Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
#11
01-08-2006, 09:01 AM
Re: Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
Originally Posted by BeGreen
That's a nice endorsement for the HCH. How many miles on your Civic? How has the car been outside of the FE? It would be good to hear how your dealer has been too.
I just passed 45K miles. Absolutely no problems with the car. I did get a rattle in the A piller (front right) fixed (warranty), and there was one "recall" to upgrade the computer (mileage went up after it too). Aside from that, just oil changes and scheduled maintenance. I did replace the tires pre-maturely - they could have gone to 60K easily, but I wanted new wheels and did them all together. Brakes are still at 50% front 30% rear. Mechanically, it's all Honda. Well built, good engineering, decent ride, adequate but not overdone on the options.
Driving it is comfortable. I have a 45-75 minute commute, and it's comfortable. I've taken a longer trip or two (3 hrs) - did very well. I've complained before there is a lot of road noise transferred into the cabin. It improved slightly with new tires, so I think the Dunlops were to blame. The engine, however, is a whisper - very quiet.
If I had to fix anything about the car, it would just be little nits. The car fogs up (sometimes) when it rains, and the defrost forces the A/C to turn on (I don't like using the A/C if possible just for FE reasons). However, with this you don't have a choice (this may be more of a Honda thing than a Civic thing too - my Pilot fogs up in the rain too). Doesn't happen all the time, but some. The other two are things I think the 06 corrected. One is steering wheel controls for the radio and such. The 06 has them, mine does not. Other thing is that in the HCH I the auto-stop does not engage if you have not traveled above 10 MPH. So in slow, creeping traffic (like on I-5 :-) your engine will idle instead of shut down. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the 06 auto-stops more frequently.
I bought the car at Renton Honda. They wanted like an $1800 markup from MSRP - in the end I paid MSRP. Typical dealer shenanigans. Not the easiest negotiaion, but not the worst. Service there has been decent. Not stellar, but no complaints. We just bought a Pilot down at Hinshaw Honda in Auburn. Negotiations were a bit better - haven't had it serviced yet. My dad has bought two Hondas from South Tacoma Honda - I test drove an Accord Hybrid there. If they weren't so far away I'd probably go back there. I visited Honda of Fife and I found them arogant and absolutely useless. The treated me like it way my privilege to be there to buy a car from them. Nonsense.
Last here is a graph I published a while back. You can see my average mileage based on month of the year. The rise in FE last summer coincided with the computer upgrade. Will be interesting to see if this summer repeats.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!
#13
01-08-2006, 01:29 PM
Re: Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
Yes - a lot of credit goes to driving technique learned here. That's really the only variable between 2003 and 2004 - my driving habits. The 2005 jump was interesting - I think it was even further refinement of my driving style and the upgrade.
#14
01-08-2006, 04:44 PM
Re: Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
Thanks for the info Tim. That's really helpful. If we go with the Civic, we are thinking S. Tacoma Honda as well. I like the salemanager there; no nonsense & straight talk. Your graph was very informative. It's pretty unusual to see performance increase so dramatically over time. If this is the "greenhybrid" effect that xcel points out, I like it a lot.
#15
01-08-2006, 08:07 PM
Re: Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
There's a lot to be said about driving technique with these cars - which will also help when you drive your non-hybrid cars. If you search this forum, you'll get a lot of advice from the practical to the extreme. The hybrids just give the driver a lot of feedback, and we all tend to watch our mileage more than others (since that's typically at least one of the reasons we get one). Those things put a spotlight on how you drive. The car rewards you as your habits improve. It's been as much a learning experience as anything else. Let us all know what you settle on!
#16
01-26-2006, 09:37 AM
Re: Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
Originally Posted by BeGreen
Hi. Will here. We live outside of Seattle, WA. Our current cars are an 1997 Honda Odyssey, 1990 Subaru Legacy and 1991 Ranger pickup. The trusty Legacy is getting old and it's time to move on. The goal is to get a hybrid to replace the Subaru and when our youngest goes off to college to sell the Odyssey. I've been lurking here and in the Prius chat group trying to gather information about the strengths and weaknesses of the current crop of hybrids.
We are down to either a Prius or an HCH. I was dead set on the Prius until we did a recent test drive. The salesperson went on a non-stop geek-fest monologue about the computer while my wife was driving and she ended up being pretty intimidated by the technology. My impression of the car was that the technology is impressive, though at times overdone. The rear seat legroom was great and we really like the fold-down rear seats. We both don't like the heater controls on a computer screen. In our wet winters this seems distracting and unsafe. The car also had blind spots in front corners and back. Within 30 minutes, the drivers seat was becoming uncomfortable and I was dismayed to find there was no upgrade. This was really a surprise because Toyota makes some top notch seats. I also heard some plastic rubbing noise on side street bumps which bugs me. I've had 15 yr. old Hondas and my old Subaru are totally without squeaks or rattles. But I do like the fact that the Prius gets better mileage and can run on electric alone. At some point in the car's life, I intend to upgrade to lith. ion batteries. The majority of our driving is under 55mph and we should see a great benefit from the change. The higher price of the Prius is harder to justify because the car is not particularly, well, luxurious. One thought was to get a salvage off of eBay considering the warranty is already void at that point.
