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When people talk about how long it will take for a hybrid to "pay for itself" over a non-hybrid civic or the "break even point," they need to remember that idea is pertaining to someone who pays cash up front for the car which nearly no one does! When financing a car, you pay for it monthly and gas is a monthly expense. Extra $$$ spent on the hybrid car pymt. is saved every month at the gas pump. I'll give you my example.
I have two honda civics, a 07 ex, and an 07 hybrid. The EX gets 28 mpg avg and the hybrid 40 mpg. I drive 2500 miles per month. I save $80 in gas each month in the hybrid over the ex. The extra money I pay monthly to the hybrid is saved in gas every month. This allows me to break even over the next 5 years while the car is financed, and after that the savings begins. Yeah, yeah...the battery pack. Well, I'm one of those people who think that gas will go higher than it is right now, and at least the battery pack is mch cheaper than the Prius battery pack.
All civics are good, rational choices =)
Dave
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