Between climate change and gas prices, the more fuel efficiency the better, right? At least I think so. But based on what I know now and what I think my general living/financial situation will be when my 2000 Ford Taurus sedan goes to the great parking lot in the sky (which probably won't happen for a while yet), I will probably get a Corolla or some similar fuel-efficient but regularly sized nonhybrid car.

My issue with hybrid technology is that it's relatively new. A hybrid car does not behave like a standard car, which - as some posters on the Fray have pointed out - can be problematic. It may mean that the standard driving techniques for, say, pulling out of a skid will not work. It may be more difficult to find a mechanic who can fix a hybrid than one who can fix a regular car, and it's possible that repair expenses for a hybrid over its lifetime could pretty much wipe out whatever you'd save in gas. I also don't know if a hybrid will last as long as a well-made regular car, which is a major consideration because of all the energy and materials that go into making one - and how much it would cost me to buy one!

On the other hand, I know a fair amount about what constitutes a good standard car, how long it will last, and how it handles. My family had a 1984 Toyota Camry - to which the Corolla is more similar than the modern incarnation of the Camry. Like most cars in the American market in the '80's, it was insanely fuel-efficient. It also lasted for 15 years and more than 200,000 miles.

Things might change by the time I'm in the market for a new car, but for the time being there simply isn't enough data on hybrids to make me secure about their cost-effectiveness in terms of time, effort and safety. I'd rather stick with something I know - albeit something that performs better than my current ride.