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Post by maryland on Jun 11, 2020 18:35:09 GMT
My minivan is 16 yrs. old with a lot of miles! We will probably have to get a new one this year. My husband wants another Toyota Siena minivan. He found out that after this year, they will all be hybrids. I know nothing about that as our cars are all between 12-16 yrs. old.
If you have a hybrid, what are the pros and cons? This is a stupid question, but I am a stupid person when it comes to vehicles. Would we have to plug in the car to a battery? I worry that we will be out of town, and go to leave and the car won't start. I can picture myself forgetting to plug it in. Again, I know absolutely nothing about electric cars!
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Post by librarylady on Jun 11, 2020 19:00:43 GMT
If it is a hybrid, it uses both electricity and gasoline. No need to plug it in.
If it is a total electric--then you need to plug it in.
I am the happy owner of a Ford Fusion hybrid, since 2010. Sometimes I get 54 mpg around town.
The car components automatically know when to use gas (fuel) and when to use electricity. All you have to do is drive.
I am sure things are even more economical than they were when I purchased mine.
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Jun 11, 2020 19:09:31 GMT
Please be sure to research reliability, common repairs and costs to repair. DH will tell you that when faced with repairs, a lot of people spend more money fixing a hybrid than they ever saved in gas
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Post by maryland on Jun 11, 2020 20:34:29 GMT
If it is a hybrid, it uses both electricity and gasoline. No need to plug it in. If it is a total electric--then you need to plug it in. I am the happy owner of a Ford Fusion hybrid, since 2010. Sometimes I get 54 mpg around town. The car components automatically know when to use gas (fuel) and when to use electricity. All you have to do is drive. I am sure things are even more economical than they were when I purchased mine. Thanks for your reply! So you continue to get gas as usual, but it doesn't use as much? How to you "support" the electric part of it? I don't know how to phrase what I am trying to ask. Like you do you keep it from running out of the electricity portion? do you just buy new batteries more often than with a regular car?
I heard they are much more expensive. How many years of gas savings does it take to justify the higher price? My husband just bought a brand new car he picks up next week. I don't want to spend so much on a hybrid since he got an expensive car. But our van is no longer safe enough for a trip.
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Post by maryland on Jun 11, 2020 20:35:31 GMT
Please be sure to research reliability, common repairs and costs to repair. DH will tell you that when faced with repairs, a lot of people spend more money fixing a hybrid than they ever saved in gas Thanks, good idea! Reliability is one of the things we look at when we buy a car. My husband relies completely on consumer reports, so I will check what they say. |
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Post by librarylady on Jun 11, 2020 20:35:54 GMT
Repairs: Maybe I have just been lucky, but the only repair we have made in 10 years is getting the airbag replaced (mfg problem that most cars had)
We put about 60,000 miles on it in the first 2-3 years. From Dallas we went to Canada, Florida, Missouri, Wyoming and the Grand Canyon...not to mention trips around Texas. It has about 80,000 now. The car was used for our bucket list travels and I have not been on the road as much. It is used mainly for "around the city" driving now.
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Post by librarylady on Jun 11, 2020 20:44:18 GMT
If it is a hybrid, it uses both electricity and gasoline. No need to plug it in. If it is a total electric--then you need to plug it in. I am the happy owner of a Ford Fusion hybrid, since 2010. Sometimes I get 54 mpg around town. The car components automatically know when to use gas (fuel) and when to use electricity. All you have to do is drive. I am sure things are even more economical than they were when I purchased mine. Thanks for your reply! So you continue to get gas as usual, but it doesn't use as much? How to you "support" the electric part of it? I don't know how to phrase what I am trying to ask. Like you do you keep it from running out of the electricity portion? do you just buy new batteries more often than with a regular car?
I heard they are much more expensive. How many years of gas savings does it take to justify the higher price? My husband just bought a brand new car he picks up next week. I don't want to spend so much on a hybrid since he got an expensive car. But our van is no longer safe enough for a trip.
It has 2 batteries. One is the battery such as a regular car has--the other is the battery that runs the engine. When your car stops at a stop light it recharges the "big" battery. It charges the big battery at other times as well, but the owner does not have to worry about it. In 10 years, we have not had to replace it or even get a message that we should be concerned. I was concerned about it when we were shopping for a car. A friend had a Prius that she had driven for 10+ years and never changed out the "big battery."
As for how long to recoup the cost--that depends on what you purchase and your driving patterns. It is also hard for me to answer because I purchased lots of extras on my car as I thought it would be the last car I ever purchased.
