Random thoughts on the hybrid debate:
I've been seeing a fair amount of commentary on how economical hybrids are, with a lot of people opining that you'll never make back the "premium" you pay to buy a hybrid. I've read analyses that show that it takes longer to recoup the additional money spent to buy a hybrid than that average driver owns a car. That the published numbers don't reflect the actual mileage you'll get. Well, that just doesn't seem to be the case, at least here at Chez Random (which has a three-car garage).First, the hybrid wasn't really more expensive than the non-hybrid. Yes, it was more expensive than a base-model Civic, but it also comes with a lot of features you didn't get on the base model: anti-lock brakes, side-impact air bags, and an AM/FM/CD radio with subwoofer are the ones that jump immediately to mind. Add it all up, and you're close to the starting price for the high-end model. One thing I have to mention, though, is that you really don't have any choice on the hybrid options: I think the only choices I had were the color, whether I wanted a CD changer in the trunk and whether I wanted splash guards. No sunroof, no electric seats, no leather interior, nada. Oh, I did get some nifty mag wheels, but only because they're a special lightweight alloy that contributed to the gas mileage. Anyway, the point is, the price was right in line for a similarly-configured gas-only model, so I don't think I paid any more for the car (certainly not after the hybrid-purchase tax rebates, which totalled a cool couple thousand).
And mileage not making the published figures? Um, frankly I can't remember what the advertised mileage was on the Civic, but I doubt it was much over 50 (I seem to recall that the Insight, Honda's cramped two-seat serious hybrid, gets about 60, so I'm sure the 4-seat, 4-door Civic gets less than that). And that's about what I'm getting, so there's no problem there. I do know that when I gas up, it's considerably cheaper than filling either of the other two cars (which can break $50 with today's prices). Of course, a big part of that is the Civic's tank size (about twelve gallons), which is about two-thirds the size of the tanks in the other cars. But if I drive either of the other two daily, I wind up filling them about once a week. I fill they Honda maybe once a month, and then it's more of an inconvenience than a trial.
I am a bit worried about resale value. The battery pack is supposed to last for about eight years, and cost around $3000 to replace (2004 prices). So if I sell it after seven years, I expect the price drop to be considerable. Hopefully, this won't be a problem, since I tend to keep cars for awhile (my other car is an '87), and I bought the extended warranty expressly because it will cover the battery pack replacement. But if for some reason I do have to sell it, then that may be an issue. Or not, depending on how much the battery packs cost by then. I will be surprised if they haven't come up with an idea or two on making it more economical, but I also won't be surprised if the gummint hasn't slapped some kind of disposal or recycling fee on the new packs. If worst comes to worst, I hear that the pack is really just a couple hundred rechargable D batteries, maybe I'll just fire up the ol' soldering iron and fix it myself! Of course, a couple hundred rechargable D batteries will cost a bit, maybe I should start collecting them now...
