Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Originally Posted by ediamiam
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Great mileage.
Who needs a hybrid Civic ?
Hybrid Civic will probably deliver over 50 mpg in city driving.
How long to break even with added cost of hybrid ?
A basic low tech engine will always be the better choice in the long run.
Please define "better". My 04 Prius easily justified itself. That's even accounting for a new traction battery a couple years ago. That, incidentally, was not the nightmare all the chicken-littles were predicting when the hybrids first appeared. In my case, it was under $2k, installed flawlessly at an independent who employs former Toyota techs.
Remember, for some of the added "complexity" you get back some "simplicity" that "basic low tech" cars can't deliver. For example, no alternator, no starter, no serpentine belts, etc. The PS and the AC are electrically driven and have proven to be life-of-car items (my BLACK 04's AC could still turn the interior into a meat locker in no time). And at 200k miles, my ORIGINAL front brake pads weren't even half worn yet when I retired the car (the motor-generators do almost all the stopping). In short, there are a lot of things on the "simple low tech" car that will require replacement that will simply never be a factor on a hybrid. The hybrids are not simple machines by any stretch, but they do offer important advantages, beyond gas mileage, that no conventional car can provide.
"Always" is an awfully broad term. . .
Originally Posted by ediamiam
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Great mileage.
Who needs a hybrid Civic ?
Hybrid Civic will probably deliver over 50 mpg in city driving.
How long to break even with added cost of hybrid ?
A basic low tech engine will always be the better choice in the long run.
Please define "better". My 04 Prius easily justified itself. That's even accounting for a new traction battery a couple years ago. That, incidentally, was not the nightmare all the chicken-littles were predicting when the hybrids first appeared. In my case, it was under $2k, installed flawlessly at an independent who employs former Toyota techs.
Remember, for some of the added "complexity" you get back some "simplicity" that "basic low tech" cars can't deliver. For example, no alternator, no starter, no serpentine belts, etc. The PS and the AC are electrically driven and have proven to be life-of-car items (my BLACK 04's AC could still turn the interior into a meat locker in no time). And at 200k miles, my ORIGINAL front brake pads weren't even half worn yet when I retired the car (the motor-generators do almost all the stopping). In short, there are a lot of things on the "simple low tech" car that will require replacement that will simply never be a factor on a hybrid. The hybrids are not simple machines by any stretch, but they do offer important advantages, beyond gas mileage, that no conventional car can provide.
"Always" is an awfully broad term. . .
