I was comparing it to the Civic-SI…You’re right in that the BEST comparison would be the Sedan…NOT the SI. The hybrid is NOT a performance vehicle.
And what I just read…Honda is having problems with these batteries…especially in hot weather areas like Arizona where AC is used a lot. Supposedly there’s a software fix, but batteries are dying faster then normal. When this happens the cost of ownership is NOT worth it.
Do a little research and you’ll find a company that will test the individual cells in your pack and replace the weak ones.
Not as good as new, but it can buy you a little more time.
Modern traditional car engines are extremely clean - if maintained. Non car gas engines are a bigger source.
A bit of mathmatical analysis for consideration. A while back my son who lives across country came to visit and rented a car for the trip as he had tires ordered for his vehicle and they had not arrived. The car he rented was a Ford Focus that got a consistent 36 MPG at speed with the A/C on and the car loaded down.
Over a 130,000 miles and comparing the Focus to the Civic Hybrid and using 3 bucks a gallon as the benchmark.
Focus uses approx. 3611 gallons of gas over that mileage span.
Civic uses approx. 2888 gallons of gas over the same span. (if the stars are aligned)
A difference of 723 gallons at 3 bucks per = 2169 dollars less in gas costs for the Civic.
Up to this point one has saved 2169 dollars in gasoline costs by using the Civic. However, at this point and to keep motoring it is also decision time which means weighing the cost of a full tank of gas for the Focus against a tank of gas and very expensive battery for the Civic.
To be fair, a Focus would be lucky to hit 36 mpg combined average. Owners of 08-10 Focuses seem to report about 31.5 mpg combined according to fueleconomy.gov, while Civic Hybrid owners (current gen) report about 44.4 mpg combined.
Then you have to consider purchase price. The 2011 Focus SE has in invoice (in SW OH) of $14,418 after rebate when roughly comparably equipped (as close as you can get). The Civic hybrid is $22,791. Add on 6.25% sales tax and the difference in cost is $8,896.31
If you paid $3 per gallon, 16,250 miles per year like the poster above (130k in 8 years)… and saw 10% increases in gas price per year, then your fuel savings in the Civic would be 149.88 gallons per year, with prices rising from $3 to $5.84 over the 8 year period.
Meanwhile, if you paid cash and put the savings in the bank at 2.64% (my local credit union 60 month CD rate), you would have interest to offset that cost. Accounting for that interest at a 25% tax rate, you would see the following financial scenario
1 | $8,896.31 | $176.15 | $449.65 | $8,622.81
2 | $8,622.81 | $170.73 | $494.61 | $8,298.93
3 | $8,298.93 | $164.76 | $544.07 | $7,919.18
4 | $7,919.18 | $156.80 | $598.48 | $7,477.50
5 | $7,477.50 | $148.05 | $658.33 | $6.967.22
6 | $6.967.22 | $137.95 | $724.16 | $6,381.01
7 | $6,381.01 | $126.34 | $796.58 | $5,710.77
8 | $5,710.77 | $113.07 | $876.23 | $4,947.61
At the end of that period, the Civic’s kbb private party value would be $5,585 (2003 MY value), and the Focus would run $3,795. So your net cost would be:
$4,947.61 - ($5,585-$3,795) = $3,157.61 savings with the Focus, assuming no difference in maintenance / repair costs.
And that’s assuming hefty increases in gas costs.
Of course, the Focus won’t be so cheap soon, so that difference may disappear. Buf assuming that it is purely a financial decision, a Focus SE appears to be almost guaranteed to be a better choice than a Civic hybrid. Assuming the same usage and maintenance/repair costs, gas would have to increase at 22.72% per year over that period to have the Civic hybrid equal the Focus SE for overall cost of ownership.
Sorry, but I don’t see gas at $12.58 per gallon in 2019. Neither does the futures market.
Now if you drove as much as my old boss (55,000 miles per year), then the Civic hybrid would be far and away a better purchase…
I think the warranty or the battery is different in some states like California. Iy may still be covered.