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Hybrid car question

FordDude

FordDude

Well-Known Dude
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Daughter thinks she wants one. I have done Zero research on then to date because I have no plans on owning one. Plus I have yet another limiting factor, it would be a Ford. Daughter has a 2003 Focus ZTX now. Grandma promised her a new car when she graduated. Yesterday she graduated with her Masters of Science in Education Concentration in Teaching from Cal Baptist University. Grandma (my mom) is now complaining that she has the money, just not liquid. Retired living comfortably in a new home on a fixed income. SS and Dad's pension from what I understand. We talked about it yesterday, just never really a dollar amount. Going to assume 10 to 15K and not a brand new car, but a new car compared to what she has now. She does like the Fiesta, Fusion, or C-Max. Again the question is Hybrid, are these any good? Any thing to look out for. Another parameter in the search will be <45K miles.

fd
 
Ford has not been doing well in the hybrid market. They lied about the cmax a few years ago. Their engineering on hybrids is way behind the others. A used volt would be a great choice. Why stick to just Ford?
 
I got my wife a 2008 Honda accord hybrid. She like it but all the batteries needed replacing at 5 years. Cost almost $4000.00 to do this. I will not buy another because of this.
 
janschutz said:
I got my wife a 2008 Honda accord hybrid. She like it but all the batteries needed replacing at 5 years. Cost almost $4000.00 to do this. I will not buy another because of this.
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THIS. Any used car in this category will have tech with lifespan concerns. $$$ to replace batteries. You can DYI in some instances if you are brave enough to enter new territory but from what I have seen/read it can be daunting.
 
personally i have no interest in hybrids these days, unless someone comes up with a diesel/electric hybrid like modern locomotives use.
 
Now you're talking Audi race cars (won a few LeMans with those) but VW wants out of diesel now. In fact Europe is starting to back away from diesel because of pollution (finally).

I think Toyota does offer a 10 year warranty on their batteries. Same with GM I think.

I would stay away from Ford for a Hybrid though.
 
Wouldn't buy a hybrid second hand unless it has all his maintenance work done at an official dealership so waranty can be extended by dealer in some cases.
 
This is the kind of input I was looking for. And the answers are what I suspected. Thanks.

fd
 
A co-worker has a hybrid civic n he drives it like he stole it. I think it is 6 or 7 years old. The battery failed n Honda replaced gratis.

I think my Fiesta which is getting about 40 mpg is the steal. Bought it out the door for a little over 17k and zero % for 6 years. Can't touch a hybrid for that
 
Our company had fleet vehicles. They wanted to be green and therefore almost all the fleet cars were switched out at there scheduled intervals with Camery hybrids. Our lease has been typically 4 years or 80,000 miles.
In most cases the cars were very much gasoline cars near the end of the lease because the battery life was over. After a full cycle of hybrids we no longer have any. Fuel economy is only good for the first couple years and as the battery life dwindles they rely on fuel. They don't get as good mpg as a straight up gasoline version of the same car when the battery is weak. They cost more initially and resale is bad. Our company learned its lesson and does not have any more hybrids in the system.


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I bought a 2015 Mazda 3 as a commuter car based on the advertised 41 mpg highway. My overall fuel economy is right around 37 mpg. A hybrid would not be a good choice for my situation. The new second generation Skyactiv engine for 2018 is supposed to provide even better fuel economy (approaching 70 mpg). A high compression gasoline engine that works like a diesel (no spark plugs)! https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...romises-30-better-fuel-efficiency-114652.html
 
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KBMWRS said:
Now you're talking Audi race cars (won a few LeMans with those) but VW wants out of diesel now. In fact Europe is starting to back away from diesel because of pollution (finally).

I think Toyota does offer a 10 year warranty on their batteries. Same with GM I think.

I would stay away from Ford for a Hybrid though.
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Ten years in CA. Less here in Utah.

Mel

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We got my youngest a Prius several years ago used. The car was serviced and still is by Toyota.

It has been a great car for her. Not me though. I just don't like it.

My oldest had a Highlander that was a hybrid. It got the MPG they needed. The she left the sunroof cracked open one night. It rained and messed up something electrical and totaled the car.

They made a killing on that deal. They got more than they paid for it.

They drive a Subaru now and get the same MPG.

As I understand it, depending on the tech some are better for highway and some are better in city or stop and go.

Honda is better for highway, Toyota is better for traffic.

Me, I'd rather have a Tesla.

Mel

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I was listening to Sams Garage yesterday. Both Sams (they are both named Sam) said you should never to buy a hybrid, only lease it. The longer you have it, the worse the battery gets, and the more it depends on the gas engine. They calculated it would take 15 years to break even on the gas savings. They suggested buying cars with high MPGs using only gasoline engines.
 
FordDude said:
Daughter thinks she wants one. I have done Zero research on then to date because I have no plans on owning one. Plus I have yet another limiting factor, it would be a Ford. Daughter has a 2003 Focus ZTX now. Grandma promised her a new car when she graduated. Yesterday she graduated with her Masters of Science in Education Concentration in Teaching from Cal Baptist University. Grandma (my mom) is now complaining that she has the money, just not liquid. Retired living comfortably in a new home on a fixed income. SS and Dad's pension from what I understand. We talked about it yesterday, just never really a dollar amount. Going to assume 10 to 15K and not a brand new car, but a new car compared to what she has now. She does like the Fiesta, Fusion, or C-Max. Again the question is Hybrid, are these any good? Any thing to look out for. Another parameter in the search will be <45K miles.

fd
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Tim:
Last year my son picked up a new VW eGolf plug in electric for his commute. The incentives were just too good to overlook. About $12,000 in rebates means his monthly lease payment (36 months) is around $110 and at the end of 3 years he updates to "better" technology or walks away from VW if he finds something else he likes more. His car is also eligible for the DMV carpool permit which means his 20 mile commute up the Peninsula is optimized. The fact that his employer provides free charging stations in the parking garage makes the whole thing fairly painless, plus, with the torque of an electric motor, he can hot foot it all he wants and the car responds nicely.... I am impressed with the performance.
 
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