Hybrid Cars: Should You Buy One?
The decision to purchase a hybrid vehicle boldly states that you are ready to start cleaning up your act in a carbon smiting economy. You shouldn’t be surprised about the sizable price tags on these relatively new and trendy vehicles. It may already be apparent that “going green” in many aspects requires a considerable amount of green from your bank account.
There are only a few factors to consider when purchasing a hybrid vehicle over a standard and not so environmentally friendly counterpart. If these vehicles are so much better for the environment then why aren’t they standard among the vehicle industry? Take note that purchasing a vehicle to clean up emissions isn’t necessarily the same thing as purchasing a more fuel efficient vehicle that can provide investment return. More expensive vehicles are expected to have more power, more space, and more luxury; perhaps a combination of all three.
However, spending more on a hybrid vehicle doesn’t get you more fuel economy. Dumping loads of cash into a fully accommodated hybrid vehicle doesn’t get your more MPG but instead more bells and whistles. Ford, Honda, and Toyota, are the leaders in producing cheap hybrid cars that reduce emissions and use less gas. Hybrid vehicles currently come standard with a moderately heavier price tag than their non-hybrid counterparts. It is important to remember that the considerably large price tag should be considered an investment. Take into consideration how much money you spend each year on fuel. Will obtaining a hybrid vehicle with higher MPG reduce your yearly fuel costs therefore giving you a return on your investment? If so, are you willing to sacrifice luxury, horsepower, and space to purchase an inexpensive hybrid model?
There certainly are eco friendly cars with the aforementioned accommodations but if you are trying to save and earn money from your investment, these luxury hybrids simply do not provide the same fuel economy that the mini hybrids boast. For example, the boxy little Toyota Prius offers a combined city/highway 50 MPG while the Lexus LS 600h (which costs more than $100,000) can only grasp 20 MPG. The expensive luxury brand hybrids only reduce emissions certainly not lower fuel costs. Inexpensive compact hybrids like the Toyota Prius, an award winning super MPG model, offer exceedingly high highway and city MPG and a likeable package. Toyota has been offering great fuel efficient cars at moderately low prices since the introduction of the Corolla in the late seventies. Now Toyota continues to lead the numbers game in cost, fuel efficiency, and safety.
The Ford Fusion has considerably less fuel efficiency but can run on ethanol/gas mixtures and is manufactured largely from recycled materials. Honda also makes a couple of notable hybrids in the lower price range but often drivers complain about their inability to perform on the road. Perhaps the market will see less costly vehicles with increased performance and accommodation. There may be a bright future for electric cars but currently they don’t provide enough power, require extensive charging, and expensive maintenance.
Solar power, for instance, requires an initial investment but may potentially prompt the power company to send you a monthly check. An inexpensive hybrid car must be able to pay you back while at the same time keeping the environment cleaner. If you desire more immediate feedback then plan on purchasing a car like the Prius which can save you hundreds of dollars on your gas bill each year. But you may also find a compromising hybrid vehicle that offers more room and speed with slightly less efficiency. Remember, more money doesn’t buy you more MPG but asserting competition among automakers will help revolutionize the industry.
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Used Hybrid Car
We hear about hybrid cars every time the price of gasoline or oil spikes, or when the difficulty of finding enough oil to support all the people who want to drive makes the headlines. Over the last few years, though, this segment of the market – once teensy – has been growing. Among new car sales, hybrids will make have a three percent market share in 2010.
While one manufacturer gained a lot of publicity for bringing out first one then a line of hybrid cars, there are now hybrids on sale from Honda, Ford, VW, Mazda, Chevy, Kia, BMW, Nissan, Mercedes, Suzuki, Hyundai, and others – as well as Toyota. There’s an equal amount of variety in models: small cars, mid-sized sedans, vans, SUVs, pick-up trucks, luxury cars: all come in hybrid models. Most people in the market for a vehicle can find a hybrid to suit their needs. There’s one part of buying a hybrid that most consumers overlook: the possibility of buying a used hybrid car.
Because they are so new to the market, relatively speaking, many people think they have to go to the dealership and pay the price for a new hybrid car. But that is not so. Some hybrid owners, just like the owners of gasoline-only cars, like to turn over their car every year or two for a newer model. This puts high-quality hybrids with low mileage into the marketplace – and brings them within the price range of many thrifty people. In considering the purchase of a used hybrid car, use the same approach you would for any hybrid car.
Do your homework about the particular hybrid technology of the car you are considering buying. Look online for reviews or reports – positive and negative – about the vehicle. If possible, either buy from a dealership’s used car department or verify that the car was thoroughly checked by a mechanic who is familiar with that line of hybrid cars. Some people fear that a used hybrid will have batteries that are depleted or will wear out. Some hybrids have warranties on the batteries of ten years or more – so you can use the car for years while the batteries are still under warranty. Don’t let this myth hold you back from your purchase of a used hybrid car: it is bogus.
Because of the great diversity of hybrid cars, start your shopping on the internet, where you can explore the styles and the specifications of several manufacturers’ cars at once. Then check out the makes you like at a dealer’s used car lot, or watch the classified ads to see if your desired vehicle shows up. You may be able to save thousands of dollars off the sticker price, get the benefit of higher gas mileage, and contribute to the environment, all by considering a used hybrid car.
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Cheap Hybrid Cars
One of the newest types of hybrid vehicles on the market are the new plug-in version of hybrid cars. These vehicles can run completely on electricity and are able to be recharged through common household electricity. Much like when hybrid cars were first introduced, automakers are doing their best to ride out the recent obsession on the next step in environmentally friendly car technology; the problem with these vehicles are that they have not been proven to be feasible in real world scenarios yet. Some car makers are still focusing on other environment friendly concepts and others are working to bring inexpensive hybrid cars to dealerships and help more people take advantage of the improved gas mileage.
The largest barrier to bringing hybrid cars to everyone is the price. When hybrid cars were first sold to the consumer, they came in limited supply and due to demand they all sold for thousands of dollars over sticker price. Currently, the availability of cheap hybrid cars and used hybrid cars exceeds demand and like non-hybrid cars the price has come down and consumers are able to shop around and make a choice based on features and options, instead of taking whatever is on the lot.
The cheaper hybrid cars are selling for around $20,000, which puts them slightly out of reach of the average first time buyer who is looking to spend around $15,000. While the hybrid will come in as more expensive, over time the amount of money saved on gas will balance out the additional cost over the years. The fact is that some car makers are focusing on bringing the cost of the hybrid down, instead of heavily investing in the new plug-in style, but the problem is the engineering costs and other requirements associated with running and maintaining a hybrid car production line. Prices are expected to steadily fall as new technology is introduced and hybrid vehicles become the mainstream production of many companies.
While plug-ins will be all the rage next year and have people paying exorbitant prices for every model that comes out of the factory, inexpensive hybrid cars will be on the rise as they are modeled towards a new demographic. Going green is something we all need to take into consideration, and the older generation of hybrid technology allows you to do that and still be economical. Some automakers, Honda in particular, are taking steps towards making their entire line of vehicles available in one hybrid form or another; they are betting big on picking up a lot of customers by providing low cost hybrid cars for people that are more concerned about their budget than the latest way to go green.
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