Do it! They're great cars. Really, reading through the threads in this forum, you won't see many real issues with the '05. Very few of the '06 and '07 owners have had some sort of backfiring problem. It has gotten so bad that some of them have gotten Honda to buy them back. However, the '05 seems to be immune to whatever change there was to the newer models.

Regular maintenance should be less, just because it's a highly reliable Honda. If you're talking "average" car, then yeah, the cost of upkeep is less.

Yep. Drive it as you would a normal car. But, with some of the techniques you can learn about by reading through these forums, you can drive this car with a much smoother touch on the accelerator and brakes and you'll see a good improvement in fuel economy. The switch between being powered by just the gasoline engine and then the addition of the electric Integrated Motor Assist is all automatic.

I wouldn't say there really is a definitive mileage where you'll see a greater repair cost. This car should age just as any other Honda and as compared to the average car, you should see fewer repair bills, for normal wear and tear. However, the hybrid batteries are supposed to last *AT LEAST* 10 years and 150,000 miles. This car is still too new to see how well the batteries will last. But you should expect to see at least a battery replacement around the 10 year or 150,000 mile period. Time will tell. However, looking at some other hybrids on the market, some have had the batteries replaced at less than 100,000 miles. Others have driven past 300,000 on the original batteries.

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