My father in law has one, MANY of my freinds have them, they all like them, and my next vehicle will be one.

And that last bit, my good man, was a personal attack on a member here and that's simply not allowed. Goodbye, thanks for playing.

Two points:
1. Cite statistics to back this up please.
2. The hybrid power train warranty from Toyota is 8yr/100k miles.



The SUV hybrids have towing capacity ratings. The Hybrid Camry is computer limited to 120mph. It has a 0-60 time of 6-7 sec IIRC.

Yes, I'd love to have 40mpg full size pick up but that won't be for a while yet. The battery technology isn't there yet.

I've got a Toyota Hybrid Camry. City & highway mileages are both between middle 30's and very low 40's. My best highway result so fare is 41.2 mpg by the dash readout. The city mileage is 37+ for nine months out of the year. It drops in the winter by a couple miles per gallon due to having to run to keep the engine temp up for the heater in town. We haven't had any real winter weather down here since I got it to see how the traction performs.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

Now that's an image I can't get out of my mind (and brings back memories of some cats I went to school with).

I'm going to be chuckling all night long. After the day I've had, I needed that.

Thanks.

UTAlumnus, Should have been a little more specific. The newest vehicle i have ever purchased was almost 5 years old, the last one was 6 years old with around 80k on the odometer. While the battery may last quite a while past it's warranty period, i really doubt it. I have only had one car not have a battery fail in within 6 months after i bought it. Maybe after the hybrids have established a longer term track record, ten to fifteen years, i might change my mind. Will have to wait and see.

The SUV's are ok, but they will not haul what my truck will in the back. And my full size truck with a V8 struggles when i have my 6x18 tandem axle trailer behind it especially with the Kubota on it.

The Camery may be quick by the numbers, but it is not a sports car. It's not rear wheel drive, weight distribution is not good (doesn't handle well), the top doesn't drop, and it's like sitting in your living room while driving down the road. Maybe haul but is the wrong word set, spirited driving is more like it. And while i would not mind having a truck with four doors, my current one has three, i can't bring myself to buy a car that is available with four doors.

I can see the hybrid batteries failing early or right on time too, but that's just another consideration someone has to make when deciding to purchase one. Like most cars and trucks, about the time the warranty expires, you're going to have to spend a little because....well, because that's why warranties expire when they do

I'm waiting too to see how manufacturers respond to these problems as the years go by. Plus, as more are made and bought and sold, not only will they get better but they'll get cheaper too. Or, at least, they'll get more comparable to their conventional counterparts.

Interestingly, we're finalizing a deal on a new car today! Our first concentrated effort at buying with economy in mind. No, I won;t tell you what brand/model we're getting, because you guys will burn me up in flames! But we did consider the hybrid version of the vehicle. It's just too expensive relative to the conventional model to justify the expense. Maybe in a few years and when the MFRs have gained more wisdom with these cars.....

Different kind of batteries though. The starting battery in your car is a very old lead acid technology and used hard and not really maintained well compared to a smart battery charger.
But WRT hybrid car batteries the big issue isn't having to replace it after warranty, its the size and cost of the job.
Any vehicle I've owned I could rebuild an engine or transmission for under $1000 should it completely die but to replace the battery pack in a hybrid is a major expense which will probably be more than the blue book value of the car.

Yes the batteries are different, i don't know if the lead acids are not used because it is old tech. Thought the problem with lead acids is more along the lines of heavy tech. Pasted plate starting batteries are not made to be cycled to any depth, deep cycles makes the paste fall off the plates. Makes the battery fail quickly. Good deep cycle batteries, forklift batteries, will handle years of cycles before needing replacement. But a small forklift battery weights half as much as my car. And the heavier the car is the less fuel efficient the car is as a rule. But if hybrids used lead acid batteries i might have more faith in the long term viability of the car. The problem i see down the road, other than the replacement cost of a new battery, is when the car is 10 to 15 years old the battery fails and you go to the dealer and ask for a new battery. And they smile and say we don't make that part anymore. You now have a nice hybrid boat anchor.

You are also correct, if the maker still has the battery years down the road it will cost more than the car is worth for replacement and installation.

No, I wouldn't buy or own one. They push the pollution upstream, I understand that they are far dirtier (less green) than a normal internal combustion engine.

If I was worried about being green or whatever, I'd get a diesel, but I'm not worried about it either way. Lots of cars get mileage that approaches that of hybrids. Getting very high mpg's just isn't that important, many other factors are.