Getting better every tank!
I'll answer that. I have the standard Civic (LX), after doing the research and making that exact decision. With it, I'm getting a consistent 38-40 mpg.pxpaulx said:At least Hybrid Technology doesn't ruin our economy like Gov. Subsidized Ethanol!
I can understand the appeal of a Hybrid, but when it comes down to the bottom line ($$$) I couldn't justify the extra cost (though admittedly I haven't looked it up for the difference between the Civic and comparable Civic Hybrid). May I ask why you chose a Hybrid over standard Civic?
I get the bragging part, 50mpg would feel good! (when we averaged 43 on our trip to toronto in our yaris last year, it felt awesome!)MikeQBF said:OTOH, you can't put a dollar figure on the feel-good factor of giving your money to Honda instead of Big Oil, and then there's the "green" issue of hybrids. Or that you can drive your friends and neighbors crazy bragging about 50 mpg when they whine about gas prices. That definitely has a certain appeal... :grin:
pxpaulx said:expect to get at least 35mpg in a standard civic model, making it at least a 10 year (well, not counting any tax breaks) timeframe to break even.
Imagine comparing the Element MPG to the civic hybrid though, it would have to be more than half the cost in fuel easily. I know we saved over $100 a month when we sold the Element for the Yaris.
MikeQBF said:Hmm. 100K miles is 100K miles, whether it happens in a week or in a decade. The numbers still work the same.
The only valid comparison in this discussion, IMO, is Civic = Civic. Pointing to savings (or lack) versus other makes/models sorta isn't what I'm talking about here. The question essentially posed is "Is the hybrid version of the exact same car worth the extra cost?" In pure dollars and cents, no. In overall owner satisfaction... well, that's a strong possibility.
If you were referring to the $100 we saved in gas monthly over the element, we bought a yaris, no batteries neededDorchesterBoy said:That could easily wipe out the $100 gas savings over 3 years.
That's been one of the arguments since the first Prius and the Insight hit the road, and this point remains under debate because we still don't know. Not enough data yet.DorchesterBoy said:...One argument that is being made ad nosium is the cost of Hybrid battery replacement. ...
The battery industry is very proud of their record on recycling batteries. Very few now end up in landfills....There's no reason to think that would change with the hybrid batteries.DorchesterBoy said:There is also the current environmental concern of disposal of landfill sized volumes of old Hybrid batteries.
Those are some definite pluses! I guess when you actually get down to an apples to apples comparison, they do come pretty close even where the almighty buck is concerned. $3,100.00 difference in price is pretty close, and the tax credit makes it that much better.1stpik said:Turns out it has plenty of power (the electric motor is all torque), it's super-quiet and the CVT is super-smooth. Plus the electric assist readout and the mpg meter make for an entertaining drive.
I went from a skeptic to a buyer in 15 minutes.