Hybrid Car ??

[jdawson1960]

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 enviorment 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.

[Supreme2k]

You may have noticed that this is VIDEOhelp, not whatcarshouldIbuy.com. I think that you may have stumbled into the wrong forum (or even site).

here's a site that may help you


Just for information's sake, what brought you here? Why is your first post completely unrelated to video?

[budz]

spamming perhaps?

With the gas prices dwindling just buy a economy car like a YARIS which gets excellent mileage. Unless you've got lots of $$$$ to burn then buy a hybrid. Just my 2 cents!

[tmw]

I think he's in the right forum, wrong site; but then my semantics are often wrong. Wouldn't that be a great way to take this off-topic thread further off-topic?

Does India have hybrids as common as here in the US? Maybe he will be making videos in the car, or using it in some fashion.

[stiltman]

I don't think the OP lives in India, most likely Indiana
$2 or less for gas is the mid west.

I think if the OP wanted to get real green, they'd ride a camel

[gll99]

In addition to the $5000 to $8000 higher vehicle cost you have to add the extra financing charges to the total. If you have the cash then you have to subtract the lost interest on this money. From a purely financial perspective unless you drive a lot, an individual would likely not recoup the difference in 4 or 5 years. Fleets can do it because of the tax write-offs.

I'm waiting for the mass production of electric motor hybrids where the small fuel engine is only used to charge the batteries to increase distance but are not part of the drive-train.

[Webster]

In addition to the $5000 to $8000 higher vehicle cost you have to add the extra financing charges to the total. If you have the cash then you have to subtract the lost interest on this money. From a purely financial perspective unless you drive a lot, an individual would likely not recoup the difference in 4 or 5 years.

Not only that, you also have to consider having the darn car routine service costs. You can't take a hybrid to your local trusted mechanic (or even to a shade tree mechanic). It have to be the dealership (which gonna charge you an arm and a leg for simple services)

Even though hybrid cars are classified as "green". They're not really 100% "green" as makers claimed they are.
Have you consider what to do with the batteries 7-10 years down the road after they die?? Batteries are not made to last forever. They have a limited life expectancy. That gonna be a lots of toxic chemicals that need to taken care of down the road.

Hey, but wait, the industry is gonna find the solution to this problem in the near future just like they did with the nuclear waste problem...<insert your sarcasm here>

[guns1inger]

The cost of production, the use of batteries, and the fact that batteries are in fact a very poor option for extended use mean that the current crop of available Hybrids are at best a rip-off for consumers (unless you simply want to feel good about pretending to do something good for the planet), and in most cases actually worse than getting a standard petrol car that gets good mileage, or converting a standard petrol car to run off LPG. When they can mass produce cars that can generate and burn their own hydrogen, still get decent speed and acceleration, and carry a load, and produce them without extra damage to the environment, and sell them for prices comparable to the average car at the time, they will have a product.

My favourite hybrid car is Paul McCartney's hybrid Lexus. As well as costing a fortune, he had it flown by chartered jet half way across the world. Unless he drives the car every day for the next twenty years, the emissions from the delivery alone will have off set any small good his car would have done the world. What an *******.

[zzyzzx]

I'm waiting for the mass production of electric motor hybrids where the small fuel engine is only used to charge the batteries to increase distance but are not part of the drive-train.

I am also waiting for a Chevy Volt type of vehicle.

[zzyzzx]

[quote="Webster"]

as "green". They're not really 100% "green" as makers claimed they are.
Have you consider what to do with the batteries 7-10 years down the road after they die?? Batteries are not made to last forever. They have a limited life expectancy. That gonna be a lots of toxic chemicals that need to taken care of down the road.

Seeing how regular car batteries are routinely recycled, I don't see this as a major problem.

[sabijon]

Hybrid cars are very cool but the coolest car i saw (only in a movie) is the of agent 007... So if u want to buy then choose a car that likely it...

[milway]

Wait on getting some hybrid produced today. Its not an emergency. Hydrogen fuel cells are the way to go. When the technology is widely excepted, the revamped car mfg's will produce them.

[Conquest10]

In addition to the $5000 to $8000 higher vehicle cost you have to add the extra financing charges to the total. If you have the cash then you have to subtract the lost interest on this money. From a purely financial perspective unless you drive a lot, an individual would likely not recoup the difference in 4 or 5 years.

Where are you pulling that number from? You're saying $5,000-$8,000 higher but what are you comparing it to?

Not only that, you also have to consider having the darn car routine service costs. You can't take a hybrid to your local trusted mechanic (or even to a shade tree mechanic). It have to be the dealership (which gonna charge you an arm and a leg for simple services)

Even though hybrid cars are classified as "green". They're not really 100% "green" as makers claimed they are.
Have you consider what to do with the batteries 7-10 years down the road after they die?? Batteries are not made to last forever. They have a limited life expectancy. That gonna be a lots of toxic chemicals that need to taken care of down the road.

