Originally Posted by Daven007

Wow. Is this what this site is all about?

I found this place during my search for information on Civic Hybrids. My brother bought one new (and got carpool stickers) and I love the thing. Here in California, if you buy an existing used car that has the DOT HOV lane stickers in place, you get to use the carpool lane. There are no new stickers available. So folks like myself will be increasingly considering the purchase of a used Civic. We will pay a premium for a used car with stickers. I am trying to figure out what I am facing if I buy a car with 72,000 miles on it. I would not hesitate if it were a standard Honda Civic. I would figure 150k miles as a reasonable lifespan before major repairs may be called for. But the Hybrid has "a battery" that is an "X factor" in terms of the overall cost of driving the car over time. If I know that at 72k miles I will buy a car for $14k and can expect to spend money on new batteries at 80k or 100k...it would be nice to have a feel for what that cost will be.

Did I come to the wrong place? I want a car that will save me money, stick a finger in the eye of OPEC, pump less bad stuff into the air, and allow me to drive in the carpool lane.

Is this a religious site, or can I find real answers to real questions?

Is the answer basically, "Forget about a used hybrid...they are a nightmare waiting to happen...forget about the HOV stickers and buy new...a Hybrid out of warranty is a time bomb...etc..."?

HOV lane access is HUGE in CA. Not something to pass on without serious consideration. The cars for sale with stickers are few and far between.