Is a hybrid worth it?

Ya know, for the most part, this article has just regurgitated information (be it fact or fiction) printed in other articles.

 

Fallacy number two: Clean air is free and limitless, so there's no point considering the reduced emissions of a hybrid.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Somechic @ Jun 20 2006, 05:28 PM) [snapback]274275[/snapback]</div>

Fallacy #2 ok make that #3 - I filled the tank this morning and did a 180 mile round trip all highway - same highways both ways so uphills and downhills washed. The Prius got 56 mpg on the highways. Most of my driving was between 55 mph and 70 mph.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Somechic @ Jun 20 2006, 05:28 PM) [snapback]274275[/snapback]</div>

How many "drivers with long commutes" only drive 12,000 miles per year?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jun 20 2006, 05:43 PM) [snapback]274287[/snapback]</div>

And it really doesn't matter if reducing petroleum demand is a national security issue.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Somechic @ Jun 20 2006, 05:28 PM) [snapback]274275[/snapback]</div>

I love how writers leave out information in one section because it helps prove their point and then include it in another. Neither of the examples above include the tax credit. This obviously changes the payback. Nor does it include the low maintenance of brakes..etc, which also reduces the payback.

Furthermore, while there are plenty of people that will compare the gas to the hybrid model (my brother in law bought a gas only civic over the hybrid due to cost), there are also plenty of people that just compare it to another vehicle they'd buy. I owned a Jeep and was looking to replace it with something more suited to driving 30k miles a year. A replacement Jeep would have run me $30k, so I was prepared to spend that. Prius fit in my plans just fine. I didn't even compare it to another mid sized car. What the hell would I compare it to? Certainly nothing else would hold all the crap I've managed to squeeze into my Prius.

What it really comes down to is: Do you want an excuse to my a hybrid or an excuse not to? Anyone can come up with either and justify their actions.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AnOldHouse @ Jun 20 2006, 05:51 PM) [snapback]274294[/snapback]</div>

Haha.. good point on the long commutes. And even more important - how is a long commute not helpful with a hybrid? I actually get better mileage typically on the highway then in city driving.

EDIT - Whoa.. that's weird. I replied to the second quote above completely separetely. Is it a new feature that they both get lumped together?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Maytrix @ Jun 20 2006, 04:54 PM) [snapback]274296[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, I noticed that, too, after the last major upgrade. Probably the software trying to be smarter than the poster.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jun 20 2006, 05:36 PM) [snapback]274277[/snapback]</div>

Elantra GT or Base Jetta would do as comparisons. Toyota doesn't sell it here, but there is a non-hybrid car that shares the same platform as the Prius overseas.

 

I know someone who snubs Prius and Toyotas in general. After putting over $7000 into her Blazer for the last 2 1/2 years she is getting a Nissan Maxima, all done up for $29000! The car only seats 4 and has not got the cargo room of the Prius. Haven't checked yet but I'm pretty sure that it does not have any great safety advantage over the Prius.

My Prius cost me $2000 less and I would have liked leather but I don't need heated seats in California. My car will have limited maintenance and will require very little gas. I can haul 5 and I can put a remarkable amount of stuff in the back.

The ongoing need to put Hybrids (and the Prius specifically) down continues to befuddle my mind. Despite the bad press that they continue to recieve, Toyota still has waiting lists for them.

 

Fallacy number 4: A car is an investment, not a depreciable asset.

Fallacy number 5: A car is an extension of your personality, not a form of transportation.

 

Let's see the writer do the same article & calculations to find out if buying that HEMI is worth it...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Jun 20 2006, 06:04 PM) [snapback]274309[/snapback]</div>

The Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe (i.e., the Corolla 'station wagon') is probably the closest to compare with the Prius in the US.

A Matrix comparable to my #3 Prius has an MSRP of $19,290. But the invoice on the Matrix XR is $17,444 (which is probably closer to the actual selling price).

MSRP of my '06 Prius was $23,459 (less $3150 = $20,309), making the net price of the Prius roughly $3,000 more than the Matrix.

Gas mileage on a Matrix automatic is 28/34. So far, my Prius is averaging around 44 mpg, overall, with no special change in driving style to maximize fuel economy.

If not for the $3150 federal tax credit and the possibility that gas prices will continue to increase towards the $4/gallon mark within the next year or two, I would have strongly considered a Matrix/Vibe instead of a Prius. A Prius is worth an additional $3000 over a comparable, non-hybrid Matrix. It's not worth an additional $6150.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Jun 20 2006, 06:59 PM) [snapback]274399[/snapback]</div>

Hey all, short time lurker, first time poster.

I just got rid of my Mazda6 and was actually considering a G35 as a replacement when I got a Prius. I definitely agree that a simple MPG to MPG comparison with the "it'll take x years to get your money back" really misses the point.

It's really not worth debating the article on its merits since it doesn't have many, but for people who want an increased gas mileage plus care about the environment and don't want to wait for an alternative fuel vehicle, we don't have any other choices.

And similar to another poster, I was already prepared for a 35K car (G35 with a few options) so in my mind I saved quite a few thousand dollars just by getting a Prius

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Somechic @ Jun 20 2006, 02:28 PM) [snapback]274275[/snapback]</div>

I really like this; Mr. Howard writes about computers for a living, and now becomes a quoteable car expert?

PC Magazine has decided they are qualified to review cars?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brandon @ Jun 20 2006, 06:04 PM) [snapback]274308[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, it's usually just fine, but sometimes I'd like to see the replies split. It also doesn't happen every time, even if you post twice in a row.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Jun 20 2006, 07:59 PM) [snapback]274399[/snapback]</div>

It significantly depends on how many miles you do. The $6150 would still be worth it for my case.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(j24816 @ Jun 20 2006, 10:02 PM) [snapback]274453[/snapback]</div>

I can't wait to read the "Car Talk" guys' review of Windows Vista! :lol:

 

While great gas milage and low emissions are definite pluses, for me, the clincher was the technology. I like to support a company that is still doing basic research. We don't do much of it here in the US anymore. Which American car company was willing to gamble over $1,000,000,000.00 (yep, thats a billion dolars, with a 'B') on research into a promissing but untested technology that might help us get over petroleum shortages? And Toyota and Honda are still doing it with fuel cell research, etc.

The technology in the Prius is intelligent, effective and elegant. What other vehicle has a 'transmission' with only 21 moving parts and no slip elements (belts, clutches, torque converters, etc.) all of which lose energy? What other vehicle recovers the energy that you would otherwise lose every time you step on the brakes? According to Consumers Reports, the Prius is one of, if not the most, reliable car in America. Besides, it is fun to drive, without being obnoxious to other drivers on the road.

It is unfortunate that most Americans still think with their wallets. People like Mr. Howard continually demonstrate that they "know the price of everything and the value of nothing."

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Somechic @ Jun 21 2006, 08:23 AM) [snapback]274579[/snapback]</div>

Personally, I think it's kinda crappy to post a guy's phone number on the net. If it's printed in the paper, or published on the website, link to that instead of reprinting it here.