Fun with hybrids and math

[garote]

Sierra Autocars offers a "certified" used 2006 Honda Accord, with 35,000 miles on it, for $14,000.

This vehicle gets 29mpg average between highway and city driving.

Sierra Autocars also offers a brand new 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid, with 0 miles on it, for $24,320.

This vehicle gets 43mpg average.

(Sierra does not offer "used" hybrids. No one does.)

Purchased outright (with no loan and interest payments), the used Accord costs $10,320 less than the new hybrid.

The hybrid goes 43 miles on one gallon of gas. To go 43 miles in the used Accord, it would take approximately 1.5 gallons of gas. A gallon of gas costs about $3.20.

So if you bought the Accord instead of the hybrid, you would lose $1.60 for every 43 miles you drove.

How far would you need to drive the Accord before you burn through the money you saved up front?

$10320 price difference, divided by $1.60, times 43 miles, equals 277,350 miles.

So you'd have to drive the accord 277,350 miles, or until the odometer reads 312,350, before the Accord becomes a poorer deal.

I don't think hybrid vehicles will be in my life for the next couple of years.

Comments

[garote]

I stand corrected - it is possible to buy a used Toyota Prius for a comparable sum.
For example, a 2006 model with 63k miles on it sells for $16000, and gets 46mpg.

To eliminate the $2000 difference you'd only need to drive the Accord 50,000 miles. Not bad.

[sherrila.livejournal.com]

Ah, ah! *eyebrow waggles*

[conflictdswitch.livejournal.com]

I'm waiting to see how they do in the used market. Especially when the batteries start degrading to the point where they can't hold a charge.

[garote]

You're referring to all-electric vehicles? Typically the batteries are swapped out for a large service fee. They last many years, however.

[conflictdswitch.livejournal.com]

I thought hybrids had a bank of batteries in them. I guess I got my research leads crossed. 8\

[garote]

Oh you're right, they do. But degradation in a modern hybrid is a much less serious issue.

[robocowboy.livejournal.com]

My Prius batteries came with a 10 year / 120,000 mile warranty standard. That's specific to the hybrid system batteries and separate from the warranties that cover other parts of the car. Basically, no need to worry about the batteries for a good long time.

[mommadona.livejournal.com]

add the 4 grand you'll need to drop on a new battery in a few years for the hybrid to that 24,320... and yeah, totally agree with you, the $$ incentive isn't there...

[maggiedacatt.livejournal.com]

Not everyone does it solely for the money saved.

But don't forget that there's a tax rebate for buying hybrids... and you get to drive in the diamond lane.

[garote]

Yeah. Some people do it for the image. I wonder if they consider whether it's better for the environment to cause a whole additional car to be manufactured (the hybrid) than to purchase and use one that already exists (the accord).

[robocowboy.livejournal.com]

Well, I wanted a new car specifically because I'd already been through three used cars and was sick and tired of buying somebody else's problem. I bought a new Prius in 2005. I understand fully how manufacturing a new car, especially one with large quantities of purified lithium, is no help to the environment. I didn't buy it to save the environment, though putting out extremely low emissions is nice, long term. I didn't buy it for image or status, in fact I've received more lectures and complaints than compliments about it. I'm not even interested in defending the fact that I just thought it was a nice car when I bought it and that's basically as far as I thought it out.

I will say that on long trips, it's pretty damn nice to be able to drive 500 miles on a tank rather than 300 miles.

[garote]

Agreed.
Remember when La and I were all ooohing and aaahing over the interior of your car? We'd never ridden in a prius before, and at the time, I didn't even know it was a hybrid until you told me.
That ride stuck in my head and is actually one of the reasons I'm looking right now. As you know, we lost the Accord in an accident earlier this year, and have been driving the van around ever since, with it's horrendous 15mpg.

[monkinnabeanpod.livejournal.com]

and some people drive them because they're great but still have OTHER people pull off the highway just to throw rocks at em in their hybrid...

[garote]

Yeah. The people who drive SUVs and the people who drive hybrids ought to all get together and have a music festival, somewhere in Wyoming.

Then the people in the hybrids can give rides to the people whose SUVs ran out of gas enroute.