You beat me to it about making this point. If everyone that buys a car is thinking straight money, then we'd all be driving Kias and Hyundais. They are very economic choices and probably best value if depreciation is not a factor, but reasons other than money often facts into the choice of buying. Style, utility, etc etc

As far as cost effectiveness goes, you're right: hybrids are not the most cost effective, for now. If you can't stomach that, don't buy one. In fact, don't buy any new car either. Go claim a 1988 Chevy Cavalier or a Plymouth Sundance for $500 from the nearest foreclosure auto auction. That would be the most cost effective decision. Any money you dump into the car to keep it running would still be much less than buying any new car, hybrid or not. And you'll still be getting high 20s/low 30s in terms of MPG. Better yet, don't buy any car at all. Drive your current cars into the ground and after your cars are dead, take the bus, subway, or train and walk. Definitely the most cost effective.

America may vote with its wallet as you put it, but, again, money is not the only factor when it comes to autos. Almost every single car in the parking lot outside my office building could be replaced with a cheaper alternative, my hybrid included. A car is about more than cost man . . . every BMW, cadillac, customized mustang, raised F-150, or hybrid that pulls up next to you on the freeway is proof of that.

Those Mars rovers have been wheeling around for over a year on batteries only. The same NMH type batteries the hybrids use. I'll bet the climate on Mars is far more severe than here. If its good enough for NASA its good enough for me.
I agree with you, if you have a good reliable car paid for don't run out and buy a hybrid yet. By the time you do need a car the hybrids will be improved, cheaper maybe!and more options to choose from.

My car kicks Gass and burns amps,
Dave

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.