hybrid cars..i know the good points...what's the down side of owning one?

Answer 1

It's amazing how retarded most people are about hybrids.

I have an original 2001 Prius and the batteries are fine. I still get over 50 MPG on average so we know that the batteries are still holding the same charge that they were designed to hold.

Clearly you don't have to replace the battery every 3-4 years, or every 8 years as someone else suggested -- since the car has only been sold in the US for 6 years and Toyota claims to have NEVER had to replace a set of batteries due to normal usage.

Regarding cost, if you test drive a Prius you will find out immediately that it is worth every penny. Priuses cost in the lower-20s. They are NOT econo-boxes, they are built more like luxury cars. If it had a BMW sticker on it, it would be going for $45,000, easily -- the Prius easily drives better and comes with more options STANDARD than the lower-end BMW 3-series cars, which tend to not even have cruise control but start at over $32,000.

A car costing in the lower-20s may seem like a lot for an econobox -- but as I said the Prius is not an econobox. This is the only reason I can think of why people argue that the Prius costs too much -- they're trying to compare it to stuff like Geo Metros.

Regarding rescue workers not wanting to rescue people in hybrid cars, obviously this person is not a rescue worker. Firemen and other rescue workers tend to do absolutely everything possible to save a life. If this responder can find just one CREDIBLE account of any rescue worker refusing to render aid to someone in a hybrid car, I'd like to see it.

Now to answer your question instead of responding to the ill-informed people up above, there are three downsides towards owning a Prius in particular:

- The look of the car. Other drivers may be a little rude to you seeing that you are in a hybrid car. Note that the 2001-2003 model years look different -- they look like any other Toyota from those years (people say it looks like the Echo, but it really doesn't, it looks more like the Camry from the same time period).

- The "Sprint Speed". The 0-60 mph acceleration speed of the car is a bit lacking. Note that you can easily accelerate from 0-60 faster than most people do, but if you want to be the fastest thing on the road you won't be in the Prius. You'll have no problem accelerating above average and if you want to you can accelerate faster than most people 90% of the time, as I said, as most people accelerate slowly anyway. The car has adequate power, but sometimes you may wish you had a little more.

- As someone said above, you really want to take it to a Toyota dealership to have service on it. You probably won't ever need an engine tuneup or a brakejob for the life of the car, but even for oil changes you probably want to take it to a dealer. The exception would be the tires, which you can get anywhere you prefer.

Note that Toyota has other hybrid cars, a hybrid Camry and a Lexus. The first two of the three downsides I listed can be solved by getting one of those cars instead of the Prius, at the tradeoff of getting a lower MPG. Also note that the next Prius, coming out in 2008 or 2009, will solve the sprint speed issue as it will have a turbocharged engine.

Answer 2

There are many downsides to a hybrid. One is the price of course. Two, they don't last as long as regular gasoline. Three, I heard rumors say that hybrids contruite more to global warming than SUVs because the process to make a hybrid and destoying them.

Answer 3

I think its funny that people assume they have to replace the high voltage batteries every 5 or 6 years.
I work at a service dept for Toyota and in 5 years I have replaced only 1 HV battery and that was because it was damaged in an accident.
As for the space taken up by the system, they are under the rear seat so they take up no more space than the seat itself.
The one real downside I can tell you about it that the technology is specialized. You wont be able to go to Joe Blow's garage to have it worked on.

Answer 4

Apart from the disadvantages mentioned elsewhere here (cost, battery life & expense; maintenance & repair -- likely to be less of a problem as they become mainstream; and changing technology) and space -- that second power train takes up room -- there is the question of driving enjoyment.

You don't ignore the taste of your food, even though you know that the most important thing about it is its nutritional and health benefits/hazards. So it is with cars. Fuel economy and safety are important, but so is the 'flavor' of the driving experience.

Hybrids are heavier than comparable cars driven exclusively by internal combustion. For the same price as a hybrid, there are dozens of other cars you could buy that are lighter.

Weight has a cumulative effect. Adding a pound one place requires that you add ounces elsewhere to carry that weight, accelerate it, stop it, and keep it from heaving around when you turn. Thus you need stronger structure, bigger brakes, bigger wheels and tires, more power (if you intend to maintain the same straight-line performance), stronger springs, and stiffer shock absorbers.

On top of that, you have to design the safety systems (crush zones, air bags, side impact beams) to take the extra weight into account.

And every ounce you add to those systems requires that you add another fraction somewhere to account for that ounce, ad infinitesimum.

Cars are not appliances. There are no refrigerator clubs or toaster museums. Depending on the relative success of those who design and build them and the parameters they design and build around, they can be extensions of our being -- or not.

Adding the parameter of incorporating a whole second power train, and integrating the two so that the transition from one to the other is undetectable, makes it impossible for that car to be as pleasurable to drive as one of similar cost that has not had to make those compromises.

And since internal combustion technology is so mature, there are developments (clean Diesels, compound supercharging) that will continue to make that power source competitive in terms of energy efficiency.

Hybrids will always be at a disadvantage against exclusive internal combustion as long as people care about the way their cars drive. As one wag at AutoWeek wrote, "(The Prius) is no worse than any other car that's not fun to drive."

Where you draw the line between fuel economy and driving enjoyment is up to you. If it doesn't cost much in fuel economy, wouldn't you rather have 'steak' than 'tofu?'

Answer 5

1. They cost a lot more
2. On average it takes 8 years of driving to break even
3. After about 8 years the batteries go bad, costing you thousands and Toyotas warranty is 3 years/36000 miles
4. They only get better gas mileage in the city, the highway is usually the same as competing non-hybrid cars
5. the tax-cut is only one time

Answer 6

Some emergency personnel nationwide refuse to pull people out of hybrids in bad wrecks as the current running through the system is more than enough to kill you, my advice, don't touch the orange wires. Not to mention a Toyota Carolla is cheaper, gets great millage and will save you money in the long and short run.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

As far as I know, the biggest downside, besides the original cost of buying a hybrid car, is that you will have to replace all the batteries every 4-6 years. This could cost several thousand dollars each time. (Of course, you could just trade the car in for a new one every 4-6 years)

Answer 9

1. Batteries could be expensive to replace in the long run
2. the extra cost is not justifiable unless gas prices top $5
3. repairs could be tricky unless going exclusively to dealer
4. dealers may have limited technicians knowledgable on the new technology (long waits)
5. the technology could completely change in the next 4 yrs leaving them an obsolite technology
6. i could go on forever, but purchase of one is about personal environmental impact and not economics. I would personally buy a car that suits my needs and be "gas friendly"

Answer 10

Not recommended for towing a trailer.