HawthorneVillager.com

With gas prices going through the roof, I'm thinking (very reluctantly) of trading in my high powered gas guzzler for a hybrid.
Does anyone have either a Kia Optima or Sonata Hybrid? If so, could you please give me some feedback? How long do the batteries last?
Cheers.

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Phase 96c, Lot 3224

I do not have a hybrid, so I can not really answear your question, but do consider the the price of the hybrid comparied to the price of an equal small car.

Plus you must factor in the price of maintance and the price of replacement battery. From what I understand a new battery cost from $5000 to $8000 and will need to be replaced in 5 to 6 years

That's definately something I have to research is the battery issue. Is it covered by the 10 year warranty? Not that I plan on keeping it that long but still good to know in case it goes early.

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Phase 96c, Lot 3224

Like I said, very relutantly. There are other factors in my decision, like being able to use the HOV lanes and shaving 20 minutes of communte time everyday. I don't pay for gas right now as a job perk but I've heard rumblings that they are going to start cutting back on that and capping so again that plays a role in my decision.

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Phase 96c, Lot 3224

They had some expert guy on the radio AM 1010 (due to the gas prices) he was talking about the hybrid cars. His advise was if you are the avaerage person who drives 20,000 km a year you will not get your money back out of these cars, it will take you about 10 years to get the return on your money spent and the car will be old. He said you would be better off to purchase a reg small car. But if you do a lot of driving over 40,000km per year, you will get your money out of the car, it would be a good investment.

I hear what you're saying but I need at least a midsize and I drive about 30k each year, so I kind of fall in the middle.
I just found out that hybrids are not considered "green enough" for HOV lanes - CRAP!

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Phase 96c, Lot 3224

407 and a nice Infiniti M56 seems like your best option

I have to ask. Who would buy a used hybrid? Say a 7 or 10 year old one. Will these expensive cars hold their value or will the owners of these cars have to dump them.

I would think that repairs on these cars as they get older will be totally over the top.

Just imagine the replacement cost for batteries and the environmental fees to dispose of the old ones.

One day, battery technology will change radically. At that point a battery powered or hybrid may be worth it.

Recently Apple filed two patents for fuel-cell battery systems which it says will make its Mac Books go for weeks without a recharge.

Two patents are for hydrogen fuel-cell batteries which will be a lot more environmentally-friendly. The patent suggests that the batteries would be more ecological but could also last “for days or even weeks” on a single charge.

Unless your current vehicle has a huge V8 (or V10/12 W16?) ... I would just stick with what you have. Nothing is cheaper then just sticking with what you have, especially if you've already paid it off.

Also, vagina.

I haven't heard of anyone changing a battery on a hybrid. And some of the Prius's are approaching 7+ years in age. I think the whole battery thing is drummed up by the gasoline lobby.

I'm hoping our next car is a hybrid.

Ever consider a desiel?

No battery lasts forever.

Golf Wagon TDI. Best decision I've made in a long time. I'm getting great mileage.

Have they changed the tech on the Hybrids? Last I looked into them, the electric engine only worked up to (about) 50km/h. Above that speed, the gas engine kicks in. So if you're trying to use HOV lanes, you're obviously on the highway and using gas. No savings. Hybrids are good for in city driving, not commuting.

We have a prius - LOVE it. When fuel prices were more "normal", we were saving about $100 a month on fuel compared to our Mazda3. We're now saving even more since the price of fuel has gone crazy.

We do a lot of highway driving, and are currently averaging 4.9L/100km. While it's true that you can't go 100% electric above 40km/h, when you're cruising on the highway at a steady speed you average about 3-5L/100km (or at least that's what our display indicates).

We wound up making the decision to lease it though - figured hybrid technology would have moved on enough in 4-5 years to make it worth looking at swapping it then.

And yeah...we can never park in the hybrid spaces at Superstore because they are always filled with gas-guzzlers. My favourite was the day that a hybrid spot had a huge pickup truck in it, with a huge ATV in the truck bed. That was just class