[BGHater]

[KoRn]

Totally not worth it. Driving a hybrid might make people feel better about themselves, but they are a horrible investment at the present time if you are looking to save money by purchasing one. I can’t see paying $45,000 for what is probably a $17,00 car to save money on gas mileage. Not to mention, they will cost a small fortune for any repairs.

[KarlInOhio]

But the Lexus LS600H Hybrid provides at least $25,000 of smug, so I'm $6,000 ahead if I buy it.

[Myrddin]

I own a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The published numbers are total BS. We average 27.3 MPG during the Fall and Spring when we don't need to heat or cool the vehicle interior. Summer air conditioning drops us to 25.2 MPG. Winter heating drops mileage to around 21.8 MPG. The vehicle has NEVER exceeded 28 MPG since the day it left the showroom floor. The purported $3,000 tax credit turned into only $1202 when I filed my income taxes. Another big lie. Gas was under $3/gallon when we made the purchase. Prices topped out at $4.11 around Pocatello this summer. We just broke 29,000 miles, so our usage is consistent with the amounts in the table. The difference is that most our mileage is long distance...100 to 400 mile trips. My wife's commute is a whole 1.1 miles.

The "out the door price" for our Mariner was around $32,000. The dealer gave us $13,500 trade-in for the 2003 Escape 4x4 with 70,000 miles. We purchased it for $23,000 with 20,000 miles on it. That works out to 19 cents per mile + gas on the old Escape.

As much as I like the electric mode of the hybrid, it won't tow anything. The electrical system is a specialty arrangement, so many "accessories" are a no-go. Next time I'll go for a standard V6 gas engine with 4x4 and towing capability. I'm happy to pay extra for leather seats with "seat heat", the integral nav system and satellite radio. That was worth the money. They hybrid was pointless.