Give or take
Why is there always someone or something that comes in your way when you try to save Mother Earth? Surely there must be people out there who benefit from not selling hybrid vehicles. When it's not about the price, it's a matter of availability... or fuel prices... or lack of power... or unproven technology... or high interest rates... Where does it end? Right now, if you want to buy or lease a hybrid, you have to listen to your gut feeling and put your logic on hold because it will cost you a lot. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Buying or leasing a hybrid vehicle should be a rational decision first and foremost, not a crazy impulse.
A matter of principle
My current lease contract ends in June 2008, which gives me plenty of time to reconsider my decision. Will the interest rates be lowered? I certainly hope so, for my benefit and yours. In my case, driving a Civic Hybrid would represent yearly fuel savings of $1,500 to $1,800. You're probably thinking that I own a Chrysler 300 or some other behemoth. Well, you're wrong; it's just that I drive a rather old vehicle. The improved fuel economy would, in all likelihood, make up for the higher interest rate.
Still, this is a matter of principle: when an automaker wants to promote the purchase or lease of its hybrid vehicles, the conditions should be persuasive and not dissuasive. Here's hoping banks and automakers get the message. The world would be a much friendlier place to live in if we were all driving hybrids.
Why is there always someone or something that comes in your way when you try to save Mother Earth? Surely there must be people out there who benefit from not selling hybrid vehicles. When it's not about the price, it's a matter of availability... or fuel prices... or lack of power... or unproven technology... or high interest rates... Where does it end? Right now, if you want to buy or lease a hybrid, you have to listen to your gut feeling and put your logic on hold because it will cost you a lot. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Buying or leasing a hybrid vehicle should be a rational decision first and foremost, not a crazy impulse.
A matter of principle
My current lease contract ends in June 2008, which gives me plenty of time to reconsider my decision. Will the interest rates be lowered? I certainly hope so, for my benefit and yours. In my case, driving a Civic Hybrid would represent yearly fuel savings of $1,500 to $1,800. You're probably thinking that I own a Chrysler 300 or some other behemoth. Well, you're wrong; it's just that I drive a rather old vehicle. The improved fuel economy would, in all likelihood, make up for the higher interest rate.
Still, this is a matter of principle: when an automaker wants to promote the purchase or lease of its hybrid vehicles, the conditions should be persuasive and not dissuasive. Here's hoping banks and automakers get the message. The world would be a much friendlier place to live in if we were all driving hybrids.