Yeah, I've sort of wondered the same thing.

Couple of points I'd add. To date, Toyota has not had to replace a single hybrid battery in the US. From what I understand, even in Japan there are Priuses running around with 200k on the original batteries. When DOE did a test on the Toyota battery, they quit after 180k. So I think that the life of the battery is essentially the life of the car at this point.

I'm guessing that a lot depends on where you live. In a big metro area, there should be a premium on the hybrid. Here in the DC area, there certainly is even in the used car market.