Reply #25: As a prius owner... [View All]

...I've never given a hard time to a person who cannot afford to buy in. It's the folks with brand new SUVs and such that I pan.

And as far as comparison shopping goes, I don't begrudge people who are living on the edge for doing that.

I do think people who do have a bit of extra cash should shop for more than just price, and I don't like the "American Way" of comparison shopping when it's not done by people that absolutely need to. It creates a race to the bottom, where the price tag is the only thing even looked at. (And that can actually backfire, for example were someone to neglect to look at the difference in power efficiency of an appliance.)

Now I don't appreciate the impugning of new car buyers. There are various reasons why a person would need a new car -- good ones. For example say they have a job that they are likely to lose if they break down on the road too much. Or they need to regulate their finances into a nice smooth car loan payment rather than the binge and purge cycle of getting an old car fixed when it breaks. I'm sorry but I've been through the used car racket, and I will probably never go back.

As far as hybrids go, many people who are buying them don't realize they are doing so, but they are in effect buying a short-range EV. The most popular models all have PHEV kits available. If and when gas prices get too far futher out of hand, these people will be the ones that have the option of running on electricity for all but long trips. Old Saturn owners won't have that option. Nor will they have pushed forward the marketability of the technology needed for full EVs.