When does it make sense to buy a hybrid?
Feel-good symbolism aside, when does it make sense to get a hybrid. and when is it a waste of money? Obviously it depends on the projected cost of fuel and the projected miles one may travel. Has anyone developed some rules of thumb for this?
Answer:
Well, since there are different types of hybrids suited to different types of driving (Prius/Camry Hybrid= best city performance, Civic Hybrid, Insight = exceptional highway mileage) As long as gas comprises a significant portion of your transportation costs, and you drive an average amount of miles per year or more, you should not rule out a hybrid. Besides the economic incentive of gas savings and the TAX CREDIT (Civic Hybrid- $2100, Camry-$1300) which offsets a significant portion of the higher initial cost (Civic Hybrid- $3000, Prius~ $3500) you also have to consider the benefit of less CO2 and NOx emissions which have more than a "feel-good" benefit, but are a public health service and a preservation of the earth for the next generations. Since most people will only respond to economic gains from such a car, the payoff does happen in many situations such as driving many miles per year, driving responsibly (not speeding, using AC unnecessarily). And even if the hybrid does not meet the EPA estimates, a comparable conventional car would also not get its advertised mileage if it is driven hard, making the improvement percentage wise still significant.
I have heard that a hybrid is really only cost efficient if you live in a city (or drive in a city constantly) because the common use of electricity being used is when you are taking off from a stopped positions i.e. red lights. So the stopping and going is what is drinking up the gas. So if you are driving highway miles and don't live in a city, you are probably not in real need of a hybrid.
It only makes sense when your state allows that hybrid into carpool lanes, even with the driver only travelling.
Otherwise, it is a waste of money, cause time is money.
It's a good idea, but whatever the monthly payments would be on a hybrid, it would be much much more than I am paying now (my monthly payment has been $0.00 for a few years now). Bottom line, I can't afford any new car, hybrid or otherwise. If you want to buy me one, then that's cool with me.
My husband and I bought a Honda Insight after finding a used one locally a few years ago. We didn't buy the one we saw here, we found another. Ours had 10,000 miles when we bought it. It was in Washington & had come from Arizona. It was cheap becasue the gas hadn't gotten too high yet. It is only a two seater. We like it, but it's not our only car. I just fell for that screaming green little car.
You need to figure the amount of driving you do and if it will benefit you. They have high engine performance hybrids now that are only a bit more fuel efficient. The smaller Toyotas and Hondas, not hybrids, are very fuel efficient and
cost less than hybrids.
Our standard Insight gets 60 mph around town. The best tank was 72 mph. That was in Yellowstone and on secondary roads in Idaho and Wyoming and the highway in Montana. I think on a flatter, well surfaced road, it would do better.
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Answer:
Well, since there are different types of hybrids suited to different types of driving (Prius/Camry Hybrid= best city performance, Civic Hybrid, Insight = exceptional highway mileage) As long as gas comprises a significant portion of your transportation costs, and you drive an average amount of miles per year or more, you should not rule out a hybrid. Besides the economic incentive of gas savings and the TAX CREDIT (Civic Hybrid- $2100, Camry-$1300) which offsets a significant portion of the higher initial cost (Civic Hybrid- $3000, Prius~ $3500) you also have to consider the benefit of less CO2 and NOx emissions which have more than a "feel-good" benefit, but are a public health service and a preservation of the earth for the next generations. Since most people will only respond to economic gains from such a car, the payoff does happen in many situations such as driving many miles per year, driving responsibly (not speeding, using AC unnecessarily). And even if the hybrid does not meet the EPA estimates, a comparable conventional car would also not get its advertised mileage if it is driven hard, making the improvement percentage wise still significant.
I have heard that a hybrid is really only cost efficient if you live in a city (or drive in a city constantly) because the common use of electricity being used is when you are taking off from a stopped positions i.e. red lights. So the stopping and going is what is drinking up the gas. So if you are driving highway miles and don't live in a city, you are probably not in real need of a hybrid.
It only makes sense when your state allows that hybrid into carpool lanes, even with the driver only travelling.
Otherwise, it is a waste of money, cause time is money.
It's a good idea, but whatever the monthly payments would be on a hybrid, it would be much much more than I am paying now (my monthly payment has been $0.00 for a few years now). Bottom line, I can't afford any new car, hybrid or otherwise. If you want to buy me one, then that's cool with me.
My husband and I bought a Honda Insight after finding a used one locally a few years ago. We didn't buy the one we saw here, we found another. Ours had 10,000 miles when we bought it. It was in Washington & had come from Arizona. It was cheap becasue the gas hadn't gotten too high yet. It is only a two seater. We like it, but it's not our only car. I just fell for that screaming green little car.
You need to figure the amount of driving you do and if it will benefit you. They have high engine performance hybrids now that are only a bit more fuel efficient. The smaller Toyotas and Hondas, not hybrids, are very fuel efficient and
cost less than hybrids.
Our standard Insight gets 60 mph around town. The best tank was 72 mph. That was in Yellowstone and on secondary roads in Idaho and Wyoming and the highway in Montana. I think on a flatter, well surfaced road, it would do better.
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