Hybrids will not likely save buyers money, studies show

actually reading how the numbers were arrrived at on the site cited you will find they use a standard calculation of 19 lbs of CO2 per gallon of gas. the other emissions also use a standard configuration also with the exception that a "real world correction factor" is added in. no elaboration on what that is supposed to mean.

this results in the obvious conclusion in the case of emissions of CO, NOx, and hydrocarbons, that the Prius is being penalized.

without any explanation as to why this is so and knowing that the Prius goes through extra precautions and procedures to reduce emissions resulting from cold startups, im afraid i have to say that i dont believe the website

 

Well, going from an F250 to the Prius I saved immediately. My wife's Honda civic to Prius we will break even in 6.4 yrs (including gas, maint costs, purchase costs, and she drives about 13.7K miles a yr).

 

The average composition of gasoline is approximately (CH2)n. A carbon atom weighs 12 units, and an oxygen atom weighs 16 units, so oxygen accounts for 73% of the mass of CO2. In other words one pound of carbon makes almost three pounds of CO2. So, when burned completely, one gallon of gasoline creates pretty nearly 20 pounds (mass) of CO2 and about 8 pounds (mass) of water. Two tons of CO2 results from burning about 200 gallons of gasoline, an entirely reasonable amount for a Prius in a year.

 

My breakeven time was the day I sold one of my Prii. Since I made money on the deal and was able to get the tax write off to boot, I didn't worry about the mileage math. I still have my other Prius, and I think comparing the fuel savings versus payback period is some GM flack trying to skew some views to buy GM. If car buyers bought what is financially justifiable, why did one Chevy dealer report 90% of their clientele are "upside down" on their equity, which means they should be riding a bicycle, not driving a car. Why should Prius owners have to justify their purchase when no other brand or model owner has to do the same? Simply say you were tired of supporting Middle Eastern terrorism by buying lots of gas and ask the questioner if that yellow ribbon on their SUV is all they doing about it.

 

Old news is usually bad news. And in this case I've heard this story before and it is getting very tired. I fill the car up less, so I am saving money, I did not pay a premium for the car so I saved money, and best of all it polutes less than most other cars.
So, as far as I am concerned all I hear is BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! BLAH1

 

:roll: AAH, you have got it all wrong. The Corvette does not make you a better lay... it makes you THINK you're a better lay. A muscle car doesn't make you Steve McQueen in Bullet... it just makes you FEEL like Steve McQueen in Bullet. A Prius doesn't make you into anything you're not... it does make you hope for things that are not. That's enough for me.
Paul R. Haller

 

The Prius will save everyone money - instantly. Here is why:

Prius is vehicle size of Camry, actually the interior is slightly larger.
Prius is equiped with standard features that would place the Camry into $28,000+ range (if available!).
Prius performance is similar to 4 cyl. Camry.

So what you're bying here is pretty much a Camry - for less! Add fuel savings - and you're saving money since day one.

that simple.

 

Pounds per mile

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"98681)</div>

Since a km is about 62% of a mile and there are 28 grams in an ounce and 16 ounces in a pound, then...

105g/km * 1km/.62 miles = about 169.35 g/mile
169.35 g/mile * 1 ounce / 28g = 6.05 ounces / mile
6.05 ounces / mile * 1 lb / 16 ounces = .406 pounds / mile
4000 pounds / year * 1 mile / .406 pounds = 9852 miles / year

A Prius would put out 4000 pounds of CO2 after a little under 10,000 miles.

Your figure of 105g/km is not inconsistent with 4000 lb / year, but it all still flabbergasts me. And think what the gas hogs are doing!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"98864)</div>

Let's see - on prius.toyota.com, you can compare Prius with Camry. I compared with Camry XLE. Check it out.

The price of basic Camry is $22,545, price of basic Prius is $20,975. Add to the Camry the options that would bring Prius up to the price of $22,545 + Prius standard braking assist and traction control and see what Camry price you get. I estimate around $28,000.

And while there, don't forget to check the leg room

 

Went from a Dodge Ram 1500 w/5.7L Hemi that averaged 14 mpg to a 2004 Prius that has averaged 49 mpg. I drive 85 miles a day in LA traffic. Am I saving money...you do the math!

 

my dad bought a Camry only because he couldnt wait long enough for the Prius (he was on the waiting list for 2 months but had a golf tournament to go to and had to have a car by a certain date) his car came with options and its price was $200 more than mine. it has nicer seats for sure. but there are things that i think are great failings in most cars of his type. one is the floor shifter takes up a huge amount of space and therefore the car only porvides an elbow rest instead of room to rest the entire arm. (something i never knew i wanted until i started driving my Prius)

as far as room, it seems to be wider but the room front and back seem the same although i feel more cramped in the front seat of the Camry although there is plenty of room.

one thing i couldnt believe is the lack of trunk security in the Camry. even with valet key, there is a quick release on the back seats that exposes the trunks contents making locking anything in the trunk a waste of time

all in all, very very glad i bought my Prius. definitely like it a LOT more than a Camry

 

The naysaying articles I'm seeing conveniently forget to account for the federal/state tax breaks that help to make up the difference between hybrids and twentieth-century cars--and none seem to consider that in five years the price of gas could be several times what it is today.

"Current price of gas"? Who thinks that will be relevant even six months from now?

 

Current price of oil is $58. This is the highest it has ever been. The reason for the hike is that all the people who speculate for a living, are convinced the oil producers will fall way short of production needs in the second half of the year.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(outoftown\";p=\"98814)</div>

That frosts me the most about these "comparisons". The bottom line is no matter which car a consumer buys, he/she could always have done better dollar-wise by purchasing a less expensive model/brand, negotiating a better deal on the same model, or buying the same model used instead of new. Probably the smartest car buyer is the one who goes out and buys the cheapest used econobox that's been well maintained with the best gas mileage.........like a base 1985 Corolla with manual transmission, good tires, and around 150k miles for under a grand. Why don't they write about the fact that one might be able to get another 50k miles out of something like that, junk it, and be thousands of dollars ahead because TCO was like 2 cents per mile?

Also, God forbid any of these writers/publishers do even a modicum of research on this issue. They might just find that one hell of a lot of Prius owners weren't just debating the merits of a Prius versus a Camry or Corolla; many were probably considering other, much more expensive, brands/models. They further might find that many others dumped a gas-guzzling SUV, large sedan, or truck in favor of their Prius. I mean, I dumped my circa 11 MPG Navigator for this car and I'm pretty sure I'm in good company on that score. Of course, I don't expect to see a whole lot of articles about folks like me who bought some large SUV and coughed up a small fortune in just a few years on depreciation alone.

 

hey Tag your reading my mail! Replace Navigator with Tundra. Same time same place same story same T-shirt.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon\";p=\"99683)</div>

I hear that, Frank!

BTW, I do have that same T-shirt along with all of your mail (apparently, your mail has been misdirected and I couldn't help reading a few pieces).

When are you coming over? It's beginning to pile up here. :lol: :lol: :lol: