I'l admit that through this thread, I'm getting more convinced about the benefits of a hybrid and if bought new by me I wouldn't worry about the battery life. But if I buy at 5 years old which is what I've usually done, how do I know what state the battery is in ? I'm thinking a plug in hybrid could have been abused but a normal hybrid like a Toyota which self manages the battery state of charge would be a safer bet.
Would you buy a hybrid?
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Professional mechanic here. On my second hybrid. Plug-in hybrids at that.
I’d buy another Prius without thinking twice. I’d also buy a Ford hybrid as when I was still in the dealer system we just didn’t see many problems from Fusion, Escape and C max hybrids. I probably will not buy another CDJR product hybrid or otherwise and I’ll get rid of this one before the warranty is up.
So your a mechanic but only wants a hybrid in warranty? Isn’t that the same as not wanting one?
Chrysler problems, not necessarily hybrid problems. That’s why I said no more CDJR products for me.
Definite NO!
Yes, plan to if Toyota ever extends their low interest deals to the Prius.
I like the concept of plug-in hybrids (specifically for a truck which is what I drive), but in practice am not interested. I went out of my way to get the most basic and reliable truck possible. A hybrid would roughly double my potential points of failure.
That's why I bought a Toyota hybrid; they have the experience and reliability. Toyota makes the best hybrids. I just drove our RX450h 90 miles from home to Petaluma (wine country). Dang thing is really nice!
Even a Tundra or Tacoma hybrid (if they built one) I would be skeptical of. Trucks have been a tough segment with all the emissions regulations.
Points of failure? I bought a used Prius and drove it for 5 years. Never took it to the dealer. I think I changed the oil something like three or four times. I ignored the thing and just drove it and there was not a single problem or failure of any type. Nothing. And if you're worried about the battery. There are a bazillion Priuses of every age floating around and plenty of junkyards that have perfectly good or remanufactured batteries for something like $600. These concerns that people keep mentioning on these threads really do not exist at all and really amounts to some sort of stubborn clinging to the idea that new technology is somehow bad. What's bad is crappy outdated old technology that doesn't work very well.
Curious what the mileage is like. I think one of these things might be my next vehicle. Thank you. Also let me know where you bought it. I live in the Sacramento area.
You seem to be misunderstanding what I said. I am far from thinking technology is bad. If you knew what I did for a living you would actually laugh at that statement lol. There are very few trucks on the market that are hybrids. Those that are, have proven unreliable.
Fair enough. No disrespect intended, there's just a lot of comments on this thread sort of implying politics or just being salty about hybrid technology. Haven't really kept up with which trucks do or don't have hybrid technology. But generally, I trust Toyota above pretty much any other manufacturer for quality and reliability.
It is really how the manufacturer design and build them that make or break them.
Nissan failed in both EV (Leaf) and gas car (CVT), and I would trust a proven Prius any day despite "in theory" hybrid have more things to break than both EV and gas car.
It was actually the 6.0L they went for many reasons one being that they still wanted to have a decent tow rating and some of the features on the motor was not shared across the other traditional V8's (4.8/5.3/6.2). A lot more to it but they did originally plan on a 5.3 and was scrapped in favor of the 6.0L they built just for the hybrids.
Here is a link with some info about the vehicles: https://www.motortrend.com/news/gm-two-mode-hybrid-technology-of-the-year/
We were at Carmax tonight. I’d wanted to sit in (and drive if we could find a salesman) an X3. We sat in a bunch of different vehicles. Then we drove to the Toyota dealer and browsed through the new Tacomas trying to understand the pricing.
There was something almost odd about the X3… like the steering column was canted 3 degrees to the right … the right side of the wheel was closer to me than the left, and it was weird. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the vehicle, but something seemed off.
If I had to buy a vehicle right now, it would be another rav4 hybrid. It drives better than the gasser. Immediate power on tap, playful. Growls at you when it revs out. Corners quite well. (I wouldn’t be the typical RAV owner). The mpg is 39+. Also, they claim it’s tuned for cheap gas, but it sounds more musical and less raspy with premium, and the mileage is increasing on this tank for her. They may be aggressive with the advance curve on it.
It’s the AWD (electric) which really seems to bias its handling. The rear axle gets the most action during the throttle pedal transitions, like as you are first taking off, and if you goose it while already rolling. It does not seem to push the vehicle much while underway. It will scratch the rear tires if pulling out while steering, so I know it’s participating at low speeds with some oomf.
So yes, I’d definitely consider it. There’s a lot of freedom going 450 miles on 11 gallons of gas.
OTOH, premium models with hybrid tech seem unapproachable to afford.
There was something almost odd about the X3… like the steering column was canted 3 degrees to the right … the right side of the wheel was closer to me than the left, and it was weird. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the vehicle, but something seemed off.
If I had to buy a vehicle right now, it would be another rav4 hybrid. It drives better than the gasser. Immediate power on tap, playful. Growls at you when it revs out. Corners quite well. (I wouldn’t be the typical RAV owner). The mpg is 39+. Also, they claim it’s tuned for cheap gas, but it sounds more musical and less raspy with premium, and the mileage is increasing on this tank for her. They may be aggressive with the advance curve on it.
It’s the AWD (electric) which really seems to bias its handling. The rear axle gets the most action during the throttle pedal transitions, like as you are first taking off, and if you goose it while already rolling. It does not seem to push the vehicle much while underway. It will scratch the rear tires if pulling out while steering, so I know it’s participating at low speeds with some oomf.
So yes, I’d definitely consider it. There’s a lot of freedom going 450 miles on 11 gallons of gas.
OTOH, premium models with hybrid tech seem unapproachable to afford.
I prefer to avoid added complexity whenever possible. I would be happy to lease one if I were the kind of person who leases cars, but I'm not. I definitely won’t buy a used one.
Up till recently most hybrids use NiMh batteries and I learned in my school days that they have been testing them by dunking the entire pack in swimming pool full of chlorine and salt, and they still didn't get overheated.
I think one of the reason Toyota and others are reluctant in jumping into Li Ion is they don't have the same confidence as NiMh until recently. Or that the headlines in news would be from those 300 miles EV than a 40 miles plug in they are making.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
Talked to a guy down on the coast while we were filling up. He had a Volt - found out I knew where he had a house on the river …
He had a huge boat barn with an offshore boat (3x300 HP)
Asked him how he got it there ? Hired a guy with an F450 …
The volt was his only vehicle
