Do you own a hybrid? If so what u think I am thinking of a Honda Civic and a Toyota Prius what would you get??

[kc]

Do you own a hybrid? If so what u think I am thinking of a Honda Civic and a Toyota Prius what would you get??

[Santana]

NEITHER!!! I ALMOST bought one, but did the research!Instead I bought a Diesel VW Golf.I support all efforts to decrease petroleum fuel consumption and think that hybrid electric vehicles are an important step in this direction. However, Hybrid electric is an expensive and unproven technology compared to the simplicity of the diesel engine which has been time tested for over 100 years. Cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are great cars, but who knows how their exotic and expensive hybrid components will hold up over time? You have to replace the batteries every 3 years at a cost of $3000 which negates ANY gas savings. They are also reportedly NOT getting as good as MPG as they say they are supposed to. MOST of their good MPG is IN TOWN only, but the IN TOWN MPG is the same as a Diesel!! Plus the diesel gets BETTER on the highway anyway Diesel engines routinely last for hundreds of thousands of miles and the Golf offers the added benefit of running biodiesel and/or vegetable oil, the ultimate green fuel. Plus, the Golf offers the thrill of fahrfergnugen - a car designed and engineered for the joy of driving. The Japanese cars are relatively dull to drive by comparison.heres info on the `08 Jetta, big car, STILL 50mpg!http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/23/2008-vw-jetta-tdi-spotted-in-the-us/And WHO wants to buy an old Prius in need of a battery pack after the 100,000 mile mark.The gas engines of the Hybrids, still need tune-ups and oil changes, while diesels ONLY get oil and filter changes, thats it! They have NO SPARK PLUGS or wires or coil or any of that!I was given a Peugot 505TD that sat for 3 years, and I changed the fuel filter and got it running, it passed emissions with 3 YEAR OLD FUEL in it!

[EricS]

MDCBERT makes some good points regarding diesel cars, but is slinging a little mis-information regarding battery life in Hybrids.I was a Toyota parts person up until a year ago and in my career as such, I NEVER replaced a battery pack in a Prius. Not even if it was damaged in an accident. Those that were hit hard enough to damage the battery pack were total losses anyway. They never saw the road again.As far as the batteries go, they are covered by a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty that covers 100% replacement cost should it ever occur during the warranty period. So batteries should not be an issue when looking at hybrids. Most of the Prius owners I spoke with during my days as a counterman were in to have normal service and look at accessories. Most of them told stories relating to the fun they had driving the car. The challenge with it was to see just how good you could get the MPG to go on the onboard computer. Most were relating in the 48-58 mpg for mixed driving. Granted, the Prius was designed for city driving. It will get better mileage in town than it will on the highway because of the sustained speed required the engine to run more, hense driving the MPG down.If you purchase a hybrid, regardless of make, you will have to learn to adjust your driving habits to get the best MPG. Same is true if you purchase a diesel. Their performance is much different than a gas engine. This is not a bad thing, just different.I too like the tried and true diesel technologies out there, but unfortunately, VW has pulled their diesels from the US market. The was done to upgrade their diesel lineup to meet the new EPA standards for diesel engines. I can't remember exactly when they plan to re-enter the market. Check out VW's website.I hope this helps.... and good luck... You can't lose either way... :-}

[nekaguy]

