Considering next car to be Hybrid plugin

Mr. Ed

Mr. Ed

Be what you is not what you what you ain’t
Location
Central NY
I lease my cars which means after 36 months I am guaranteed a new car should I want to continue leasing. Not much difference between paying off a lease agreement or loan payments except leasing a vehicle seems more cost effective for me. My lease agreement for the car I am driving comes to term February 2024 so there is plenty of time to research cars until then.

The Prius Prime plugin AWD comes in 2023, this years model is slow starting and sluggish. Maybe 2023 Toyota will address this.

My wife refuses to drive medium or large vehicles so that eliminates many vehicles for consideration. If I could, I would lease a hybrid SUV because there are more vehicles to choose from.
 

I am 6’4” and there is no way I would consider buying a small vehicle. I like the large vehicles, but am not just ready to buy an EV.
 
We, too, are thinking about getting a smaller car....one that my wife can drive more easily. I've been researching hybrids, and they look like the best choice. However, since we don't drive that much, it would take decades for us to break even on the slightly better fuel mileage vs. a similar IC engine vehicle. Then, there is the substantially higher cost of a hybrid or EV, and the potential for a very expensive battery replacement.

There is a big auto show in KC in September, and we may go up there and spend a few hours checking on vehicles without having a salesman hovering around.

The biggest issue I have is the ridiculous prices dealers are charging for these smaller vehicles. They have nothing on their lots except large SUV's and pickups, so they are overcharging buyers quite a bit. Until this "shortage" is resolved, I don't see any "good buys", on smaller vehicles.
 

Mr. Ed said:
I lease my cars which means after 36 months I am guaranteed a new car should I want to continue leasing. Not much difference between paying off a lease agreement or loan payments except leasing a vehicle seems more cost effective for me. My lease agreement for the car I am driving comes to term February 2024 so there is plenty of time to research cars until then.

The Prius Prime plugin AWD comes in 2023, this years model is slow starting and sluggish. Maybe 2023 Toyota will address this.

My wife refuses to drive medium or large vehicles so that eliminates many vehicles for consideration. If I could, I would lease a hybrid SUV because there are more vehicles to choose from.
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Used to be able to turn in leased vehicles 6 months early, I don't know about now. Look at the hybrid only. I understand we are not yet ready for the total EV.
 
Besides the normal "what if" fears of costly battery failures, be sure to check and see if the dmv adds a sur charge. In Arkansas, they now charge $200 a year on top of the normal car tag fee, with no guarantee the this yearly fee won't increase. :(
As a DIY guy, I have no desire to own any newer gadget loaded vehicle much less a hybrid. Changing the gasoline engine on the daughters Honda Insight showed me the danger of do it yourself. Those batteries can hold a static charge of some 650 volts. That my friends is enough to kill you.
 
I hope not to need another car. My 2014 small sedan, with 125,000 miles on it should last me another 4 or 5 years and 50,000 miles. I'm tired of driving, and hope to find a car-less solution by then.
 
Hope this isn't too far off the thread:
I'm not terribly bright but I don't understand this.
PLEASE correct me if these statements are incorrect.

Oil, coal, gas are what the public now calls "fossil fuels" Is this correct?
The electric cars have to plug into an electric car charging station. Is this correct?
The charging station has to plug into an electric socket somewhere. Is this correct?
The electricity still comes from what the public refers to as "fossil fuels". Is this correct?
If "fossil fuels" are stopped or severely reduced, doesn't this affect the electricity output or the price?
Sorry, but I'm trying to understand the thinking behind this.
 
Might want to be careful when dealing with lithium batteries.

After the lithium battery of one CT transit bus caught fire, destroying the entire vehicle, the rest of the fleet was pulled from service as a precaution according to CT Insider. The bus had no occupants inside at the time of the incident.
“Lithium-ion battery fires are difficult to extinguish due to the thermal chemical process that produces great heat and continually reignites,” Hamden fire officials said.
In a ironic twist, only one day prior to the Saturday fire, state officials gathered together in New Haven, Connecticut, to “boost the success of the Clean Air Act that would restrict diesel vehicles and increase electric cars in the state.”

lithium.jpeg
 
Gaer said:
I'm not terribly bright
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You are quite bright and I think you know it.

You make a good point, electric or hybrid vehicles are not pollution free; much of the electricity we use is generated using fossil fuel.

None the less these can be less expensive to drive, and use less fossil fuel for a few reasons. One, on the cost is gasoline tax, you don't pay that with an electric vehicle. Some states are starting to tax electric vehicles, that probably makes sense.

Electric vehicles can be more fossil fuel efficient because the huge electric power plants are more efficient than small auto engines. However there is inefficiency in the energy conversion. Also not all electricity is generated using fossil fuel, some is nuclear, hydro, or a very small but growing fraction is wind or solar. Here is a link to a calculator that can help: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles

All in all I think the reduction in fossil fuel consumption is probably small, and I suspect the cost savings by not paying gasoline taxes won't last forever.
 
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squatting dog said:
Might want to be careful when dealing with lithium batteries.
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I have heard this, but find it hard to understand the real relative risk. I got lithium batteries in my trailer and the insurance did not go up. The agent told me that insurers have not found vehicles with lithium batteries to be more dangerous than without.

They should know, they are in the business of understanding risk. Its the only thing I have found on this.
 
