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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg "The industry switched over to producing fuel-efficient cars all summer, and now, all those vehicles are in stock." (http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-03-05-used-hybrids_N.htm)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/HCH-II_Review_-_Headline.jpgSharon Silke Carty - USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com) - Mar. 6, 2009

If you can afford it now is the time to pick up that hybrid you've been waiting to purchase! --Ed.

DETROIT — Consumers have lost their appetite for pricey hybrids, two industry experts say, leading to a drop in used hybrid values and an oversupply of new ones.

Used hybrid values are down 23.5% since their peak last summer, says Juan Flores, director of vehicle valuation for Kelley Blue Book. Just since the beginning of 2009, they've fallen 4.5%, while used vehicle prices overall are going up as more buyers opt for used over new.

Last summer, when gas prices topped $4 a gallon, demand for hybrid cars skyrocketed. Used hybrids were selling for as much as a new hybrid's sticker price, Flores says, and new hybrids had waiting lists and sold for well above sticker.

Now, Flores says, a one-two punch of the recession and low gas prices are hurting used hybrid sales. "The premium between a hybrid and a non-hybrid is probably not justifiable in the minds of the consumer during this recessionary period, because you're not going to make... http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-03-05-used-hybrids_N.htm

A "reasonable" 2003 or so Civic is about $6000 locally, while the similar hybrid version still "commands" $12,000 (plus). If there is one place that the local used car salesmen become annoying and arrogant, it's in defending that inflated used hybrid price they want. So in some senses buyers "punish" the used-car guys --- I don't really "need" the hybrid right now; I can wait. And that's one strike.

House heating costs haven't fallen in proportion to the cost of a barrel of oil (or bulk natural gas), so putting SOME of that premium (saved from not buying the inflated-used-hybrid price) into better insulation or a more efficient furnace MAY start to look attractive, especially when the local and federal governments are promising rebates to do so. The wife usually likes that idea. Strike two

And let's face it, the economy stinks. And more and more knowlegeable people are talking about only a gradual improvement, over a much longer period of time. In a recession, cash is king, and we SHOULD have more of a safety net put aside for emergencies, even if our own job is rock solid. (And then there are other family members to consider --- sons or daughters whose job may not be so secure). The wife gets behind this idea, too. Strike three

So it's a balancing act --- gas-pricing, economy and "other-than-car" energy savings, and playing it safe and waiting it out till the sun starts to shine. Meanwhile, hypermiling the little Civic (and usually getting over 40 mpg, even in the winter) is kinda fun.