A plan plus 3500 rebate plus 2600 tax credit. And I was able to find one without all the overpriced stuff I did not want - NAV unit, leather seats, exterior trim package, etc, etc.

I'd owned several V6 Escapes and Mariners, so I knew the package. 8500 miles on my 07 now and I still love it. It has a real personality.

 

Had a few reasons for getting it.

Wanted something that would minimize my environmental damage. I live in Dallas TX, where the gas-guzzling SUVs run free, and so I didn't want to contribute to that.

I also wanted to save money on gas. I worked for a company in England for a while, and gas there, at the time, was roughly $5-6/gallon (we quickly did the math while at a petrol station one day). Americans complain about the price of gas, but we have it SO good compared to the rest of the world. But this is going to change as time goes on. Best to be prepared.

The tax break and insurance rate drop were nice as well, btw.

Space was an issue. I was initially sold on a Prius, but the wife reality checked me on the feasibility of it (or lack thereof). I have two step daughters, two dogs and we love to take road trips together. Additionally, I make sound effects for games, and I'm regularly loading my car up with recording equipment and driving 200 miles to capture some weird sound.

So, after test driving a few vehicles, only two made sense: the Toyota Highlander hybrid, and the Ford Escape hybrid. The Escape won because it seemed more fuel efficient based on research, and the price was a bit friendlier, especially after I customized it.

 

We bought ours 'cause I had driven my 240sx for 10 years and wanted something new. Natalie moved from Oregon where everyone is green. I wanted a Prius cause Larry David has one and he's my hero. we settled on the FEH. It was middle ground. We love it.

 

Jumping to the end...

We just ordered a MMH, and here's why.

My wife said her minivan was getting old (2002 Odyssey). Seemed fair and she is in an "image" job so having a nice car is more important than it is to me. I asked what she wanted, and the reply was "another minivan or an SUV". I started in with the TCH and suggested she give it a try, and she batted her baby blues and said "Pleeeaaseee".

OK.. so "minivan or SUV" it is. I checked up on the "When will Toyota release the Estima Hybrid" thread, and it was still suggested I ship one from Japan. So strike minivan. Looked at the SUVs and did some rough calcs.

We still have some payments on the Odyssey and based on the cost (car payment + insurance + gas), a brand spanking new MMH is only about $50/month more than our current cost. This has everything to do with my wife driving 2000 mi a month. Now a used non-hybrid i4 escape would have been less of course, but the job "image" kept us looking only at new cars. I used one would start looking "old" quicker, causing more frequent replacements, costing more in the end. And leasing while driving 24,000 miles a year isn't really feasible either.

Another reason I didn't get the nonHybrid was the vote-your-pocketbook argument. I voted Yes to Toyota when we got our Prius, and looks like they heard that vote. Now it was my turn to pick another maker. MMH here you go.

Now if I can only GET the car. Dealer said it won't get here till next month.

11011011

 

I got one to take advantage of the Federal Tax credit. Afterwards, I found out that I was not eligible to receive the credit because of the alternative minimum tax (AMT). I was shafted!!!

 

We just purchased our 08 FEH last Saturday. We drove almost three hours to pick it up at a dealer in Columbus. We feel lucky to have found it.
Our other vehicle is a Dakota long bed truck that we purchased new nine years ago. I still love that truck and we would have bought a Dodge if they had been as good on MPG's and the enviroment.
I have chemical sensitivities, especially to Formaldehyde. Gas fumes are the worse culprit for me. Our truck seemed to be letting some fumes come inside of the vents. Other people would most likely not even notice it. So a clean running vehicle was a must.

That's when the FEH came to mind. And of course, the gas mileage was a big factor also. We had to be careful of the inside also. So many new cars out-gas vapors that are formaldehyde based. I am not saying that the FEH is free of this but it is by far the lesser of all evils. And we really hope to be able to take that tax credit.

So to sum it up....
Less emmisions
Less Out-gassing inside
Better gas mileage
More room than our truck
Room for our Great Pyrenees dog
Enough room for another couple
And it's Cool to drive!!!!

 

My reason's in order of weight.

1) Had a sunroof.
2) Wife wanted it.
3) Best FE of all cars my Wife wanted.
4) Ground clearance.
5) Appearances.

I tried to sell her on the Prius first (my car), then on the Camry Hybrid. Neither of those took, but she liked the MMH (well call it a FEH). What cinched it for her was the ability to pop over curbs. She sells a lot of country property it's sometimes useful to simply drive out to the middle of the lot instead of hiking from the road. I think the Camry or Prius could handle the trip just as easily, but there is a much smaller margin of error. There are also some reports of issues with traction control on the HSD drive train. I never gave it much thought, but it did nag at me when I thought of my Wife bogged down on a country road.

I found the space comparable to the Prius (which is one of the roomiest cars I've owned). Prius has sacrifices vertical space for greater horizontal space. The MMH sacrifices horizontal space for greater vertical space.

As far as appearances go, It's a lot easier getting along with some of the people she does business with if they are looking at an SUV. Call it shallow, but there you go. Many of the Hollywood Elite have given a stigma to Hybrids that I wish wasn't there. Personally, my only complaint about my Prius is that people know it's a Prius and a whole lot of people out there hate the Prius because of something Leonardo deCaprio or Camron Diaz said. The most common conversation people enter when they see my car is "you know it doesn't REALLY get 50 mpg", or "you know that does more environmental damage than a Hummer", or sometimes just "!@#^%$@# Treehugging Hippie Liberal!", when a) I've never hugged a tree in my life, b) I was 2 months old in Texas when woodstock was happening, and c) I'll vote how I #@$% well please, and you can rest assured it won't be following Leonardo deCaprio's lead! Wish people would let a car just be a car and not some Global Statement of XYZ.

bit of a rant I suppose, but there you have it.

Back on subject, I really like the MMH and think it's an excellent choice for anyone. I wouldn't change a thing.

11011011

 

That just happened to me too. I thought I would enjoy a $2300 tax credit and planned for that in my purchase. AMT kicks in and I end up with something like $200. It's like getting buttf***ed.

 

As an ex-17 year station wagon owner, I was upgrading to:
-larger cargo area
-improved ground clearance for safer travel in the rural areas of snow country
-improved utility usage
-improved fuel efficiency
-less pollution
-decreased chance that the politicians can stick it to me with potential future vehicle carbon taxes
-better technology
-Ford dealership with certified hybrid tech is only 1 1/4 miles from home, 3 miles away from parents home
-true on-demand AWD with power split between front and rear
-documented Hybird reliability and technology
-super discount pricing for new vehicle
-potential large tax credit with new vehicle purchase
-terrible experience at several Toyota dealerships

 

Room to move art supplies...
Room to move pet...
good low emissions...
good fuel economy...
recycled fabric seats...
Union built...
$3000 tax credit...
better for the environment...