Cosmin N. wrote:
> jajabinks wrote:
>
>> Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>>
>>> In article <EpidnSVM9bBb6arcRVn-hA@adelphia.com>,
>>> "nickd" <nickdepo@adelphia.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> >>hi, i am currently looking for a new car.i know it will be a hybrid.
>>
>>>
>>> Wait a minute: why will it be a hybrid?
>>>
>>> The *only* reason to buy a hybrid today is to make a statement about
>>> your politics. You do not save money--in fact, you spend much more
>>> just for the privilege of having a hybrid--and you save very little gas.
>>>
>>> So what are you trying to accomplish? Maybe there's a better way to
>>> get there.
>>>
>>
>> Some people want to buy a SUV, some want to buy a hybrid. If that's
>> what they want, then good for them.
>>
>> Hybrids get about 55 mpg. My regular civic gets 35 mpg. Assuming
>> 12,000 miles driven annually, over 10 years, hybrids will consume
>> 2,182 gallons. My civic will consume 3,429 gallons. That's a
>> difference of 1,247 gallons. Multiply that by 20,000 people, for
>> example, and that's a lot of gas saved.
>>
>> Why question people's buying decisions? What are you trying to
>> accomplish? Nick directed his question to hybrid owners asking for
>> their insight. Your post was not insightful.
>
>
> Actually, read Brian's post. Compared to a modern diesel car, a hybrid
> consumes about as much fuel. I may be wrong, but when time will come to
> dispose of the batteries, any ecological advantage a hybrid may have had
> over a diesel will be negated.
>
> A friend's Golf TDI consumes 5.5l/100km (43mpg). If you would compare
> that to a hybrid, the gas savings would not be as considerable. And the
> VW diesel engines are not the best in the world at the moment, because
> several European manufacturers have more fuel efficient and more
> powerful diesel engines.
>
> The only drawback is that those cars are not available in N America. But
> Canada is going to switch to sufphur free gas and diesel fuel in 2006/7.
> That date will be the moment when more manufacturers are going to
> introduce diesels on the Canadian market.
>
> Cosmin

I agree that diesel cars have an ecological advantage over hybrids, and
have lower cost of ownership. They key, as you also mentioned, is that
diesel is unfortunately not widely available in the United States--the
oil consumption capitol of the world. We can only compare to what's
currently available for sale in the U.S. A comparison of a regular civic
vs. civic hybrid vs. civic diesel (yeah right) is a pipe dream for now.