Hey, but wait, the industry is gonna find the solution to this problem in the near future just like they did with the nuclear waste problem...<insert your sarcasm here>

And there lies the problem with the American auto industry. Just bash it and do nothing to actually come up with something better. The mechanic thing is just ridiculous. Do you still use a VHS cassette deck from the 80s because that's all your "trusted" technician knows how to repair? Are you still 100% CRTs? I could go on. Times change. True mechanics are ones that can adapt to little changes.

And then there's the South Park effect with hybrids that everyone that thinks about getting one is all of a sudden a tree-hugging hippie environmentalist. Ever thought about the fact that gas was expensive as hell up until recently (and I still think that this is just temporary)? Why would someone buy a SUV that gets 13 MPG when a hybrid will get you 50 MPG?

[Supreme2k]

It's funny how much of an argument this topic has produced, considering it came from some dick-hole who was probably lost (or spamming, or a bot).

[Webster]

Do you still use a VHS cassette deck from the 80s because that's all your "trusted" technician knows how to repair? Are you still 100% CRTs?

Funny you should mention it. Yes I do still use VHS cassette deck. I have a bunch of tapes from Asia which is not available in DVD format and I'm darn too lazy to transfer to DVD myself (I have better things to do with my time than spending hours to do it since I have more than 500 tapes. @ 90 minutes per tape, it gonna take alots of time to do so)
Yes, I still use CRT. even though I have two 19' LCD (my kids computers) and two 22' LCD (my main working computer). No matter what anyone says, none of these LCD monitor image quality beat my old trusty 21" trinitron CRT tube. The same can be say with the televisions I have. The Tube picture quality beat out the LCD TV's I have anyday.
And as a side note. I do own a Toyota Prius. Bought it when it first came out. Boy, what a mistake that was. It would have been better if I have bought the Matrix. I could have save 10 grands if I have done it. Every little work have to be done by the dealer. !!!

[zzyzzx]

I'm curious as to exactly what's wrong with their existing car. IMO, there will be more and better choices for fuel efficient cars, like the Chevy Cruz or Volt, etc. in a year or two, so can you wait?

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

I still use CRT. even though I have two 19' LCD (my kids computers) and two 22' LCD (my main working computer). No matter what anyone says, none of these LCD monitor image quality beat my old trusty 21" trinitron CRT tube. The same can be say with the televisions I have. The Tube picture quality beat out the LCD TV's I have anyday.

I just bought a 37" CRT I found on Craigslist for $75... a true bargain!. It was owned by a couple of seniors that received a 50" LCD as a gift from their sons and didn't have space for it anymore. They told me that they listed it first in $300... then $200... then $100... and then I offered $75 since I live in Tampa and they were in St Pete... Bam!, the TV is mine!.

My back hurts like crazy, that damn thing weighs like the world... I felt like atlas lifting that thing (with a friend of course), I never noticed the ladder to my 1st floor apt. was THAT long !.
Well my back does hurt, but I already feel the relief by watching a good movie in it!!! 8)

[vhelp]

Rest assured, that the gas prices will go back to their last hike soon. I mean. Come on guys, you know full well that they always lower the gas prices during the election period. This window of luxuery usually lasts only about 3 months, I think.

-vhelp 4940

[gll99]

Ideally, this is the type of car I wish they will further develop. It runs on compressed air. In its most basic form, it uses compressed air from stored tanks until they are depleted and need to be refilled but in more advanced models it can carry an on-board compressor to extend the range and a fuel source to run the compressor. The other modification is to heat the air entering the cylinder chamber to expand the air and provide more "push" for the same input volume thereby increasing the range of the vehicle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_vehicle
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/03/21/a-new-agreement-between-tata-motors-and-mdi-br...he-air-car-cl/

a compressed hybrid concept
http://cnn.hu/2008/TECH/08/08/air.car/index.html

USA long range Model?
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4251491.html?series=19

I found a video on youtube a while back where they designed a rotary piston instead of the more common up/down piston type. This design uses multiple air input/output ports and is supposedly the most efficient.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq8aZVLpf-c

In any case no combustion is taking place nor do they need expensive time limited batteries to power the electric motor which drives the most commonly proposed hybrid vehicles. One comment suggested that what they have presently achieved is that a 4 hour "home" air recharge uses about $2.00 of electricity to compress the tanks with enough power for the car to travel about 100 miles at low city speeds (See first Youtube video below). One spokeman said they hope to develop a vehicle with an on-board compressor able to go from Los Angeles to New York on one tank of fuel. If they ever succeed in extending the range to this level they'll beat anything else on the road for overall cost and efficiency.

If you Google "Air Car" a whole list of sites and some interesting Youtube videos come up too

Here's a couple of clips for the MDI (Patent Holder) air car Version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFbKINlXzRk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztFDqcu8oJ4

[TechNight]

gas prices are going down no need now lol but arent the new suvs now coming hyrbid