Should I get an 04 Hybrid?
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Should I get an 04 Hybrid?
Hi people,
New guy here. Well I have a 92 civic hatchback, and am looking into the new hybrid. Does anyone have good or bad news about it
Ive done my research on the car itself...but have been unable to find anything bad said about it. If you could \help then I would really appreciate it.
Borka
New guy here. Well I have a 92 civic hatchback, and am looking into the new hybrid. Does anyone have good or bad news about it
Ive done my research on the car itself...but have been unable to find anything bad said about it. If you could \help then I would really appreciate it.
Borka
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Great gas mileage! That's all I can say about it. They're quite, and fairly sporty, but it's not quick. Well... go for it.
Bad news? A lot more people want them now that gas prices are through the roof, so you might have to shop around a little for the best price.
Bad news? A lot more people want them now that gas prices are through the roof, so you might have to shop around a little for the best price.
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Rep Power: 0 Well I have done my shopping....and I know i can get it for invoice...so total about 20,300 otd...plus 1500 tax rebate...makes it worth it
so no bad news about the car?
the reason im looking to get it is I drive about 1000-1300 miles a week
so I will be one of the few people who will see the gas savings
so no bad news about the car?
the reason im looking to get it is I drive about 1000-1300 miles a week
so I will be one of the few people who will see the gas savings
You can't go wrong with it. It's still a Civic, it just has better gas mileage, and a little less power, which you probably won't even notice (since you're buying a hybrid you won't be racing around anyway).
The Evil Genius
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Rep Power: 0 just make sure you get it from the dealership and get an extended warrenty so your cover for everything.. the transmission and eletric motor is still fairly new and would cost crazy bucks to fix compared a non hybrid car... better be safe than sorry
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Rep Power: 315 Hybrids are a great idea, but are not economically as awesome as they could be until they are equal to or cheaper than a normal car of the same size.
For example, read the car & driver article here. It makes a valid point about the premium you pay over a normal LX model not being worth the small benefit in gas mileage.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=2
"If we compare the Civic hybrid to the Civic LX, which is the most comparable conventional Civic, we find the following: If you drive 15,000 miles every year and gas is $1.50 a gallon, you'll save about $240 a year. To realize this saving, you will have paid about $20,000 (final prices are pending) for the Civic hybrid�a solid $3500 more than the price of an LX with alloy wheels, a CD player�and a small allowance for the hybrid's automatic climate-control system. Put that increment in a money-market account at five percent, and you'll earn $175 every year. At that rate, allowing for the time value of money, you will never save enough gas to pay back the premium you paid for the hybrid model."
For example, read the car & driver article here. It makes a valid point about the premium you pay over a normal LX model not being worth the small benefit in gas mileage.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=2
"If we compare the Civic hybrid to the Civic LX, which is the most comparable conventional Civic, we find the following: If you drive 15,000 miles every year and gas is $1.50 a gallon, you'll save about $240 a year. To realize this saving, you will have paid about $20,000 (final prices are pending) for the Civic hybrid�a solid $3500 more than the price of an LX with alloy wheels, a CD player�and a small allowance for the hybrid's automatic climate-control system. Put that increment in a money-market account at five percent, and you'll earn $175 every year. At that rate, allowing for the time value of money, you will never save enough gas to pay back the premium you paid for the hybrid model."
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Rep Power: 0 ^ well with gas being $2.03 where I am at...I average 20,833 miles per yr, and i will be paying (minus tax credit) $18,700 OTD......to me it makes sense to buy it since I will also have it at least 5-8 yrs
now do you think i could get them to bump the warranty to 5yrs 80,000 for an additional $800...??
now do you think i could get them to bump the warranty to 5yrs 80,000 for an additional $800...??
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Ok, let's figure this up.
A Hybrid CVT runs $20,650 and averages 48mpg.
A comparable LX Auto runs $16,410 and 34mpg.
Difference: $4240
Using 20,800 miles/year, you'll use:
Hybrid: 433 gallons of fuel
LX: 611 gallons of fuel
Your total gas cost at $2.00/gal. will then be:
Hybrid: $866
LX: $1222
Difference: $356/year savings.
Now, you simply divide the vehicle cost difference by the yearly savings and you'll get the number of years it takes to make up the difference in cost vs. mileage.
4240 / 356 = 11 years
This means that you'll pay $4240 more for the Hybrid now, getting $356/year in gas savings, and you'll drive it 11 years before you even SEE A SAVINGS over the LX.
This doesn't even take into account the extended warranty cost or any additional options on the two cars.
IMO, it isn't worth it.
A Hybrid CVT runs $20,650 and averages 48mpg.
A comparable LX Auto runs $16,410 and 34mpg.
Difference: $4240
Using 20,800 miles/year, you'll use:
Hybrid: 433 gallons of fuel
LX: 611 gallons of fuel
Your total gas cost at $2.00/gal. will then be:
Hybrid: $866
LX: $1222
Difference: $356/year savings.
Now, you simply divide the vehicle cost difference by the yearly savings and you'll get the number of years it takes to make up the difference in cost vs. mileage.
4240 / 356 = 11 years
This means that you'll pay $4240 more for the Hybrid now, getting $356/year in gas savings, and you'll drive it 11 years before you even SEE A SAVINGS over the LX.
This doesn't even take into account the extended warranty cost or any additional options on the two cars.
IMO, it isn't worth it.
Last edited by Bellz; May 31, 2004 at 05:07 PM.
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Rep Power: 0 plus i've read an article that says the gas milage isnt all what its cracked up to be. on a road test the hybrid averaged 38 miles instead of its claimed mpg. plus with the extra cost of the hybrid it really doesnt make sense. plus theres a 6 month wait over here in va for one. if u ask me just stick with ur civic. who wants another car payment?
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Rep Power: 346 This is just to add to what Bellz said, it's only worth it if you plan on using it for 11 years or more OR if the price of gas sky rockets even more... (which will likely happen as summer driving season peaks). Now the price gap will drop between the two cars if you're comparing it to an EX model to about $2500 to $3000.
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Rep Power: 346 I just did some recalculations and I got 8 years IF the gas averages more than $2.10 and if you are comparing it to the EX model. If you keep it for that long that it will be worth it.... It would be about 8 and a half years if you compared it to the EX w/ gas @ $2.00
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Rep Power: 811 Well if you really want it for some reason, you can forget about modding it. Larger rims, system, and kits are out of the question for obvious reasons. If you think your civic is slow now, wait til you drive a hybrid. The only reason I can see someone buying it is for the environment. Gas mileage is only a few hundred less each year.
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Rep Power: 0 Other than the price gap, we should also consider the the time saved by not stopping for gas as often and less emission. Plus you also get an auto climate control, mpg meter, trunk spoiler, folding mirror, and the fact that the car is imported straight from Japan.
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