That is another consideration--will you be doing "in city" driving or "on the highway" driving? Those will affect your economy.
When we did our road trips, I could drive 62 mph and get fantastic mpg. In the city, around 42 mph gives me great mileage. As you drive you learn which speeds give you the best mileage.
Since you want a van--your information may be very different that what it is for a sedan.
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Post by mrgiedrnkr on Jun 11, 2020 20:56:25 GMT
My husband has had a hybrid accord for about 7 years with no issues. He is over 100k miles. We just bought a Toyota Highlander hybrid and I love it. 3rd row and good gas mileage for an suv but not nearly as good as his car. We did buy Toyota’s extended service plan and. I think they just upgraded the hybrid component of the warranty. I really wanted a hybrid and he really wanted a 3rd row so we both got what we wanted, Well, neither of us wanted the payment though.  Stacy |
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peaname
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,389
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Post by peaname on Jun 11, 2020 21:03:46 GMT
My husband wants another Toyota Siena minivan.
What do you want? I personally drive a minivan and I get that they're great for kids but my kids are 11 and 13 so I only plan to keep this van for 2-3 more years. How old are your kids? If the idea of a hybrid concerns you there are many certified used Sienas out there. |
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anniebeth24
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by anniebeth24 on Jun 11, 2020 21:32:30 GMT
I have a hybrid Ford. Great mileage especially when driving 45 mph or less around town. Extremely reliable, no major repairs at 85k miles.
Like others said, you don't choose when you're in gas v electric mode, the car does it for you. The battery is somehow charged by energy created during braking. It's magic to me as I don't understand the science.
Electric mode is eerily quiet and I have to drive extra cautiously in parking lots because people walking don't hear me coming!
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Post by maryland on Jun 11, 2020 22:47:29 GMT
I have a hybrid Ford. Great mileage especially when driving 45 mph or less around town. Extremely reliable, no major repairs at 85k miles. Like others said, you don't choose when you're in gas v electric mode, the car does it for you. The battery is somehow charged by energy created during braking. It's magic to me as I don't understand the science. Electric mode is eerily quiet and I have to drive extra cautiously in parking lots because people walking don't hear me coming! Oh I never thought of that (quiet in parking lot!). Thanks for pointing that out. I will be more careful in parking lots while walking. But I can't park, so I always park far away so I can pull through. So that will help. So is that the only con? Thanks for your input!
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Post by maryland on Jun 11, 2020 23:00:08 GMT
Thanks for your reply! So you continue to get gas as usual, but it doesn't use as much? How to you "support" the electric part of it? I don't know how to phrase what I am trying to ask. Like you do you keep it from running out of the electricity portion? do you just buy new batteries more often than with a regular car?
I heard they are much more expensive. How many years of gas savings does it take to justify the higher price? My husband just bought a brand new car he picks up next week. I don't want to spend so much on a hybrid since he got an expensive car. But our van is no longer safe enough for a trip.
It has 2 batteries. One is the battery such as a regular car has--the other is the battery that runs the engine. When your car stops at a stop light it recharges the "big" battery. It charges the big battery at other times as well, but the owner does not have to worry about it. In 10 years, we have not had to replace it or even get a message that we should be concerned. I was concerned about it when we were shopping for a car. A friend had a Prius that she had driven for 10+ years and never changed out the "big battery."
As for how long to recoup the cost--that depends on what you purchase and your driving patterns. It is also hard for me to answer because I purchased lots of extras on my car as I thought it would be the last car I ever purchased.
That is another consideration--will you be doing "in city" driving or "on the highway" driving? Those will affect your economy.
When we did our road trips, I could drive 62 mph and get fantastic mpg. In the city, around 42 mph gives me great mileage. As you drive you learn which speeds give you the best mileage.
Since you want a van--your information may be very different that what it is for a sedan.
Great information! I appreciate your input! I heard that when you stop at a stoplight, the car "turns off". My kids say that would probably freak me out! Haha! I know this sounds crazy, but I always keep an eye on the rear view mirror when I am at a stoplight. So what if a car doesn't see me (on their phone) and I have to take off in a hurry? I know, dumb question, but when we are paying so much for a vehicle, I want to love it. |
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Post by katiejane on Jun 12, 2020 12:58:26 GMT
We have a Prius and a Yaris. Both hybrids. Our Prius is getting really old now, its second generation so we will be looking at a new one next year. I recommend them, easy to drive, good safety record, reliable and economical on petrol.
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