I have a 2005 HCH, also living in Sarasota.... doesn't sound like it'd work out too well for you. You can quickly shut off the fan when you come to a stop and the air stays decently cool (unless you get one of those horribly long lights that are around), but if you leave it on, it will blow warm air from outside, and you lose your A/C quickly.

If you do most of your driving on the interstate you might get by, but probably too many lights around town for your setup.

 

just let off the brake breifly when it gets too warm to restart the engine, or pull it into low and back to drive

 

great replies - just what i was hoping for :thumbsup:

hey thompsondn - 95% of my and my wife's driving is around town, along 41, beneva, tuttle, etc. entirely stop and go traffic. i actually dont commute, but my wife drives about 25 mins each way up and down those roads. seems like this type of driving is a perfect fit for a hybrid, given that 20% of our time in the car is sitting at those long lights. the key is that we need cold a/c blowing while at a stand-still.

my wife and i loved the HCHII, but the pricing is higher than we want (we have a $300/mo car budget that we stick to). i'm willing to take a used 06 with plenty of miles to get into the car. problem right now is that we are getting impatient and are starting to look at other cars (non-hybrid) because we just want to get this over with. (anyone know that feeling?)

sounds funny, but for me, car-specific online forums like this one impact my buying decisions. for example, one of the cars we looked at is a mazda 5. who the hell am i gonna talk to online about a mazda 5?

anyway, thanks again for the info. cheers!

 

look at the prius. It might be a better fit. Also, financing is low on them right now like 0% for 2 years or 2.9 for up to 5 years I think. And they are going for about invoice.

 

funny you mention to look at the prius. i drove a few weeks ago, just before driving the civic - and just wasn't impressed. i guess it felt a little gimmicky and cheap to me. i have never owned a toyota before, and have never been impressed with their interior design. i actually had high hopes for the prius, being that i love hatches and wagons. 4 door sedans with true trunks have been something i stayed away from in the past, and that design might unlitmately keep me out of a HCH.

hey honda - how about a return of the old civic wagon, but in hybrid form? i would be all over that

anyway, i have been reconsidering getting a used prius, since the current model came out in 04 and can be found in the mid teens. but a new one might be an option if they are selling low. i think they overstocked them - for example, my local small town dealer has 40 of them in stock. that seems like alot for a niche vehicle...

thanks again everyone