Hybrid Car Sales Tank...

[snickerd3]

So much for gas being cheap. It's sneaking back up on $2/gallon here.

It's been $2.15-$2.18 here around work all week, but it is $1.83 an hour away where I live....go figure.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

It's about $1.90 here and has been creeping up since it bottomed out at $1.65.

 

[Supe]

It's been $2.15-$2.18 here around work all week, but it is $1.83 an hour away where I live....go figure.

$1.93 if I turn right, $1.98 if I turn left, $2.08 if I drive inside the 610 loop.

 

[MGX]

I considered buying a Prius, but did the math and found (unsurpisingly) that my paid-for VW New Beetle, despite averaging 25 MPG, is still a far cheaper vehicle to own. Last summer at the peak of the gas prices, I calculated out the cost of a Toyota Yaris sedan and the Honda Fit, and compared with the Prius - I still have the spreadsheet somewhere and I found that gas needed to stay high for the hybrid to be cheaper in the long run. I believe the Yaris sedan was only about $13-14K and a Prius is more like $24K, so the cost of the actual vehicle did play a significant role.
We have been discussing trading in Mr. Bug's '01 Camry for a Yaris sedan or even a gently used 4-door compact (even a Corolla or Civic) once he finds a new job. The Camry is a bit of a bear on gas compared to a slightly smaller vehicle. When we have kids, I'll have a crossover SUV - my commute is shorter (9 miles each way) and I will likely be handling daycare dropoff/pickup. Heavens knows the Bug won't be a sensible family vehicle!

A coworker asked if a Prius would be cheaper than his current car. I crunched the numbers and gas would have to be astronomical, like $50/gallon, for the Prius to win economically.

Fuel mileage is only a small part of car ownership costs.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Gas holding steady at 1.77 here. Bottomed out at 1.45.

Speaking of which, I need to fill up the Maxx.

 

[EM_PS]

We have been discussing trading in Mr. Bug's '01 Camry for a Yaris sedan or even a gently used 4-door compact (even a Corolla or Civic) once he finds a new job. The Camry is a bit of a bear on gas compared to a slightly smaller vehicle. When we have kids, I'll have a crossover SUV - my commute is shorter (9 miles each way) and I will likely be handling daycare dropoff/pickup. Heavens knows the Bug won't be a sensible family vehicle!

The Camry can't be too much of a 'bear' on gas, even w/ the V6 and is only 8 yrs old. What will be however is the crossover SUV you feel you'll need. Why in the world do you feel you will need an SUV at all? There are a lot of platforms out there more economical that are kid / family friendly w/ out having to join the ranks of SUV america. A Camry (or similar 4-dr sedan) for example works fine until kids get bigger or you simply need more hauling space. Just sayin, having kids doesn't mean you immediately have to become an SUV sheep.

 

[Katiebug]

Series 1 does 0-60 in 5.9 seconds, series 2 in 4.7 seconds. Plenty dang fast for me.
Katie, the Corolla gets just about the same mileage as the Yaris in the real world, and if you're looking for a sedan, is a better vehicle for the money IMO.

Really? I much prefer the Corolla to the Yaris, just based on size. I really love the Camry. Mr. Bug's Camry hit 100K miles last year and last year when he had a 30 mile commute one-way we were starting to plan for replacement because he'd be putting almost 20K miles on it yearly. I think it's at 102K now and he puts maybe 200 miles on the thing each month, driving to interviews and his job club and running errands. It has an automatic transmission; I suspect that might be the limiting factor in its life. Neither of us wants a manual transmission - he can't drive a stick and I just don't like it.

I really like the Prius. My boss has one and I covet his gas mileage - but he has said it can be expensive to have it serviced. You must go to the stealership and he can't really do repairs himself other than changing the headlights. For an engineer whose group is largely car buffs, he loses a lot of cred with owning a Prius. Until hybrids get cheaper, it's still not exactly a winning proposition financially. I did dig out my spreadsheet from last summer, and an inexpensive used car getting in the low to mid 20s on mileage was still a better bet than the Prius - and that was with gas at $4/gallon.

