It makes a huge difference. If you want to load up your car with useless trinkets like a Christmas tree you'll have to pay for it. So when you ask if it's expensive, that's relative to what? I showed that the HCH is not expensive compared to a non-Hybrid of similar trim level.

$29,600 is not a reference price for me because I'm not going to buy any of those useless (to me) decorations. I find the HCH to be very well equipped in its standard configuration, and not expensive. I do think the XM Radio is outrageously expensive because there are viable alternatives at about 10% of the cost. So I won't buy the XM upgrade initially, even though I'd like to have it, until I've researched the best alternative.

I know your approach is - money is for spending, you can't take it with you. My approach is that I have many ways to spend my money, and I'm not going to throw it frivolously on things I don't need.

 

2006 Hybrid Civic on Edmunds w/ navigation has an MSRP of: $23,650.

Never heard of a civic costing 29k

 

I paid $22,000 + tax and tags, I thought that was expensive as the math didn't show a return for the premium over the LX model so even at the $22K level, I thought it was expensive.

One comforting fact was that it was still about $2000 less than what I could find a Prius for - not that I wanted one, just checking out all the options. I definitely prefered the way the Civic road and drove (as well as looked) over the Prius. Once the price for a Package #3/4 Prius was $2K more than the HCH II, it was an easy decision.