Hybrid cars

With rising gas prices, we are thinking of going hybrid for our next car.

Does anyone know about maintenance on these engines? Will they be more expensive to repair and maintain? Anyone in the know?

TIA

[HannaAddict]

I've heard that the life span on the batteries isn't that long and it is a very pricey replacement item. It might be better now. Also, do some calculations because some hybrids really aren't any better than just a smaller engine on regular version of the car. I think it was Car Talk on NPR that said it would take ten years of use for the Toyota Highlander to make up the difference in purchase price with gas savings. I wish the hybrids were a more fuel efficient than they are and not so expensive. But I know we have to start somewhere.

Kimberly

[brittone2]

See if you can find something on cost of ownership over X number of years. Some magazine we have just had an article (Smartmoney maybe?) and it concluded that hybrids don't really save any $$ long term but if you are concerned for political reasons or are trying to make a difference on priciple by supporting their sales, then they are great.

I believe there was mention that they could be pricey to fix long run because some of the car's systems are doubled...they need two of some parts for each system. So I guess that can lead to expensive repairs? I don't know a ton about it but see if you can peruse consumer reports or Smart Money and maybe they'll have some articles. I wish I knew where I just saw this article...

I still think Hybrids are cool though :)

[saschalicks]

I own a '04 Prius. We've had it for 1 year 4 months :) Anyway, I cannot say enough amazing things. Firstly, yes the battery will be very costly to replace, but remember it is a large part of what runs the car. B/c it runs a battery engine. However, it's lifespan is at LEAST 150K miles, so it's not as bad as a normal car which only lasts between 30-50K miles. Engine is totally different then normal so things don't become an issue. Example: there is no transmission, so that means no issues with that. Another thing is that when you are braking you are using the kinetic energy to charge the battery. Since it is a more effective way of using the energy your brakes last a lot longer. We get around 40mpg, but with my recent driving I've only gotten 30mpg. It's still great with these gas prices. We have one in a car seat and another on the way, so the bad thing is that we will have no back seat when that happens. DH desperately wants to get the Highlander Hybrid, but we so can't get a new car right now. So many people stop us in parking lots and while we're driving, asking what we think and my standard answer is "it's the best money I've spent in a long time".

To let you know about maintenance so far, ours has 33K miles. Currently we've done the oil changes every 5K and the 30K tune up that is all of the maintenance we've had so far. Oh and we bought new tires at 32K. At Costco the total was like $250 for all 4 tires.

LMK if you have any other questions.

DH has a Insight and also loves, loves loves it. Like a lot of cars, the bigger you go, the worse the gas mileage (which is why the Insight (2-door) and prius (4 door)) do well and the SUV type hybrids really don't seem spectacular. It's still an SUV.

DH when he's treating it like a video game (long story) can get 70 mpg.

The batteries are expensive. In CA, they (Honda - I don't know if this was a law at the time we bought it or if they did it voluntarily - it seems so unlikely) bunmped up the warranty for the batteries to 10 years. We've had it since 2000 (the 1st year) and pretty much everything has been normal maintenance.

Insurance is a little more than you would expect considering the cost of the car because in case of accident, the replacement parts are expensive (like the cover panels that go over the wheels.

HTH,

DH treating it like a video game. Heh...mine does that with our Prius.

I ruin his average when I drive cause the pregnant lady MUST HAVE AIR ON HIGH!!! :)

We feel it was a good purchase. We get state and federal tax incentives, and we are, indeed, saving on gas. Our dealership had a great maintenance plan we purchased. We're happy.

[niccig]

So I'm not the only one that ruins DH's mileage average! But it's not because of AC, too heavy on the accelerator from a standstill.

We've very happy with our 04 Prius. Just normal maintenance and the hybrid components have, I think, an 8 year warranty.

We too got the tax incentives, rarely fill up the car, and best of all, in CA you can now drive in the car pool lane without passengers if you purchase the $10 hybrid permit. Waving as you pass everyone else is worth so much here in LA. :D

The Prius is also very roomy in the backseat - I was surprised. Car seats fit well.

We too looked at the hybrid SUVs but would prefer a redesign, rather than a hybrid engine in the same chasis. They didn't seem to be worth all that extra money, so we're waiting for a few years and will see what's available then. Meanwhile, we got the new Subaru SUV. We both like how the Subarus drive but not the gas mileage, so if they come out with a hybrid SUV we would jump at it. For now, the Subaru is my car and I do short trips. The Prius is DH's commute to work and our weekend car unless we need the extra room of the Subaru.

Nicci

I was surprised by the amount of room in it.

I drive our Explorer for the most part, as I don't go too far. I figure the Marathon goes in that, and the Roundabout will go in the Prius (once she is out of her snugride.)

We like ours so much, we'll probably go for the Highlander for the next purchase.

[jgriffin]

I've got a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid and absolutely love it! It gets about 50 mpg when I drive (lower when DH drives because he speeds), needs an oil change every 10k, and has been running great for nearly 2 years. The battery is under warranty for 10 years (I'm in CA, not sure if this is true elsewhere), and I'm figuring by then I either won't own the car, or the batteries will be cheaper than they are today.

My DH told me he read that within a few years (2007?) all of Toyota's cars will be hybrid. Wow!

Jen

Count me in the 04 Prius group as well!

I've had mine since April 04, I too consider it the best $ I've spent. I really like the car, and have had zilch problems with it. My mom's boyfriend has one too, he has > 50K miles on it, I think closer to the 75K range, and he's had no issues with it.