How much has your hybrid saved you?
Super Moderator
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 497
Re: How much has your hybrid saved you?
About 600 gallons of fuel. Price has changed dramatically from around $1.50/gal to $3.75/gal so the cost savings is impossible to calculate. Using $2.50 a gallon as a rough average estimate:
$1500.00
$1500.00
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 12
Re: How much has your hybrid saved you?
I going to make a different, probably unpopular, point. I think the word "savings" is misleading.
What if gasoline prices had gone down? Would you be asking how much money your hybrid cost you? (in terms of cost differential between hybrid and non-hybrid?)
To answer this question, you need to consider the additional capital you committed to a hybrid. This capital served a as hedge to the price of gasoline.
You could have equally invested this hedge into crude futures, or the ETF (USO)...which is up 40% YTD and more than 100% in past year.
I'm all for buying hybrids for environmental reasons. But fact is, unless you drive far more than the average person, the economics doesn't work out for hybrids...yet. Either the price of oil needs to go higher, or the cost of hybrids needs to go lower for this to become a good investment.
So the question is more like..."how good of an oil trader are you", did you call the direction of the market correctly?
I make this point because many people buy hybrids thinking it is a great economic investment when the reality couldn't be further from the truth (for the average driver).
What if gasoline prices had gone down? Would you be asking how much money your hybrid cost you? (in terms of cost differential between hybrid and non-hybrid?)
To answer this question, you need to consider the additional capital you committed to a hybrid. This capital served a as hedge to the price of gasoline.
You could have equally invested this hedge into crude futures, or the ETF (USO)...which is up 40% YTD and more than 100% in past year.
I'm all for buying hybrids for environmental reasons. But fact is, unless you drive far more than the average person, the economics doesn't work out for hybrids...yet. Either the price of oil needs to go higher, or the cost of hybrids needs to go lower for this to become a good investment.
So the question is more like..."how good of an oil trader are you", did you call the direction of the market correctly?
I make this point because many people buy hybrids thinking it is a great economic investment when the reality couldn't be further from the truth (for the average driver).
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 25
Re: How much has your hybrid saved you?
Well as I said above - 94 Mitz pushing 150,000 miles - not burning oil ... yet. So in my case a different car wasn't an option - ya I could have put it off ??? 6 months ??? I could have gone for the 07 HCH, 14Km for only 1500 less than what I paid for the 08. And I was looking for an excuse. And as Kermit said, Sometimes it's not easy being green.
Super Moderator
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 497
Re: How much has your hybrid saved you?
I going to make a different, probably unpopular, point. I think the word "savings" is misleading.
What if gasoline prices had gone down? Would you be asking how much money your hybrid cost you? (in terms of cost differential between hybrid and non-hybrid?)
To answer this question, you need to consider the additional capital you committed to a hybrid. This capital served a as hedge to the price of gasoline.
You could have equally invested this hedge into crude futures, or the ETF (USO)...which is up 40% YTD and more than 100% in past year.
I'm all for buying hybrids for environmental reasons. But fact is, unless you drive far more than the average person, the economics doesn't work out for hybrids...yet. Either the price of oil needs to go higher, or the cost of hybrids needs to go lower for this to become a good investment.
So the question is more like..."how good of an oil trader are you", did you call the direction of the market correctly?
I make this point because many people buy hybrids thinking it is a great economic investment when the reality couldn't be further from the truth (for the average driver).
What if gasoline prices had gone down? Would you be asking how much money your hybrid cost you? (in terms of cost differential between hybrid and non-hybrid?)
To answer this question, you need to consider the additional capital you committed to a hybrid. This capital served a as hedge to the price of gasoline.
You could have equally invested this hedge into crude futures, or the ETF (USO)...which is up 40% YTD and more than 100% in past year.
I'm all for buying hybrids for environmental reasons. But fact is, unless you drive far more than the average person, the economics doesn't work out for hybrids...yet. Either the price of oil needs to go higher, or the cost of hybrids needs to go lower for this to become a good investment.
So the question is more like..."how good of an oil trader are you", did you call the direction of the market correctly?
