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Honda Hybrids

Gaolee

Gaolee

Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Jan 13, 2010
24,745
172,129
Seattle, Great North Wet
#1
Anybody know anything about 'em. My wife's car is starting the nickel and dime routine, which means it's time. It's a 1995 Civic, and she's happy with Hondas. She also likes the idea of hybrids. There are Civic and Insight hybrids for sale locally, but I don't know much about them. It's hard to tell much from online reviews, because some people say they walk on water and other people say they cause the sky to fall.

Any problem spots? Any expensive maintenance items? Other things to watch for?
 
#2
I've heard the batteries literally cost thousands of dollars to replace.

Our local car salesman actually said "We don't need hybrids around here in our rural area.".
Any start & stop driving is charging the battery & is the perfect place for a hybrid.

A local mechanic told me that working on a hybrid is like doing surgery, alluding to that it was difficult & complicated.
 
#5
Leasing isn't our thing. We will likely buy it used and keep it for 15 years or more. My wife does a lot of urban driving, which means a hybrid makes sense. Toyotas seem to last forever. All the taxis are Toyota hybrids around here. I don't see so many Hondas, and I was wondering if there was a practical reason for that, or if they just look like every other Civic on the road.
 
#7
Gorn said:
Hybrids are good leases. You can't go wrong with Honda or Toyota. It's yours for three years with no fuss or muss and then you get a new one.
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You can lease virtually any vehicle for 3 years and not have a problem.

I agree that Honda and Toyota are good vehicles, but they suffer from confirmation bias. Some people seem to think that they are head and shoulders above all others, when in reality the difference between several of the top brands is negligible.
 
#8
duff beer said:
You can lease virtually any vehicle for 3 years and not have a problem.

I agree that Honda and Toyota are good vehicles, but they suffer from confirmation bias. Some people seem to think that they are head and shoulders above all others, when in reality the difference between several of the top brands is negligible.
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I agree. But with the hybrid lease you get the bonus of good fuel economy and the hassle free experience of not owning the car.

And you're right about the brands. You pretty much can't go wrong with any new car nowadays.
 
#9
@Gaolee

I owned a Prius, and my colleague owns a Hyundai Hybrid. He loves them and I hated them.

You save a ton in gas but it's the other crap that costs you an arm and a leg. Want to save money? Buy a used Honda Civic. Even the new ones are affordable.

You could also sign up for a month online with Consumer Reports and run that and look on KBB too.
 
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#13
duff beer said:
You can lease virtually any vehicle for 3 years and not have a problem.

I agree that Honda and Toyota are good vehicles, but they suffer from confirmation bias. Some people seem to think that they are head and shoulders above all others, when in reality the difference between several of the top brands is negligible.
Click to expand...

If you're only keeping the car for three years, I'll agree the quality difference is slim. Beyond that, Honda and Toyota are above the rest.
 
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#14
we got the natural gas cng civic, because you get the car pool lane sticker and it can get about 37mpg if you drive more daintily
it can be a pain in the butt though if you go on really long trips, because out in the middle of nowhere there usually aren't airports or bus stations to fill the tank
 
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#15
Well, for better or worse we are pulling the trigger on a 2012 Prius c. It's the fancy version with bells and whistles, not that all the fancy stuff was much of an issue. My wife will be very happy with it. It's got 95K miles on it, but I'm not too concerned about that. From what I can find, Prius batteries can last a very long time. Or rarely not. We will roll the dice on that. It will be ideal for the driving she usually does, and it will probably be adequate enough for the occasional long trip we take. Leaving the van home will save a fortune in fuel.
 
#16
fingerguy said:
@Gaolee

I owned a Prius, and my colleague owns a Hyundai Hybrid. He loves them and I hated them.

You save a ton in gas but it's the other crap that costs you an arm and a leg. Want to save money? Buy a used Honda Civic. Even the new ones are affordable.

You could also sign up for a month online with Consumer Reports and run that and look on KBB too.
Click to expand...

What other crap ends up costing you an arm and a leg? Just curious, since I'm in the market for a car and have been considering hybrids.
 
#17
From reading as much as I can dig up about them, it seems that some hybrids have short-lived batteries. Honda in particular suffers from that reputation. Toyota doesn't. Their battery warranty is eight years or 150 miles, if I remember right, and there are taxis running around with 300 or 400k miles and the original battery. The battery won't last forever, and it is expensive. If it only lasts 50-100k miles, then it's not worth the expense.

As far as any other nickels and dimes, I didn't find any that were mentioned much. The knock on the one we bought is that it's little and isn't a rocket when you get on a freeway. That's not much of a knock.
 
#18
Wifey had a Prius rental once so she let me borrow it for a 200 mile round-trip gig run.
Below are pics of JC "Saving the Planet"(our normal vehicles are non-eco-friendly). Rig for the ride is BOSE. Basses: Peavey Foundation & Greco violin bass(solid body)
SavingThePlanet Load In2.jpg


SavingThePlanet Load1.JPG


SavingThePlanet Load2.JPG


I did like this on the 75 mph section of Highway 59. Our conversion van gets 16 or 17 at that speed.
SavingThePlanet MPGat75.JPG
 
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