It's Not Cost-Effective to Own a Hybrid!

Remove all ads!

@Carcaroth - yes, what we call gas, most Europeans call petrol.

@Colthrun - yes, my wife and I have two cars. We work in different locations, which are in opposite directions from where we live, and I start work an hour earlier than her, so two vehicles are quite necessary.

That having been said, insurance is heavily dependent upon how old you are (under 30 is more expensive, and under 21 is REALLY expensive) and whether or not you are married. Take LoS as an example. He's 16, and I'm guessing he's probably not married, so for just basic liability coverage (much less than full coverage) he's paying almost as much annually as my wife and I combined.

Believe it or not, statistics show that married people are lower risks than unmarried people, even after accounting for age and previous driving records, so you get a discount once you get married. Not only do you get a the deduction for being married, but most insurance companies give you a break if you are insuring two people on the same policy. Truth be told, my wife and I are only paying about an additional $40 more per month now that we are married than we were paying individiually before. So, since you said girlfriend, I'm assuming you aren't married either, and if it works the same way in Ireland, you may save quite a bit of money if you get hitched some day.

 

@Aldeth: My girlfriend's dad is a tax inspector, and is been trying to convince us to get married for quite a while now

I know that particular conditions help to lower one's policy, but still. I've had a clean driving license for nearly ten years, I have a tiny little car with a low accident rate, and I still can't get cheap insurance here. No one can, as insurance companies are not regulated properly by the State. Thus, prices are sky-high. If I were in Spain, I would be paying around $700 per annum, maximum. My dad's policy, for instance, costs him around $450 a year, it's fully comprehensive, and includes my sister and me. And we both are still below 30.
/me does dance of sweet youth

Anyway, I'm losing track. I wanted to point out the difference in how expensive car maintenance is in some countries, and that still, people tend to buy cars and drive, rather than using public transportation. As Taluntain mentioned earlier, the lack of an effective, and reasonably priced public transportation system forces people to get their own vehicles. When you have had to wait for forty minutes under the rain for a bus to go anywhere, you consider never taking it again. Even more, if the two-way ticket costs you more than the petrol (gas) you'd use in the car.

So, if you are forced to drive a car, which one to get? I agree with you that at the moment, hybrid cars are way too expensive to buy, and to maintain, to be considered a better alternative. Petrol prices should get ridiculously high before your everyday driver would consider getting one.

 

And that is precisely the problem in the U.S. Public transportation in the U.S. is largely ineffective, inconvenient, and not reasonably priced. Like I said, the closest any mass transit system can get me to work is more than 3 miles away. However, even if I were willing to walk three miles from the train station to work, and then another 3 miles from work to the train station at the end of the day, a round trip ticket costs $10, which is more than what it costs in gasoline prices for me to drive to and from work in my car. So the option of taking mass transit to work for me is inconvenient, very time consuming, and more expensive than simply driving!

 

@ Aldeth & BTA - Get your minds out of the gutter. I would never!...

 

"Cost-effective" can mean different things for a consumer than for society as a whole.

Imagine if, instantly, 50% of US cars were hybrids. What would that do to demand for oil, pollution levels, etc?

Of course, if prices fell due to lower demand, people would want to buy SUVs again. Unless, say, the gov't added enough of a "pollution tax", like a sin tax, to discourage people from driving non-fuel-efficient cars...

 

California 405 Freeway = longest, linear parking lot in the world.

Anyone who buys a hybrid isn't buying it for economy sake...it's for personal reasons, curiosity or vanity. Hybrids are so un-economical because there is so little competition in the hybrid vehicle arena.

Within the next few years there will be significantly more competition. Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia and others all are about to jump into the market. With more realistic choices, the price of hybrids should fall into a more normal realm vs. gasoline only powered vehicles.

Colthrun...in response to your question, I would base my vehicle selection on which car pleased me aesthetically, offered a comprehensive warranty, was not in it's first two years of production, has a good safety rating and met my financial limitations.

All considered, a typical driver (@ 15K miles per year) will be out around $750 more per year fuel cost with a 20 mpg vehicle vs. a 30 mpg vehicle. Compared to your insurance and payments over the year, the fuel cost difference is rather minor...especially if the 30 mpg vehicle makes you feel like a sardine waiting for the tenderizing hammer to strike.

 

More news! Now it appears that starting in 2006, you can get a tax break if you purchase a hybrid of up to $3,400! That makes it more cost effective to own one as well!

You can find that information, along with the best and worst vehicles for fuel efficiency right here.

 

I rather hope the demand on hybrid vehicles continues to increase to the point where companies offer trucks and SUVs that are hybrid. I use my truck far too much to trade it in on a car, but I'd trade in for a hybrid truck.

 

Honda is releasing a hybrid SUV next year, and it actually gets pretty good gas milage. It's 31mpg city, and 34 mpg highway, which is better than a lot of cars. I imagine trucks can't be too far behind.

 

an english show made a test on the toyota prius, and it drove LESS on a Gallon, than the golf...


furthermoore it's ugly ass hell! and gay