Hi. I'm considering what will be cheaper to buy and own.

A Civic is cheaper.

A Civic hybrid will save gas money.

What's the bottom line? Which car will be cheaper to buy and own at the end of its life?

 

I'm going through similar cost-benefit calculations now. However, as a current owner of a hybrid, I have to tell you that you can't measure or put a price on the FUN factor of driving a hybrid. The joy of driving a hybrid and playing the mileage game goes far beyond dollars and cents.

Good luck!

 

Consumer Reports did a study that answers your question. They initially made some errors in thier analysis which were later corrected. There still are some issues with their analysis, in my opinion, and your own situation may give you different results, but their conclusions are probably the most complete and most reliable you can find.

Look here first -
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...his-report.htm
Then click on other parts of the report in the top left corner.

 

I question the following statement in the CR story:

"Most of the hybrids aren't expected to hold their value as well as their conventional gas-powered equivalents, according to our analysis of data from Vincentric, a company that compiles ownership costs for some 1,900 vehicle configurations per model year. Only the Prius is expected to have about the same depreciation percentage at the end of the five-year period as the model with which we compared it. For the others, the increased rate of depreciation ranged from about 2 to 4 percentage points."

Also, the CR story assumed higher maintenance costs, primarily due to the high cost of battery replacements. Hmmmm.

 

The joy of looking at gas prices and dividing by two. Half of what other mortals pay! Test drive both cars at length and I think you will find that the smooth delivery of the immediate torque from the electric motor of the hybrid is a revelation. Probaly the answer depends on your age and approach to slowing the pace at which we are devouring our planet? However if your need is to beat the man next to you to the next corner.....................The life of the IMA battery is a red herring dragged across the road by detractors.

At the end of the day it is very much a personal choice as I have intimated.

 

One thing to consider is the version of the Civic you're comparing it to. The Hybrid is effectively a loaded Civic similar to the EX. If you compare those two, I figured that I had a savings taking the tax credit into consideration. If you compare it to an LX, I don't know if you can make that claim.

Jeff

 

One more factor to consider: Your yearly mileage.

The higher your mileage per year, the following two factors apply:

1. More mileage, more gas savings
2. More mileage, the less you would be concerned about residual value

I will clarify number 2.

I drive over 30k miles per year. I drive my cars until they die. I don't expect any residual value whatsoever. If I get a donation deduction, it's a bonus. So if I drive a high residual value car into the ground, or a less than high, it still comes out to about zero.

 

The regular Civic may not be the best dollar-for-mile value either considering there are a few base models available for about $10K such as the Chev Aveo, Kia Reo and Toy Yaris.

If one can get these in the base model I'm sure the savings could be astronomical but as stevenvillatoro mentioned there are many things to consider.

 

Hybrid = EX - sunroof + turn signals on mirrors + decklid spoiler

I think I figured it was about $2800 more for the hybrid, minus an expected $2100 tax credit, so about $700 more for the hybrid. The old car was a CRV (~25mpg) so the new one is almost twice the mileage. At a gas price of $3.20, assuming our usual 12K miles per year, that's about $680 saved in the first year. Given that gas prices are expected to hit $3.50 or more this summer, it'll probably pay for itself in the first year.

But if money is your primary concern, you may be better off to go with the EX. No hunting for 0W oil. No having to go to a Honda dealer for pretty much any service. Resale value will almost definitely be higher on a non-hybrid.

But you won't be able to talk with your eyes closed.

 

The Civic basic DX would be cheaper to buy and own over about 6-7 years, depending on gas prices. Its somewhat straightforward as far as the math.

However, the two cars are not the same at all. The DX, for instance, doesnt have power steering.

For me, my comparison was between the monthly maintenance and gas bills with the older car versus a new Civic Hybrid.

In actuality, I found that the monthly payment I make on the new Hybrid, after my downpayment, is less than gas cost difference and maintenance on the old car. So a positive effect on cash flow if you will, by driving the civic hybrid. It is in fact quite fun and much better for the environment, my time ( less time going to the gas station), and more conserving of resources.

The tax credit and resale of my older car, while not quite equal to my downpayment, made the effective out of pocket expense of purchasing the Hybrid to be about 3000 dollars. The true cost of this car to me as a one time payment and moving forward really is about 3000.