Would you buy an electric hybrid vehicle if you could?

[GreenPartyVoter]

The automakers keep saying there's not enough demand out there. What do you think? If they were more readily available, would more people buy them? (I am thinking yeah, 60 mpg will sounds good to most folks who feel like they are getting gouged in the wallet at the pumps these days.)

*Yes, I would buy one if I had the $. Would love to have one of Toyota's Estima mini-vans.*

[Maat]

1. I was going to say -- I need a mini-van!

If I had access to a 'green' mini-van, I would be the first in line. Need it to be available here.

[Kolesar]

20. I got 22.4 mpg in my Windstar

I pumped the tires up to 40 psi when I took off the snows a month ago. I have been driving cautiously for years now, but in the last few weeks I have been "challenging myself" to drive slower yet. If no one is behind me I will just coast down to a slower speed, like 58 in a 60 mph zone, or 60 in a 65mph zone. On country roads, I will take it slower. I don't get in peoples' way when they are obviously hurried, though. For the last two tankfuls, I averaged 22.4 mpg.

In the winter, my fuel economy is lower due to colder engine temperatures, different fuel (ethanol-oxygenated, with a lower energy content/gallon), and having the headlights and tail lights on.

The limit on air pressure at max load is 44 psi. If you have the van full of people and at the weight limit, the higher air pressure may not be such a good idea.

[Frederic Bastiat]

2. The huge price tag put me off

Last year I bought another Civic I checked out the hybrid but it was $5,000 extra on the tag. Bollocks if i'm paying that much.

[Commendatori]

18. Same here

When they start pricing them like vehicles instead of status symbols, maybe I'll be able to afford one. Until then, I'll run my '97 Cavalier into the ground.

[tridim]

3. I would if I could afford one

but I'm just an average single-income, lower-middle class citizen. I used to be upper-middle class (during the 90's), but Bush put a quick stop to that.

[fudge stripe cookays]

4. Not only yeah, but HELL yeah!

We've got a regular Civic, but I'd love to feel like I'm doing more for the environment.

[tsakshaug]

5. yes

YES YES YES
there is the $ factor however

[LynzM]

6. For Sure. If we had the money...

Until they come down in price, the 'demand' won't be there... match 'em with current prices, and wait 'til you can get 'em used, and I think a lot of people will be buying them!

[Goldom]

7. We own two

Prices were just as cheap as most other cars. The slight price increase for the electric motor will pay for itself in a single year of gas savings. :shrug:

[Canuckistanian]

14. Excellent point.

Most people look at the cost of buying a product and don't pay attention to the cost of USING a product.
Do some calculations. At 60MPG, how much money are you going to save over the lifetime of the car, compared to, say, 45MPG.
Then make your decision.

[Mrs. Venation]

8. Absolutely

Bertha and I hope to purchase a Toyota Prius later this year. 60 mpg would make our commute much easier to bear.

[Bertha Venation]

24. Jinx! You owe me a Coke!

;)

[jobycom]

9. I own a Prius, I'm hoping to get an Estima when they come out

I've even thought of trying to import one, and I've tried to find anyone on the web who could import them. It'd probably be too expensive, though.

Toyota is now claiming they are making a profit on every Prius sold.

I HIGHLY recommend the new Prius. Even forgetting the mileage, it's a blast to drive, it's roomy, comfortable, and quick. You have to get them on Ebay or Autotrader, though. Dealers are sold out.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Canuckistanian]

10. Definitely YES

But I'm waiting for a few years to get a used one. The new ones are just a teeny bit expensive.

[dolo amber]

11. I drove the future MIL's

Civic Hybrid over 500 miles yesterday...on less than 1 (actually about 3/4) tank of gas. ;)

So in other words, OH YEAH! :bounce:

[ronnykmarshall]

12. Yup!

My next car will be one.

[asthmaticeog]

13. I almost bought one

I was seriously looking at an Insight, but since I didn't have much for a down-payment, the monthly would have been $350, which is rough for me. They had a used CR-V (pretty much the exact opposite vehicle, I know) for $8000 so I got that instead. When the hybrids have been around long enough that I can get one used, I'm IN.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

15. I'm saving up for an Accord Hybrid

[ret5hd]

16. I would (tomorrow) if they would make...

a VERY small, one or two seat, pick-up style vehicle...just large enough to carry a few sheets of plywood or drywall, and would go a minimum of 70 miles on a charge.

i'm remodelling a house and live about 30 miles from work.

