[jdawson1960]

I am getting ready to buy another car now. When gas prices were $4 plus, I was really thinking about buying a hybrid. Now with gas prices back down to $2 or less, should I.

I understand the environment situation, however with the cost of a hybrid being $5k plus more, I will never make the money back over the life of the 4-5 years I am going to keep the car.

So any feedback of your experience owning a hybrid, or why I should or shoulnt would be appreciated.

[ebaines]

The payback for the extra expense of the hybrid over regular gasoline engine is difficult to quantify, and depends on factors such as what kind of driving you do and how long you plan to own your car. Hybrids excel in stop & go driving, but if you do a lot of highway driving you will get no better mileage with a hybrid than you would with an equivalent size and horsepower gasoline engine. I think most people who buy hybrids aren't looking purely at the ecomomics of it, but rather are persuaded by the chance to be publicly "socially responsible" driving a car that has fewer emissions, or who prefer to send their dollars to auto makers rather than the OPEC countries. I like to think of the hybrid as another feature of the car, like air conditioning, leather seats, or a tricked out stereo - you can't economically justify any of them either, but people love 'em.