Potential Honda Civic owner here! very interested in hybrid car, in particular, the civic...but Not sure what mode or year l i should get... I am open to hearing about other comparable cars with high mpg, like the Honda Fit. I'm also considering a Prius, but obviously that's for a different forum.

Questions for Current Civic Owners
-What are the pros and cons for the Hybrid Civic?
-should I buy new or used? (I'm leaning towards new because I believe that the battery is very expensive to replace in a hybrid)
-what's the maintenence like? How often do you have to maintain the hybrid vs a non-hybrid car? What is the cost of the maintenence compared to a non-hybrid car?
-any problems with batteries? How expensive have they been to replace?
-what are your thoughts on warranties?


other info:
-Live in Seattle...Lots of rain (obviously) but hardly ever any snow.
- this would be my first car that I've purchased myself
-driving habits: right now just, going to the grocery store and park and ride, but plan to start using it heavily very soon...maybe in the next 4-5 months (driving to school and work and to friend's house)

I appreciate any advice.

 

Fit, has more usable cargo room and doesn't rely on an expensive battery. Uses a simple gas engine and still gets close to 40 mpg.

 

I say the Fit as well, it is more usable and has awesome fuel economy...my wife's 09 Fit is a great little car.

 

Even I would go with Honda Fit because of its reduced gas consumption and pleasure of driving.

 

I just bought a Civic SI, so I can't offer an opinion in that area, but a friend of my wife bought a brand new Prius, and after a month, couldn't stand it and traded it in for a Subaru Forester. She took a $600 loss. It would get blown around in the wind and water puddles would have an affect on stability. If you can do it, I would go to a rental car ageny and rent some of the models your considering. Some dealerships also offer rental services as well. I don't know what your budget is, but also look at the TDI Jettas. In the low low $20ks and get 40+mpg. The Passat with the same 2.0L Diesel engine got an abserved 43.5mpg in real world testing by a diesel magazine. Either way, I would seriously look at renting a coulple cars before making a purchase.