Archives

We currently have an HCHII that we love.

Our other car is a BMW on lease. We love it also, but feel that we have elevated above loving the German driving feel more than the eco-conscious-green-driving feel of a high-fe car. Did that make sense?

Anyway, we have a year-and-a-half left on the bimmer lease and I thought that was fine, b/c by then Honda's dedicated small hybrid and the next-gen Prius would probably be out. Lately though, I have felt like the bimmer-lease is a waste of money. We choose the hybrid for most of our driving. We are well under our allowed lease mileage.

I recently checked and the trade-in value is more than the lease buyout.

So, should I consider a Honda Fit or another HCH-II or wait around for the next greatest thing?

P.S. I am 6'3" and don't fit in the Prius -- needs a telescoping steering wheel.

The final decision is up to you but here's another morsel to add as a data point:

There is some wonderful NiMH battery technology re-emerging around the Summer or Fall of 2008 that will greatly change the hybrid market by allowing auto manufacturers to sell PHEV vehicles.

You can learn the dirty details of how this battery technology was mistreated if you watch "Who Killed the Electric Car?". The good news is that all patents expire and the oil industry's hold on this one expires in 2008.

Toyota has already announced a PHEV Prius for the 2009 model year, and I'd be surprised if they're the only one.

Tough call. I thought about getting a Fit but couldn't justify it based on FE. It's made to be sporty and relatively efficient, but they just didn't give us the right drivetrain to pull the kind of numbers that a HCH-II or Prius can. Then again it would have been 7k cheaper so its economics work out well. Holding out for 2009 would get you the best technology but in my mind it will be more like holding out to 2010-2011 if the introduction of the new hybrids is anything like the Prius was for the first three years of its current iteration. Those markups were just nuts.

If the Prius is a poor fit, perhaps the new BMW Mini Cooper. The latest article on it posted "In the News" forum lists a FE of 53. Add hypermilin' to it and you would be above many hybrid FE. Unfortuantely the article didn't mention if it's an '07, '08 or later model.

11011011

Hi Noflash:

___Tough call indeed … Do you hold on and drive the Beemer until 09 when the real firecrackers arrive or sell it for a profit and pick up something at a decent price and comparably equipped with OK FE until later? I would not know where to go with that one but after driving a 3, Z4 or 5 series, I am not sure you would enjoy a sparsely equipped Fit. The HCH-II is great but we have so many great vehicles headed our way in the not to distant future. Did you catch the A123 pronouncement wrt the A123 Systems – Li-Ion based PHEV kit for the Prius II’s the other day? That is going to save the current Prius owners a ton for those in urban environments that routinely drive in the stop and crawls mile after mile and day after day … Honda’s new small hybrid or the Prius III let alone Honda’s next gen 50-state diesels w/ Tier II/Bin5 capability is going to be a nice upgrade as well … Even GM will be in the mix w/ the PHEV capable Saturn VUE’s built off the European platform as well as something akin to the Volt.

___Dan, unfortunately, the 2007 MINI-D is a European only design. They just can’t match the EPA specs for a price most would consider acceptable in the US today :(

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Yes, it's a lot to consider. I am going for a quick test drive. I'll report back Monday.

Have a great weekend everyone!

This Fit was a very fun car to drive. Seems very practical. I would recommend one to anyone under 6" tall. Not that there wasn't room for me, I just couldn't get a comfortable driving position without telescoping steering wheel.

We are leaning toward another HCHII now. Ideally we'd like more storage space, stability control, and a sunroof.

I have no idea when that type of hybrid will come out.

It's too bad you don't fit in the Prius. For what it's worth, I just filled out my "initial quality" survey for Toyota and tried to drive home a point about the lack of adjustability for long-legged drivers. Maybe they'll come to their senses and install the extra $30 worth of parts in the upcoming '09?

Looks like were getting another HCHII. :)

Nice. May as well go with what you know works!

Picked up our 2007 Galaxy Grey (non-Nav, $1k under invoice, 4.9%/ 60 mo.) last night.

Needless to say, we love it!

Great deal! Heh, who gets to drive the new one?

Funny. My wife will take the "old" 2006. It's the light blue opal. I'll take the GGrey. It's the exact same interior, just seems like I got it detailed. Mmmmm, new car smell....

Hi Noflash:

___Congratulations is about all that needs to be said :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Thanks all.