Hybrid Hypocrites

[SeaDee3]

I drive a lot. 30,000 miles a year, sometimes more. I have been driving for 45 years and think Maryland has some of the worst drivers anywhere except possibly Florida that has the worst drivers on earth.

I drive on the beltway back and forth to Washington and Virginia a few times a week. My business is right off of 895. I try to drive somewhere near the speed limit as much as possible. I do this not only to save gas but because its the law. I stay in the right lane other than to pass. Everyday I see dozens of Toyota Prius cars buzz by me doing 70 MPH. I guess they are more fuel efficient at that speed?

These are the people who pay 6 to 8 thousand more for a spartan automobile to brag that they get 50 MPG and save $500.00 in fuel over the life of the car.

The car I drive for business is a 2 door, 325 HP little rocket and it gets around 24 MPG on the highway and 19 to 20 city. Its a neat little buggy that most kids envy and look at me like "why is that gray haired fart driving that car that I could score big in?". The Hybrid drivers look at you like I just cut down 300 trees and used them to roast a few marshmellows.

Typical liberal "Do as I say..not as I do" when you see the Prius go buzzing by 15 MPH over the speed limit.
How about a Tahoe Hybrid? What a joke. I was at a Lexus dealer the other day and they had a new LS460H. Over a hundred grand for this car. Why?
I have a LS430 that my wife drives and is 6 years old and it gets 25 MPG.

The day someone explains to me why I need to spend $6000.00 and up to save a few hundred dollars on gas and I believe them is the day I will probably start taking mass transit. But then, to take mass transit I will have to invest big bucks in a bullet proof vest.

There is no shortage of oil in the world. Hybrids pollute the same as regular engines. More than anything, they pollute the public's mind and our wallets.

Here is another thing that gets my shorts bunched up.
I have a 1 year old and 6 year old cars that needs to have the emmissions tested every two years. I saw this Mexican guy park near my Mother's house in Millersville in a 1983 Pontiac that was smoking like the rear row of a Greatful Dead Concert. That car isn't required to have emmission testing. Its too old. Go figure the logic behind that one.

[boink]

Originally Posted by SeaDee3

I drive a lot. 30,000 miles a year, sometimes more. I have been driving for 45 years and think Maryland has some of the worst drivers anywhere except possibly Florida that has the worst drivers on earth.

I drive on the beltway back and forth to Washington and Virginia a few times a week. My business is right off of 895. I try to drive somewhere near the speed limit as much as possible. I do this not only to save gas but because its the law. I stay in the right lane other than to pass. Everyday I see dozens of Toyota Prius cars buzz by me doing 70 MPH. I guess they are more fuel efficient at that speed?

These are the people who pay 6 to 8 thousand more for a spartan automobile to brag that they get 50 MPG and save $500.00 in fuel over the life of the car.

The car I drive for business is a 2 door, 325 HP little rocket and it gets around 24 MPG on the highway and 19 to 20 city. Its a neat little buggy that most kids envy and look at me like "why is that gray haired fart driving that car that I could score big in?". The Hybrid drivers look at you like I just cut down 300 trees and used them to roast a few marshmellows.

Typical liberal "Do as I say..not as I do" when you see the Prius go buzzing by 15 MPH over the speed limit.
How about a Tahoe Hybrid? What a joke. I was at a Lexus dealer the other day and they had a new LS460H. Over a hundred grand for this car. Why?
I have a LS430 that my wife drives and is 6 years old and it gets 25 MPG.

The day someone explains to me why I need to spend $6000.00 and up to save a few hundred dollars on gas and I believe them is the day I will probably start taking mass transit. But then, to take mass transit I will have to invest big bucks in a bullet proof vest.

There is no shortage of oil in the world. Hybrids pollute the same as regular engines. More than anything, they pollute the public's mind and our wallets.

Here is another thing that gets my shorts bunched up.
I have a 1 year old and 6 year old cars that needs to have the emmissions tested every two years. I saw this Mexican guy park near my Mother's house in Millersville in a 1983 Pontiac that was smoking like the rear row of a Greatful Dead Concert. That car isn't required to have emmission testing. Its too old. Go figure the logic behind that one.

I notice the same thing.

I rarely see a Prius doing the speed limit or even close to it.

Maybe environmental self-righteousness is a license to speed.

[Norman]

News Flash...it's not always about saving money and gas mileage...one might simply own a hybrid to lower the emissions.

[sonofboh]

there was a great south park episode dealing with this issue

[overtaxed]

Originally Posted by Norman

News Flash...it's not always about saving money and gas mileage...one might simply own a hybrid to lower the emissions.

Where are you going to put the batteries when they go bad? Another thing, I bet the resale value on a high mileage hybrid will be squat. That is because of the very high battery replacement cost.

[rubid]

70 Mph? Who are you kidding? Doesn't everyone do that on the highway? Very very few people actually drive at the speed limit. 10+ beyond is the norm.

In any case, the hybrids are more effective in "stop-and-go" traffic than on the highway. On the highway, they are literally just cars with small gas engines.

[Norman]

Originally Posted by overtaxed

Where are you going to put the batteries when they go bad? Another thing, I bet the resale value on a high mileage hybrid will be squat. That is because of the very high battery replacement cost.

How often do hybrid batteries need replacing? Is replacement expensive and disposal an environmental problem?
The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, probably a whole lot longer. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the car maker.

