You're right of course............................................ ..

A thoroughbred capable of that sort of speed would be much dearer than an HCH.

 

I couldn't find it at Pep Boys on Saturday, but that's admittedly not a thorough study.



I was speaking from the assumption that 8 years down the road, when NiMH batteries are "ancient technology" and our cars are needing new battery packs, people won't want them. It's pure speculation, mind you. I'll be quite thrilled if I get a good price for my HCH2, when that time comes.

 

I drive the same commute with a friend. We trade off driving the same route every other day. I have the 04 HCH he has the 03 regular civic, so we have a really good indication of the long term comparison between our cars on our 180 mile-per-day commute. Over 17000 miles I have run approximately 20% better mpg than him.

So, you'll save about 20% on gas for the lifetime of the vehicle. Say that's 100k miles. For him that's 100k/36mpg = 2778 gallons. For me that's 100k/44mpg = 2272 gallons. Savings equals 2778-2272=506 gallons. At $3 per gallon which is what it costs here that makes a savings of $1518 per 100k miles assuming gas prices don't rise at all. I also assume my HCH will go at least 200k so I'll save back $3000 or more.

Don't forget to incorporate the reduced emissions and reduced oil consumption also. I figure doing things right costs more anyway, so the fact that I'm getting paid back for that at all is a bonus. The hybrid system is not only a money saver, it's an earth saver. Compare that to how much ANY OTHER car upgrade will pay you back (which is zero) this is the ONLY sensible car upgrade in my book. Good luck with your decision.

 

Artyin,

where I live, a hybrid Civic costs about USD 10.000 more than a 1.4 L version. There is no way I will be able to save that amount on lower fuel consumption. (Yes I know, the cars are not 100% comparable, but still.)

You often have to pay more to be environmentally responsible, but don't let that stop you. If you want the hybrid, and you have the money, why resist it? The extra cost spread over years of driving will be quite small.

Regards,
Rolf

 

Thank you for all the replys so far.

I am 20 years old from San Francisco, CA. This fall, I will be moving down to San Diego to attend UCSD. I am considering buying a car. Every month while I'm in San Diego, I will need to commute to Seal Beach to drill with my future Marine Corps Reserve unit. A car would be convient to have getting around SD, and I can drive my drunken Marines and college buddies aorund. I may also consider driving the car home between San Fran and San Diego.

The first car I considered was the Scion TC because of it's sporty nature, cheap price, and Toyota quality. The TC has 22 MPG. Because of rising gas prices, I want to consider the Civic Hybrid and compare its price with its conventional motor counterpart, the Civic. As you may imagine, money will be an issure for me. I'm all for saving the world, but I'd like to know which car would cost the least to buy and operate.

 

The civic DX is cheaper to buy in a way that makes it cheaper overall for at least 6 or seven years even with much higher gas prices than we have now.

 

If you get 35 mpg in a Civic and 45 mpg in the Hybrid, with gas being $2.80, you'd save $267 per year. It would take over 10 years to make up the difference if it weren't for the tax credit. With the tax credit, it'd take 4 years or so. However that assumes both cars are purchased for MSRP, when in reality you can get the regular Civic below MSRP but probably not the hybrid.

But in general you shouldn't go with the hybrid version of a car to save money because it either won't or it'll barely make a difference. Also remember the hybrid Civic is slower and has no sunroof. Its range is longer though, which is nice, and the CVT is smooth (although the regenerative brakes and autostop are not smooth).

 

So why is a 20 year old college kid with no money thinking about buying a new car?

 

I've got the money to spend on a new car. Marines get paid to fight in Iraq, and my parents help out. Of course, I don't have that much money, which is why I'm asking about about hybrids and if they're worth it.

 

This is true. Actually, in our case when we did the cost/benefit analysis on the Civic back in late 2002, we figured that with the government deduction (not a credit at the time), and gas savings etc. that it would be nearly a push to get the hybrid over the non-hybrid for financial reasons, but that it has the benefit of being somewhat of a positive externality (cleaner, uses up less total fuel), and that buying the hybrid would encourage the car manufacturers to keep researching more into the technology on a wider scale. Using the electric motors to downsize engines (don't need engines rated for max acceleration horsepower, just for max sustained load) and to recapture braking energy is simply a good idea, if a bit costly for early-adopters.

However, if you don't care about some of the features on the EX trim level (essentially what the hybrid is) then I woudl reccomend looking into a gas-only Civic, or perhaps even the new Fit sport edition, as at a glance based on specs it looks a good value for a new car to me.