No Cheap Way Around Buying a Hybrid Car

I've gone shopping for hybrid cars numerous times, but right now I'm shopping for my wife. And it isn't fun.

My wife is very interested in SUVs and I've had her test drive the Ford Escape hybrid, which she liked very much. Still, in my neck of the woods, the Escape hybrid comes with a $5000 dealer add on, plus additional dealer-added amenities. While my wife isn't afraid to spend money, the dealer add-on fee annoyed her.

I told her that we might do better online, but her interest was already gone. Besides we had agreed that we wanted to keep the vehicle cost under $30,000; otherwise, I wouldn't have had any other choice but to buy the Lexus RX400h - which my wife had already told me was her choice.

"What's next?"

"Either the Civic hybrid or the Prius."

"No. What about the Accord?"

Great. My wife hates it when I talk about technology, so I'm not sure how to approach this.

"The Accord hybrid is a great vehicle, but it's a highway hybrid. We drive in the city, in stop-and-go traffic. The Prius is the best vehicle for those conditions, followed by the Civic." (Read More)