[jobycom]

31. Buy an insight and a small pickup.

use the Insight (70 mpg, and you don't have to charge hybrids) for life, drive the pickup when you need to haul something.

[ret5hd]

33. insurance, tags, etc for 2 vehicles is expensive...

plus, parking is a problem

[Misunderestimator]

17. Ford Escape Hybrid

... gets 40 MPG, and it's a good looking little SUV. I'll wait a couple of years on it to make sure they get the kinks out and maybe improve the MPG.

On edit, I hear that it's only a couple of thousand over the price of the gas-guzzling one. But you also get a $2,000 tax credit! And there is a yearly deduction you can take of $1,500 (but that's being phased out over the next few years... so better buy quick :) )

[proud patriot]

19. Yes

:D

[gypsy11]

21. Absolutely!

Next car will be one.

[markdd]

22. Is there a rule in the auto biz that EV's and hybrids have to be..

so damn ugly? I mean they're just plain ugly. Not even in the so ugly it's cute class like a VW Bug. Come on they spend millions on the engineering, can't they spend a few bucks and get some real styling done? I'd like one, especially a "Suburban Commando" (grocery, lumber, trash, plant, mulch, furniture, tool hauling) version

[dolo amber]

25. Civic Hybrids

are darling...the Prius however was called 'the corrective shoe of automobiles' by the Pulitzer Prize winner this year from the LA Times. :D

[TolstoyAndy]

26. Singles, solo drivers: Honda Insight (ugly?)

I drive alone mostly, and I couldn't be happier with my Honda Insight, with 1 exception. I wish I could have gotten the standard transmission instead of the auto (last on the lot). Still, I'm getting 52.6 mpg lifetime, and my record is 66.7 mpg over 81 mi highway.

As far the ugly question goes, it did hold me back, but it turns out a lot of that is done for maximum reduction of wind resistance, which increases mileage.

A trade off.

[jobycom]

30. I like the way the Prius looks!

All the kids at my daughter's school split their attention between my car and her friend's Cooper Mini.

[Bertha Venation]

23. HELL YES!! As soon as we can afford a new car, we're buying a Prius.

n/t

[Kolesar]

28. Some great ideas never die!

1981


2004

[skippysmom]

29. I would if I could

And we actually looked into buying a Prius. Every dealership we went to had a waiting list for them.

Not enough demand? Hell, I believe Toyota is stepping up production to keep up. The high gas prices may be taking their toll.

[TreasonousBastard]

32. 6-8 month waiting list for a Prius...

doesn't sound like there's no demand.

More likely there's not enough profit margin in a hybrid.

There are plenty of other cars out there that get well over 30 for a lot less money, if anyone wants to buy them. A stickshift, and knowing how to use it for economy, is worth at least 5mpg, and could be a lot more around town. Maintenance, the right tires, etc., are important, too.

If peak oil is really happening, we'll all be bicycling soon enough anyway. I'd like to see more bicycling for short trips now. And I'd love to see the Sedgway price come down.

fwiw, I used to get 40 highway mpg in my old Corolla wagon, and now get over 30 in my Saturn.

[Taverner]

35. Here's what really pisses me off

Prius' and Civic Hybrids are always available in Japan and the rest of Asia, as well as Europe. But US automobile companies have placed specific limitations on how many Hybrids can be imported here, and US auto plants are refusing to modernize with the equipment to produce hybrids themselves.

And if you want a tinfoil hat to wear, just look at who owns the independent Auto Plants (hint: they sell a product that these things run on.)

[Taverner]

34. Hybrids are not much more than regular vehicles

The Honda Civic Hybrid is probably the best deal out there - not much more than the standard Civic.

[cally]

36. I want a Prius!

My next car will be a Prius but that is probably years away. Our local Toyota dealer has a 6 month waiting list for them.

[SarahB]

37. YES!

:thumbsup: