http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04249/373285.stm Have you heard the story about the hybrid car with batteries that had be replaced frequently and were expensive to buy? Or the story about how extraordinarily expensive it is to repair a so-called hybrid car, which runs on electricity and gasoline? Or maybe you've heard that hybrids are a far bigger safety risk to emergency workers than conventional cars because of all the electrical cables running through them.
Bah. Scary stories can be found anywhere. It's only natural that publications dig them up just to have a story. Toyota Prius has already been announced to be the all-time most reliable car in long run tests in Europe, and it's also very safe for people inside and outside according to Euro NCAP tests. The reason why I started to search for a new car and then finally found the prius was my PT Cruiser. It's one piece of sh1t for a car. It's highly unreliable, has lost its punch for a reason not found so far, costs me 2-3k euros a year to repair and I still can't get the doors to work properly. My family has always favored German cars, but based on my dad's and my brothers experiences, I'll pass VWs and BMWs until I hear something really encouraging new information about their quality. And, oh yeah, my first real life experince of driving a Prius felt like sitting inside an X-Wing. That did it! :mrgreen:
Did you notice that the article said "Honda Civic Accord" in one place instead of "Honda Civic Hybrid"? Whoops!
Well, I give the article points: It basically saying that there are (1) hybrid urban legends out there and (2) they're not true. Definitely not the kind of sensationalist stuff we got a few months ago about the power cables (which this article mentions and debunks.)
There is much disinformation. I had someone tell me on hearing that I drove a Prius that "he and been told by a mechanic that there was a major recall on the batteries and they were bursting spinning 'chemicals' that were burning their owners". What are you to do. He got in his Trans Am and drove off. I wait for the day of 5$ a gallon gas. It will be painful but then folks will "get it". Parked today between a F350 and a Expedition and in front of a Escalade at Nordstroms. They will get it. I would bet none of these cars are used for off road or working activities.
Actually, as Halloween approaches, I was hoping for some real "Scary Hybrid Stories" -- the "Haunted Prius", the "Black Insight of Death", etc. (Like the inevitable story of the Prius customer who walks the earth for eternity, waiting for his midnight blue #0 to arrive.... but it never does!!) Problem is, these cars just aren't old enough to have scary supernatural urban legends yet. So, I hope some talented individuals will start a new thread (e.g., "Hybrid Tales of Horror!") with some suitable tall tales. (Hint, hint.)
Jeff, that one is just TOO easy. There isn't even a 2005 equivalent. If someone has been waiting for that car, it will NEVER show up now! A Halloween horror story has to have SOME amount of unbelievability
