Quote:
Originally Posted by MazdaMatt
Those reasons are all to do with either money, the coolness of efficiency or being a hippie. Well driving a hybrid won't save you money compared to driving a similar car with a cheaper drive train.
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I think the best you can say is that it may not. For instance a Camry hybrid runs ~$4500 more than a comparable Camry w/ a conventional drivetrain, and even w/ gas at $2/gallon (inflation adjusted) for the next 13+years over ~200k miles they would both cost the same, and when we toss in maintenance it's in the favor of the hybrid. If gas averages more than $2/gallon over the next decade+ then the cost is clearly in the favor of the hybrid version. It's closer if we look at something like a Civic hybrid compared to a conventional version w/ a similar trim level (eg a AT LX) but still lifetime costs are close, so it really depends on what gas prices do over the next ten years.