I guess I would be both a greenie, a cheapie, and a techie. My 2000 explorer V8 gets about 18 mpg and when it got up to 120,000 I decided to get a new one. This happened the same time gas briefly hit close to $3 for premium (which is all the explorer would deign to consume) and I always said, when it hits $3, I am switching to a different kind of vehicle.

I am an engineer and work on alot of construction sites, and needed something with good ground clearance like an SUV. I picked FOrd becuase the explorer gave me good service, it was my second one, and because it was basically North American, as opposed to say all Japanese. Japanese make a fine car, they are just not part of my Keiritsu.

The technology of the hybrid appealed to me as engineer, this thing was hi tech through and through.

Last there is a bit of political spin to it, our fighting men and women, God Bless them, went to the Persion Gulf and now Iraq, and whatever supposed high moral reason has been painted and propped over the cause, you can bet MidEast crude is a big part of it. You know about 30% of our oil comes from the mideast, which I figure is at least what I am saving driving this car. So every time I fill up, I tell myself at least I am saving thats my part of the national 30% that I am not buying from the MIdeast, and maybe, there will be one brave american warrior who somehow might not have to come home in a coffin because I like to drive.

 

We recently got 'his and hers' hybrids. I drove two Mustangs previously but my 6' tall wife had trouble fitting in them as either a driver or passenger. My 88' GT got 21 MPG and my '98 got 25 MPG on the highway. She wanted me to have something with more room that she could drive on occasion too. I like to hike and admired the 2005 gas Ford Escape my dad bought last summer. I stopped by the Ford dealer asking for a brochure and drove away with a 2006 FEH. They sold four of them in just two days and that was midweek!

My wife drove a '99 Chevy Tahoe. At 13-14 MPG in town it took $55-60 to fill the tank every week or so. She also wanted the third row seat so she could haul our daughter and her friends/classmates on occasion (the '99 Tahoe didn't have this). So she picked up a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited just a few days later. Her gas mileage will more than double, she'll still be able to haul stuff, and she's able to fit comfortably in the drivers seat.

 

My KIA Sportage was getting close to 100K miles and I needed a small SUV in order to haul my gear (weekend musician).

I was about to pull the trigger on an Escape although I was saying I wish I could drive a more responsible vehicle. I thought could afford the slight upcharge for a hybrid. Problem was, the Prius was way too small and an EV was out of of the question. A colleague piped up that he heard that Ford was maknig the Escape a hybrid and sent me the link. I signed up for the news letter and started saving.

By the time the FEH came out, it was too expensive because they were being auctioned at ebay and that cost was in addition to the sticker price. If you walked into a local Ford dealer and even hinted at knowing about a Prius, the price went up 2-5K, I patiently waited another 5 months and found a dealer that would sell at a reasonable price. This site helped.

Basically I waited 2 years to get this vehicle. Why I got it was not for better gas mileage. That was a fringe benefit since my Sportage got ~21mpg with the routes I have to drive weekly. I bought this car for the reduced emissions and the fact that when I m at a stoplight, I am part of the solution by not emitting fumes while idling in traffic, which you spend a lot time doing these days.

 

I'm a techie nerd and like the technology. I also like the "green" aspect of it, but I don't consider myself an environmentalist. I'd just as soon we burn up all the oil so we can move on to the next thing (hopefully hydrogen). I had a Kia Sportage, and even though it's small, it didn't get great mileage (~20mpg). So, mileage was another reason, though I know it won't really pay off in that aspect. Finally, there's the "new car smell", but I really like how the Escape looks and drives.


Russ

 

I'm a brand new owner, only three days. Although this is usually the time that I get the "why did I do that" syndrome, I haven't with this purchase.

I had an Explorer prior to this last Saturday, and had some sad goodbyes with my Baby. It was the first new car I ever had. We have hauled furniture, plants, 1 1/2 tons of dirt and two rambunctious dogs numerous times. However, it was costing more and more every month to keep the thing on the road. The last couple of months before the trade in, I spent ~$120 in gas!! This is more than I spend in food a month (single, mind you.)
So, as much as I loved my Explorer, this was just too much. So, a few months ago, I started thinking about options. I could go to a regular car with a trailor for most of my hobbies (biking, gardening, hiking, camping,) but the thought of traveling with two 60lb excitable dogs in the back seat was just not that appealing. The SUV at least gave them some extra room. I could have a car and a truck/SUV, but who want to maintain insurance and licensing on both -- this would cost me ~$1500/yr!!! Finding the Escape Hybrid was a dream come true.

In only a few months, I made up my mind to buy this car -- this is fast for me to make such a decision. I was a year away from fully paying off my Explorer. But, the benefits of a Hybrid -- better gas mileage, as well as helping the environment, gave me the extra nudge.

I will never look back and regret this decision. Even in Middle America, we are fighting higher and higher gas prices. I've already had to re-evaluate some travel decisions because of this. Knowing I have a more fuel efficient care makes a hugh difference.
For anyone looking at getting a new car, SUV or otherwise, I would like to leave you with this quote from the FEH FAQ:

"While the Ford Escape Hybrid is around $4000 more than a similarly equipped Escape, you could see as much as a $2000 savings in fuel each year, the superiority of being in the latest technology, the Tax rebate, being environmentally super sound, and all the benefits of the Escape, while being so much more so. Plus it’s one heck of a conversation piece. Ask yourself this, do you think gas prices are going to go down, or up over the lifetime of your next vehicle?"

Almost any size/type of vehicle can be bought in a hybrid these days. My question is -- why would you buy anything else?

