynnchee]

Ugh, gas prices. I remember when a gallon used to be .79 cents.

That thought alone is what appeals to owning a hybrid. When everyone stars complaining about gas, you can just smile and shrug your shoulders.. and be hated by everyone. hee hee.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 5/29/2008 12:45:05 AM
Author: neatfreak
If you are comparing say the Honda Civic hybrid to the regular one, it takes awhile to pay back. So it''s only worth it if you keep cars for a number of years, financially speaking. If your goal is long run cost savings AND the environment, the hybrid may be worth it. But if you are strapped for cash on a monthly basis, the non-hybrid is a better choice because the monthly payment will be a lot less.

we bought the gas Civic for our daughter last yr. they want over $3K more for the hybrid

and don''t forget the battery will need to be replace after

5 yrs? anyway,equal more $$$''s.

JMO....they ain''t worth it yet.

 

[iheartscience]

With gas prices on the rise, I imagine it would be worth it. Gas is what-twice as much as it was when the Prius was introduced? Maybe even more. I think it''s definitely worth the extra $, provided you can afford to pay it.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Date: 5/29/2008 1:23:57 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 5/29/2008 12:45:05 AM
Author: neatfreak
If you are comparing say the Honda Civic hybrid to the regular one, it takes awhile to pay back. So it''s only worth it if you keep cars for a number of years, financially speaking. If your goal is long run cost savings AND the environment, the hybrid may be worth it. But if you are strapped for cash on a monthly basis, the non-hybrid is a better choice because the monthly payment will be a lot less.

we bought the gas Civic for our daughter last yr. they want over $3K more for the hybrid

and don''t forget the battery will need to be replace after

5 yrs? anyway,equal more $$$''s.

JMO....they ain''t worth it yet.

And isn''t all the battery goo an environmental hazard itself????

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Date: 5/29/2008 1:23:57 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 5/29/2008 12:45:05 AM
Author: neatfreak
If you are comparing say the Honda Civic hybrid to the regular one, it takes awhile to pay back. So it''s only worth it if you keep cars for a number of years, financially speaking. If your goal is long run cost savings AND the environment, the hybrid may be worth it. But if you are strapped for cash on a monthly basis, the non-hybrid is a better choice because the monthly payment will be a lot less.

we bought the gas Civic for our daughter last yr. they want over $3K more for the hybrid

and don''t forget the battery will need to be replace after

5 yrs? anyway,equal more $$$''s.

JMO....they ain''t worth it yet.

A really good friend of mine is a car guru and he says the same thing. Apparently the batteries are crap after so long and will need to be replaced - at a high cost to the consumer. I don''t know too much about cars, but makes sense to me.

Personally, I think hybrids are not all they''re hyped up to be but, again, what do I know. I drive a full size sedan (Ford Five Hundred) and get 21-22 mpg city driving and 24+mpg highway driving. Not too shabby when you consider how large (and safe) my car is. You won''t see me driving around in a rollerskate anytime soon!

Jess

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 5/29/2008 12:40:17 AM
Author: JulieN
In CA, hybrids can use carpool. So you'll be zipping by everyone else stuck in traffic.

Not anymore. At least in NoCal, those stickers are long gone. There were only a limited number.

I was also reading an article about how much the hybrid batteries cost to replace (thousands...I read a range from $3K to $5K!!). A few years ago, that wouldn't have given you much benefit versus buying more gas with a regular car. Nowadays though, that's not necessarily true.

 

[Dreamer_D]

My FIL just traded in his BMW SUV for a Toyota Highlander hybrid. He said he gets almost double the milage using regular gas with the Hylander compared to what he got with the BMW using premium. I think the biggest savings happen when you have a very large/heavy car and do a lot of city driving. If you get a smaller car or do a lot of higway driving, the savings aren''t a large.

We just bought a 2009 Corolla and it gets similar milage to the Prius. When we trade it in in 4 years we will get a hybrid, by then the hybrid technology will be better, and prices may have some down and fuel efficiency will have gone up.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I don''t think you will save money unless you keep the car for a long time. My mom just got a Prius and LOVES it! My parents keep their cars forever but I think she did want one to do her part. I think they are very safe. It might not be as powerful as a V8 but enough for normal driving.

 

[musey]

Economically, they're not quite worth it YET, as other posters have mentioned.

FI and I have been researching this lately (mostly him, honestly) and have decided that we'll make the switch, finances permitting, to hybrid/electric once we can get 100MPG out of it. (This will not be TOO long, probably ~3 years or so.)

Prius and Civic, if I remember correctly, get between 40-50MPG.

 

[choro72]

I have a Honda Fit, and my FI has a Prius. He said that if the Fit was available at the time he was looking for a car, he would have bought the Fit instead.

Anyway, my take is this: If you are switching from an SUV to another vehicle, Prius might be worth thinking about. But to switch from an Accord to a Prius, I think you will realize that the car is waaaay to expensive, and you won''t see THAT much of an increase in gas millage.

To be clear, I get about 41mpg on my Fit, and FI gets about 50mpg on his Prius. Prius can get like 90mpg IF and only if you constantly drive at 30mph in the city. The Prius is designed by Japanese who need cars that do great in city driving. My parents have a Prius in Japan, and they seriously get about that kind of millage. BUT, here in the US it''s a hard number to get.
FI is really jealous of my millage compared to the price of the car.

So...If you are still reading my incoherent post, I suggest getting a Corolla (my favorite Toyota car

), or something along that line. I LOVE the Prius, but it IS expensive.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 5/29/2008 3:16:33 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 5/29/2008 12:40:17 AM
Author: JulieN
In CA, hybrids can use carpool. So you''ll be zipping by everyone else stuck in traffic.

Not anymore. At least in NoCal, those stickers are long gone. There were only a limited number.

I was also reading an article about how much the hybrid batteries cost to replace (thousands...I read a range from $3K to $5K!!). A few years ago, that wouldn''t have given you much benefit versus buying more gas with a regular car. Nowadays though, that''s not necessarily true.

well....$4K would buy you 1000 gal of gas, if your car gets 25 mpg avg that''s 25,000 miles.