theRain04

I was thinking about the rising gas prices and hybrids and had a thought. Could it be possible that part of the reason that gas prices are getting so ridiculously high NOW is because the oil companies realize that Toyota, Honda, and others are developing hybrids that will inevitably reduce their profits? If a hybrid can get twice as many miles per gallon than a regular car, then the oil companies stand to lose 50% of their business. They are not stupid. I think most likely they are slowly going to raise the gas prices to the point where when hybrids become the norm in our society, gas will cost twice as much. So, this way, instead of getting 1.75 a gallon, they will be getting 3.50 a gallon. We will be paying twice as much for gas and using half as much as we used to. So it will all balance out for them. In a way, it would kind of take away from the whole "economical" reason to owning a hybrid. The only REAL benefit would be for the environment.

adidosc

can't say i ever thought about it that way before

mmarshall

No...don't blame the gas companies for the current high oil prices. Their profits are not going up with the prices. This latest round of increases, unlike other up/down swings in recent years, was not brought about by seasonal supply / demand changes or any oil company pricing policies. For the first time since the late 1970's, the OPEC oil ministers have all gotten together and made production quotas STICK....they are trying to get the price up once and for all. For the last 20 or 25 years individual oil-producing countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela have consistantly cheated on official producton quotas and produced whatever the market would bear and they could sell.....thereby balancing out and stabilizing any lasting price increases. But that is not happening any more....I'm afraid we're in for some expensive gas for at least awhile.
The best way around this mess in both the short and the long run, in my opinion, is for us to simply produce more oil/gas here at home and not be indebted to these countries. Then the Arabs and OPEC can take their high-priced oil and shove it.

time4lexus

The higher the prices, the more incentive there is to develope gas alternatives. I don't think the oil companies are doubling the price of gas to boost short term profits, they will lose out in the long run.

theRain04

i say they should produce diesel-hybrids. Did you know that diesel engines can run on vegetable oil ????

RON430

In years past, when any alternative to dyno fuels came up, the response of our friends at OPEC was to lower oil prices. Inevitably, the alternatives are far more costly to implement and if the price of oil drops, no one is interested in pursuing them, and they die a quiet death, at least for a while.

Besides, according to what I am hearing, hybrids don't come close to doubling the gas mileage. I have heard that there quite a few Prius owners who are grumbling that they never see any 55 to 60 mpg. More like 40 which is still very good but for a low powered gas econo box, this is maybe a 15 or 20% improvement, not 100%.

talgrl626

i say they should produce diesel-hybrids. Did you know that diesel engines can run on vegetable oil ????



makes me think of my cousin in costa rica

mmarshall

Let's see you buy vegtable oil at the supermarket at $1.80 or $1.90 a gallon. Good luck.
It would have to be produced in huge quantities at afforaable prices.

Diesels WILL soon be a practical option here in the U.S.....especially the sophisticated European ones......because in another 2 years or so, we will finally get the low-sulfur diesel fuel here that has been available in Europe for years (hopefully not at $4-6 a gallon).

talgrl626

hi marshall, the dealership just called me and told me about a 01 prius. to my understanding those aren't as gas-efficient as the new prius. what are some of your thought comparing a 01 prius with a 01 corolla? thanks in advance!

mmarshall

OK, talgrl....obviously, they're two entirely different cars......at different prices. The Corolla is a throughly conventional front-drive Japanese compact with an excellent reliability record. It is generally not a car for aggressive driving, but a reliable commuter and more or less basic transportation for a single person or a small family. Corollas generally hold their value as used cars because of their good records, so used low-mileage ones can be on the pricey side.....especially the Toyota Certified used Corollas. You can often get new Corollas for little more than used ones.....so see if you can afford a brand-new base-model Corolla CE ($14,000-16,0000) before you go with a 2001.
The Prius is MUCH different from a Corolla...it is smaller, lighter, (especially the last-generation 2001 you are interested in) and designed for ultra-high mileage at the expense of almost everything else. It combines a small gas engine with an auxilliary electric motor, and unlike pure electric cars, never needs recharging or plugging in...the gas engine recharges the batteries as you drive. (and brake). Because of the efficiencies of the way the gas-elecric computer switchoff works, it actually gets better mileage in the city than highway. With the Prius, though, unlike the similiar Honda Civic Hybrid, you have to put up with a lot of quirks in the way the dash, transmission shifter, instrument panel, and braking system is designed....they all have rather odd, unusual quirky looks and feel until you get used to them....even more so in the new Prius. Sometimes the gas engine stops completely and the car runs silently on the electric motor like a golf cart. The battery pack and electric motor in the Prius is warrantied for 8 yrs / 80,000 miles.
2001 Priuses had hard, low-rolling resistance high-mileage tires that were good for mileage but gave poor traction.
And last, the Prius has now been replaced by a new and somewhat larger one (and one that's even MORE quirky), so that will help lower the price of used ones like the 2001.
If you want a gas-electric hybrid, I would suggest that you also look at a used Honda Civic Hybrid....NOT the smaller Honda Insight. The Insight is just too small, uncomfortable, and crude. The Civic Hybrid will give roughly the same mileage as a Prius but is MUCH more conventional in layout (trust me on this) and will be less of a shock getting used to it.

Both the Prius and Civic Hybrid would probably be out of your price range new ($21,000-$25,000), but if you can afford a new one...go for it.

So, back to the original question; 2001 Prius vs. 2001 Corolla? The Corolla will probably be cheaper to buy. It will use more gas than the Prius, but if you don't drive a lot of miles, it would make more sense.
The Prius will cost more to buy, but if you drive a lot of miles, it will save a lot of gas in the long run.
Keep in mind....BOTH cars have gas engines and will need oil changes, spark plugs, coolant changes, etc..... If it were my money, I'd buy the Corolla...it is simpler and has a bulletproof history.
Good Luck.

talgrl626

omg, i duno how i've missed ur reply. thanx so much. let me read on. thanx marshall!

mmarshall

Let me know if you didn't receive it and I'll re-transmit it.

talgrl626

Thank you, Sir.

mmarshall

OK Talgrl...here you go.