This "make a statement" stat here is thorugh the roof.

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I'm not sure where the price premium thing is - the Civic Hybrid can carry less stuff and it might even be a tad more expensive.

www.settletimes.com has great green articles such as hybrid buses etc. gordon bennet and lance of new orleans know about this as does buthc there other son in Harriman tennesee.Sherry shipwash lived in a green trailer that was built entirely in oak and salty foster ex mayor of harriman had my dad built this to spec. it was great with its own safe hating system of earm water ran trhough copper pipes that heat the entire living area. as for this low income proprane with tupbes running from the methane water heater to the propaned air conditioner invented by my ex husband and his family since they lwn the gas lines in tennessee. It isvery unsae and very hot waer unsafe to drink and so is the ice in teh butane refrigerator the blue gas soooo I parefer the old fashion sfe sun adn salt or real clean water sherry has a in ggroundpa spa hi sherry faye baxendale where is mickey and tracey and kaley bug and stepanie is spepanie married yet to her prince

where is mims

mickeys mom lived in a nursing home once sherry took control of the family in oak ridge tennessee soooo I do hope mims is okay.sharon annes daughter not to be confused with sherry is a nurse and i do hope anneis really okay shewas sooo skinny last time i took her some milk and food.

peace

I used to joke when the Prius first came out, that owners didn't have to fill them with gas for the first year because they were powered by pure smug self-satisfaction.

At the time, I was impressed with the technology, and thought it was great that Prius was bringing economies of scale to the automotive use of electric motor/generators, batteries and power-control circuitry since most or all of those would be important in the future. I wasn't going to pay a premium to help toyota with their R&D though.

Now, it's a lot easier to consider a hybrid. When I was shopping for a new car, I was worried about my exposure to rising gas prices. I figured the payback period, at $3.00/gal, and then at $4, $5 & $6. By the time I bought the car, gas was already $3.50/gal and now less than 6 months later, it's already well over $4.

By the way, I'm pretty sure the net energy inputs going into the production of a Prius have been declining sharply as economies of scale have improved.

I don't know about the smugness of Prius owners. I do know that as I drive either of my two Honda hybrids (a Civic and an Insight) I do feel a bit of superiority over those fuel guzzlers around me. As you learn to drive a hybrid your fuel mileage will increase until you reach your maximum. I average 59.4 in the Insight and my wife averages 51.7 in the Civic. However, summer mileage is better than winter by about 5 MPG. I keep reasonably accurate records and since we bought our first hybrid, the 2005 Civic, we have saved over $6,000.00 in fuel. Both vehicles are maintained at the dealership. Costs for maintenance for similar periods of ownership are virtually the same as for our previously owned vehicles.

I have gotten snide remarks as I fill with fuel such as, "If those things are so good on gas why are you here?" A kind remark such as, " Because its been 630 miles since I put in the last 10 gallons." generally quiets most loudmouths and most often, evokes genuine interest and questions about how Honda Hybrids operate.

"WE LOVE OUR HONDA HYBRID AUTOMOBILES"

There are lots of hybrids that have a much lower "smugness quotient" than the Prius; I was pleased to see that the Dem running for my local Congressional seat just kicked off his campaign tour by buying a hybrid Chevy Malibu which has a) less snob appeal and b) is at least partly made by local automakers. <link>