Ok so here's my situation. I live in a small town. my drive to work is about 5 minutes, but i go to school which is about 30 minute drive. I currently own a 2006 Nissan Sentra 1.8 liter. I've been checking to see how my mpg stack up on my lil sentra. Last tank i checked I did about 28.9 MPG. Which kind of shocked me because i think it did pretty well. Anyways, I've been reading about Hybrids because i was thinking of getting one. But i've read that Hybrid actually do better gas milage on long drives. rather than shorter ones. now my small town, everything is about 5 minute driving distance. only when i go to school is when i have to drive about 30 mins. some other cases as well, for example, going to the movies (about 15 miles) going to the mall (about 25 miles) which i would say i go once every 2 weeks or so.

Now...is a hybrid worth getting in my case?????

Some have told me not really. Because i wont be taking advantage of the hybrid engine. and i would spend more money on a hybrid than getting a regular car and i wont see where that would pay off.

I hope i explained it well..and i appriciate any replies.

nope - I would not get a hybrid yet if I were you..

If you are getting 29mpg and its cold where you are, you are doing OK now. If you do some basic stuff for higher mpgs, then you might not need a hybrid.

Keep the tire pressures up (at least to 36psi), try not to drive over 60-65mph, try to time red lights to not have to stop and accellerate really gently and see what that does for you.

Thanks for your reply sparybrutus. Well my town is small so there's not too many stop lights to worry about, but there are ALOT of stop SIGNS to worry about. and im sure there's not much i can do about stop signs..lol.

You may want to wait for the Volt or some of the other announced, plug-in hybrids. These have enough electric range to handle your short range trips with an engine to handle the longer drives.

It would help to know how many miles per year you drive. As a general rule of thumb, those getting more than 15,000 miles per year do better with hybrids, about half of all drivers, than those doing less.

Bob Wilson

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Thanks Bob,

actually i got my 2006 with zero miles in feb of 06 and as of now i have about 21,000 miles on it.
so i'd say i do about 11,000 (rough estimate).

I just figured a hybrid would actually take advantage regardless how far your drive is but i guess i thought wrong..lol.

There are reasons for getting a hybrid not having to do with fuel efficiency. They have a very quiet and smooth ride and are 'overloaded' with creature comforts. Also, Consumer Reports has excellent owner ratings. But if your current ride meets your needs, enjoy and wait for the plug-ins.

Good luck!
Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

You are doing well. 29 MPG is nothing to be ashamed of, especially for short-trip driving where the engine wastes a lot of gasoline heating the engine. I agree. Is it worth it to spend ~$20,000 so you can save $6 per week at the pump?

No.

I'd recommend you stay with the car you've got since it's working just fine, -or- if you really want a new car, go with a $13,000 Yaris or Civic that gets 38-40 mpg. These cars are $7000 cheaper than their hybrid equivalents.

Other ways to save money (if that's your goal):
- cancel the cable tv
- switch to a cheaper cellphone (I pay $10 a month)
- turn down the house heat
- combine short trips into long trips (shop after work)

- reading -----

5 minutes... what is that, like a mile? In the summer you should get a bicycle!

well actually i was looking at the nissan altima hybrid 2008. but i searched for it online and i saw something weird. base price of a hybrid is about 23,500 but the base price for a standard is about 21,000. so only a $3,000 difference? and the standard one is a V6!! how am i suppose to save gas on a V6?

The reason i wanted a hybrid is because as gas prices goes up, i'd figured i would feel a lil better knowing i had a hybrid when gas hits $4 a gallon.

And to the dude that said get a bike during summer..lol. i cant, it gets around 110 degrees here in the summer. i'd die before i'd get to work..lol.

We drive similarly and get 35 MPG around town with our Toyota Camry. My daughter drives about the same as you and gets 45+ with her Prius. We both love our hybrids. It's good for you and the environment.

Chuck