We haven't driven the 2006 HCH yet, but I suspect it will be an easier car for my wife to adapt to. The seats appear to be better designed and with better back support. Has anyone any longterm comments on that? Controls and design of the HCH are another plus. We have had 4 Hondas in the past and love their reliability. It seems one gets a better finish and value with the HCH, do others agree? On the downside, the lack of a folddown rear seat is a bummer. Rear seat legroom seems a bit skimpier too. And I am surprised at the number of noises and quality issues users are reporting. Is this a downtrend with Hondas or are these reports the exception and not the rule? This concerns me. Have they fixed this in the 2006 HCH? I don't like squeaks and rattles at all. Last, I am wondering if it ever would be practical to upgrade the HCH to Lion batteries. Is there an equivalent space like the read storage space in the HCH where one could stuff more batteries?
Boy, that was long winded.
. So many questions right now. What would you all do? Wait for improvements? Buy used or new? What is your overall satisfaction level with the car? with the dealer? Thanks in advance for the help and thoughts. This site has a great wealth of information, ideas and helpful suggestions. Now all we have to do is decide which new car.
We are down to either a Prius or an HCH. I was dead set on the Prius until we did a recent test drive. The salesperson went on a non-stop geek-fest monologue about the computer while my wife was driving and she ended up being pretty intimidated by the technology. My impression of the car was that the technology is impressive, though at times overdone. The rear seat legroom was great and we really like the fold-down rear seats. We both don't like the heater controls on a computer screen. In our wet winters this seems distracting and unsafe. The car also had blind spots in front corners and back. Within 30 minutes, the drivers seat was becoming uncomfortable and I was dismayed to find there was no upgrade. This was really a surprise because Toyota makes some top notch seats. I also heard some plastic rubbing noise on side street bumps which bugs me. I've had 15 yr. old Hondas and my old Subaru are totally without squeaks or rattles. But I do like the fact that the Prius gets better mileage and can run on electric alone. At some point in the car's life, I intend to upgrade to lith. ion batteries. The majority of our driving is under 55mph and we should see a great benefit from the change. The higher price of the Prius is harder to justify because the car is not particularly, well, luxurious. One thought was to get a salvage off of eBay considering the warranty is already void at that point.
We haven't driven the 2006 HCH yet, but I suspect it will be an easier car for my wife to adapt to. The seats appear to be better designed and with better back support. Has anyone any longterm comments on that? Controls and design of the HCH are another plus. We have had 4 Hondas in the past and love their reliability. It seems one gets a better finish and value with the HCH, do others agree? On the downside, the lack of a folddown rear seat is a bummer. Rear seat legroom seems a bit skimpier too. And I am surprised at the number of noises and quality issues users are reporting. Is this a downtrend with Hondas or are these reports the exception and not the rule? This concerns me. Have they fixed this in the 2006 HCH? I don't like squeaks and rattles at all. Last, I am wondering if it ever would be practical to upgrade the HCH to Lion batteries. Is there an equivalent space like the read storage space in the HCH where one could stuff more batteries?
Boy, that was long winded.
. So many questions right now. What would you all do? Wait for improvements? Buy used or new? What is your overall satisfaction level with the car? with the dealer? Thanks in advance for the help and thoughts. This site has a great wealth of information, ideas and helpful suggestions. Now all we have to do is decide which new car.Good Luck!
#17
01-26-2006, 12:50 PM
Re: Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
Given the MPG figures in the database, I'd say it's a toss up on the economical factor of each. We have an '05 and an '06 and both are great cars. I didn't even consider the Prius manly because I didn't want to wait months or pay over MSRP (in addition the two Toyota dealers in my area are jerks). The Prius is a nice car and you'll be happy with either. Test drive them both (do you have an EV rentals near you where you could rent either for a weekend?) and see which you like.
#18
01-26-2006, 01:07 PM
Re: Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
Well, for better or worse we went with the Prius. I found I could get one in a few days out of Portland without being jerked around. after being told it would take 2-4 mos. by local Seattle dealers. It was a tough decision, each car has it's strengths and weaknesses. I really wish we could have rented each for a day. There is no substitute for driving in familiar turf.
We bought the Prius on it's strengths: great technology, good power, generous legroom, folddown back seat, fuel economy, possible LIon upgrade at a later date. Ironically, now that we have been driving it frequently, we are confronted at times by too much technology (digital heating controls) and have found that we have a whole lot of situations in our normal route where we have to merge at a Y intersection on the right, starting with our driveway. This is exactly where the blindspot is in the back. If it weren't for these two issues, we'd be chirping like happy birds, but both are significant safety issues. Other than that we are in awe at how well Toyota has put together this remarkable vehicle and discovering nice touches every day. (Yesterday it was finding out the one can raise the windows with the power off.)
We bought the Prius on it's strengths: great technology, good power, generous legroom, folddown back seat, fuel economy, possible LIon upgrade at a later date. Ironically, now that we have been driving it frequently, we are confronted at times by too much technology (digital heating controls) and have found that we have a whole lot of situations in our normal route where we have to merge at a Y intersection on the right, starting with our driveway. This is exactly where the blindspot is in the back. If it weren't for these two issues, we'd be chirping like happy birds, but both are significant safety issues. Other than that we are in awe at how well Toyota has put together this remarkable vehicle and discovering nice touches every day. (Yesterday it was finding out the one can raise the windows with the power off.)
#19
01-26-2006, 03:08 PM
Re: Ready to move to a hybrid, but need some help deciding.
The center screen can be turned off if it becomes distracting set the a/c and go you can control the temps /fan from the steering wheel also
I have to admit the 06 civic has been compared to the prius in some styling cues see below:
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2006/hond...rch.0.2.Honda*
I have to admit the 06 civic has been compared to the prius in some styling cues see below:
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2006/hond...rch.0.2.Honda*
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