Where do you live? If you're in California I believe the state mandated 
battery/electronics warranty on hybrids is 150,000 miles or 10 years, 
though don't quote me. I just bought a new Honda Civic Hybrid. I'm sure 
it wasn't the smartest idea to buy a new car, but that was my decision.
IIRC the HCH is a few thousand cheaper than the Prius but it also 
doesn't have as many features in the electric drive system. In many 
situations it gets the same mileage as a Prius, other situations it gets 
much worse (stop and go in cold weather).
Used hybrids tend to get a premium over non-hybrids. This is bad for 
you, good for the seller. There are many new diesels coming out next 
year it will be interesting to see what comes of that.
-
MK

Mike Hord wrote:
> James, I already know what you'll say.
>
> My fiance and I are looking at buying a car.  We both drive sub-optimal autos
> (2003 Jetta GLI for me, 2005 Chevy Malibu for her) and we want to can them
> both.  I bus it to work everyday day, and she drives 5 miles across town.  We
> rarely take trips longer than 10 miles.
>
> She owes more on her car than it's worth, but mine is paid off.  We want both
> a fiscal and environmental sustainability upgrade here- meaning we want to
> pay less for gas and car payment and insurance, AND we don't want to be
> contributing to the worsening environmental situation.  We also don't want to
> be stuck with a car that's going to require huge repair bills annually.
>
> We're leaning towards a new or slightly used Prius or a new Yaris.  I hate the
> idea of a new car because new cars are part of the problem- building a car
> takes a lot of energy.  OTOH, if we keep the car for ten years, it makes
> sense to get a new one.
>
> At any rate, someone on this list has a resource that they can point me to
> that will help me gauge the relative impact of these choices.  I'm totally lost.
>
> Greenercars.org seems good to me, but they completely ignore the used
> car option....
>
> Mike H.
>   

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