Honda Civic Hybrid

[race chica]

I was wondering if anyone owns or know someone who owns a civic hybrid because I am seriously looking into purchesing one soon. Any imput (good or bad) would be appreciated. What things do you like, hate, think are awesome etc.

thanks!

amanda

[chop456]

http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,63413,00.html

The gas-powered Civic EX is rated at 32/37. If we assume that you could average 35mpg in that car vs. a very generous 50mpg in the hybrid, you'll need to drive 220,000 miles @50 mpg just to make up the $3,700 Hybrid price premium before you start "saving" money on fuel. That's not even including the finance charges you'll accumulate on that $3,700. At that point, you're well into repair territory, and I don't know that anyone really knows the long-term reliability of the motor/batteries. As the article says, a great many people's real world mileage figures aren't living up to the published EPA numbers.

If you're the type of person that's willing to pay [a lot] more for something with a minimal return on investment, go for it. It does feel good to do the right thing for the environment, etc., and Honda certainly makes good cars. (I had a '97 Civic for 3 years and had no problems). The whiz-bang technology is cool and promising, but we're just starting to scratch the surface. I'm not sure what the tax deduction is, but you should take that into account, too.

Hey, you asked. :D

[mapguy]

Good points chop. My wife wants a hybrid but I managed to talk her out of it mainly due to the fact that the only two on the market are made by Yoda and FHonda. I told her that a Turbodiesel Beetle is the way to go.

[Methanolandbrats]

Good points chop. My wife wants a hybrid but I managed to talk her out of it mainly due to the fact that the only two on the market are made by Yoda and FHonda. I told her that a Turbodiesel Beetle is the way to go. Get the diesel. You'll love the torque. And ULSD (ultra low sulphur diesel) will be available everywhere in 06. I bought a 97 Passat TDI new and it's the best car I've ever had. All I've done is maintenance and feed it. :thumbup:

[racer2c]

I have mixed feelings about hybrids. If my intention on getting one was to get the most mileage for my money, that's one thing, but if my intention was solely for environmental issues such as tailpipe emissions, it's my understanding through various sources that there isn't any true environmentally friendly car. Whether it's hydrogen cell, electric hybrid, or pure electric. Fossils fuels are always involved somewhere.

[race chica]

I am looking at them from the stand point on the environment and not having to be as dependant on oil as a gasoline or desil car, not saving money on gas. The car that I have now is failing on me fast. She used to get 35 mpg and now im lucky to get 25.

I wont need finacing on any new car that i get, so the that really isnt the issue. There is the tax credit on hybrid cars which is decreasing from $2000 at the end of the year to $500 in 2006. So in a way that makes up for the extra cost. (kinda)

Anyone have anything good to say about the hybrids?

Thanks everyone for your imput. I will keep this in mind when test driving many random cars this weekend.

[peelo]

Contact your state DMV or Highway Patrol and find out if you can drive alone in the carpool lane if you're in a hybrid. If you're a regular commuter, and your area has congestion issues, the time saved could be worth major cash.

The Southern California chapter of AAA publishes a magazine called Westways. A recent issue included an interesting article about "green" cars. Call 'em up, maybe they'll send you a copy.

[Gnam]

I am looking at them from the stand point on the environment and not having to be as dependant on oil as a gasoline or desil car, not saving money on gas.

Got a silver 2003. It is way cool. I commute 200 miles a week and only have to fill it up about every two weeks. The conservation comes from the power assist the electric motor gives you, and the engine management that shuts it off when you come to a stop. Also, it's Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) makes sure you are always getting the optimal gear ratio for maximum efficiency. I've been getting 41-43 mpg in mixed driving conditions. :thumbsup:

I like the interior: comfy seats, easy to use radio/HVAC controls, suprising amount of leg room in the back, and a neon blue gage cluster with the CHARGE/ASSIST meter to monitor your battery output.

It is what it is: A small reliable commute car that has excellent gas mileage.

[Sean O'Gorman]

Hybrids? You can't even rev those at other cars at red lights. How are you supposed to know if teh guy next to you wants to street race? ;)

What about the Insight? I've driven both of those and the Prius, and I like the Insight best. I thought the Prius was kinda wierd and definitely looks strange.

[Gnam]

What about the Insight? I've driven both of those and the Prius, and I like the Insight best. I thought the Prius was kinda wierd and definitely looks strange.
Yeah, they say the Prius' shape is aerodynamic with a low coefficient of drag, whatever. :rolleyes: I think it has to do more with drawing attention to it and the driver, "Hey lookit mee!" It's a nerd car.

The Insight was Honda's first hybrid, right? I could never get over the three cylinder engine or the rear wheel skirts. It proved the technology worked, but now that you can drop a hybrid engine into any car, the futuristic/french styling is a little old.

[Gnam]

http://www.retrogarage.dk/id_ds/ds%2021%20pallas/IMG_1156.JPG


http://www.reactual.com/images/products/BL_insight_34FRONT.jpg

[Methanolandbrats]

[QUOTE=race chica]I am looking at them from the stand point on the environment and not having to be as dependant on oil as a gasoline or desil car, not saving money on gas. The car that I have now is failing on me fast. She used to get 35 mpg and now im lucky to get 25.

