Overhaulin'

Is buying Hybrid car worth? Does it really saves you money?

Planning to sell my car and buy hybrid as my agent said it dont have deprecation (spelling might be wrong) either? help me.

Public Comments

1. I wouldn't buy one. 1) they depreciate like crazy 2) they aren't worth a damm in the cold 3) they don't save enough fuel to merit the cost
2. I was talking with someone the other day about hybrids and he said that it would take 30 years for you to break even. toyota compact car is a better buy.
3. Without doing much reasearch my husband came home with the idea of getting a hybrid to replace his wrecked Civic. We looked at some prices and determined they were quite a few thousand dollars higher in price then the gasoline models. Enough of a difference that we didn't think we'd make our money back in savings. Then we called our regular mechanic. He said he couldnt' work on hybrids, that we'd have to take it to the dealer for repairs. We asked the dealer what was the most common repair and he said replacing the batteries. They are about $3000 each. We determined we would lose too much money buying a hybrid over a gasoline powered engine. You may choose a hybrid because of the "green" effect and you feel you are helping the environment - which is fine. But I couldn't afford to be green, it is still too expensive.
4. It saves you money in gas and pollutes less (emission-wise..battery disposal is another issue). They're usually much more expensive than non-hybrid versions of the same car though so it takes several years to break even. If the agent told you they don't depreciate, I'd find a new agent because that's totally false. They depreciate actually faster than their non-hybrid counterparts. Some hybrids are better than others, like the Prius. Others are pretty much not worth it cost-wise. I have the civic hybrid and I really like the car. It gets around 45 mpg when it's WARM OUT but now that it's cold (I am in Michigan) the mpg has been crap (34 average, which is decent but that's a rude awakening when you're expecting 40-50).
5. Everyone should buy a hybrid. Its good for the environment and will make you feel good. But, hybrids are one of the most EXPENSIVE vehicles per mile to own. A Hummer H1 costs a $1.00 per mile less than a hybrid to own, and, the Hummer does LESS environmental damage than a hybrid. Check out this site: http://cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy/ Pull up the cost to drive and also other issues with hybrids. You can search at http://www.google.com for environmental studies on hybrid environmental damage. Search for the damage in the Canadian plant where the batteries are made.
6. You break even in about the eight year of the car if you drive 20k miles a year. The real benefit is that you help the environment.
7. Hybrid are a good concept, they just have not perfected it yet. A hybrid has a much higher initial cost (but also allows you to get a great tax break later). It saves on gasoline, but if anything goes wrong it will cost a ton of money to fix. Also, not just any mechanic has the knowledge of hybrids, so labor would probably be a lot more as well. So I have heard it takes 10 years or more to even start to be worth it, and I have also heard that if the environment is your main concern, dont get a hybrid. It helps the environtment becuase it doesn't put off as much pollution, but there is a ton of polluting going on in the mines where the batteries are mined, as well as when the byproducts are disposed. I have also heard that working conditions in those mines are not up to par with todays codes. Also, when the EPA had to adjust their gas mileage numbers to be more realistic, the Toyota Prius took the hardest hit. I believe the rating went from 60mpg to 45mpg!!! So with all the extra costs, lack of power, extra concerns if there is a problem, I would much rather buy a gasoline engine car that is very fuel efficient such as, Honda Civic, TOyota Corolla, Honda Fit, TOyota Yaris, Chevy Aveo(great mileage, horrible car) or something along those lines. I would rather get 38mpg and not worry about the extra expenses and stuff then get a hybrid that gets 45mpg and struggles to make it up big hills. Also, if you plan on travelling at all, having to plan when you stop to charge your car can really put a damper on things. Hope this insight helps, remember most of what I say is just opinion, so I dont mean to offend anyone or anything. Good LUck