8th Generation Honda Civic Forum - View Single Post

ali_lapointe · 05-01-2009, 03:33 PM

> Also I just like the idea of not contributing to the global warming

This is the real reason to get a hybrid. The various tradeoffs don't make this decision a non-brainer, and previous posts have brought up excellent points to consider. You mentioned that you're planning to keep the car for 5 years, so you'll probably have recouped the price difference by then with the better fuel economy.

That would be great, assuming nothing blows up. IMO the misfortune factor is higher with the HCH than the LX. I don't know by exactly what amount, but inarguably the HCH is a lot more complex than the LX. If you have a .38 revolver, it's going to shoot bullets all the time. Whereas if you had a Glock automatic, it'll probably shoot just as well -- but the odds of a malfunction are greater, because it's not as mechanically simple as the .38.

So you can take the LX to any decent garage for service and repair; that might not be the case with the HCH. Also, Honda's warranty fully covers the battery for only 3 years, and then it goes to a diminishing tiered system for the rest of the coverage period (i.e. in year 4, they only cover 50% of the cost of purchase of a new battery -- all the way down to 10% in year 8). You're in NY, so the warranty is drawn out to 10 years, but you get the idea.

But the HCH is that much cooler. Mac vs. PC. Blah blah blah. Sorry for the long post. Get the LX if you're worried about overall cost. Get the HCH if you feel that it's the environmentally responsible thing to do.

BTW you can claim the sales tax from the purchase of a new car in 2009 as a deduction. No big whoop but it's still a few hundred bucks.
Special Tax Break Available for New Car Purchases This Year

05-01-2009, 03:33 PM	#65 (permalink)
ali_lapointe Junior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 9	> Also I just like the idea of not contributing to the global warming This is the real reason to get a hybrid. The various tradeoffs don't make this decision a non-brainer, and previous posts have brought up excellent points to consider. You mentioned that you're planning to keep the car for 5 years, so you'll probably have recouped the price difference by then with the better fuel economy. That would be great, assuming nothing blows up. IMO the misfortune factor is higher with the HCH than the LX. I don't know by exactly what amount, but inarguably the HCH is a lot more complex than the LX. If you have a .38 revolver, it's going to shoot bullets all the time. Whereas if you had a Glock automatic, it'll probably shoot just as well -- but the odds of a malfunction are greater, because it's not as mechanically simple as the .38. So you can take the LX to any decent garage for service and repair; that might not be the case with the HCH. Also, Honda's warranty fully covers the battery for only 3 years, and then it goes to a diminishing tiered system for the rest of the coverage period (i.e. in year 4, they only cover 50% of the cost of purchase of a new battery -- all the way down to 10% in year 8). You're in NY, so the warranty is drawn out to 10 years, but you get the idea. But the HCH is that much cooler. Mac vs. PC. Blah blah blah. Sorry for the long post. Get the LX if you're worried about overall cost. Get the HCH if you feel that it's the environmentally responsible thing to do. BTW you can claim the sales tax from the purchase of a new car in 2009 as a deduction. No big whoop but it's still a few hundred bucks. Special Tax Break Available for New Car Purchases This Year