I am fascinated by the various hybrid technologies and often fantasize about how I might improve upon them (e.g., turbo alternator, aluminum/carbon fiber bodies, thermocouple charging, etc.) Having said that, I wonder if anyone has ever done a "break even" study of buying "reasonable" gas-mileage used cars vs hybrids. For example, my old Buick "tank" very comfortably transports 5 large people and has a trunk big enough to hold a Prius (just kidding, but you know what I'm saying.) In town driving (where all the hybrids shine) it only gets 21 mpg. But on the road (at 75 with AC on "ice cycles" setting) it gets 31 mpg (YMMV). Clearly, in fuel cost per mile, the edge still goes to the hybrid. But, since I bought it with 65K miles for $5K (probably $2K repairs in three years), I figure I'm way ahead on total cost per mile. I'll probably drop collision coverage later this year, so insurance is very inexpensive by comparison to a "new" car (hybrid or otherwise.)
The Edmonds site would be a place to start, but actual costs are very "personal." It so much depends upon how you use a vehicle (3 months in the summer for the old tank - when I'm on the mainland.) Clearly, a hybrid would never pay for itself vs almost any used car for my particular application. But for "most" people, I really do wonder about "new vs used" for total costs with the hybrid concept thrown in. If I do ever purchase a hybrid, it will most likely be used. Since this discussion is actually about hybrid vs non-hybrid, I'll now return the discussion to the original subject.
