Hybrid Car Ownership Update
I've owned two Hybrid Cars — first a Honda Insight, then a Honda Civic Hybrid when I needed more room for kids :-). Since it has now been about five years since I started down this road, I felt it was time for a bit of an updated.
The first thing most people want to know is how is the mileage? There's been much said about these cars not living up to EPA estimates, but I'm happy to say that in my case at least both cars seem to hit their marks. My Insight consistently got 55 MPG, +/5 depending on use. This Civic Hybrid isn't quite as efficient, though it still turns in a respectable 40-45 MPG tank after tank.
Happily, I don't have a lot of tankfuls of data. Both cars were/are daily commuters, but I wind up filling my tank only about once a month. Even with gas prices at $3/gallon, I'm just not spending much on fuel. California car insurance rates seem generally high, but both cars are small and safe, and my rates seem to compare quite reasonably with "traditional" cars.
Finally there's reliability. I've had two problems — one with each car — in five years. The Civic Hybrid needed an alignment and new tires after three years (blame the bad roads I guess). The Insight was rear-ended while I was on the way to trade the car in (really no kidding). After spending two weeks at the car repair shop, it seemed good as new. So nothing I can blame on the cars.
In addition I've recently added the California carpool lane stickers, so I can now travel alone in diamond lanes, which feels odd at first, but trust me -- you adapt quickly!
So let's see -- Two reliable, not lemon cars; cheap vehicles to operate, and insure; environmentally friendly; carpool lane access -- oh and I also got a $2000 federal tax deduction and a $1000 state rebate check (twice -- once for each car).
Summary: couldn't be much happier.
Categories: life
