Hybrids *can* be good sometimes, not for everyone. (Score 2)

I can't speak for any hybrid owners, since I don't know any, but I bought a 2002 Acura RSX Type S new in early 2002. For those that may not be familiar with this car, it's essentially just a souped-up Honda Civic with a nicer interior. It's been a great car and is a blast to drive. It's roughly the same size as a Prius. Base price was about $22,500, or about $2k more than a base 2002 Prius. I don't know what the standard features and available options were on the Prius, but there wasn't too much to add to the Acura. An underbody kit, spoiler, and fog lights were about it. The car has been averaging about 30mpg, with the best I ever achieved being 39mpg on a road trip. Most of my driving is "surburban". Not stop-and-go like in a city, but not mostly highway, either.

Where I'm going with this is that the absolute costs for a 2002 Prius versus my RSX would not have been significantly different, especially spread out over the 10 years that I have owned my car. And on top of that, the RSX is *far* more enjoyable to drive than any Prius.

If you live in the city, than a hybrid can make a lot sense. A small diesel would get you almost as good mileage, with a lower up front cost and, probably, lower lifetime maintenance costs.

Do I think hybrids are here to stay? Of course! Do I think that they're over-hyped? Absolutely. For specific types of driving styles and habits, they *can* save you some money if you keep them long enough or put enough miles on them. In my particular case, I want to own a vehicle that I enjoy driving. I don't want a "supercar", but I do want a car than has some modicum of performance. The base hybrids that I've seen so far, for the most part, don't.

Just looking at current models, a 2012 Prius "Level 5" with a few options lists for about $33k. A Honda Civic sedan specced out roughly the same lists for about $24k. That's $9k in difference just to get a hybrid. You better keep it for a pretty long time or put a lot of miles on it to recoup that upfront cost. If you end up financing it, it's even worse, since you get to pay interest on that additional up-front cost, too.