I am getting ready to buy another car now. When gas prices were $4 plus, I was really thinking about buying a hybrid. Now with gas prices back down to $2 or less, should I.

 

I understand the environment situation, however with the cost of a hybrid being $5k plus more, I will never make the money back over the life of the 4-5 years I am going to keep the car.

 

So any feedback of your experience owning a hybrid, or why I should or shoulnt would be appreciated.

All I know is that the batteries in some hybrid cars do more damage to the environment than a truck, and overall some cars do worst MPG than a diesel.

 

My suggestion is to buy another car, but force the dealer to give you a lovely big discount :)

Batteries - newer lithium-ion batteries use iron phosphate vs. cobalt, and thus are much better for the environment. I'm not sure if the auto-makers have switched over yet, as the older type of lithium-ion batteries had the risk of catching on fire, and probably they are in the process of switching over if they haven't already.

But considering the volatility of fuel costs, the price of oil is set to climb again in a year or two, so I wouldn't plan on the fuel costs being cheap for long as the entire globe keeps wanting more and more of a limited resource, where what's left is going to be more and more expensive to extract. If I were in the market, I would get the most fuel-efficient vehicle within my price range.. You would not necessarily have to get a hybrid, as there are some very nice fuel-efficient conventional autos.

What most auto makers have been doing is trying to keep the old designs going, because of retooling costs, and because they make the most money on SUV's & pickups. But for anything to be reasonably fuel efficient at highway speeds, it has to have a lower profile, and be streamlined - smooth gentle curves, a more rounded trunk area, and smooth underneath as well. Light is good, but I would look for something with an inverted wing vs. a spoiler, as the wing can add down-pressure to the vehicle adding traction without too much loss of efficiency. Some companies have opted for aluminum frames / moniques which can be both stronger and lighter without the added costs of composites. And the fuel savings can be substantial - in 5 years, a vehicle that's twice as efficient as the U.S. CAFE standard would save you roughly 370 gallons of fuel each year, or $740 in just the first year. By the time we get to the fifth year, fuel will be at least $3.00 a gallon, and perhaps much more (peak oil estimates average 3 years, and demand continues to rise..) so fuel could be $4.00 or $5.00 a gallon here in the U.S.; Taking a guess of $3.33 per gallon over the period, that's a savings of roughly $6,200. You ought to be able to drive a pretty hard bargain with the sales places as auto sales are slumping, so now is a good time to be looking.

Best of Hunting for the bargain!!

 

 

Don't buy a hybrid, if you are only gonna have this car as you say 4 to 5 years, by a normal one and then wait to buy a new technology car in 5 years (electical, solar, hydrogen) etc when they are fully ready for primetime. Hybrids on the market aren't that great at the moment; may as well go the whole hog if you buy a 'green' car.

The problem with lithium batteries is that a part of them are in short-supply, at current rates of mining the world's supply will dry up in 2015, forcing prices up.

Thanks for that. was actually thinking of purchasing a hybrid car when it hits our country's shores.