What is the best type of hybrid car or alternate fuel vehicle to buy? Why?

Question

Ive heard SO many diferent views on hybrids as to which is REALLY the best to buy...such as Ive heard that some of them arent very good on gas milege or dont have much power due to less power? Im not looking to buy a new car jsut yet as we are currently buying a house but will be in the next few years so I thought I should start researching now...any info is greatly appreciated Thank You ♥

Answer 1

A bicycle

Answer 2

I'm glad that you are considering to get a hybrid car.

Most hybrids are good for environment, and I would say the the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic.

Answer 3

You buy a Hybrid you will still be relying on foreign oil. You may not buy gas as often but you are still buying gas.

The Future is in Ethanol, Bio-Diesel, and Hydrogen.

I drive a 2007 Jeep Commander with the FlexFuel 4.7L V8. I buy the E85, only lose 1-2 mpg and save 30-80 cents per gallon.

When people with Hybrids give me c**p for driving an SUV, I tell them that i get over 100 mpg for gas. The rest comes off a Farm. in a 20 gal tank only 3 gallons is gas. I average about 320 miles per tank of E85, that roughly works out to 16 mpg, for a V8 that is good. If I use regualr gas i will get about 340 miles to a tank.

Answer 4

While I am a more into vehicles. The best thing you can do for the environment is to invest in your house.

Firstly look for a house that is closer to the places you need to travel regularly. This will reduce the energy/pollution that you will need for transport. If you get close enough you may be able to get by with one less car in the family or better still none.

Secondly setting your house up with insulation, natural heating and cooling systems, solar hot water maybe a wind or solar electric system will save money pollution and energy.

The three r's are Reduce Reuse Recycle. Some times you can reduce enough not to need it at all.

There are quite a few things in the development stage at the moment. If you have a few years wait and see. There is nothing wrong with Prius or Civic Hybrid (or most of the others) at present. There are a heap of things that could hit the market in the next few years that could be even better.

There is a lot of hype around at the moment.  There are promising developments that should make the leap from the drawing board to reality. Then there are others that are at just scams. Time will sort the real from the fake.

Answer 5

Certainly if you are in a hurry to acquire one of the current over priced inefficient "hybrids" now in production, I would say it is a waste of your money.  If you are willing to wait a bit, go to this site at:

http://www.theaircar.com/ to see a reasonable alternative that you can get your name on a waiting list.  The list is to notify you once production begins, without an obligation to purchase the vehicle.  No pollution, no waste in the fuel of fossil fuel!

Answer 6

A Toyota Prius, because 60 miles to the gallon. That catches anyones eye.

Also:

-Nissan Altima Hybrid

-Toyota Camry Hybrid

-Ford Escape Hybrid

-etc.

Answer 7

pushbike,

hybrid cars are a joke.

Answer 8

There isn't a good hybrid car produced yet.  They call them "hybrid" because a true genre hasn't been produced yet.

The current generation of hybrids utilize a low-efficiency gasoline engine as its power source.  

Future generations will have multiple high-efficiency engines and use compressed air as the medium instead of electricity which has to be stored in heavy inefficient batteries.  

Im waiting for something better to come along before I jump in a buy some stupid boat anchor.

.

Answer 9

A more important choice to make, for the environment and your pocketbook, would be to invest money into the "greening up" of your house.

The car you choose will be directly impacted by what you need it for.

Answer 10

Buy a used Geo Metro or Suzuki Swift, then google biogeo and switch the Petrol motor to run on biodiesel.  Use bio diesel and used motor oil at  90%10% ratio and get 100mpg with 4 people in the car at 70mph all day long.

Answer 11

Get a used Chevy S-10 from 2000-2002, the 4cyl.  It can use E-85, and is handy for errands and such.  Wait 5 years, then get the Tesla White Star electric sedan, since the roadster is too much money.  When you build the house, consider the following:

1.  Try not to build where there can be no outbuildings, or where solar or wind power is prohibited by silly housing development contracts.

2.  Consult with an environmental engineer about how to build the house to take advantage of alternative energy sources.

3.  If you can swing it, skip the grid entirely and just go with the turbine or solar.  No blackouts, no bills.  

5.  Skip number four, there was no number 4.  

6.  If you can't swing #3, but are about half way there, get a solar system that hooks into the grid, and sells your energy back to the company.

Good luck, and feel free to comment on my blog below

Answer 12

The Swiss government recently commissioned a study which determined that the Toyota Prius is the greenest car on the planet:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070727/sc_n...

Plus it's dependable because Toyota is a very good company and the batteries will last the lifetime of the car, plus they're fully recycleable.

The next-best available in the US is the Honda Civic hybrid, which is comparable to the Prius, but isn't quite as efficient in fuel mileage.  There are a few small cars which beat the Civic in the Swiss study such as the Fiat Punto, but they're not sold in the US.

The Prius is a great car - I've owned one since February and I highly recommend it!