Hybrids Worth It?

**RavensFan19** · 07-09-2007, 09:16 AM

Just curious if anyone here has arguments for either side of buying a hybrid vehicle?

I am on the side that would say...No.

Because if you are that concerned with gas mileage you can get a nice Honda Civic or something of the like for about 5-10 G's less than something like a Toyota Prius and you are still getting mid 30's to low 40's depending on your driving style...the difference in money would be greater than what you would actually spend at the tank in gas for an entire year.

Also, from what I have been told, these hybrid cars have a cell battery that has a shelf life of around 3-5 years and then you have to replace it. A friend of mine who owns a Prius said that she might as well just buy a new Prius because the cost of the new battery is going to be so expensive.

Just wanted to hear your thoughts and the other Hybrid Poison Ivy thread made me think of this topic.

**gwballin** · 07-09-2007, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by RavensFan19

Also, from what I have been told, these hybrid cars have a cell battery that has a shelf life of around 3-5 years and then you have to replace it. A friend of mine who owns a Prius said that she might as well just buy a new Prius because the cost of the new battery is going to be so expensive.

I am not so sure about the above statement especially since the prius has a warranty on the batteries of 8 years.

That said, depending on the price of gasoline and how many miles you drive, I agree that in most cases the savings from reduced gas bills you pay as a result of the hybrid system will be less than the premium you paid for said system.

**secondgearscratch** · 07-09-2007, 10:43 AM

i think that the majority of pollution hasnt come from automobiles, so i dont blame them for it. this is an opinion.

hybrids suck. they dont get near what they advertise in mpg. and look at them. lets by a car that makes us look like a shithead.

**NE98LS1** · 07-09-2007, 11:35 AM

i think the real satisfaction comes from the smug feeling you can only get driving a hybrid. good for you!

**RavensFan19** · 07-09-2007, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by NE98LS1

i think the real satisfaction comes from the smug feeling you can only get driving a hybrid. good for you!

**Zapper2003** · 07-09-2007, 03:17 PM

Had to laugh, the other day at the Park-N-Ride was a Hybrid....PARKED. WTF! I bet they piled into a suburban with 2 other people.

**310stanger** · 07-09-2007, 04:22 PM

well if it means anything my mom has an 05 or 06 prius, i forget what year. She loves it. Its been cheap as hell to own and the warranty goes for a real long time. The car is extremely well built and shes had 0 problems with it. As far as the battery goes, yes its expensive. BUT, its designed to last about 10 yrs. and the warranty covers 8 yrs on it. so i dont think its a huge concern. The problem with the prius is that theres a wait list and its about 25k. BUT, for a small car the room and cargo capabilities are INCREDIBLE. The leg and headroom in the back of that car is fuckin awesome. Performance though is awful. The acceleration is the worst i've experienced and it doesnt handle worth a shit. Not that you'd care about performance when you buy a prius. But its jus pure econo driving. For people that dont care about mileage for the same price you can get a fully loaded sports sedan from any of the asian manufacturers with 230+ horsepower for the same price. The Hyundai Sonata comes to mind. That car is VERY nice and you can get one for like 20 something grand with a 235 horse v6. They drive really nice. I jus started as a Hyundai tech and jus by working on and driving that car I've been extremely impressed.

**Spaz** · 07-09-2007, 04:34 PM

my grand father who is retired and travels all the time had one and hated it... he got 30 miles city... my dads lingenfelter vette get 28 city with being supercharged and normal driving...

tip the scales of justice batman...

**310stanger** · 07-09-2007, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

my grand father who is retired and travels all the time had one and hated it... he got 30 miles city... my dads lingenfelter vette get 28 city with being supercharged and normal driving...

tip the scales of justice batman...

theres something really wrong with your granddads car dude. My moms car gets 58 combined and has pulled 61 city. inotherwords double what your granfather got. what model did he have?

**Spaz** · 07-09-2007, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by 310stanger

theres something really wrong with your granddads car dude. My moms car gets 58 combined and has pulled 61 city. inotherwords double what your granfather got. what model did he have?

he had a silver toyota prius... auto... i don't know if they even make a manual on...

**Spaz** · 07-09-2007, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

he had a silver toyota prius... auto... i don't know if they even make a manual on...

plus his electric bill went up substancially from charging the damned thing as well...

**gwballin** · 07-09-2007, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

plus his electric bill went up substancially from charging the damned thing as well...

I think we found the problem, as far as I know toyota doesn't make a plug-in prius.

**310stanger** · 07-09-2007, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

plus his electric bill went up substancially from charging the damned thing as well...

eh, you dont charge hybrids dude. thats electric cars you are thinking of. they have regenerative braking, the engine kicks on and off and the battery maintains charge. theres no battery charging involved at all. did he have a GM EV1 or some shit?

**310stanger** · 07-09-2007, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by gwballin

I think we found the problem, as far as I know toyota doesn't make a plug-in prius.

they dont. theres some sort of modification you can do, but its pointless. the latest hybrid technology on the new prius is pretty good.

**Spaz** · 07-09-2007, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by 310stanger

they dont. theres some sort of modification you can do, but its pointless. the latest hybrid technology on the new prius is pretty good.

the way it worked if the electronic crap didn't kick in or what ever to charge the batteries by the time he go home he could plug it in to recharge the cells...

**FSANE** · 07-09-2007, 05:55 PM

you want to save on gas? get a diesel.

**Spaz** · 07-09-2007, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by FSANE

you want to save on gas? get a diesel.

that all depends...

and deisel is a fucking bi-product of gasoline... why the fuck is it so damned expensive...

**310stanger** · 07-09-2007, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

that all depends...

and deisel is a fucking bi-product of gasoline... why the fuck is it so damned expensive...

it used to be cheaper.....

**Spaz** · 07-09-2007, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by 310stanger

it used to be cheaper.....

and now they are taking advantage on it... oh... and you can only use certain dyes commercially... wtf... way to go government... disel puts out less polutants than gasoline but lets make a rule for it...

**FSANE** · 07-09-2007, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

that all depends...

and deisel is a fucking bi-product of gasoline... why the fuck is it so damned expensive...

$2.80 here the most compared to $3.30 for regular. and look at WV Jetta D for example, 40+MPG even older Jettas got 50+MPG. and on top of that Deisel engines require less maintance compared to normal gasoline engine, has more torque, and can out-last a gas engine.

Ohh...you can also convert to BIO-diesel. Not my thing, but even cheaper results.