Both are great cars. But, only you can decide which will work out best for you. Take both for a test drive, and see which one you like better, which you like the seating better, and/or like the available options better... Do you prefer a sedan (Honda Civic Hybrid), or do you like a hatchback (Toyota Prius)? Is a compact OK with you (Honda Civic Hybrid), or would you prefer a larger midsized vehicle (Toyota Prius)? If you want a manual transmission, then you'll have to look for a used HCH. Do you want to show off that you have a hybrid or not? The Prius is only available as a hybrid and its distinctive aerodynamic design gives it away, while the HCH blends in and looks like most every other Civic on the road...Myself, since I like having a trunk, I'd find a used 2001-2003 NHW11 Prius (compact sedan version), just like my current 2001 Prius. The HCH wasn't available yet when I purchased my 2001... I did try a HCH I at one point, and preferred my Classic Prius. I haven't tried the newer HCH II... Although I have driven the current Prius (my husband had a 2004 NHW20 Prius (current hatchback version) and it is generally better than my 2001, as much as I like it I wouldn't buy it for because it doesn't have a trunk. If I had to buy a new hybrid (not used) I'd look at the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the new HCH II, and maybe the Nissan Altima Hybrid.There are 2 batteries in a Toyota Prius or a Honda Civic Hybrid. There's the 12v accessory battery, and the high-voltage hybrid battery.The lead-acid (Pb-A) 12v accessory batteries in hybrids tend to be smaller than those found in every traditional gasoline vehicle. Recycling programs are in place for traditional lead-acid batteries. Same as on a regular vehicle, if you leave your car undriven for a few weeks, or you leave your headlights on overnight, the 12v battery becomes drained/flattened and you need a jumpstart/boost (and probably might need a replacement battery as it usually doesn't hold a charge as well again). Since it's a little smaller, it can get drained a bit quicker than on a regular car, and it can be harder to find a replacement than just going to Sears Automotive or the like. On a Prius, it's about $200 from the dealer, or closer to $100 if you DIY with a Miata 12v battery. I am not sure of the pricing or availability of the 12v battery on the HCH, but I'd assume that it's the same as for the regular Civic.On a Prius, there is no alternator, the 12v battery is recharged from the hybrid battery, so you only have to be in READY (car full on), and you don't have to drive anywhere for it to charge. (Gasoline engine will recharge hybrid battery as needed, hybrid battery will recharge 12v battery as needed.) I'm not sure of the 12v charging arrangement on the HCH.The hybrid batteries in the currently available hybrid vehicles are usually listed by the manufacturer to last the lifetime of the vehicle, and have long warranties (not pro-rated!, usually 8 years/80,000 miles to 10 years/150,000 miles, depending on model and where purchased) to cover it. So far, hybrid battery replacements are VERY uncommon, and rarely out of warranty. Pricing is much better when buying a used unit from a wrecked vehicle (much less than $1000), and not paying dealer-inflated rates/labor prices. For example, here's an eBay sale of one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOYOTA-PRIUS-BATTERY-2004-2007-04-05-06-07_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33574QQihZ001QQitemZ 110184177785QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW Old battery packs are easily recycled (and Toyota even pays a $200 bounty to the owner to be sure it is recycled!). (My US 2001 Prius is almost 7 years old now, and the hybrid battery pack hasn't shown me any problems yet, no replacements either...)It is the hybrid battery that actually starts the gasoline engine through the electric motor. On the HCH, there is (or at least was on the HCH I) an emergency starter motor for the 12v to start the gasoline engine if there is an issue with the hybrid battery. On the Prius, the 12v battery is first needed to power up the computers and brake pump, and the computers then flip a relay to connect the hybrid battery to the car which then starts the gasoline engine. In the Prius, there is no 12v starter motor - only the hybrid battery can start the gasoline engine, but the hybrid battery is only connected once the computers boot up via 12v power... Hence the need for a jumpstart if the 12v battery is low.The hybrid battery is electrically isolated from the rest of the car when the car is off, so there is no parasitic drain on it. Testing seems to indicate a self-discharge rate on the order of several months of non-use before the hybrid battery suffers any problems (inability to restart). (Testing = car being undriven by snowbird owners who have seasonal homes/cars so don't drive their hybrid for ~6 months of the year, or actual testing of a wrecked vehicle's battery pack sitting on the dismantler's shelf for that length of time...)All the hybrids on the market use NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries, which contain no heavy metals (so they're not hazardous waste, like the Pb-A batteries), and are easily recycled. Often they'll have labels on the packs themselves listing who to contact to recycle them, and often there's a nice cash bounty reward as well.Usually the mythic "article" from The Mail on the nickel in the hybrid cars' NiMH batteries is quoted from a now retracted article. The retraction that clears up this bit of misinformation is at:http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=417227&in_page_id=1770Main tenance is about the same as a regular car - use your favorite mechanic or DIY. Typically just oil/filter changes and tire rotations.Toyota scheduled maintenance guides: http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/http://www.toyota.