 

I worked for Ford as a technician when the Escape came out. It was a nice little suv, resembled a Jeep Cherokee to me. I drove them, worked on them, etc. I liked them ok. Then I took a class on the Hybrid version. "Genious!", I thought. I was watching the Fordstar, thinking, "man they thought of everything", and I could find no fault in the functionality/engineering. I told my wife about it and we decided that is what she will get(her 95 blazer was a hand-me-down that she had been riding in since she was 13!) Well, it was only wishful thinking since we couldn't afford a new car. We never thought about the FEH again. When my '01 F-150 got paid off in May '06 and I got a better job, we started looking for a car for her. We wanted something with better mileage, since gas prices were rising. She wanted a Toyota Matrix. We looked at them, test drove them. She was satisfied, but I didn't like the idea of a small car for her. We were about to buy a Pontiac Vibe(Matrix rebadged) because I get discounts on Ford, GM, Chrysler. We drove through the Ford lot, I don't even know why, and I saw a Hybrid Escape for the 1st time(June '06), even though I had taken a class on them almost 3 years ago. It was Titanium Green/silver. I got out and looked at it and once we saw the EPA ratings of 36/31, we were sold. She had to have it. We are getting better mileage from this SUV than almost any small car out there, averaging 34.5 on this tank. You can't beat that.

 

Simple math. We needed a small SUV and we were not looking for a used vehicle. The Escape and Mariner were the only ones that fit all our needs and fit me as well. When we sat down and did the math, economically the Hybrid made more sense. When we took into account the Federal Tax credit and the fuel savings, the numbers worked out that the savings would cover the premium in under 3 years....plus we were able to finance 100% of the costs at 0% financing. Just this month, PA threw in another $500 tax rebate that should reduce the payback period to about 21 months!

Oh, and we are a pretty environmentally conscious couple so the benefits of less fuel and less polution would have been worth the price anyway!!!

 

I didn't get an FEH. We had an Explorer and a Ranger and were replacing the Ranger. My wife drives the Explorer and loves it so we didn't need another SUV. I was actually leaning towards the Prius but my wife preferred the TCH, so we got that.

However, the Explorer has over 155,000 miles and as much as my better half wants it to live forever I tend to think we'll need to replace it sooner rather than later. When that happens we'll replace it with a hybrid SUV. The HiHy is too expensive and I'm not terribly impressed with the economy. I'm not a big fan of GM. So if we were replacing it right now the FEH would be the choice.

Of course we'll have to see what's available when the time comes.

 

Found this thread linked to another that I was reading.

I' NOT an environmentalist, I am a conservative in the tradition of Teddy Roosevelt. I believe in being frugal with resources. So I'm watching whats going on in the mid-east, the Iraq war and such realizing that every time we buy gas we are funding our enemy. I have friends that are and have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan. I know what they have sacrificed in their personal lives and for the country. I was waiting for GM to do something with Hybrids like maybe a equinox or trailblazer something like that, but I was reading how their first real hybrid was going to be Tahoe/Suburban. I have been a GM fan going WAY back. I have raced Chevy's and repaired them most of my adult life. But that was the last straw. GM is now clueless. I would have thought a platform like the Equinox would be great then they could expand it into the Malibu and other mid size cars. Then perhaps a Chevy Cobalt Hybrid how cool would that be? But alas maybe after they loose some more market share. So I have been intrigued by hybrids for 2 years. I knew Ford made one but I had only seen one in town and did not get to meet the owner. I also knew I would not fit in a Prius or HCH. So I was starting the process for a new car and was not intending to buy for 3 or 4 months. I was searching Autotrader in may of 07 when a FEH fully loaded popped up as a used car in San Antonio. They had it listed for 22K and it had 3000 miles on it. So I called the dealer, Bachelor Hummer Saab. They gave me the lowdown on the car and I talked with my wife. After doing some research I determined the car was very under priced. I decided to buy it then. I called the dealer and told them that I wanted it and could be there on Saturday. We arranged the financing over the phone. I arrived on Saturday morning and everything was in order. I looked at the car with the salesman and she admitted they didn't know much about the hybrids. I opened the door and the car was spotless. The manuals were still in plastic and some of the protective covers were still on some things. After we signed the deal the sales manager said he had had 20 or 30 phone calls and 2 people offering 2K more for the car. He had told them it was sold and unless I didn't show or want the car it was off the market. This dealership is a class act. I have enjoyed this car more than any other car I have owned in a very long time. I would own 2 but my wifes 04 trailblazer is to new to get rid of at this time. Now going to the gas station is not a dreaded experience. I am using 1/2 the fuel I used to use.

 

This is a good thread to revive !! Should get alot of activity again.

Alas, I do not have mine yet - on week 14 of waiting. But as to why I ordered it to begin with.........

My decision was driven a little bit by my job and a little bit of personal preference - this will be a company-owned car. My dad and I own a construction company and I became a LEED Accredited Professional about nine months ago. But my current vehicle is (I'm embarrassed to say) a Lincoln Navigator, and it just seemed hypocritical to be trying to convince someone that we can build them a "green" building, but drive up to the meeting in a Navigator. Just doesn't work !!! I chose the FEH because I still need to haul some things around for work (tools, materials, etc). It was also because I wanted a "full" hybrid, but I'm 6'-3" and can't comfortably get in and out of a Prius - so the FEH was really the only choice for me.

I definitely don't consider myself an environmentalist, but I am very much a techno-geek and am always striving to be self-sufficient in certain ways. As another example I am also researching/planning on installing a geothermal heat pump system in my house, and eventually (once the photovoltaic technology gets more efficient) install some solar panels so I can rely less on the electrical grid system.