2005 Hybrid--Cost Effective? Only you can decide

After 2 years of drooling at the new technology, investing in real estate and winning big, and budgeting tediously, my wife and I decided it was time to buy a Honda Civic Hybrid. I had narrowed our choices down to the Prius and the Civic during the 2 years…of course, there really wasn’t too much more to choose from. I was in a great position. Many newspersons repeatedly say and said, ‘Buying a hybrid will never cover the cost of buying another car in its same class.’ They would claim that the money saved on gas would not pay for the extra you would pay to have a hybrid. As far as I am concerned, if you are in the market for getting a new car or even slightly used, hybrids are worth the extra you pay…if you drive a lot. I’ll tell you why after I tell you how I came to the conclusion to buy my 2005 Honda Civic hybrid, manual transmission. (much of my pre-buying research was done at evworld.com)

My wife and I were looking for a second vehicle and we wanted something that was new or close enough that when we bought, the car could be called new. With my criteria being that the car could not have more than 30K miles, it had to be a 2004 or newer, and I was going to spend $15K-$22K, I checked kbb.com and found a good selection to choose from, being that I live so close to L.A., CA. As you can see, I had a price range I was looking for, a miles range and year range. Technically, I also had a mpg range…it had to be able to get 50mpg. Geo Metros could get 50 mpg, because I could remember my family owning one and consistently getting that, but 1, I don’t think they’re made to do that anymore, and 2, after my family going through 4 metros…each getting over 100K miles, I wanted something that would be able to climb the hill by Indio, CA. Everything pointed to a hybrid. I can’t think of any cars that run on gasoline, that are mass-produced, and that get 50mpg than the Honda Insight, Civic hybrid, or Toyota Prius. The Prius-es or Prius-ai ? :), based on my research, tend to be 4 thousand more than Civic hybrids. The difference?…about 3 cubic feet if I remember right…at least that was all I could see that was important. The Honda Insight is 2-door and 2-seater. Although it gets incredible gas mileage, I can’t take my wife and baby with me on the road with only 2 seats. So I narrowed everything down to the Honda Civic hybrid. Ok, that’s how I decided what I’d get. Now as for why it is more cost effective to get a hybrid instead of a non? Keep reading…

I get approx. 45-48mpg on the freeway. In the car that I had previously as our only vehicle (Hyundai Accent), the best gas mileage I EVER got was 36 mpg...which I got one time. So if I take the worst number of the Honda and worst of the Hyundai, and compare the two, lets see my money savings: I drive approx. 40,000 miles/year. That puts me at just above 3K/month. If gas (in CA) is 2.50/gal, It will cost me 1111 gallons of gas Hyundai miles or 888 gal Honda miles/year. The savings equate to $2777.50-2220.00=$557.50 savings over 1 year. After 2 years, I’ll have saved $1,115.00. I only worry about 2 years, because with the amount of miles I drive, I don’t keep a car much longer than that. That’s with great bias placed on the opposite ends of the spectrum. If I redid the numbers based on averages of both, Honda would be 46.5mpg and Hyundai would be 31.5. 1 year savings=$1,024 or 2 years, $2,048. That is $85/month and based on my loans in the past, that represents approx. $4,000 loan. Now, I know that I have compared a Hyundai with a Honda, but even if I did the numbers for a Civic non-hybrid, I’ll save closer to $500/year ($2,000 of loan) but I will still have my resale value…which will probably retain the extra I’m spending on the hybrid. These numbers would obviously look more in my favor if gas prices go up. I did the numbers on 2.50/gal. Don’t make me remind you that we paid $3.35/gal or more last June/July and I forecast that it will happen again and retain that amount or more within the next 5 years. (savings would be closer to 750-1000/year if 3.30/gal). Now let’s talk more about the car itself instead of psychological points…

Because I drive a lot…A LOT!!! I find that a car has to be comfortable. In the past, my elbow gets that pain after resting on a hard surface…the armrest. The 1st thing I noticed with the Civic was that the armrest was cushioned. It may seem funny, but that was important to me. The radio system is great. I keep the volume down to two bars because the speakers are very powerful. The seats are comfy and maneuverable. I’d say that the air conditioning controls aren’t the best I’ve had to choose from, but they work. The A/C is very strong…which I’ll need in a city that hits 128 degrees consistently in the summer (Blythe, CA). One of the first things you’ll notice when you drive is the display behind the steering wheel. I have owned the car a month or two now, and I spend more time looking at the bar that goes up and down showing my current mpg than I do looking at my speed (oops). It steals my attention all the time. The car is reliable, as far as I’m concerned. I drive up a 6% or greater grade twice a week and it has a little trouble after the first 2 miles, but I downshift and it is able to keep up at 60-65mph. Going downhill is a thrill, too. Because it is part electric, the cruise control is very precise at making sure the car goes no faster/slower than the setting. When going down that 6% grade, it charges my battery to keep the car from passing the cruise speed. I think it is needless to say that I get very good gas mileage going down the hill :). The best mileage I’ve gotten, going from Banning to Indio, is 60mpg. Other than that, I can hit 48-50mpg on the freeway consistently if I’m watching otherwise it is 45-48mpg used above in my figuring. From my studies, I’ve learned that the brakes don’t need to be changed as often due to the brunt of most braking taken by regeneration. I can’t confirm this yet, but I also think that it’s oil changes can be scheduled further apart than normal for similar reasons.

Handling: The car responds well to my masterful guidance.

Wheels/Shocks: I found that the tires look low all the time, but when I get closer, I see that they are fine and properly inflated. The shocks are ok. Bumps are definitely felt in this car, so if you’re concerned about carrying sensitive equipment, this isn’t your car. At least, I don’t think so.

Wind: While driving next to semis, I’m still able to maintain control and when driving in Palm Springs or toward San Diego on the 8, the car is very susceptible to moving ‘all over the freeway’ due to strong winds…definitely not something that feels comforting when driving, but I also get similar feelings when driving my SUV, so I don’t know if that’s just because it is a Civic.

Trunk space: I think the trunk is spacious. It is as big, if not bigger, than my former Hyundai. I was able to travel with my wife and baby (we all know both females and babies take too much luggage lol), go to town, buy ½ a carload of stuff and still fit all 3 of us in the car for our 180 mile return…all this without compromising my gas mileage. I enjoy my trunk space!

Engine/Batteries: I work with on a plant with 0 women and many men…they were starving to look under my hood, so I did and they were flabbergasted. I don’t know anything about engines other than they should run and take my car to where I want it to go. They were surprised that the only battery in plain sight was the auxiliary battery-the one that lights the bulbs inside my car…at least I think that is what it is for. My engine runs great! I’ve already put on a few thousand miles and it has been right on every time I want it to go. I have noticed, though, when the batteries are down, the engine has problems pushing me up hills or bursting my speed to pass someone. When the batteries are charged, there’s no problem doing either. (remember about the big hill in Indio mentioned above.)

Style: It is sleek, but it looks like any other Civic. You won’t be making a huge statement with a 2” x 8” ‘hybrid’ sign on the back like you would make if you had a Prius that looks completely abnormal.

Tax break: I got my car used with 10,000 miles on it already and don’t know of any tax break that I’ll get yet because I bought it right after the new year.

Other: I think that covers it. Everything is spacious and works great!