To Hybrid or Not to Hybrid

To Hybrid or Not to Hybrid

  • Submitted By: tom666
  • Date Submitted: 07/22/2008 2:19 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 873
  • Page: 4
  • Views: 1

TO HYBRID OR NOT TO HYBRID

As I pulled into the gas station I glanced up to see the price of gas at $3.89 per gallon. I then quickly looked down at my mileage to estimate how far this tank of gas had reached. The estimate of less than 20 miles per gallon was numbing. I realized as the gas pump price rolled past $60 without slowing I needed to find a better option. I had seen the Honda Civic Hybrid 4 door sedan and wondered if the extra price would be made up in the money you save at the gas pump? Would the maintenance of the Civic Hybrid 4 door sedan be different or more expensive than the normal maintenance on a regular Honda Civic 4 door DX Sedan automatic? Would this mean I would have to give up comfort and looks of the vehicle to gain better fuel mileage?
According to Honda on their website the starting prices of the 2008 Honda Civic 4 door DX sedan is $15,010 compared to their starting price of the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid 4 door sedan at $22,600. This is a $7,590 difference between the vehicles. According to Edmunds.com, a website dedicated to helping consumers find an unbiased report on vehicle quality, rating, and pricing. What people are actually paying on the Honda Civic 4 door sedan is $15,697 compared to the Honda Civic Hybrid 4 door sedans price of $23,270 a difference of $7,573. With both sources close in numbers the expected extra monthly payment of the Hybrid model would be an additional $118 over the normal monthly payment. This price based on $15.81 per $1000 dollar on your car loan. An amount reported by Alliant Credit Union.
Can the $118 additional monthly cost for the Hybrid be made up at the gas pump? On an average week I drive 330 TO 360 miles. That averages around 47 to 52 miles daily. So, for the average 30 day month I log 1,410 to 1,560 miles in my vehicle. So to be fair I will use the

smaller amounts to evaluate the cost efficiency of a Honda Civic Hybrid. The Honda web site boasts that the Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan has a...

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