"but the reality is that many of them will end up in landfills" This is unfair speculation. Toyota has a recycling program with a number to call on every battery. And, if you are concerned about climate change and CO2, a Prius is much better. And I'm getting 56mpg on this tank. So stick that Chevy. ~buttster
That website makes me laugh!! The reason being is that I traded in a 2002 Chevy Malibu on my Prius!!! LOL!!! First off, I was getting about 28 mpg average with the Malibu. Averaging 45 mpg with the Prius. My car insurance actually went DOWN with the Prius by about $60 every 6 months!! That $120 annually will fill my Prius's tank quite a few times. I really liked my Malibu, but I love my Prius.
Just how many auto recycle businesses are going to let a part with a $200 bounty on its head end up in a landfill? Even someone parting out a Prius will figure it out . . . and if they don't, and try to sell it on Ebay or elsewhere for less than $200 - GUARANTEED SALE!!!! Is there a recycling plan in place for nickel-metal hydride batteries? Toyota has a comprehensive battery recycling program in place and has been recycling nickel-metal hydride batteries since the RAV4 Electric Vehicle was introduced in 1998. Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled. To ensure that batteries come back to Toyota, each battery has a phone number on it to call for recycling information and dealers are paid a $200 "bounty" for each battery. http://www.toyota.com/about/environment/te...004/hybrid.html ----- So, where is the hype of just how much a Malibu going to save you? Thought so.
I just did an ROI write up on the Prius. This is actually the exact math I did before I bought my Prius. In the end there was one car that beat the Prius on ROI by a few hundred at every stage, think it was the Civic nonHybrid, but *IF* I get my tax break, I'll be ahead for sure. Math is math, marketing is marketing... seems the two will never meet Post #438040 - The Math 11011011
From the article Front Legroom Prius= 41.9" Malibu= 41.9" 0 difference Rear Legroom Prius= 38.6" Malibu= 38.5" +.1 for Prius Front headroom Prius= 39.1" Malibu= 39.9" +.8" for Malibu Rear Headroom Prius= 37.3" Malibu= 37.6" +.3 for Malibu Interior Cargo Volume Prius= 14.4" Malibu= 15.4" +1" for Malibu So the legroom claim is false and the headroom advantage is < 1" for front and rear and interior cargo in exactly 1" advantage. Big whoop. Hardly a significant selling point. Source: Cars.com
No talk about the tax advantages of the Prius. And of course the resale value of a used Chevy was left out for obvious reasons. And you also have to add the cost of tickets when you are caught solo in the HOV lane in your Malibu! :lol:
Remember that email I sent to them? Their sales manager got involved! Here was his email to me: I'm having trouble deciding if I should send them an email in reply or not. Personally, I'm thinking about asking them to either revise or remove their "Hybrid Hype" webpage. Although it has a few accurate facts, not many of them hold any water, and their presented in a slant to favor the Malibu. Any suggestions?
My neighbor has a 4 year old Malibu and he ends up having to work on it nearly every weekend, seems as though the braking system really sucks. He says his wife doesnt quite get 25 MPG but that its close.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ May 7 2007, 10:25 PM) [snapback]437340[/snapback]</div> One of my coworkers had a 98 Chevy Malibu. It blew a head gasket and the repair estimate was more than the value of the vehicle. So, technically it could have been repaired, but it wasn't worth it, so she donated the car and bought a new car. It lasted 9 years.