Battery toxicity is a concern, althoug today's hybrids use NiMH batteries, not the environmentally problematic rechargeable nickel cadmium. "Nickel metal hydride batteries are benign. They can be fully recycled," says Ron Cogan, editor of the Green Car Journal. Toyota and Honda say that they will recycle dead batteries and that disposal will pose no toxic hazards. Toyota puts a phone number on each battery, and they pay a $200 "bounty" for each battery to help ensure that it will be properly recycled.

There's no definitive word on replacement costs because they are almost never replaced. According to Toyota, since the Prius first went on sale in 2000, they have not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.

Linky

[PA Tim]

Just because you own a hybrid doesn't mean you are self-righteous. I drive a Civic hybrid because I drive even more than you do for my daily commute. I've also owned an Explorer and still own a CRV SUV. I don't judge others even when I see all these full size SUV's and pickups blow by me. I drive fast because my daily commute is already a fricken nightmare and I still avg 47 mpg. Yeah, I paid $3,000 over what a normal Civic cost. I also got a $2100 tax credit for it. However, if Honda still offered the HX version of the Civic, I would have bought that instead. It seems they dropped it (my 2000 Civic HX typically got >40 mpg) so as not to hurt hybrid sales. The battery could certainly be a huge cost of ownership, but it does have 100K mile warranty. So don't think all us hybrid owners are a bunch of tree hugging, self-righteous, nutcases. I don't judge you, so don't judge me.

[Norman]

Originally Posted by PA Tim

Just because you own a hybrid doesn't mean you are self-righteous.

Right on! Kind of like just because somebody drives a 2 door, 325 HP little rocket doesn't mean they have a tiny penis....

[George-WNEC]

Originally Posted by Norman

How often do hybrid batteries need replacing? Is replacement expensive and disposal an environmental problem?
The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, probably a whole lot longer. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the car maker.

Battery toxicity is a concern, althoug today's hybrids use NiMH batteries, not the environmentally problematic rechargeable nickel cadmium. "Nickel metal hydride batteries are benign. They can be fully recycled," says Ron Cogan, editor of the Green Car Journal. Toyota and Honda say that they will recycle dead batteries and that disposal will pose no toxic hazards. Toyota puts a phone number on each battery, and they pay a $200 "bounty" for each battery to help ensure that it will be properly recycled.

There's no definitive word on replacement costs because they are almost never replaced. According to Toyota, since the Prius first went on sale in 2000, they have not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.

Linky

Norman-the myth buster...

[cprenegade]

Originally Posted by Norman

How often do hybrid batteries need replacing? Is replacement expensive and disposal an environmental problem?
The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, probably a whole lot longer. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the car maker.

Battery toxicity is a concern, althoug today's hybrids use NiMH batteries, not the environmentally problematic rechargeable nickel cadmium. "Nickel metal hydride batteries are benign. They can be fully recycled," says Ron Cogan, editor of the Green Car Journal. Toyota and Honda say that they will recycle dead batteries and that disposal will pose no toxic hazards. Toyota puts a phone number on each battery, and they pay a $200 "bounty" for each battery to help ensure that it will be properly recycled.

There's no definitive word on replacement costs because they are almost never replaced. According to Toyota, since the Prius first went on sale in 2000, they have not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.

Linky

Not sure I believe that story. Check this out from a prius forum:

I have a 2001 Prius with about 122,000 miles on it. I was told by the dealership today that the hybrid battery needs to be replaced and it will cost $3,700.

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-te...-replaced.html

[George-WNEC]

Originally Posted by Norman

Right on! Kind of like just because somebody drives a 2 door, 325 HP little rocket doesn't mean they have a tiny penis....

But if they start a thread declaring how righteous they are by driving the speed limit and calling out other people’s choices of vehicles, do they?

[Ravenchamp]

I'd take a Hybrid, bore it out, and put a 4 brl Holley on her

[George-WNEC]

Originally Posted by cprenegade

Not sure I believe that story. Check this out from a prius forum:

Nothing is 100%

[ybnormal]

One word: Greed ($5k-$6k premium for a hybrid)

Reports state it will take the average driver over 5 years to break even from recouping the premium entry fee. But, if it really makes you feel good, fall for it - I mean go for it.

PS: A Prius doing 70 mph? Was there a tailwind?

[Norman]

Originally Posted by ybnormal

PS: A Prius doing 70 mph? Was there a tailwind?

How soon they forget...didn't Al Gore's son get a ticket for doing around 100mph in his Prius?

[George-WNEC]

Originally Posted by ybnormal

One word: Greed ($5k-$6k premium for a hybrid)

Reports state it will take the average driver over 5 years to break even from recouping the premium entry fee. But, if it really makes you feel good, fall for it - I mean go for it.

PS: A Prius doing 70 mph? Was there a tailwind?

Once people start buying in mass, the price will come down. More cars like these on the roads means more "kinks' worked out and it also means they can make the cars more efficient.

People complain about the price of gas, yet do nothing to help truly stem the cost...

[ichy]

Originally Posted by PA Tim

Just because you own a hybrid doesn't mean you are self-righteous.

Thank you. Plenty of people buy Priuses because they're practical, good-quality cars.

[SouthBalto]

Originally Posted by PA Tim

I don't judge you, so don't judge me.

Well said.

Originally Posted by SeaDee

These are the people who pay 6 to 8 thousand more for a spartan automobile to brag that they get 50 MPG and save $500.00 in fuel over the life of the car.

Well, 30,000 miles divided by 50= 600 gallons of fuel times $3.5= $2100 a year

30,000 miles divided by 24=1250 gallons of fuel times $3.5= $4375 a year

So an annual savings of $2,275.

[SouthBalto]

That said, my next vehicle will have a turbo diesel. Great mileage, proven reliability, and the ability to power it on local produce!