Hello,

i'm new to the this forum but let me explain my story so you can understand and hopefully help me out.

I am a young adult with a fiance and a 22 month old son. I currently have a acura integra 2 dr with 147,000 miles on it (has after market hood and bumper from light accident along with some scratches and light dents here and there). i would like a four door car for my family (we only have this one car and i fear it may have problems soon, perhaps cv joints or anything and have a snow ball effect.) and of course safety and in this economy gas efficiency is very important to me.

My mothers husband (i don't refer to him as my step dad.. but legally that would be the term used.) has his own son from another marriage that is a senior and he would like to get him a car. Coincidentally he wants an Integra, always has and still does Well the conversation was brought up that he is looking for a car for him around 3 g's give or take, or buy himself a new car and give him his acura cl with 150,000 miles. so i told him i may be willing to part with mine but i won't guarantee it until i look into the market and see if i can afford it.

long story short from there.. i have been racking my brain like most people looking for hybrids with a decision most come faced with... a honda civic hybrid or a toyota prius. Well i read the reviews and informed myself with everything i thought i needed to make that decision.. and i thought it was evident that i would go for the prius. Before i became biased i wanted to test drive first, after all it looked good on paper but that doesn't help while commuting. So i tried them both today, and i am in love with the honda civic hybrid.. although it is rated lower in city which is what i mainly do, the style and appearing and honda name which i am familiar with helped me save a place for it in my heart...

so now your wondering, what's the problem... here's the kicker... i'm in sales and i know it's good to be an educated consumer so i did more researched and i liked most of what i saw, but what is holding me back is the fact that i see a lot of reports about people losing the high mpg after tires wear down or a oil change. Its a radical change from people saying they had 40+ miles and then they go down to 22-24 mpg, which is insane! I can't afford to stick my neck out for a car that fuel efficient and then that happen to me. I only have one car and if that happens and it takes days to fix i wouldn't be able to survive. I need some insight, i see it's mainly the 06-07 models but i know its to early for the 08 to tell... I just want what pay for, please help.

-A Yearning Honda Owner Who Would Like To Stay A Honda Owner.

 

I've had an 06 for 2 years now with no problems. I buy my own oil. Change my own air filters. Keep my tires at 44 psi (and they still look new). I started getting 46 mpg when I first got it, but now get 65 mpg regularly (and I do a lot of morning commuting afternoon commuting in the city), but I drive very conservatively: slow acceleration, easy on the breaks, coast whenever I can.

It's a great car, but you may even want to wait for the 5-door Honda Insight II coming in early 2009. It's supposed to be cheaper than the Civic, plus you can put the rear seats down when you need to. AND it's suppose to be more fuel efficient.

Either way..it's a win, win.

Good luck!

Jess

 

Welcome to Green Hybrid!

If I were about to enter the market now, I'd also probably wait just a little bit. The new Prius and the new Insight are going to be out soon. I think either will be stiff competition for the current Prius and Civic Hybrids.

Some people replace their tires (and rims too, sometimes) with ones that hurt their fuel economy. The rims and tires on these high fuel economy hybrids are very narrow, and the tires are LRR (low rolling resistance). Replacing them with wider, heavier, grippier tires and rims WILL impact MPG. Some combinations are worse than others, of course.

An oil change (if using proper 0W20 oil) should have minimal impact on your fuel economy. I've changed oil 3 times now (or is it 4?), and have noticed zero issues with MPG changes. Just be careful that it is not overfilled and that the proper 0W20 oil is used and you'll be fine.
Unless you're diligently checking your MPG today, you probably have no idea how variable MPG can be. Many people START check MPG once they get a hybrid, and are disappointed by what they perceive to be sub-par MPG. If they had been checking their previous ride against its EPA numbers, they would have a better feel for what to expect.

There can be a pretty fine line between getting 47 MPG (my lifetime avg.) and 42 (last last tank avg.). Outside temperature, idling time, speed, trip duration, rain and many other factors make each tank an experience.

Just don't get one of the these hybrids and EXPECT 50 MPG in the City (without a LOT of work). In my 2006 Civic Hybrid, I probably get 40 MPG in the City. But I drive mostly longer daily commutes (35+ miles one way), and my commuting average is about 49 MPG. A Prius will do better in pure City driving, but it also will not perform miracles.

 

+1

The car continues to deliver after one year into ownership. I'm doing around 70% city driving, a lifetime average of 41-42MPG with a seasonal variance of +/-5MPG. Some people want to rage dump on a forum, which is why problems can be blown out of proportion.

It is more probable that this car will give you confidence.

 

I bought the HCHII because of the looks and styling. I just dislike the look of the Prius.

I am getting around 54MPG with conservative driving on a USED, 2 year old Civic Hybrid, with Non-OEM Goodyear Tripletred tires (for snow/all season).

The tires didn't seem to make a difference. I have 39PSI in all 4 tires. I might increase it to get a bit more mileage.

 

Horror stories you read online are not representative of the HCH owners as a whole. Check Consumer Reports for a broader sample. The HCH is a very safe, reliable, and efficient car.

If you can't shake the worries, just get a Civic LX, save a ton of dough and have peace of mind. (or even a Fit)

Cheers, nf

 

You really have to work hard to get anything less than 38mpg. I mean gunning it at all lights, going 85+mph on the highway, lugging around a full trunk full of crap, etc. If you drive it normally you are in the 40s easy. If you drive with a little care, you are in the 50s. If you go to the extreme, you will get north of 55. Some have gotten 70, which is incredible but it require a serious effort.

 

I have had my hchII since 10/07 17,000 miles and nothing as gone wrong except some recalls that the dealer fixed. My lifetime average is 44 mpgs and I have never taken it on a long trip. My longest drive as been 70 miles, and that was country back roads. I personally think the Prius is just not a pretty looking car.

Brian

 

I've never regretted owning either my 2004 HCH I or my 2007 HCH II. I have found, with only modest work, that real MPG performance above the EPA numbers is quite doable. I am currently averaging with 49.5 MPG with my HCH II. I recently changed my tires to Michelins from the original Dunlops. I have had my mileage drop slightly, from the low 50s to upper 40s, which might also be due to weather changes and driving habits. Only once in the five years I've owned these two cars has my MPG been less than 40. You cannot go wrong with the Civic Hybrid.