Using the word investment when talking about a vehicle for every day use is not realistic.

Buying either vehicle will eventually cost you about the same amount of money;

If you buy the gas only Escape, you save the money now. You also burn more fuel, increasing our dependence on foreign oil and polluting our planet. Eventually, the cost of the extra fuel will equal the savings on the initial purchase.

OR

If you buy the hybrid, you spend the extra money up front. You reduce our dependence on foreign oil. You pollute our planet less for future generations to come. You contribute to future fuel efficient vehicle technology.

It's a money transfer thing... transfer it up front to the vehicle manufacturer, or transfer it little by little to the oil companies. Also When you buy the hybrid, you are controlling your purchase price. Buy spending the extra cost up front, you are not as much a victim of rising oil prices. By saving the money up front (and not buying the hybrid,) you are letting the oil companies control how quickly you pay that up front savings to them.

Both vehicles will have depreciated greatly by the time you are ready to sell them; starting as soon as you drive either one off the dealer lot.

The choice is yours, save money up front, but pay it back little by little (to big oil), or pay it up front, while doing your part to save the planet in more ways than one....


Sean

 

If you are lucking in finding a "left-over" new hybrid such as this new 2008 Escape Hybrid--- http://www.hopkinsford4u.com/used-in...adf5e1fe0f6b6a ---

your upfront costs are lower than predicted and tilting the cost factor more towards the hybrid version.

 

Where are the extra batteries coming from? They are not magic vapor that don't use any resources. Plug-in would be same, you are going to use up more electricity, more power plants, more coal plants etc... Most of the new cars are pretty low emissions, you need to look at the *top* polluters (e.g. gas lawn movers, those big machinery/construction trucks etc... think *big* polluters). If you look at the total emissions of a Hybrid vs Gasoline and then take into account where it lies in the big list of top polluters, these cars hardly make a dent in the global pollution emitters.

I think the point about lower maintenance on a Hybrid and the lower maintenance cost (possibly) are a much better advantage to Hybrid. You might be doing your part, but you probably are doing a very very very tiny part.

 

Has anyone converted their FEH to a plugin? Is that possible? I've heard of Prius'es getting converted... wonder how much that costs.

 

Well, were would you want your resources to come from? An NiMH battery factory in the states or China, or a mid-east country that wants us all dead? And even electricity from a coal plant is way cleaner than burning gasoline in your car. But I live in the Northwest. Most of my power is clean hydro.

http://www.reddit.com/comments/6jys4...s_beat/c042c24

But, the truth of it is that even if you never drive anywhere and just walk or ride a bike, the environment isn't going to notice. And if you hook a 100-gallon tank up to your lawnmower and run it all day long, that's not going to matter either. So why bother, right? That's a pretty bad attitude to take though.

 

All I am saying is that we should put our buck where the biggest bang is. I just didn't agree with the other poster (where he implied) in that if we buy a Hybrid, all of a sudden the world will become greener and everything will be honky dory.

Of course, if you have extra money to spare, then we should definitely invest in greener technologies.

 

HybridsPlus out of Boulder has converted the FEH into a plug in version. Go to this site http://www.eetrex.com/ for further details. Eetrex is "energy efficient transportation technologies"

 

Yeah, you're right. In fact, putting a nuclear plant in West Virginia instead of building a new coal plant every 3 months would probably be better than all the hybrid cars on the road right now. My reasons for hybrid/full-electric cars are really more geek than anything else, with the national security and environmental benefits as gravy.

 

The world does become cleaner, and you reduce foreign oil dependence if you buy a hybrid.

Could you please quote the "honky dory" part of my post you implied that I said?

If WE buy a hybrid, the world WILL become greener....period....

If you don't think you can be part of the solution, you are absolutely right.
With that mindset, you can't.

You typed "if you have extra money to spare"...

I said the cost is THE SAME, but what is up to you is WHO you want to get the money.... the manufacturer or big oil.

Both vehicles cost exactly the same amount over time...


Sean

 

Have you driven either? That should be your first activity. Take them both out on the road and look to see which one works for you best. I drive an 09 FEH but from what I have read on previous models the road noise issue dealt more with the tires than the vehicle. The tires on the 09 models and beyond are not the same as the previous years. Personally I do not find the noise intrusive at all. It is an SUV afterall. I have observed zero braking issues during the 9+ months I have driven mine.

If you are looking at buying a hybrid you most likely will NOT recoup your costs unless you 1)drive the vehicle a VERY long time and 2)hypermile the way GaryG does. As far as the criticism of earlier posts who talked about making the world greener I think you are wrong. The world will not get greener unless people start moving in that direction individually. I bought mine, knowing that I was paying a premium for hybrid technology, with the understanding that the more of us that do this now helps make further advancements cheaper in the long run which will help our children and their children. But that is just me and how I think.

Good luck with your decision but I still say the first thing you need to do is get out and drive some vehicles. Find the few you like the best then pour over reviews and consumer remarks to see which fits best with your lifestyle, your budget and your needs.