OT - my sister bought a Prius hybrid ;(

Isn't there a $2,000 or $3,000 federal tax credit for buying a hybrid? Makes the break even point a lot lower.

I rode in a Honda Civic hybrid and would NEVER have guessed without the owner droning on about it for the whole trip. Plenty of power and an effective A/C. He said he could drive 450 miles between fill-ups or something, and that alone made it worth it.

Semi-on-topic: Ford will be selling a hybrid Escape SUV soon, and apparently it is sold out now. Gonna be a great off-roader, better than any Jeep! ;-)

-John

better than any jeep my ass. big deal bout 450 miles to the tank my

2002 cavalier did damn near that, til i traded it even up for 2000 tj sport (that was of course when i finally had the operation to have my head removed from ass)

My 22-yr old greenie son considered a Prius, researched it, figured real numbers, is keeping his 95 XJ.

Paul B.

01 XJ

Another soon to be disappointed consumer! Plus, just the kind of gullible consumer the dealers love, willing to spend 4k more than the thjing is worth in order to save money on fuel! If your calculations are true, she'll have to replace the battery pack at some point around 8 years from now, that will be another 3k. Some economy, huh?

My 13 year old Honda gets 30 mpg in a mix of highway and stop and go commuting. And I had a Toyota Tercel that got 42 mpg on the highway. (Full disclosure: The Toyota got 42 when driven on the highway at the speed limit, at the time 55 mph )

I think these hybrids are just like diesels, any advantage is far out weighed by their initial costs and maintenance expenses. In a few years how much is it going to cost to replace those battery packs?

Dean

It's a lot like the old Auto vs. Manual argument new car buyers get into- "Oh, no, it's $3,000 more for the auto!", neglecting the money you'll be tossing on clutches with a standard.

Matt

The commercially available hybrids suck because they have no redundancy. You have to have both systems running not just either or. Years ago a guy converted a Subaru-he gutted the back out and put a VW transaxle hooked to a electric motor and batteries in the rear. That way he could drive pure electric on short trips. He had a foot controller that interrupted the first inch of brake travel and made the electric motor generate and charge the batts for braking,a no-microprocessor elegant solution-need wheel brakes push a little harder. If the batteries were overcharging he had a 10 kW Globar dummy load that switched in circuit when braking-the Globar was built in the rear bumper. Glowed real pretty at night (although it charred the lower decklid paint eventually). He could charge in the garage, or underway as he had a huge Leece Neville alternator on the engine and an inverter/charger he built himself.

It was quite a deal. I think there was an article in Mechanix Illustrated or something. Oh yeah, it was four wheel drive-think about it! The road was the only link between the systems except for one wire and the common chassis ground.

The Prius batteries are warranted for 8 years or 100k miles. Or TEN years in NY, CA and MA. The batteries weigh 45 kilograms, not a thousand pounds.

Quite a bit better than the average raggedy-ass Ford.

?

The Honda hybrids is gasoline only, or gasoline with electric assist.

The Toyota Prius can run in gasoline only, gasoline with electric assist, or electric only.

or do you mean that in the unlikely event that one power source fails, that the car will not go anywhere? The Honda hybrids have a backup starter motor in the event that the electric motor/battery are not working, so it'll act like a regular gasoline car.

it is "different," for sure!

Paul B.

Looks like it may make for a good RTI ramp.. Maybe we do like these cars after all.

What are you talking about? I have 13 years and 178K miles on my factory clutch, no problems yet. I expect to have rust-through before the clutch goes.

B

You have to be kidding? Unless your racing or inept at driving, there is no reason a clutch should last less than 100K miles. Autos don't typically cost 3k more than a standard anymore, however new clutches are about 4-7 hundred to replace WITH LABOR, pertty damn cheap if you ask me. Autos have more than their fair share of problems.

Buy a manual because you like having the control, or shifting is "fun." Clutch replacement cost is a non-issue AFAIK. Autos are nice too, but I prefer a manual tranny anyday.

-Jim

OK, so how much do the replacment batteries cost? In my experience batteries go bad. And that cost has to be factored in to the overall cost of the vehicle. Personally I like to keep my cars till their 200K miles old.

Dean

I've seen those shitbags. I'll take the Ford, thanks!

Better yet, make it a Jeep!