Buying a Hybrid or Electric car - advice required please

Tobster86

What's your motivation for this?

If it's environmental, nothing beats running an existing car on vegetable oil, although suitable cars are generally manufactured before 2001. Suitable cars are indirect injection (or some VW TDI) engines with Bosch injector pumps. You can legally use 2500l tax free per year.

Alternatively a more modern diesel and make your own biodiesel; the initial outlay is very expensive and it takes a lot of time, space & care to do properly. If not done properly you'll kill your engine at best or blow up your shed at worst.

If it's financial,
You will never recoup on depreciation from a new car, no matter how economical.
If it doesn't have to be brand new, 70+ mpg is achievable from many few year old cars that are a lot cheaper and just as well screwed together; e.g. VW Polo bluemotion.

Yolina

The above is absolutely true.

I guess my case was a bit different in that none of it applies. Previous car was over 10 years old, and although nothing particularly wrong with it, I decided that it was time to change it and that for once I would buy brand new - absolutely not MSE but it had been planned for and the money saved up... I have no debt, the only money I've ever borrowed was the mortgage and I paid that off early quite a few years ago, my outgoings are quite low and so I've got savings a plenty - on that basis a new car was going to be my little indulgence (whilst still remaining sensible about it and not spending more than half the money I had saved up just by not having to pay for the mortgage anymore )

I don't really do the mileage or kind of driving best suited for a diesel so it was *always* going to be a petrol. Tried the hybrid out of curiosity and I liked it enough to buy it.
Got very close to 80mpg yesterday, so I am certainly getting better at that.

steve-L

Yolina wrote: »

Well I decided to save up and splurge on a brand new car, I test drove several, including the Yaris hybrid and rather liked it, so got one managed just shy of 70mpg today over a 12 miles trip and certainly not complaining (and just as well given the rather small 36L tank I have :rotfl: )

That's better than my 3.0L ..... nearly 10MPG better! I only get 60MPG on motorways/A roads

None of the hybrid owners who have posted on this thread have mentioned anything about "saving the planet" so I think you're off the mark there maybe

I don't see the whole life cycle as saving the planet....

Car's start off with someone mining raw iron ore, drilling for oil to make plastics etc.
Hybrids also add mining for the parts for batteries.....

Present technology doesn't seem there on batteries..... so when they go they need to be replaced or the car scrapped.
Because of the huge cost of the batteries and huge depreciation it may turn out that scrapping is the most economical.

Yes, a lot of cars are recycled but that still involves melting down the metal parts again and the associated pollution. Including dragging it round the world to be recycled... often to some third world dump (pun intended) that buries the non-recyclable toxic parts and has kids burning the rubber and plastic away..... where kids breath in the toxic fumes, lose limbs and generally pay for 'our carbon tax' with their health.

Meanwhile, we seem to be on a drive for disposable cars, washing machines, fridge freezers....printers (where the carts cost nearly as much as the new printer)

IMHO we would be better building cars to last.... make them easier to repair not harder or uneconomical.... ensure we are using renewable biofuel and most specifically (The UK imports most from Brazil) biofuel that is made from crops on deforested rain forest!

I don't think the drive to smaller (more worked) engines is a good idea except for cars to be used in cities only....A modern 2.0D can get 70MPG+ and run off recycled cooking oil....

Just my 2c but saving the planet probably means more than changing your local carbon tax.... becase it just gets shifted elsewhere.

Yolina

steve-L wrote: »

Meanwhile, we seem to be on a drive for disposable cars, washing machines, fridge freezers....printers (where the carts cost nearly as much as the new printer)

I usually keep cars until they're about 10 years old (and certainly expect to keep the hybrid for that length of time too), my home appliances are all 14 years old and my boiler is in its 22nd year :rotfl:

IMHO we would be better building cars to last.... make them easier to repair not harder or uneconomical.

I do agree, but since unfortunately our whole economy is pretty much based on consuming, I can't see that happening.

steve-L

Yolina wrote: »

I usually keep cars until they're about 10 years old (and certainly expect to keep the hybrid for that length of time too), my home appliances are all 14 years old and my boiler is in its 22nd year :rotfl:



I do agree, but since unfortunately our whole economy is pretty much based on consuming, I can't see that happening.

A bit off topic but since you bought the car now.....

It's people like you (and me) that can actually change this, or at least what of it is left!
I liken it to Douglas Adam's 'Last chance to see', except it's last chance to BUY....

Saab used to make cars that were renowned for strength and longevity. Course they have gone out of business so last chance to buy has gone.

Meille still make whitegoods designed to last.....
Kodak have finally restarted making printers with cartidges that last... and selling the printer, not giving it away to make money on cartridges.... and you can get a laser printer, even in colour for less than £100 that will be good for 500,000 pages with only 5 toner carts!

I'm going to class you as comfortably off (since you just paid out for a new car) which means you and I can actually buy things that are designed to last (wherever we find them).

We can afford to pay more up front than people who are forced via the poverty trap to take what they can. Meanwhile your old boiler and white-goods at least set a standard.

We can afford cheaper heating, lighting because we can buy the better quality to start off. My brother heats a 6 bed barn with Sauna and swimming pool for less than my mum heats a 3 bed terrace..... all down to his affording to put in the best technology in boilers, individual timed and remote thermostats and insulation.

Unless we continue to buy the quality, built to last and don't care if its this years model items then they will go the way of Saab etc.

bloghog

I am not sure that the technology is there yet, close but a modern diesel or petrol can work out more economical. The batteries on these cars weigh a LOT. Lugging that weight around uses a lot of energy and the battery life is not that long (5 years) and replacement batteries are £1,000's.
On the other hand gliding around in near silence must be nice

Yolina

Comes with 8 years/100,000 miles warranty on the hybrid battery 5 years on the rest.

For the Yaris hybrid, they've redesigned the system so that it's smaller and lighter than previously (and fits under the rear seats without encroaching on the boot space) but yes, you do have a fair bit of extra weight to carry round because of it.

I have to say that the first few times in stealth mode, it's just so weird but so nice at the same time. I'm used to it now though. I think it's fair to say that I am happy with my purchase

bloghog

The 8 year, 100,000 mile battery warranty sounds good, I did not know that they did that. I guess that means they are getting more reliable or long lasting.

victor2

Yolina wrote: »

I have to say that the first few times in stealth mode, it's just so weird but so nice at the same time. I'm used to it now though. I think it's fair to say that I am happy with my purchase

Certainly a bit weird, but can be dangerous too. Try reversing out of a supermarket bay with no engine noise. Shoppers just walk straight behind you because they look with their ears rather than their eyes and don't realise your reversing and brake lights mean you're moving!

Yolina

Well they never really paid attention anyway even when I had a "normal" petrol car :rotfl: ... But definitely being extra careful in car parks with pedestrians about, though happy to report no issues with that so far I guess it's something people will get used to and learn to look out for eventually.