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Start-stop makes to most sense (to me) to have it part of a hybrid drive train. The whole time I'm slowing down, stopping and creeping foward, my engine is off. I can be stopped for minutes, and my engine is off. When coming into town from the higher elevation side, I can go through practically the whole town with my engine off, basically coasting the whole time, not using any fuel nor electricity to move my vehicle.
Granted, I could shut off my engine manually in a stick shift car and coast in neutral. But if I need to suddenly accelerate or stop (no vacuum brakes) things can get sketchy in a car not designed for it.
But finding batteries can be a pain. In my Avalon the 12V battery is 9 years old and failing. And I went to several autoparts stores and nobody carries a 12 battery for my car. I was told they had to send in an inquiry and they would get back to me with a price and potential time frame... I'm tempted to order one through Toyota and travel the (at least) 120 miles there (and then 120 back) to go pick it up.
Then there's the hybrid battery. My 2006 Prius kind of needs a new one. And no I'm not getting a refurbirshed or aftermarket one, unless I decide to get it running in order to sell it. So it's $2,000 for an OEM hybrid traction battery or bust for me.
One benefit I don't see anyone else has mentioned is the blissful silience when you stop. Windows open, you can hear the birds singing, the soft breeze blowing through the trees, kids playing. This may be worth it to me even if I have to deal with expensive batteries that are hard to find.
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