American Hybrid Cars
The term American made is becoming harder to distinguish nowadays, but most people when they use it are referring to the major American based car companies: Ford, GM, and Chrysler. One of the companies had simply refused to engage in the hybrid market, because it wasn’t cost feasible, and the other two were late to the game, but all of them are quickly taking steps to catch up to the Japanese competition. When hybrid cars were first introduced, many considered them to be gimmicky and unrealistic, similar to how the first electric cars were received, and this thinking might have kept American hybrid cars from getting serious consideration.
Ford’s original stance when it came to the hybrid vehicle was to aim at one thing Americans truly love: the SUV. One of their first models was a hybrid SUV; the company is still adding more hybrids to their production line. Although, their approach to selling their hybrids was much more conservative than the Japanese, they are starting to turn a profit, which will allow them to continue to expand their hybrid offerings and keep them competitive with foreign car companies.
General Motors chose to originally ignore the hybrid craze, because they didn’t feel it was a worthwhile investment at the time, but have since done a complete turnaround, because of the success of foreign hybrid cars. The first GM attempts were met with negative reactions due to such a mild introduction of hybrid technology. They vehicles only used an electric engine to help the gasoline engine and while they offered a small improvement to gas mileage, the increase in cost was not worth the benefit; they have since switched to developing competitive hybrid engines and have introduced them all across their production line. The biggest benefits come in the SUV and Truck department.
Chrysler never gave hybrids the consideration they were due and after spending a lot of money to develop a hybrid engine, they found there wasn’t enough interest to continue and had for the most part stayed out of the hybrid market, until recently. They have come forth with plans on developing hybrid vehicles, but nothing is concrete as plans continue to be canceled and re-opened.
Choosing to buy American made hybrid cars is a good way to combine the benefits of going green and the pride of the USA. While Toyota is currently dominating the hybrid market and will continue to do so for a few years, American companies are working hard to catch up and produce products that are better options to foreign choices. Whether you go with higher fuel efficiency or more power, you need to evaluate your requirements and go with the car that best suits your lifestyle.
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Buying Used Hybrid Cars
When you start your search for used hybrid cars the best thing you can use is common sense, much like you would when looking to purchase a standard used vehicle. There are however some additional rules to follow in order to ensure that you get the best deal for your money.
The very first thing you should do is to run a vehicle report on the car you intend to purchase. This can be done by using a company like Car Fax which will provide you with information as to how many previous owners the vehicle has had and if it has been involved in any accidents. If at all possible, try to establish the reason why the current owner is selling the car. Make sure that you scrutinize any available paperwork on the car as it is vitally important that the vehicle’s maintenance schedule was followed correctly.
Most hybrid car manufacturers issue their vehicles with a Factory Certificate which is as good as a warranty but only if the car has been properly serviced and maintained by hybrid vehicle professionals. Merely taking the vehicle for a test-drive is not sufficient at all as hybrid cars do not display the normal tell-tale signs of trouble as a standard vehicle would. Inspection by a mechanic specializing in hybrid vehicles is of paramount importance. If you are buying the car from a dealership, make sure that you get a warranty with the purchase. Low mileage on a used hybrid vehicle is obviously better than the alternative, as it would generally mean that there is less wear and tear on the components of the vehicle.
It would also make it easier to sell in future if you have started off your ownership of the car with low miles on its clock. Hybrid batteries are extremely expensive but are covered by a warranty from the car manufacturer. Make sure that the vehicle you intend to purchase has a valid warranty on the battery. When deciding to purchase a used vehicle, many people opt for hybrid cars as they believe that they will be entitled to a tax credit. Used hybrid vehicles are not eligible for the hybrid car tax credit.
Please make sure that you understand that when budgeting for a vehicle. Even though hybrid vehicles have been on the market for a relatively short period of time (since 2000), there are already quite a few models on sale in the used car market. These include Alfa Romeo Hybrids, BMW Hybrids, Cadillac Hybrids, Lexus Hybrids and many more!
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