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.

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.

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.

After weeks of shopping around for the best used model, he finally came cross the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. At this point in time (a year or so ago) I was living with my brother due to my being laid off, so I can say quite confidently that I’ve spent more than a few dozen hours driving the 2008 Escape Hybrid. To start off, he picked it up for a reasonably low price. I believe the amount was in and around 19,000 dollars; much less than he might have had to drop had he bought himself a newer model.

The price, although fairly impressive in itself, proved to only be the tip of the iceberg so far as the 2008 Ford Escape’s many desirable features went. For one, the 2008 Escape is a fairly bulky car. Call me crazy, but there’s nothing I love more than a hybrid car that doesn’t particularly look like one. It has a sort of SUV aesthetic about it, which I found highly appealing.

The 2008 Escape’s more substantial size, however, didn’t’ seem to detract from it’s impressive gas mileage. A few months after my brother picked his up, we took a road trip across most of America to meet up with family, and we calculated the average mileage to be 8 litres for every 100 kilometers; a number which I found quite remarkable.

Aside from a stronger appearance paired with great fuel efficiency, the 2008 Ford Escape is oodles of fun to drive. I mean, it makes a 16 day road trip about as fun as it can possibly be. We found that the car, being a hybrid, was extremely silent, allowing me to sleep while inside without be roused by engine noises. The power steering worked astoundingly well, also, making it easy for even the most sleep-deprived siblings to stay on the road. The power switching was almost unnoticeable, and charging up the battery was also a breeze.

Although I’m glad to say that I’ve long since moved into my own place and gotten my own vehicle, I do miss my brief experience with the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. It was efficient, attractive, and inexpensive. I’d definitely recommend one to anyone looking to pick up an older used hybrid.

The gas mileage, of course, is the primary benefit of owning one of these cars. Mine tends to average around 49.5 MPG, even with mostly city driving. When I purchased the Prius, I wasn’t expecting much pick-up. After all, it only has a 4-cylindar engine; I figured the trade-off for gas mileage was beneficial. As it turns out, though, there really isn’t much of a trade-off at all. When I step on that accelerator, it definitely takes off.

The Prius definitely holds its own if you’re the type who likes to gun it taking off from a stoplight. If you are that type, though, you won’t get very nice mileage (speaking comparatively, of course). Heavy acceleration will lower it noticeably – not a whole lot, but usually around a couple MPGs. Without a doubt, though, it’s still a lot better than 99 percent of everything else on the road.

The Prius has a nice, bright touchscreen built into the center control panel. This is the screen the optional GPS navigation system uses as a display. Without the GPS, it displays climate controls, audio controls, and a few other miscellaneous goodies. When it’s not displaying controls, it shows either a live diagram of the hybrid system or a bar graph of your recent gas mileage. Upon purchasing the car, you will stare at these diagrams constantly, because they’re really quite fascinating. I can attest to the fact that over time, though, the fascination quickly wears off. The standard stereo equipment in the Prius is really quite good. I don’t consider myself discerning enough to be a true audiophile, but the Prius can definitely deliver some rich sounds. The bass can overwhelm a bit at times, but the bass and treble levels are customizable via the touchscreen. Seating is reasonably comfortable, though not remarkably so. The front seats are more comfortable for long road trips than is the back seat, as is the case with most mid-size cars.

Lastly, it’s amazingly quiet. When I’m pulling into my driveway, I don’t hear the car itself at all. There’s a pretty usual amount of road noise on the highway, of course, just because of the speed, but the car itself rarely makes much noise at all (Though if you accelerate quickly, you can hear the engine kicking in). Overall, a great vehicle. You will definitely be impressed with the gas mileage, and even besides that, it’s a pretty great car.