Anyone Drive a Hybrid?

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Worst looking cars on the market today.

If you want someone to actually buy a hybrid made by your company, perhaps you should tell your design team to include things like Wheel wells, which have been in style for about 50 years. I'd be embarrassed to drive that hunk of trash around. It is about time that companies are getting on board with making some of their 'normal' models hybrids instead of making something only a tacky ###### would drive.

Crap! i'm a tacky ######!

ummm the civic, accord, camry, highlander, rx400 all look exactly like their normal gas models. The only thing that looks odd is the Prius. Maybe you should shop around. hehe

I have to agree about the insight though. It is damn ugly. I mean it was a car with a mini skirt. They don't make them anymore.

[mykalberta]

My parents own an RXH. After about 3 months of normal driving they save aobut 32% compared to their Expidition.

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by Jayems

hahaha, classic. too funny.

[Regulator75]

I have been considering the 2008 Highlander Hybrid Limited.

Does anyone here currently drive one?

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

My parents own an RXH. After about 3 months of normal driving they save aobut 32% compared to their Expidition.

Can't really compare that with an Expedition, that's a gas pig and in a different class altogether. How does the RXH compare to its regular petrol cousin?

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Titan

This could get some converts. Chevy Volt concept car.

*Gasp* Not a domestic.. Thats a swear word in these parts..

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

I have been considering the 2008 Highlander Hybrid Limited.

Does anyone here currently drive one?

Not really any better on fuel, just a bit more powerful than their gas counterparts.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Buy a Geo Metro. Apparently it's one of the hottest cars in the used car market now. Ahh.... memories of high school and university.....

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayof...ef=mpstoryview

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

*Gasp* Not a domestic.. Thats a swear word in these parts..

Not to be too far off topic, but when it comes to these factors:

- Gas Mileage
- Emissions (eco-friendliness)
- Repair Cost (incl. part availability)
- Resale Value

...how can any domestic compare to an import?

I understand you're an enthusiast who likes things like style, power/speed, comfort, features, etc etc, but for the "average joe" who needs to city drive from A to B, but with respect to the listed criteria, can you sell me on a domestic?

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Not to be too far off topic, but when it comes to these factors:

- Gas Mileage
- Emissions (eco-friendliness)
- Repair Cost (incl. part availability)
- Resale Value

...how can any domestic compare to an import?

I understand you're an enthusiast who likes things like style, power/speed, comfort, features, etc etc, but for the "average joe" who needs to city drive from A to B, but with respect to the listed criteria, can you sell me on a domestic?

Besides resale value your list is inaccurate and complete ignorance. I don't even own a domestic and I know that's not true at all.

[automaton 3]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Not to be too far off topic, but when it comes to these factors:

- Gas Mileage
- Emissions (eco-friendliness)
- Repair Cost (incl. part availability)
- Resale Value

...how can any domestic compare to an import?

I understand you're an enthusiast who likes things like style, power/speed, comfort, features, etc etc, but for the "average joe" who needs to city drive from A to B, but with respect to the listed criteria, can you sell me on a domestic?

I've owned both imports and domestic cars, and can tell you for a fact that the imports were by far more expensive to repair and the parts availability generally sucked. I once had to order an airflow sensor for my Mazda Protege turbo straight from Japan, IIRC it cost a small fortune.

The domestics earned a well-deserved bad rap in the past but have IMO improved in terms of quality, reliability ect.

[Nuje]

My experience with domestics (whoa has this thread gone off the track or what?) includes some 1988 Chevrolets (Corsica and Beretta...they are the same car minus the body, and minor suspension differences)

Beretta - 325 000 kms last time I saw it. Suspension and steering = falling apart. Engine and gearbox (manual) flawless, all the while being poorly maintained by previous owners
Corsica - 245 000 kms. Engine went, this car was written off twice and sat for 4 years, got resurrected, then sat for another year after a month of driving. It was horribly maintained by my parents, and minimal investment made it a very comfortable drive for a while (new everything). Interior quality was dreadful however, plastic breaking everywhere, and the dash vinyl was going fast.

I had 2 Nissan 240sxs, which had about as much K or more than the Corsica, and were both in much better shape...minor problems with each.

All that said, the problems with the domestics I have seem to be something that may be better now. I don't think that a new Chevrolet will have a flaky interior in 10 years, however, you have to have a good 1.5-2 decades of 250 000km+ cars with very little problems before the resale value of your brand goes up. The Japanese made great cars for a while before they actually gained the reputation for it.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Besides resale value your list is inaccurate and complete ignorance. I don't even own a domestic and I know that's not true at all.

I didn't think I was making a claim either way.

Actually, I was being deliberately impartial with how I worded that question. I asked, based on those categories, if burn_this_city, whom I know to be a domestic enthusiast (he even posted a comment about the word "domestic" being blasphemy or some such around these parts, being CP...) could sell me on a domestic.

I don't see how there is any ignorance or untruths going on here?

[someguy51]

My wife and i bought a Prius just over a week ago. Our main reason was to reduce our environmental footprint. So far we are very pleased with it. On our way back from Lethbridge (on Monday) we filled up in Fort Macleod. The gas gage didn't loose any lines until yesterday.

We are also very pleasantly surprised with the interior. Its very roomy and we love the touchscreen display you can use to check your fuel economy, adjust the heat, control the stereo, etc. Its also very cool that many of the controls are also available on the steering wheel itself.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I didn't think I was making a claim either way.

Actually, I was being deliberately impartial with how I worded that question. I asked, based on those categories, if burn_this_city, whom I know to be a domestic enthusiast (he even posted a comment about the word "domestic" being blasphemy or some such around these parts, being CP...) could sell me on a domestic.

I don't see how there is any ignorance or untruths going on here?

Unless I took this part wrong....

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

...how can any domestic compare to an import?

[Daradon]

nm

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Unless I took this part wrong....

Sorry man, I still don't get it.

While I agree that the impartiality of the post is tinged a bit (thanks for pointing that out by the way), I still don't think it detracts from the spirit of the post.

I may, in fact, personally (holy comma splicing!), believe imports to be superior value for money across the board compared to domestics. However, in this case I was asking for someone to address the issue at hand while I had an open mind and thought the conversation was interesting.

Instead, you took my inital post completely out of context, called me ignorant, and so far have contributed nothing to the conversation.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Not to be too far off topic, but when it comes to these factors:

- Gas Mileage
- Emissions (eco-friendliness)
- Repair Cost (incl. part availability)
- Resale Value

...how can any domestic compare to an import?

I understand you're an enthusiast who likes things like style, power/speed, comfort, features, etc etc, but for the "average joe" who needs to city drive from A to B, but with respect to the listed criteria, can you sell me on a domestic?

I own both an import and domestic.

As an example, Chevrolet.

Points a and b:

http://www.autosavant.net/2008/04/br...most-fuel.html

http://www.chevrolet.com/fuelsolutions/ Hybrids, cars, trucks, small SUV's large SUV's, active fuel management shutting down cylinders if not needed, ethanol etc.

Point C: With some of the same factors that lead to more rapid deprecation of american cars, that being high production outstripping demand and lowering resale, the large production amounts also mean more parts, driving the price of parts down.

The new Mailbu is probably the nicest sub $30K cars I've ever sat in to boot.