^ what he said. The Yaris is the *slightly* updated Echo. I drove my Echo for 6 years, and I liked it... but most men (or anyone over 5'7) do NOT fit comfortably in it.
No matter what he gets, once you have kids, you'll want car seats in both vehicles if at all possible. Even if you rarely use them, the few times that you need them will be worth it.

Sounds like my Beetle. Mr. Bug can sit in the front seats quite comfortably, but sitting in the back seat for an adult is pretty brutal. The Yaris looks bigger than my car, but I guess it's all about how interior space is used. We didn't make it to the test drive stage before Mr. Bug got laid off, so we never actually sat in one. Good to know it's basically an Echo.

The 4-door bit is important to me. I can see how an infant "bucket" would be workable in the back of the Bug (with the front passenger seat pushed most of the way forward) because we've done it with our nephew's car seat when he was a baby. It's just when they switch to the convertible seat but are still rear-facing that I see the potential issue. I know people manage babies with a 2-door but I can't for the life of me figure out how I'd buckle a squirming rear-facing baby into a seat in the back of the Beetle. Once they're front-facing, it'd be a cinch with the Bug because the doors are so long and wide.

The Camry can't be too much of a 'bear' on gas, even w/ the V6 and is only 8 yrs old. What will be however is the crossover SUV you feel you'll need. Why in the world do you feel you will need an SUV at all? There are a lot of platforms out there more economical that are kid / family friendly w/ out having to join the ranks of SUV america. A Camry (or similar 4-dr sedan) for example works fine until kids get bigger or you simply need more hauling space. Just sayin, having kids doesn't mean you immediately have to become an SUV sheep.

Honestly, because I like the styling of some of the crossovers and refuse to own a minivan. I'd also prefer AWD or 4WD due to the steepness of our driveway and general difficulty getting around in the winter weather - especially with a baby or young child in the car with me. If there's more than 1/2" of snow, the Beetle can't negotiate the driveway, and often can't negotiate any of the roads leading to our neighborhood. And a crossover generally gives slightly better mileage than a truck-based SUV, because they're basically car-based (i.e. the Toyota Highlander is built on a Camry chassis).

It also gives one a feeling of security - which is completely false, but I like having that feeling anyways. What can I say, I tend to be very emotion-driven in selecting my cars. I've had too many close calls in a subcompact - 5 star safety rating notwithstanding, the Beetle is no match for a full size SUV being driven by a distracted driver or one who just doesn't give a damn.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Katie, you might want to check out the Honda Insight. Cheaper than a Prius.

 

[Chucktown PE]

The Camry can't be too much of a 'bear' on gas, even w/ the V6 and is only 8 yrs old. What will be however is the crossover SUV you feel you'll need. Why in the world do you feel you will need an SUV at all? There are a lot of platforms out there more economical that are kid / family friendly w/ out having to join the ranks of SUV america. A Camry (or similar 4-dr sedan) for example works fine until kids get bigger or you simply need more hauling space. Just sayin, having kids doesn't mean you immediately have to become an SUV sheep.

Hey, hey, hey, don't knock the SUV thing man. Sometimes that's the most practical choice. Take me for instance, we have 2 kids so we've outgrown our Honda Accord, we also need to be able to tow a boat, and when we travel with kids they require a significant payload. The SUV is just about the only thing out there that would work. The minivan would be a possibility but I need something to take hunting and with the low ground clearance on a minivan I'd be getting stuck quite a bit.

 

[EM_PS]

Honestly, because I like the styling of some of the crossovers and refuse to own a minivan.
the Beetle is no match for a full size SUV being driven by a distracted driver or one who just doesn't give a damn.

True enough, i like the styling of some of them too . I guess nothing says you're in a family-way more than a minivan, though truly for travelling, kids, & all around 'utility', they are hard to beat. It is kind of sad though, that we have to be influenced to perpetuate the 'buy big & heavy' because there are so many full size SUV's out there & one has to protect themselves by buying just as big & heavy or even moreso. Our Honda minivan is right around 4800 lb, and has airbags in the cupholders practically, so I'm certainly no better in this - but we do have a damn safe vehicle (status perpetuated), and I'm ok w/ that.

