Yeah, at $4/gallon there could be a payout…not so much at $2/gallon.
I like the idea of a hybrid, but not for saving gas. I like the technology behind the hybrid vehicle. If I could justify another vehicle, I might buy a Prius or even a Nissan Leaf EV. I need a minivan–in fact I could use a full size van, the minivan is a compromise, but licensing and insuring a third vehicle wouldn’t be a savings. My wife really likes her 4Runner. I did my part for years driving Ramblers and Mavericks. At our ages, we are going to drive the vehicles we like and hang the gas mileage. Besides that, six people riding on a minivan with our musical instruments is probably more economical than loading two Priuses with three people in each Prius with their instruments.
Test drive cars. When you find one you think you might like, look around and see if it’s available to rent somewhere. Then you can drive it for a week and see if it’s still acceptable.
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Renting really is the only way.
Most dealers will not allow an entire hour or more test drive, And you usually can not tell the long term comfort from short drives.
My 06 Escape hybrid seems just fine for all the daily driving we do . But take it to Albuquerque ( two hours one way ) for a day of doctors or shopping and it seems like a whole different car with lower back and butt aches.
That is why we always take the 08 Expedition on long drives.
@pollykanevsky, how much are you willing to spend? A 2016 Mercedes Benz E250 diesel will get good mileage and be exceptionally confortqble, but it will probably cost over $50,000 even with end of year discounts. Another problem is long commutes put a lot of miles on the car, and expensive cars will lose value quickly as the miles mount up. I drive 108 miles every day round trip in a 2005 Honda Accord EX V6. I find it comfortable, and it only cost $25,000 in 2005. If price is important, your husband should look at compact and midsize cars to see what is comfortable for him. If he likes SUVs, compact SUVs are worth a look. I know a couple of people with bad backs and joint problems that are happy with their Honda CR-Vs.
In my opinion, when you are in a vehicle commuting two hours or more a day, comfort is more important than gas mileage. You can buy a lot of gasoline for the cost of chiropractor visits or trips to an orthopedic surgeon. As I have said in earlier threads, when I started doing a lot of over the road driving in a Ford Maverick, I soon traded the car. The Maverick was reliable and cheap to run, but I was spending more on Preparation-H than upkeep on the Maverick. I even had my doctor recommend hemorrhoid surgery, but the problem disappeared after I swapped the Maverick for an Olds Cutlass. The strangest automotive induced pain happened to the father of my college roommate. This man was the minister of visitation in a large church in a big city. He swapped his 1955 Oldsmobile for a brand new Rambler in 1960. To save on on initial cost, the Rambler was purchased with a manual transmission. Almost immediately he began suffering terrible pain in his right shoulder. The minister did suffer from gout, and the shoulder pain was attributed to the gout. In 1966, the 1960 Rambler was traded for a new Rambler with an automatic transmission. His shoulder pain disappeared. The problem was exacerbated by constantly having to shift gears. In those days, the shift lever was on the steering column and having to constantly shift from.first to second and then from second to high caused his pain. If my roommate’s father drove the way my dad drove a manual column shift, he might have been o.k. as my dad usually skipped second gear and went directly from first to third. The point is, if you drive a lot of miles per day, comfort should be your top priority.
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I agree…but when was the last 5 year period we went with gas prices below $3/gal?