I would argue with that.
Civic EX $18,710
Civic Hybrid $22,600
Camry XLE 4 cyl: $24,900
Camry Hybrid: $26,200
Those seem to be the only ones that are similar enough to make a
reasonable comparison. A loaded Prius is in no way comparable to a
Corolla despite that price difference being frequently cited.
Over the years Mercedes has tried to tell people that their diesels
last no longer than their gasoline engines. There are much greater
stresses on them and even with the short oil change interval the oil
is much more toxic to the engine than that in the gasoline engines.
No one knows the lifetime of the current batteries. Recently I saw
that Toyota or Honda have not had to replace one yet with some of the
early Priuses over 250, 000 miles.
I am not saying I would prefer to drive a hybrid. Having an already
slow car transform into a 1978 Beetle lodged in the right lane going
over a long steep mountain pass grade because the battery is depleted
is not my idea of fun. I might prefer a diesel in that scenario. Just
saying that most of the arguments people have about costs are out of
date. If Auto Week's article was done before the Echo, gasoline was
less than $2/gal. and articles then said you would have to drive 7 or
8 years to recoup the increased price are no longer relevant.
Winsor
Long Beach, California, USA
On / July 2, 2007 CE, at 9:15 AM, Bill Pearce wrote:
> he premium for a diesel is 2-4,000USD, whereas the premium for the
> hybrid
> is more like $10,000. The diesel will outlast the hybrid's
> batteries, too.
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