I absolutely love my 2005 HCH. I needed a car and couldn't wait half a year for the redesign to come out. Still, all the little things about the new model - the integrated steering wheel volume controls, upgraded stereo, turn signals on the side view mirrors, better engine - not to mention a pretty cool aesthetic - are incredible. I plan on driving my 2005 until it dies, and maybe by then I'll get the 3rd or 4th gen HCH. Or some other hybrid at that point.

Still, is anybody else feeling the slightest pang of "I wish I had waited?"

 

Yeah I thought about that too. I mean I really thought about it, but in the end, in my case I did the right thing. :-)

For me the main thing I miss is the air during auto-stop. And increased mpg is always a good thing.

I wanted an MT however, so I pocketed the difference in the increased list, which more than overcomes the increased tax advantage for waiting until next year, and even better I got mine when you could get them below list. :-)

If I had waited to get the new model with the tax break I think I would be pretty happy too.

If gas prices stay high, I am hoping that hybrids will increase in popularity and our options too. I wonder if Honda and Toyota are rethinking their strategy in light of increased gas prices for the Accord/Camry hybrids and considering models that are tuned for mpg instead of power?

My sister's dream car is a hybrid CRV that gets 40+ mpg. :-)

Mine is a Mazda 3 hybrid wagon MT that gets 50+ mpg. :-)

 

The same question can be asked to IPod owners when the nano came out,
to 5 Mpixel digital camera owners when 8 Mpixel came out,
or to Hidef TV owners with PyPbPr only inputs when the HDMI inputs arrived, or cell phones owners with only a still image camera when cell phones with MP3 players and full motion video became available.

All of them happened to me,. Of course, the 2005 HCH vs 2006 HCH, also happened to me.
Do I feel the pain? Do I feel Hybrid-envy? Yes, but...........

There was a very interesting article by Grand Digital Guru Ken Pohlmann. He basically said: "In technology, one will only stay on the cutting edge for a period of a few months, if so, before something else newer and better comes out. So enjoy what you've got now, and don't let digital-anxiety overtake you".

Just like you, I also love my 2005 HCH. And like you, I plan on getting a newer generation hybrid when they become available. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy it.

 

Having just traveled 200+ miles in two 06 Civics, non hybrid, I and sort of neutral in whether I wouldlike the new one better. I like gadgets such as XM radio (an add on for 06) and the Nav system. I think I will wait and see. Can always sell my 05 for good price. I know that things were changed on the 03 HCH and they will probably do the same for the 07 vs 06.

 

I don't like the redesign that much. Looks to me like a Saturn. When I bought my 2005, I needed a car ASAP. I'm very happy with the 2005 and if 2 mpg and air conditioning (which I don't use unless I'm on the highway) during stop are the biggest advantages, I feel no regrets.

I did not, however, know about the redesign for 06. I even asked when I bought it and they told me 08 or 09 would be a redesign. Thats the only thing about the whole experience that aggravates me.

 

I don't own a HCH, but a Prius, and I wish I had waited, not for the new car versions, but for the 2006 tax credit vs the 2005 tax deduction, that's a big difference right there.
However, on the positive side, all those of us hybrid drivers who got in before 2006, think about how much gas we saved and how much less CO2 we produced!

 

I had just bought a used 2004 when this news came out, and frankly after seeing what they've done to it, I have no regrets. None of the things many people seem excited about are things I want or need, and some are actually drawbacks for me, so I think I got the perfect one for me. I don't want xm radio, fancy screen graphics, or any of that flashy crap.

Now, if they had changed some of the things I care about then I might have been more excited (doors that actually lock easily without the crazy hassle of avoiding the anti-lock-your-keys-in-the-car systems, trunk button on the remote - or better yet build the remote into the already-huge key, an ash tray or other place to store small things like change etc, cup holders that aren't buried in a cave, better autostop features, a cd player that actually displays time and track info...) Most of my problems with this car are in the small details that didn't seem to get the finer attention that other honda vehicles got. The CRV for example has wonderful storage systems, and so on.

My one regret is that I didn't realize that you had to buy a new one to get the tax break, so I might have tried harder to find a new 2005 instead, but that's really nitpicking, I love my 04.

 

nope. as soon as i heard that they only came in an automatic, i knew i was going to be fine with my '05. i always prefer a manual shift.

 

Those are all alot cheaper than a car though, so buying a car is more of a commitment than buying one of those things.

I came really close to buying a Prius in July but eventually turned it down just by a hair... largely it was because the dealer was blatantly ripping me off regarding the trade-in value of my old car, though I was also having some last-minute misgivings. If the dealer hadn't ripped me off then I would have bought the car, but I would have regretted it later, now that the new Civics are out (with the hybrid being out soon).

So to that dealer I say, "Thanks, ***."

 

[QUOTE=CGameProgrammer]Those are all alot cheaper than a car though, so buying a car is more of a commitment than buying one of those things.

I/QUOTE]

No argument on that count.

But the point I wanted to make was: there will always be something technologically superior -coming out in a few months timeframe- than what one just recently bought, so might as well enjoy what one has got.