I have been frustrated by the bogus concern about the extra cost of the hybrid drive not paying for itself. After doing some numbers with the idea of the roughly $7500 extra cost of the Dodge Hemi engine in the Magnum RT when compared to the Magnum SE with the V6 not paying for itself in a Dodge, I came up with this concept as a rebuttal: In most cars with a hybrid engine option there are also other engine options which offer more performance, that is faster acceleration. The hybrid option offers better performance in fuel efficiency, but this option actually does pay for itself over time. Unlike the faster acceleration perfomance option (a $7500 package option) in the Magnum, which actually costs more over time in greater fuel consumption, the Hemi gets one to 60MPH faster than the V6 at a considerable cost initially and over time in greater fuel consumption. The hybrid option gets one past the gas stations a greater number of times and will pay for itself. While researching this I also noticed that the Prius is actually ever so slightly shorter than the seemingly low slung Magnum. Curious opticall illusion.
I think that is one of the better rebutals I've seen. I will definitly have to remember that. I would be cool to get numbers for cars close in form to current hybrids. I'd bet the Civic has some interesting numbers, but likely not so shockingly obvious as the Magnum (bug ugly, if you ask me). It's a favored car for souping up. I'll have to do some looking.
You can't be serious that the Magnum is the size of a compact car... The Prius is 3" shorter than the current Corolla.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Apr 26 2006, 11:58 AM) [snapback]245563[/snapback]</div> Yeah, the numbers are: Prius: Overall height/width/length 58.1/67.9/175.0 Magnum: Overall height/width/length 58.3/74.1/197.7
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(San_Carlos_Jeff @ Apr 26 2006, 10:05 AM) [snapback]245570[/snapback]</div> lol....i think you need to specify here especially when the term "shorter" when referring to a car always means the length, not height.
My answer to people who try to talk to me directly about the extra cost of hybrids is that if I had gone ahead and gotten a similarly equipped Camry or Accord instead, I would have paid just about the same as I did for my fully loaded Prius. I needed a 4-door midsize car and have a lot of faith in Toyota and Honda as automakers. And I wouldn't have the Bluetooth capabilities or the reverse camera options on either of those cars, which I use almost every day. AND I'd be paying more to fill up my tank at the gas station, and getting lower mpg with either an Accord or Camry (I'd have gotten an automatic).
Any new car I would have bought would have been about the same $26K, or more, without the neat toys. Why not get one that gets 2wice the mileage, gets me home 20 min. sooner, and oh, yeah, is better for the environment? Its a no brainer. Maybe people who don't get it have no brain?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Apr 26 2006, 12:33 PM) [snapback]245591[/snapback]</div> I'm sorry for the bit of confusion.. I was referring to the height of the Prius compared to the Magnum, not the length. I thought it ws interesting to note that the Prius is actually lower, hows that, than the Magnum. :mellow:
I just don't get where this "extra cost" is! OK, I splurged and went for the NAV, bluetooth, etc. and ended up paying $28K for my car. But I could have paid $22K for a "base" Prius, which is still a very well equipped car. And despite being small on the outside, the Prius is a mid-size car in terms of capacity. $22K for a car with that much room and all of those features (and having the quality of a Toyota) seems reasonable to me- even without the HSD!
From Car and Driver, a well-stated hybrid vs. hemi argument... http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?se...rticle_id=10260
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TimBikes @ Apr 26 2006, 08:40 PM) [snapback]245929[/snapback]</div> Very nice article. C&D gets it. Wait till we get plug in hybrids. There is a new process for coal gasification that may prove to be cheaper than the normal sources. At least it is cleaner as we move to more carbon neutral energy sources.
Patrick Bedard has always 'gotten it' I've posted several of his articles before. If they have them online go look through his column history. Lousy Mileage? Is it your Car or your Foot? The case for nuke cars - It's called "Hydrogen" What would it take to put you in a diesel car? Mileage? No, it's your Gallonage that really counts. The Frugalyimpics And, one of the ALLTIME BEST PRIUS ARTICLES EVER WRITTEN Finally, a car that really knows how to use it's engine
Great article. Thanks for that. It's nice to something good about hybrids for a change, in a big car magazine. When people ask me about the cost difference, I ask them, "What cost difference? The Prius cannot be compared with any other car. You can compare a Civic or an Accord hybrid with it's conventional counterpart, but that's Honda, a different company. The Prius is priced to sell, and sell it does. I got a bargain." When they ask me if I'll get my money back from gas savings, I ask them, "Do people by a Jaguar to save money? Do they buy a Cadillac to save money? You buy a used car if money is your concern. I bought the Prius because I wanted a Prius, and I could afford to buy the car I wanted. I could afford a Lexus. But I didn't want a Lexus. I wanted a Prius. You save money by putting it in the bank. You buy a car because you need or want it. The Prius is priced low for the quality and features it delivers, but no, I'll never make my money back on it because I'm not using it for a taxicab so it's not bringing any money in. *insert frog noises* With a Prius it's easy being green.