Hey, hey, hey, don't knock the SUV thing man. Sometimes that's the most practical choice. Take me for instance, we have 2 kids so we've outgrown our Honda Accord, we also need to be able to tow a boat, and when we travel with kids they require a significant payload. The SUV is just about the only thing out there that would work. The minivan would be a possibility but I need something to take hunting and with the low ground clearance on a minivan I'd be getting stuck quite a bit.

Yup, I know, I'm not so much anti-suv / pickup truck as I am annoyed w/ people who buy them without ever really needing something that size or w/ that kind of capacity / capability. And I'm not saying anybody here is doing that or whatever.

Back in the day, once it became apparent you had to give up the 2-door, you had to swallow the pride & buy the dreaded 'granny car': a (gulp) 4-door. Or really scary, possibly the even more scorned 'grocery getter': a stationwagon. Nowadays, folks give up their sporty 4-doors and basically belly up to the glorified stationwagon platform in the guise of an SUV. 4-doors & stationwagons (SUVs) look way better than they did back then for sure. its a free country, and folks can buy what they wanna, I just get burnt out on the whole "Canyonero" syndrome, which seems to be waning a little anyways. And the crossovers are nice

 

[Guest]

The thing that concerns me about hybrids is the battery bank - I know they have long warranty periods (8 years?) but from what I understand, if you have to replace the battery system, it would run somewhere around $5,000???
And then think about all that lead .... I wonder what a true "cradle to grave" analysis of the environmental harm caused by manufacturing, driving, repairing, and ultimately disposing of a hybrid vehicle would be compared to, say, a conventional fuel efficient vehicle like a Toyota Yaris. My guess is that the hybrid isn't any "better" for the environment, and may in fact turn out to be worse in terms of hazardous wastes generated.

Dleg, I read an article on this very topic a year or so ago. The manufacture and disposal of the batteries is incredibly bad for the environment. And you know me, I like to ruffle feathers, so when some of the environuts in my office in ATL started bragging about their eco-savvy purchases and brow beating me for owning/driving a 12 year old SUV, I had to piss on their parade a little bit and quote the article. I'll see if I can find it for you.

I can't believe you two are agreeing on something ... I guess I will need to throw in the hand grenade for this one!! :bandevil:

It's NOT a hazardous waste if it is recycled .... :asthanos:

If I can touch the passenger side door while seated (not leaning) in the driver seat, the car is too small.

I am with you there ... and I am taller than you with disproportionately longer arms. :true:

Katie, the Corolla gets just about the same mileage as the Yaris in the real world, and if you're looking for a sedan, is a better vehicle for the money IMO.

With that frame of reference .. where does Honda Civic rank?

Honestly, because I like the styling of some of the crossovers and refuse to own a minivan. I'd also prefer AWD or 4WD due to the steepness of our driveway and general difficulty getting around in the winter weather - especially with a baby or young child in the car with me. If there's more than 1/2" of snow, the Beetle can't negotiate the driveway, and often can't negotiate any of the roads leading to our neighborhood. And a crossover generally gives slightly better mileage than a truck-based SUV, because they're basically car-based (i.e. the Toyota Highlander is built on a Camry chassis).

That's right Katie ... tell EM to stop trying to push his eco-communist views up on you!!

:joke:

It also gives one a feeling of security - which is completely false, but I like having that feeling anyways. What can I say, I tend to be very emotion-driven in selecting my cars. I've had too many close calls in a subcompact - 5 star safety rating notwithstanding, the Beetle is no match for a full size SUV being driven by a distracted driver or one who just doesn't give a damn.

I drive a Kia Spectra - it is just a box with four wheels. As much as I want to get a new car ... I can't quite get passed the decent gas mileage plus no car payment.

JR

 

[MGX]

Protip: The Kia Spectra is the only car with a name that is plural.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

With that frame of reference .. where does Honda Civic rank?

Civic is basically a little sportier than the Corolla, but pretty much same, same.