Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Detroit Missed the Boat

Yahoo! News - Gas costs fuel hybrid sales as Detroit spins its wheels. Detroit seems to want to wait until there is customer demand despite a billion of our $$$ to develope hybrids. I'm not sure I understand the economics of paying $3,000 more for a used hybrid than you would for a new one. In fact, if the super-gas-efficient cars are that much higher than those with lesser efficiency, then does it make economical sense to buy one. Back in the dark ages, I made a choice to buy a full-size van with lousy gas mileage, rather than pay the extra $5,000 for the, then very, new Caravan. Looking at the gas mileage and mileage driven, I calculated it would take 7 years to make up the difference on gasoline savings. I was wrong, it took 9 years.

If I were in the market for a new car, I would consider the hybrid, but not at an added cost because of high demand. I'm also concerned about the operating cost of the hybrids. I understand replacing the battery pack isn't exactly cheap.

Guess I'll just continue to drive the SUV, which will pull my boat, or pull a trailer and wince when I buy gas. It's still less costly than buying a new car.

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