Bumping this for any up to date information anyone especially @0ddl0t would like to add.
Bumping this for any up to date information anyone especially @0ddl0t would like to add.
State funding is currently out for all areas of California except the San Joaquin Valley, but if you're looking to buy new I'd be tempted by the tax credits on electric or plug-in hybrid. https://cleanvehiclerebate.org/eng/eligible-vehicles My sister bought a 2017 prius prime new for ~$30,000 out the door. She then got a $7500 tax credit from the feds and (at that time) a $2500 credit from California. 3 1/2 years and 35,000 miles later, she just sold it to CarMax for $21,000. So essentially she got paid $1000 to drive a new car for 3+ years. She was even able to charge for free at her work for that first year so her fuel costs were minimal.
Granted, the trade-in value would have normally been like $18K so she got lucky with the covid car shortage, but either way these tax credits can make a big difference. My understanding is also that now (when the funding is renewed anyway), you can get either the tax credit or the carpool sticker. In 2017 you could get both. With fewer cars on the road at the moment, the carpool sticker isn't quite as appealing but that may change if things ever get back to normal.
Just as an update, my Chinese replacement batteries started throwing error messages after a year and a half and were replaced under warranty. The battery dealer (GreenTec) wasn't surprised and swapped them out with another brand new set in about a hour free of charge.Originally Posted by 0ddl0t
Last edited by 0ddl0t; 05-15-2021 at 05:46 PM.
Read an interesting tidbit this morning, the new hybrid Ferrari will not even have a reverse gear in the transmission, because the front electric motors can easily push it backwards.
We bought a 2012 Camry hybrid thru Costco discount, no hassle. Was easiest new car purchase we every made.
It has averaged 37 mpg city and highway, now around 50K. We had to replace the secondary battery for $185 this year. Otherwise has been extremely reliable. We would buy another if we want that size car again.
This kind of hybrid really shines in rush hour traffic
since the engine shuts down when just sitting and will go a little ways on just the battery if it is charged. It was supposed to have a 650 mile range, so would be good to bug out in should that situation ever occur.
Im curious how many miles people drive per year on an electric/hybrid vehicle. I would think you would have to drive a lot to justify purchasing one.
My other thought after reading about hundreds of thousands of miles on the odometer is are there even going to be parts available for these vehicles even for someone who drives higher that average miles? Maybe someone who does a lot of driving could justify it, I dont have any idea how many miles per year that would have to be.
I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
The lunatics are running the asylum
Depends on what your goal is.
Currently, I don’t pay for my gas, so the efficiency aspect doesn’t mean anything to me.
what I want from a hybrid is (ideally) something that’s faster (like the Volvos) or otherwise offers more capability than its full-gas counterpart (like the inverter on the F150), and gets me legally into the HOV lane for commutes (which apparently neither of my examples do, sadly).
Does the above offend? If you have paid to be here, you can click here to put it in context.
That is such an easy solution to simplifying things that I'm kind of surprised nobody has done it before. Neat!
You can run the fuel cost numbers to see how many miles you need to drive to make the economics pan out. You'll also save a little in maintenance & repairs too (battery regen means you hardly use brake pads, limited idle/engine hours means longer oil change intervals, etc).
Long term parts availability should be a consideration for any car you plan to own 10+ years. There are millions of priuses on the road and parts are plentiful & comparable in cost to other Toyotas. You can also get them fixed at most independent shops. Honda only sold a couple hundred thousand civic hybrids and Ford less than 200,000 escape hybrids. Chrysler has sold less than 100k Pacifica Hybrids and many dealerships haven't bothered to buy the diagnostic equipment needed to fully service them.
I personally find the conversation interesting but Im really not looking for statistical info. Im just wondering what peoples personal criteria is for buying hybrid vs conventional.
The production info is interesting thanks.
I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
The lunatics are running the asylum
Might come with a new variant of Wu Flu.
Last edited by Borderland; 05-30-2021 at 07:42 PM.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
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