QUOTE]

You can run a blend of bio diesel and regular diesel and really cut your dependance on petroleum based fuel.

http://www.greasecar.com/
http://www.veggievan.org/video/index.html
http://www.tdiclub.com/
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/faqs/

[Gnam]

Doesn't appeal to me, but here's a story on the Mercedes Wrangler. Gotta admire his ingenuity.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fg%2Fa%2F2005%2F02%2F09%2Fmrced eswrang.DTL

[sadams]

Mapguy
I have a Jetta with the TurboDiesel. Love it. Most people don't know it's a diesel. Starts right up and drives away without any clatter or smoke even in New England cold. I average 47-49 MPG and I'm not easy on it like in trying to save fuel.

My advice to all. Buy the diesel and run biodiesel in it. The more demand we put on them they more the'll have to make and maybe we can force Detroit to get the MPG's up for the 24 level they're at now. No reason why I can't import a big Bimmer with a disel that get 40 MPG except Detroit doesn't want the competition.

[Methanolandbrats]

Mapguy
No reason why I can't import a big Bimmer with a disel that get 40 MPG except Detroit doesn't want the competition.

They won't run on our ****ty fuel. That will change next year when ULSD is mandated, then we'll see more diesels sold here. It also does'nt help that the morons in California banned them and several states adopted CARB stupidity for their own states.

[nrc]

Mapguy
No reason why I can't import a big Bimmer with a disel that get 40 MPG except Detroit doesn't want the competition.

Explain the logic underlying that conclusion.

Small run models don't make it here because of the expense of government regulations and EPA certification. Detroit has nothing to do with it.

[chop456]

Explain the logic underlying that conclusion.

Small run models don't make it here because of the expense of government regulations and EPA certification. Detroit has nothing to do with it.

I think that the reason the BMW's haven't made it over is again because of our low-grade diesel fuel. They're probably still gun shy from the Nikasil cylinder liner fiasco and aren't willing to hop back on that horse quite yet. Like Methanolandbrats said, there will be a huge increase in diesel car imports in 2006 when ULSD is mandated. Mercedes brought the C-Class CDI back last year and more will follow. If diesel cars sucked so much, they woudln't be selling like hotcakes in Europe for $75,000. Virtually every European manufacturer including Jaguar offers a diesel option in their high line models.

What's not to like about a 7-Series with 350 lb ft. of torque that gets 30 MPG and runs on soybeans?

[tllips]

I remember reading an article a couple of years ago about the government sponsoring a contest to see if the mfgs could build an 80mpg car. The ones that came closest were all running hybrid type engines, but they all ran on diesel. The article indicated that diesel engines got better mileage than gasoline engines.

Sorry I don't have a link, but it was shortly after Bush took office as the gist of the article stated that the Bush administration killed the project.

So, if better quality diesel gas is being mandated, perhaps in a few years, diesel will become more mainstream.

[cart7]

Just what on average is a Civic non-hybrid going for vs. a hybrid these days anyway?

[Winston Wolfe]

There tends to be a "premium" of approx $4,000 between the Civic LX sedan, and the "LX Based" Hybrid... however in some markets, like SoCal, when the supply of Hybrids got slim back in December, and pending "single lane carpool driving legislation" was was in the works, the premium increased to a full MSRP deal, or in some cases, "over" window !

If you are buying one to hope to recoup your investment, there are several things wrong with your plan, namely, the fact that all cars are rapidly depreciating investments, and even the cars with the best residuals (Honda Accord LX - 61% for 3 yrs & Toyota Camry 59%) are bad "investments", but relatively speaking (vs. Nissan, Dodge, Ford, et al) they are the least of the worst. However, the residuals on Hybrids are terrible, due to the fact that 3-5 years from now, technology can change rapidly, and no one "really" knows how long the battery storage devices on these things are going to last. Sure they have a warranty of 8 yrs \ 80k miles.... but when they just "wear out", and the customer has to pay for parts and labor to replace the whole darn thang, whaddya think it costs ? I'll tell ya, its gonna be ALOT more than you just saved on gas for the past few years...

Alot of people buy the Prius to be "cool".... radical styling, goofy instrumentation and full MSRP deals are the norm, and some models with Bluetooth and DVD-NAVI systems are MSRP at $30k, and when you add the Dealer "premium" on that, there are some folks waiting in line to pay $35k for that thing....

Civic Hybrid is more conventional, and you can get a deal in most places. For a really cool $30k car, you gotta look at the Accord Hybrid - faster, more economical, and cooler than the normally powered Accord. :thumbup:

If you can, wait until the 2006 Civic Hybrid comes out in Sept '05... expect an overall bigger car, better looks, better Hybrid technology and some pretty serious RANGE on a single tank of gas !!!!

[race chica]

Just what on average is a Civic non-hybrid going for vs. a hybrid these days anyway?

Hybrid: $19,900
Sedan: $13,260

2005 new model base MSRP

[Mr. Toad]

I got to drive a smart on Thursday................I fit.