I make this point because many people buy hybrids thinking it is a great economic investment when the reality couldn't be further from the truth (for the average driver).
Ridiculously Active Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 773
From: Colorado Springs
Re: How much has your hybrid saved you?
K (finanically in the black on both hybrids already and couldn't be happier)
Last edited by kristian; May 21, 2008 at 09:16 PM.
HypoFueler
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 405
From: Ohio
Re: How much has your hybrid saved you?
What if gasoline prices had gone down? Would you be asking how much money your hybrid cost you? (in terms of cost differential between hybrid and non-hybrid?)
To answer this question, you need to consider the additional capital you committed to a hybrid. This capital served a as hedge to the price of gasoline.
To answer this question, you need to consider the additional capital you committed to a hybrid. This capital served a as hedge to the price of gasoline.
http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_pr...t.aspx?time=24
but thats not the point - there typically are significant operations (fuel) cost savings if you were going to invest in a new car when the car gets high (>40mpg - hybrid or not) versus much lower FE. I agree that some high FE non hybrids may be the lowest Total Cost of Ownership for say 5 years out, but many hybrids are on the low cost end.
Its investing in new low FE vehicles that are typically bad personal (and environmental) investments. I doubt there are many new Hummer or Escalade owners out there saying "if only gas was back to $3/gal, this would be a great investment" - then again, many probably would.
Last edited by spartybrutus; May 22, 2008 at 02:23 AM.
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4
Re: How much has your hybrid saved you?
I going to make a different, probably unpopular, point. I think the word "savings" is misleading.
What if gasoline prices had gone down? Would you be asking how much money your hybrid cost you? (in terms of cost differential between hybrid and non-hybrid?)
To answer this question, you need to consider the additional capital you committed to a hybrid. This capital served a as hedge to the price of gasoline.
You could have equally invested this hedge into crude futures, or the ETF (USO)...which is up 40% YTD and more than 100% in past year.
I'm all for buying hybrids for environmental reasons. But fact is, unless you drive far more than the average person, the economics doesn't work out for hybrids...yet. Either the price of oil needs to go higher, or the cost of hybrids needs to go lower for this to become a good investment.
So the question is more like..."how good of an oil trader are you", did you call the direction of the market correctly?
I make this point because many people buy hybrids thinking it is a great economic investment when the reality couldn't be further from the truth (for the average driver).
What if gasoline prices had gone down? Would you be asking how much money your hybrid cost you? (in terms of cost differential between hybrid and non-hybrid?)
To answer this question, you need to consider the additional capital you committed to a hybrid. This capital served a as hedge to the price of gasoline.
You could have equally invested this hedge into crude futures, or the ETF (USO)...which is up 40% YTD and more than 100% in past year.
I'm all for buying hybrids for environmental reasons. But fact is, unless you drive far more than the average person, the economics doesn't work out for hybrids...yet. Either the price of oil needs to go higher, or the cost of hybrids needs to go lower for this to become a good investment.
So the question is more like..."how good of an oil trader are you", did you call the direction of the market correctly?
I make this point because many people buy hybrids thinking it is a great economic investment when the reality couldn't be further from the truth (for the average driver).
What's your number?
Old Boomer Techie
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 572
From: Pacific Northwest (WA)
Re: How much has your hybrid saved you?
It's funny that no one ever says: "yeah, but I'm almost to the break even point on my M3 vs. if I had gotten that 328..." Is it that hard to believe that people are actually having FUN in these cars? For years people have been paying thousands extra for a few more ponies and a stiffer suspention in the name of fun. I have a lot more fun driving the HCH than I did my old Subie, even though it would hit 60mph in literally TWICE as quickly as the HCH.
K (finanically in the black on both hybrids already and couldn't be happier)
K (finanically in the black on both hybrids already and couldn't be happier)
Why is it hard then, for them to accept that I enjoy a quiet efficient car that I know is good for my pocketbook and also for the planet.
BTW -- based on my first years fuel spend and total operating costs, my TCH will break into the black in month 17. This considers everything: Acquisition costs, energy credit, operating costs, indirect operating costs and depreciation.
Last edited by FastMover; May 22, 2008 at 11:37 AM. Reason: sp:
