I always thought that my first car would be a used car - either a civic or a corolla - but with the tax incentives and increased mileage, I decided that I would purchase a new hybrid as my first car. Problem is, I'm buying now, just before the 05s are going to hit the market, and at a time when it's hard to find a fair price for a hybrid because of the run on the market.

I was just quoted $20,610 for a 2004 HCH. It's below sticker price, and if I buy it now, I know I will qualify for the good interest rates they have at the moment. Still, I feel like I should be paying less. Essentially, it's a year old even though it's a new car. It's not the ideal color. I wanted Opal Silver Blue metallic or whatever it's called. Should I wait? Will I wind up screwing myself by waiting? Should I just buy a used car or even a new civic or corolla and wait out this crazy hybrid rush?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

OOH GOOD QUESTION !!!

We need more info to help you better.

What is your commute like, length in miles and is it City or Hwy driving?

How long do you want to keep the car?

Do you take long vacation drives every year?

Are you prepared to drastically modify your driving habits to try and get 60 MPG?

One thing for sure - if you are JUST trying to get high MPG, a Hybrid might not be right for you. There are non-Hybrids that get 38-41 MPG on the hwy, and cost up to $5000 less than an HCH and certainly MUCH LESS than a Prius !! The "bang for the buck" per se is not great in Hybrids right now, and may not get better anytime soon.

That price is not that bad really, if it's for a CVT. I paid $19,324 for a 2004 MT HCH with 4823 miles, and that was with them pulling $800 off their asking price to try to get me to "buy today."

Regardless, with more info we can pinpoint your needs better....

 

If you are going to replace your existing car anyway I'd work the best deal you can and go from there.

Last January my '94 Dodge spirit (17MPG) was overdue. I looked at several small "nicer" cars that would curb my fuel consuption so obviously I went HCH.

I waited until the gas prices were stable, and even coming down a bit as demand would be lowest on the Hybrid. (Just like now...at least in Atlanta) I also managed below MSRP and a few great dealership toss-ins (Free tires, oil changes etc)
A couple of weeks later in February the gas crunch hit again, spilling over $2.00/Gallon.

About a month ago I was in the same dealership and now there are no deals to be had with them (or anywhere in this area) on HCH and none in stock.

Gas prices typically stabilize for a while then up, up, up until complaints grow and continue that cycle.
Since crude is hovering around its all time high per barrel I suspect a dramatic sharp increase in fuel prices around December and the 1st of the year.

That's my $02

 

Yes good question.

It is impossible to answer because it requires the ability to see into the future. Since they are offering no meaningful discount on the '04 there is no reason to be in a big hurry. The 2005 will be worth more in the long run when you go to trade. For example a 2001 Insight is worth about $1000 more than a 2000 according to Edmunds. If you plan on keeping the car a long time this will matter less and less over time. If you only plan on keeping it a few years it is a pretty big deal.

I suspect that in the future Hybrids will be much more popular as more people learn about them and as gas goes up. This will make the current models harder to find and will make them cost more. On the other hand as more companies bring hybrids to market and as the technology impoves the current models will tend to be worth less.

In 2006 diesel in the US is going to be a lot cleaner and by then a diesel hybrid might become available. Honda already sells a very cool diesel Accord hybrid in europe.

Personally I've got my money down on a 2005 magneisum MT HCH because it is an '05 and is the color I wanted and has the MT I wanted. I passed on the '04 white CVT because it is an '04, and is white and is a CVT. The MT is less expensive so I'll end up paying less for the 2005. I figure I can alway trade in 3 years or so for whatever is available in 2008 and beyond. If the peak oil folks are correct gas is going to get darn expensive and those of us with hybrids will care less.

 

My commute will be about 25-30 minutes all on city streets. I will be doing more highway driving on the weekends. I am known to take short road trips to distances up to 8-10 hours away, but usually stay within a 6 hour drive (so like 300 miles).

I don't know how long I want to keep the car. I've never bought a car before. That's a really good questions...I'll have to think about it a bit.

What do you mean by "drastically modify" my driving habits?

The price I was quoted was on a CVT.

I'll write more later...

Thanks for the opinions!

 

25-30 minutes on city streets is not the best kind of commute for an HCH....Look at the Mileage Database very closely for short commutes, and most of those people are in the lower half of the bracket.

My personal commute is short at about 7 miles, takes 10-12 minutes, and I struggle to get 42 MPG tanks, using lots of driving tricks like coasting and avoiding A/C usage and watching the real time mileage meter like a hawk. Those are the driving style modifications I was talking about. My educated guess is that after your learning curve you could get 43-47 on that short commute, which is definitely more than any non-Hybrid could get, except maybe a Jetta TDI diesel.

You will do fine with the hwy miles, and on your long drives too.

Sadly for our wallets, the Prius is preferable for the type of commute you and I do, since it uses it's electric engine more at lower speeds.

Hope this helps you....Laterz........

 

Hi Myraellen

___If it is costs that you are considering, you might want to look over the TCO information provided in the following links?

2004 Civic Hybrid
2004 Prius II

2004 Civic EX
2004 Accord EX
2005 Corolla LE

___In the case of fuel economy which the TCO’s linked above do take into account, I look at some of the best hypermilers in the world posting here including Hot_Georgia_2004 and Kenny with their HCH’s w/ CVT’s (~ 56 mpg overall), as well as Krousdb’s Prius II (~ 60 mpg overall) as a good comparison to what I receive in the Corolla LE w/ Auto of ~ 45 mpg overall year round when I drive. This should give you a pretty good idea of the real world fuel economy differential between an HCH, Prius II, and a Corolla for highway drivers in particular. In other words, even if you are not a hypermiler, you will probably receive a similar percentage differential between a non-hybrid and hybrid alike out on the highway. I can’t give you a good feel for what you might expect in an all-city environment as the Prius II might be better suited to that but I would suspect similar percentage differentials unless its Manhattan style grid lock that you commute through day in and day out.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

What?

Are you saying it is better, with that kind of commute, to drive a non-hybrid?

Hybrids get better mileage than non-hybrids in ALL situations.

Also hybrids have lower emmisions, nice for people who breath.

Another point, you don't have to drive like a wierdo and try to get 60 MPG like me.
You can just drive normaly.
You will be getting better mileage than if you drove the same way in a non-hybrid.

 

What? Are you saying it is better, with that kind of commute, to drive a non-hybrid?
Hybrids get better mileage than non-hybrids in ALL situations. Also hybrids have lower emmisions, nice for people who breath. Another point, you don't have to drive like a wierdo and try to get 60 MPG like me. You can just drive normaly.
You will be getting better mileage than if you drove the same way in a non-hybrid.[/b][/quote]
No, what I said was that the commute they described is not the best kind of commute *FOR AN HCH.........* I also said what the HCH can get "is definitely more than any non-Hybrid could get"....

What I was pointing out is that HWY COMMUTES are the best kind of commute for an HCH, which is rated better on HWY miles, and the mileage database on this website proves that ..... B)

And since the Prius II excels at CITY driving, I pointed out that a Prius might be a better choice for a city commute like that one....unfortunately it is so much more expensive than an HCH.....

Laterz..................

 

I pretty much decided that I'm not going to buy a Prius because of the cost. I also think it's absurd what most dealers are doing these days...charging premums, not selling cars unless you take several dealer options like tinted window and all kinds of stupid things. It's just plain stupid. I don't want a Prius badly enough to take a bad deal.

So I'm down to an HCH (I got a quote for a couple hundred less from another dealer today), a new Corolla LE or Civic EX, or a used Corolla LE (2003 maybe?) or Civic EX (2001 maybe?). The problem I have with paying so close to the sticker price is the car is a 2004...it's already a year old. The depreciation of that first year alone tells me that I should be paying under $20K, if not at or below invoice. If I wait, I could probably get a new HCH when they hit the streets in October for around the same prices I'm being quoted right now. Don't you think? I don't know...I have to get back to work