Don M. said:
The biggest issue I have is the ridiculous prices dealers are charging for these smaller vehicles. They have nothing on their lots except large SUV's and pickups, so they are overcharging buyers quite a bit. Until this "shortage" is resolved, I don't see any "good buys", on smaller vehicles.
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I agree, auto sales industry in my town are run by crooks. Buyer beware I've never been able to effectively negotiate the purchase of a vehicle.
 
My manual '99 Honda Civic manual was stolen from a parking lot 4 years ago, totaled the same night by 4 teenagers, and I had to pay a Uber driver to get home. I had done modifications to the car to average nearly 60 mpg, including several kill switches, which were unfortunately not activated at the time. Hindsight is always much better.

Within a few weeks I found a salvaged 2012 Prius Plug-in for a reasonable asking price, was driven there by a long time benevolent friend, and purchased the car cash based on the seller's expertise and history with the car. The price was good but the most that I've ever paid for a car, considering that I've only ever purchased used cars. There's not much to modify on a Prius, and it already gets 55-60 mpg just with gas on trips. The mileage around town is nearly infinite minus electric cost. I've only gotten gas once this past year, and that was for taking a trip.

My electricity use is quite small, thus PG&E charges me an extremely high rate per KWH, which makes the trade off between gas and electric cost about even, but I very much like just being able to plug the car in instead of having to get gas at a station. My neighbors recently bought a new Toyota Rav with the reasoning of not having to plug it in. That makes no sense to me, as the Rav gets only 44 mpg and they have to gas it up a lot more.

It's all a conundrum though, as I hardly drive the car, but need it for shopping, and for occasional trips in the area.
Some alternative would be nice, as the car & house insurance of $1,100 per year is quite expensive for only one person.
 
Alligatorob said:
None the less these can be less expensive to drive, and use less fossil fuel for a few reasons. One, on the cost is gasoline tax, you don't pay that with an electric vehicle. Some states are starting to tax electric vehicles, that probably makes sense.
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Gas taxes are the primary source of financing our roads and bridges. Presently, most states don't tax EV's, but as these vehicles become more commonplace, that will have to change. EV's weigh as much, or more, as standard cars, so they cause equal wear and tear on the roads.
 
Nathan said:
I never considered leasing, but will be in the back of my mind, if there's a need for another vehicle. I'm rethinking all my long term beliefs and attitudes on finances...
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I have sometimes leased and sometimes financed or bought outright. I leased my '17 Audi A4 for 3 years, then I found because of the low miles that my payoff was less than the market value so I bought it. We are currently leasing a '20 Mazda CX-30, and because used prices are so high now the negotiated payoff will likely be, again, less than market value so we will likely buy it.

For me, leasing has been a great way of getting to know the car and deciding whether I want to buy it. There have been some that I have simply turned in at lease end.
 
Gaer said:
Hope this isn't too far off the thread:
I'm not terribly bright but I don't understand this.
PLEASE correct me if these statements are incorrect.

Oil, coal, gas are what the public now calls "fossil fuels" Is this correct?
The electric cars have to plug into an electric car charging station. Is this correct?
The charging station has to plug into an electric socket somewhere. Is this correct?
The electricity still comes from what the public refers to as "fossil fuels". Is this correct?
If "fossil fuels" are stopped or severely reduced, doesn't this affect the electricity output or the price?
Sorry, but I'm trying to understand the thinking behind this.
Click to expand...
go green.jpg
 
We just bought a Hyundai Tucson. Hybrid and so far are very pleased.

It was Ron’’s first time owning a foreign vehicle, and what sold him were the various warranties offered by Hyundai, some free with the purchase and some for an additional cost. The way he explained it to me, it will ensure that we won’t be paying for ANY repairs for the next however many years …don’t remember the exact time frame. Even the battery is warrantied for far longer than I expected it would be.

FYI hybrid vehicle manufacturers in the United States are legally required to provide a warranty on high-voltage hybrid battery packs for at least eight years or up to 100,000 miles. In addition, auto manufacturers in the U.S. are legally obliged to transfer the balance of any hybrid battery warranty to a new owner.
 
Gaer said:
Hope this isn't too far off the thread:
I'm not terribly bright but I don't understand this.
PLEASE correct me if these statements are incorrect.

Oil, coal, gas are what the public now calls "fossil fuels" Is this correct?
The electric cars have to plug into an electric car charging station. Is this correct?
The charging station has to plug into an electric socket somewhere. Is this correct?
The electricity still comes from what the public refers to as "fossil fuels". Is this correct?
If "fossil fuels" are stopped or severely reduced, doesn't this affect the electricity output or the price?
Sorry, but I'm trying to understand the thinking behind this.
Click to expand...

You have it exactly correct ..... but some of the 'green' people are just to blind to see it . I laughed hard at the picture someone posted a year or so back, of an electric car plugged into a portable generator ........ LOL !!
 
About new cars. I just found out that my Hyundai sends data to the dealership. It sends data about how it's running, mileage, etc, so any problems can be corrected early and cheaply. That's both cool, and unsettling.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
About new cars. I just found out that my Hyundai sends data to the dealership. It sends data about how it's running, mileage, etc, so any problems can be corrected early and cheaply. That's both cool, and unsettling.
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"Unsettling". My Son's vehicle monitors cab conversations. (for a price reduction)
Seems private intrusions are being accepted now.
but, I see it as loss of control and an invasion of privacy.
Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but that's how I see it.
 
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