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WWW.woa/3/wo/Home.Owners.MaintenanceMenu-mAJJwzTxmt23o9nuRKQCm0/3.11Honda scheduled maintenance guides:https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=honda (free registration)http://www.honda.ca/HondaCA2006/YourHonda/HondaService/MaintCalcDefault.asp?L=EI've never seen anyone do a cost-benefit analysis for a v4 vs v6 vs diesel engine, so why do one for a hybrid drivetrain? Most cost analysis articles neglect trade-in value which the Prius does very well in maintaining. (in some areas, used Prius are still selling for new prices for availability and rising gasoline prices!). Don't forget to include federal and any state tax incentives in your calculation (Consumer Reports forgot, and had to issue a retraction that hybrids are cheaper to own/operate than their gasoline cousins). Edmunds.com still doesn't take into account the true depreciation value (as seen by manually looking for a Prius trade-in value) when calculating their TCO, but they still say that hybrids will pay for themselves even when using their lower than actual trade-in amounts:http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/22/bc.autos.hybrids.reut/index.htmlHybrids do cost less in the long term than their conventional counterparts. (Intellichoice used a 5 year ownership comparison in 2006) See http://www.intellichoice.com/press/Hybrid-Survey-2006http://www.intellichoice.com/carBuying101/HypeOverHybridsWhile Consumer Reports in 2006 only found the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid would pay off within the same 5 year frame. The Honda Accord Hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid, the Lexus RX400h, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid were also studied.(I'll note that there was a mathematical error in the initial publication of Consumer Reports' hybrid vehicle cost analysis, which a retraction was published later... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11637968/ )Since this publication, many more hybrid models have become available, so I can't use this to say about hybrids "in general."Check out the April issue of Consumer Reports if you want reliability information. Both the Honda Civic and Toyota Prius make their best bets for new cars and for used cars.http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/top-picks-for-2007-4-07/overview/0704_top-picks-2007.htmhttp://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/used-cars-best-and-worst-406/index.htmThere is more to vehicle ownership besides initial purchase cost and the amount of gasoline used - there is also the costs to maintain and insure it, and also depreciation costs.However, the societal costs for emissions are not usually included. The hybrids tend to be at worst an ULEV, with many (like the Prius and HCH II) an AT-PZEV. Some are only sold in CA-emissions states. (Compare that to the often suggested VW TDIs, which cannot be sold new in CA-emission states because of their poor emissions.) In the US, hybrid models (like the Prius and HCH II) tend to be the best in fuel economy in their respective classes, using the same testing procedure to compare all cars (hybrid/gasoline/diesel/flex-fuel/etc.), and that is for BOTH highway and city driving: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstNF.shtmlThe Prius and Honda Civic are also in Kelley Blue Book's 2007 Best Resale Value Awards: http://www.kbb.com/kbb/ReviewsAndRatings/BestResaleValueAwards.aspxThe Honda Civic/Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius are also in Consumer Reports' top picks for new cars: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/top-picks-for-2007-4-07/overview/0704_top-picks-2007.htmas well as for used cars: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/used-cars-best-and-worst-406/index.htmThe Prius is also in edmunds' used cars best bets list as well, and their lowest true cost to own list. http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/bestbet/articles/index.htmlhttp://www.edmunds.com/reviews/tco/2007/index.htmlRemember that the Toyota Prius is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this December, so it's hardly new technology!http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/www09/toyota/prius/main.htmlhttp://www.toyota.com/html/dyncon/2007/september/birthday.html

[CW]

Those are both good choices. The Honda Civic hybrid and Toyota Prius are the two best hybrids available right now. In fact, I think they're 2 of the best cars available period.The Prius gets a bit better mileage than the Civic hybrid. It's also roomier and has more storage space because it's a midsize hatchback whereas the Civic is a compact sedan. The Prius is also the greenest car on the planet:http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2733658020070727?feedType=RSSI've found that most people who buy the Civic hybrid do so because there's something about the Prius they don't like. Usually it's because they think the Prius is ugly. Personally I like the look of the Prius - it has that shape because it's the most aerodynamic car on the road, which I think is very cool. That's part of the reason it gets the best mileage.There's a reason the Prius sells about 5 times more models than the Civic hybrid. However, because they've sold so well, Toyota hybrids no longer qualify for a tax rebate - it was phased out for them. So a Civic hybrid might save you some money on your taxes.I would suggest test driving both to see which you personally prefer, but my guess is that you'll like the Prius better. Most people do.