I always said I would not get a new car until my old '92 Ford Taurus died. Well, then I noticed that I spent nearly $1000 on it in the last 5 months, with more to come, just to keep it running. And I was suffering on hot days because the A/C was broken. And the front door wouldn't always stay closed. And the water pump leaks. And it was too expensive to get it aligned...mechanic said it would be cheaper to keep buying new tires.

So I decided it was time for a new car. I set my budget and looked at all the options. Tundra pickup, Mazda RX-8, Pontiac Solstice, Mustang, etc. These looked great and I was tempted because I thought "how cool would I look in one of these babies?"

But my wife already has an SUV (4-Runner), so we don't need another truck. And living here in Silicon Valley, I've been seeing tons of hybrids on the road. Honestly, I didn't like the looks of the Prius or the Insight. Too "Jetsons" for me. But the more I read about hybrids, the more interested I became in the technology. I started thinking I couldn't wait until they made "normal" looking hybrids.

I'm a gadget freak by nature, so buying into new technology is enticing. When I saw and test drove the Honda Civic Hybrid CVT, I knew that's what I wanted. Sure, it doesn't have the sexiness of the RX-8, or the hauling power of a Tundra, but it has many things that surpass that to me....cutting edge technology, efficiency, "geek" factor (hey, I'm in Silicon Valley!), and the smooooothest ride I've ever felt.

Sure, I could have spent less on a normal Civic, but if I did that, why not get something a bit sexier? Either way, they pollute more, run louder, and need to be filled up more often.

The HCH hit the sweet spot for me for many reasons.