I was choosing between an EX and the Hybrid. Hybrid ended up being cheaper. No sales tax on it in my state (CT). Federal tax deduction, and it already had the spoiler I wanted and would have had to add in the EX. Plus the modest savings in gas for the year. If I had wanted an LX or DX they would have been less than the Hybrid,even with all the rebates and no sales tax and gas savings.

 

Thank you for serving! Whatever you get, scotchguard the seats and get rubber mats if you're carting Marines around. Maybe consider something you can hose out.... OK, just kidding. I have lots of Marine buddies.

If economics are on your mind, it will boil down to a) how far do you drive a year and b) how long to you plan to keep it. Don't forget to factor in insurance if you're a single 20-yr old male. You can run the numbers using the mileage of the cars and how far you drive, which will tell you how long you'd need to own it in order to "break even". In the long run, the hybrid should do better. However "long" may be 8-10 years.

You may want to put the Honda Fit on your list to check out (it's new for 2007). It got great reviews in Car and Driver recently (May issue) - was #1 out of 7 when compared to cars of similar size and class. It gets great mileage in non-hybrid form (33/38). Probably not a lot on the "cool" factor though, but the reviews said it was a lot of fun to drive. It's right around $15K.

I'll add one more thing. Having been in the service myself, and had a lot of friends and family serve as well, if you're planning to go into the Corps your life will change a lot in when that happens. You may get assigned some where remote where you can't take a car. You may go some place where you'll want an all-wheel drive. You may want to consider the possibility of owning something less expensive that you can easily own and operate for 4 years - then get out of easily when you see what the Corps deals you.

Lots to consider. Good luck with your search!

 

My fatherly advice for what it's worth is don't saddle yourself with debt! Have you had several old used cars to cut your teeth on? Leave yourself enough income after all expenses to be able to enjoy life. Do you really need a new car?

 

You guys, 16 year olds are buying new cars these days. I know it seems crazy how young they're willing to go into debt, but at least this guy is considering a reasonable car. Most guys his age are trying to get their hands on the most expensive car they can afford and spend all their money tricking it out. I'd rather see this guy get a HCH than some silly fart-piper that most 20 year olds seem to drool over. I have never owned a brand new car and probably never will (and my kids certiainly won't while living under my umbrella), but some people want that, and at least this guy's got his head on straight.

 

I'll second that - sort of what I was leaning in on with my other post. The best part about being 20 is you have lots of choices. As you get older, you'll get have more obligations than choices. Saddling yourself with a lot of debt while going to college is a big obligation and limits your financial choices. Even if you have the $ to pay for it outright, consider the benefits of getting a solid $10K used car over a new $22K car. You'll have a lot of choices with that extra $12K in your pocket. In 4 years when you're done with college and drawing an income, you'll have some options available to you.

I bought my first car when I was 22. I bought a new 1989 Toyota Celica. I had a used car for trade, and the means to make the $250 payments until I graduated. I got absolutely raked over the coals on the deal, but I had so much "new car fever" I didn't see it coming. Luckily the car worked out for me and I owned it for 9 years. However, I was married at 23, and had my first child at 26. That 2-door Celica with a joke of a rear seat didn't work out too well once the kids arrived.

Our culture beats it into you that you need the most car you can possibly afford - often times we get more car than we can afford or need. You can get a lot of car with 72 or 84 month loans. I sold cars for a brief time in 1990. I encountered countless early-20's drivers that got in over their heads and needed out - problem was they often owed more than the car was worth.

Anyway, enough of the lecture. Just another perspective for you to consider.

 

First, thank you for serving our country in such uncertain times.

On a simple comparison note, I ran a bunch of numbers comparing the Civic EX and the Civic Hybrid before making my decision. With my (perfectly reasonable ) assumptions, I saw that:

Highway estimate (38 MPG for Civic EX, 47 for Hybrid):

If gas is around $3/gallon, the higher initial cost of the Hybrid is offset at about 90K miles.
If gas is around $4/gallon, the higher initial cost of the Hybrid is offset at about 60K miles.

City estimate (29 MPG for Civic EX, 43 for Hybrid):

If gas is around $3/gallon, the higher initial cost of the Hybrid is offset at about 50K miles.
If gas is around $4/gallon, the higher initial cost of the Hybrid is offset at about 35-40K miles.

These City MPG estimates may be optomistic for both cars, but you get get the gist of the significantly quicker potential payback. This is where the Prius excels.

The break-even occurs sooner as gas prices go up, of course. You can envision which way they are ultimately headed.

If you plan to KEEP this new car for less than 50-70K miles, you will probably be better off (dollar-wise) with the Civic EX, even though there is something just too cool about a hybrid!

I plan to keep mine a long time, and drive a 75-mile mostly highway commute, so the Hybrid is for me. Once gas hit $3/gallon the break-even point is attainable for many owners. The ONLY thing I worry a little about is the longevity of the Hybrid's special expensive battery. It's warranted for 80K for me (in TX), but for 10yr/150K in some states (including CA). For you, I'd not worry about that one bit (presuming you are buying in CA). For me, even if this hybrid battery dies at 100K, AND I have to buy another one, I suspect I will have saved close to enough in lower gas usage dollars to have paid for it.

Plus, I like supporting the movement (in an ever-so-small way) to reduce our total oil consumption (the US uses 21 million barrels of oil a day! 60% or more is imported.). If we could buy less or no Middle East oil, we'd all be better off for it, and in many ways. Energy independence is such a treasure. Think how good Brazil must feel now. Countries are visiting THEM to see how it's done. They now have a new export - ethanol (the easy way - from sugar cane)!

 

I'm trying to figure out your math here. It looks to me like the gas consumption for your first example saves 454 gallons (90 k miles takes 1914 gallons in the hybrid, 2368 in the EX). At $3 a gallon that's $1362 savings over 90k miles. The Hybrid option costs a lot more than that.

The second example 50k miles takes 1163 gallons in the Hybrid, EX takes 1724, for a savings of 561 gallons. At $3 that's $1683.

I think it will take a lot more than 90k or 50k miles to pay back the hybrid upgrade cost - I haven't priced regular civics for a while, but isn't the difference something like $5k?

 

Thanks for all the advice and input. I'm looking into some used cars, the Honda Fit, and Toyota Yaris liftback. Those things get well over 30 MPG and are pretty cheap. I guess I'll go for a pricey hybrid after the Corps and college when I get a 'real job.'

 

Artyin

As you can see, you generated a great deal of interest in a very short space of time. I think your final decision is very sound and mature. Both are excellent cars and will give you even higher mpg if driven along the lines of a hybrid. My wifes Toyota is 16 years old and has never given any problems apart from routine servicing.

Which reminds me - few things apart from oil and water are as important to your car as the camshaft drive belt! When you buy used get someone to check for wear, and check the service record and receipts carefully to see that it and the other servicing has been done at the appropriate mileage.

Every good wish for the future.

Nigel

 

Artyin,

Besides the federal tax credit of $2,100 for 2006 some states also offer a state credit. I'm from New York State and I believe that I'll receive an additional $2,000 tax credit from my 2006 state income tax . Check this out with your own state tax people. This could factor into your cost comparison. Good luck with your comparisons and thank you for serving your country.

Regards,