According to my grandmother, "Great minds run in the same channel."

 

I have had my TCH for 2 years now. Because I bought the car after gas prices spiked and before they declined I definately paid a premium when it came to negotiation. At the time the V6 XLEs were not selling well because of the onset of the recession and the fact that there was no longer a tax credit available in the USA and Cash for Clunkers had not yet begun.

I managed to negotiate $500 off the sticker price and I considered myself lucky to get that. I then had to wait months for the car to arrive. The dealer was really pushing the V6 and had indicated that he would knock thousands off of the already discounted price if I wanted it. Im sure with some hard negotiation I could have done even better than that.

So even if the MSRP for both cars was identical, when I bought my car, I definately paid greater than $3,000 for the privalege of going hybrid.

This car does use 50% less gas than the V6 XLE and if my weekly gas costs are around $30 then I am saving around $500 a year. If I have my car for 6 years then I will break even on price, provided that you do not take into account the time-value of money, which holds that $3,000 at year right now is worth much more than $3,000 over the course of the next 6 years.

However, the value of my hybrid car when it comes time to selling it will be dependent upon the price of gas in that year. So if I sell my car in 2015 it could be that a buyer will happily pay me $3,000 more than he would pay for a compairable V6 XLE because he too would want to enjoy the fuel savings during the course of his ownership. Thus, assuming gas prices go back to $4 a gallon by 2015 (and how could they not), I may get the full $3,000 back at the point of sale and I would have doubled my money having saved $3,000 in gas and made $3,000 extra at the time of sale.

But all this could instantly disapear if I have to pay for replacing the battery or if in 2015 a potential buyer will only pay $3,000 LESS than a compairable V6 XLE because he is worried about the remaining life of the battery. Also, all I need is for one expensive repair where the mechanic blames the cost of the repair on the fact that there is a problem with the hybrid system.

However, after I bought my new car I realized that my insurance company charges more to insure it than they would for a V6 XLE because of the extra cost associated with replacing hybrid-specific parts should I get into an accident.

In the end, you definately pay more for a hybrid car, even if the sticker price is less than for a compairable gas-only car. But you don't buy a TCH to save money. I could have bought a Honda Fit for half the price and have got the same exact fule ecconomy.

 

I have owned my 2007 TCH now for 3 years. I remember something like it cost $2800 more than the gas version. I was in time to get the $600 federal tax credit on the new car.

In New Mexico, any 2007 vehicles with an EPA rated fuel mileage greater than 27.5 mpg are exempt from state excise tax for the year of purchase. This really helped on the purchase price.

It's upsetting the government and states still don't offer some sort of incentives to help sell the hybrids.

So far I'm averaging 52.2 mpg on 55 tanks of gas. Many of those were fills at half tank.

It's the dry area, elevation and near all level roads and highways where I live that helps me get these numbers.

My thinking of a hybrid is that the engine only runs half the time, well not exactly, but it is a thought. We could be closer to that when the new lithium batteries become standard for the hybrids.

I'm glad I had the TCH when I had to buy the $3.89 and $4 gas during the so called gas shortage.

I would not think twice about buying another hybrid.

 

It's really shouldn't be the job of governments to take money from some folk (the people who are, in effect, paying for the rebates) and give it to other folk (the people who are receiving them) based upon a set social goal or formula.
If it were, where would it end? Rebates for energy efficient home purchases, rebates for taking mass transit (which is more efficient than a hybrid), rebates for insulating an attic, rebates for using CFL lights, rebates for clothes lines to be used for air drying one's laundry, rebates for people who move to moderate climates, etc.
We'd be bankrupt were we to provide rebates for every popular (or 'green') purchase.
They set up the program to 'kick start' the industry, which has not only been kick started, but is now quite vibrant and healthy.
However, ultimately, it's up to the consumer to decide if they want to purchase the product. This thread proves that there are some who will opt to purchase a more energy efficient vehicle, however, others wont.
I am happy with mine and will continue to purchase hybrids...as long as the prices are in the same general area.