What do you guys think about hybrid cars?

Question

A friend of mine wants to sell me a 2005 honda hybrid but i dont know. Is it worth making the extra expense?

Answer 1

No.

Hybrid cars are great if your only going about 30 mph. After that the gasoline engine kicks in and there goes your gas mileage. The batteries on hybrid cars are meant to recharge themselves when you step on the brake. That makes them great when you do a lot of in-town driving, but if you live a long distance away from wherever you're going, you're going to see a significant drop in your mileage. Because the batteries get recharged every time you hit the brakes, after a time they wear down and you need to get new batteries. That can get very expensive because those are special batteries and you usually have to get them from the manufacturer, which gets very expensive. The concept is a good one, but car manufacturers need to find a more efficient way of getting better fuel mileage--period.

Answer 2

Not a big fan of them, at least as currently priced. As others have said, it takes a long time to make up the higher price in gas savings, and since you're buying used you will not get the tax credit that is available to people who buy new hybrids. It really depends on the price your friend is giving you.

Have you driven the car? If you're looking at the Hybrid Accord, it's actually a good performance car, but its mileage is only marginally better than the normal Accord. If you're looking at the Hybrid Civic, it is a pretty wimpy car. Functional, but not fun to drive and with tepid acceleration and handling.

Answer 3

In the long run, the extra money you paid for a hybrid for saving in gasoline for the life of the vehicle will be about the same.

If you add on the price of replacing the battery at the end, the answer will be "No".

But look at it this way --

Do you want to pay more money to the car manufacturer (Japanese, US Allies)?

Or do you want to pay more money to oil companies, who in terms pays the Middle East Countries (Who wants America DEAD)?

You decide.

Answer 4

Bottom line: NO.

Hybrids only pay for their premium technology in gas savings after about 5-7 years of driving, and by then you need to spend several thousand dollars replacing the battery packs. Are you committed to driving that car for most of the next decade or so in order to break even? If not, don't get it.

If it is so great, why does your friend want out of his car after only 2 years?

Answer 5

Don't buy it. Reasons are
1. There are regular I.C.E. cars that get as good if not better MPG.
2. The replacement cost of batteries are around $7,000.00
3. Any idea of the ecological effects of battery disposal?

Hybrid cars are just a ploy, we can do better.