hybrid cars

G

gunnerhorn

100+ Posts
i think i want to take the step into hybrid. the tax deduction is there... it's worth something. also, sweet gas mileage and being somewhat environmentally friendly would be nice. so the question now is...

toyota prius or honda civic?
 
prius

as mentioned before...you're really not saving that much money on gas (compared to a regular civic/corolla). However, if you're doing it to be environmentally friendly then I say go for it.
 
the prius doesn't actually look that bad, it's actually decent looking. after reading the negatives of jetta/vw reliability, i'm kind of scared off. i read a bit also from other places and they shared the same sentiment. the fact the jetta is made in mexico isn't too cool.

10mpg difference is a lot, to me at least. part of why i want a hybrid is because i can't wrap my mind around buying a cheaper car after having driven a bmw, acura, and a lexus. i also know that i am buying this for myself, so it will have to be cheap. hybrids are a happy compromise of everything, fuel economy rules, and the environment needs help.
 
I like the idea of getting the good mileage but I really don't like the look of the prius. Does the civic hybrid only come in 4 door? if they had a hybrid in the 2 door civic I'd say score it, but I don't know if it is available or not.

Larry does have a prius on Curb though, so do what you like man
 
If you can get it, I'd go with the Prius. I personally think they look really cool. The only thing is that they're crazy popular with the trendy hippy people, as well as the star ******* celebrity wanna bes (ever since Cameron Diaz got one)...not that i'm implying anything. But the Prius is a pretty nice looking car. And it's something different from a Honda.
 
If they were to make a hybrid not look like that crap car that the really tall guy on the Simpsons drove I'd get one.
 
Make sure the air conditioner works when the car is in electric mode or you will die this summer. I read somewhere that the air only runs when the gas engine is running?
 
The more highway driving you do, the less benefit you will get from a hybrid. They are most efficient in city driving environments.
 
I'll add what I wrote in the SUV thread. Just some stuff to think about:

I personally wouldn't go down the hybrid road. They're commanding premiums right now that fuel milage savings cannot payout over the life of the vehicle, the resale value @ 10 years is an ENORMOUS question mark (the lead acid battery tray -how environmentally friendly is that- has a finite life and costs ~2K to replace), and what happens if it goes out of warranty and breaks down? Who works on hybrids right now? Dealer$hip$, that'$ who.
 
this is why i wanted to post about it. there is a lot of uncertainty with it and extra costs with the new technology.

dammit, back to square one with my car shopping. so far, my fears have been confirmed with the jetta and hybrids.
 
I missed the Jetta thread - what are you looking for in a car? Commuter-mobile? Fun to drive? Utility? Gas milage? Power? Price?
 
My shop is not getting any hybrids in here for servicing. Most items you need are routine, like on other cars, and we can do them as well as the dealer. Of course, while under warranty, the dealer is the only place for free repairs covered by the warranty. The Honda battery and controller is covered by an eight year 80k warranty.
I really don't know yet how difficult and expensive it will be to repair the specialized hybrid parts when they start to need repairs out of warranty. Like anything new, it might be a big problem, or it might be extremely reliable. I would like to have one myself, but will probably have to wait to find a broken one I can buy and repair later.
For the length of time most people own a car, I don't think you should be afraid to buy a hybrid, as the really unusual parts will be under factory warranty. You may do the kind of driving where the extra gas mileage will pay for the cost of the car. If you expect to keep it 10 or 12 years, like you can do with a good car these days, I can't say how economical it will be at that point, nor can anyone else.
Any new model might be found to have a problematic transmission, electrical system, or other unexpected engineering screwup. It is just an unknown at this time, but so far they don't have a bad name for reliability.
 
Why are you so down on Jettas? Is it the Jetta in particular or VW in general. I've driven VW's for 15+ years without any problems. Only routine maintenance. I've got a Passat now but have been considering the Jetta TDI (diesel) that gets 42 mpg. The Jetta's up until say about 1999 or 2000 had their problems. But, since the model change (can't remember exactly when it was but I wanted to say around 2000) they have been fine.
 
Last I heard, North American VWs are assembled in Mexico, and the reliability ratings have been at the bottom of the major manufacturers. If you get a European VW, I would think that's a whole different matter.
 
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