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I had considered a Honda Fit back around 2013 or so. Like a MINI, the interior is huge compared with the outside size. I continued watching the Honda and Fit forums. In 2014, Honda moved manufacturing from Japan to Mexico and it's fairly agreed upon to choose Japan built Fits. Some cars will greatly outperform the MPG numbers on the highway if YOU can help. Use the cruise control at the speed limit. Pay attention to traffic and you can do something called "passive drafting" which is to drive next to trucks. Just like NASCAR or bicycle racing, reducing air drag is possible not only behind a truck but aside one. For a while, I owned a 2004 Mazda 6i manual which had the 2.3L Mazda 4 cylinder. I regularly had 2 hour drives from my ho...

My grandfather, a successful physician who owned a large practice, remarried late in life. Step-grandma had nothing (no kids and no assets, she had never been married and from I know never really worked) and was a real peach (horrible to my mother and her 6 siblings, never even bothered to know the names of any of her 30+ grandchildren). He died about 5yrs after marrying and left everything (from what I know, mid-high 7-figures) to step-grandma and nothing to any of his 7 children. I was told by mom and a few of her siblings that they were told by my grandfather that the estate would be split evenly between them upon her death. She died a few years later and left everything to my mother's youngest sibling (there was absolutely shenanigans b...

Mr.BB wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 3:59 pm Just finished re-watching Limitless with Chris Hemsworth. 6 part documentary on Disney Plus. They review different parts of the aging process and how the body/mind works and possible ways of fighting the various effects of aging (stress, fasting, strength, brain, extreme temperatures and dying). It is a wonderful documentary and well worth your time to watch.

I noticed you recommended this to me. Thanks. We do not have Disney+ and have no plans to do so, otherwise this completely up my alley (it's pretty much what I do for a living).

DW and I hit two milestones this month: A savings-based milestone: we maxed out our 401ks and Roth IRAs in the first three months of the year, which is by far the earliest we've done that. (We don't get an employer match so there is no point spreading it out.) A net worth milestone: we achieved a net worth with two commas. (We briefly and just barely hit it last year, but then fell below again. Based on our savings rate, I think we'll stay above it going forward.) We sort of will do the same thing tomorrow. Wife gets no match, so she's maxxed out as of tomorrow. I get a small match, so am only contributing the 4% needed to get the match starting 4/15 - otherwise I'm maxxed starting tomorrow. Wife is likely to be switching employers in the ...

Pdxnative wrote: ↑Thu Mar 30, 2023 12:21 pm OP’s son isn’t looking at Harvard. The question was Pitt or Purdue.

Don't know how Ivy schools were even brought up in the discussion. College is easily the most heated topic on this board and they always end up like this.

I certainly played my part as I have no experience with Pitt or Purdue, and none of my degrees are in CS.

As for the engagement ring....logically it makes no sense to spend $4K on a ring if you make $45K/yr., but life isn't all about logic, and you need to do what makes sense to you. I am 70 years old. I am wearing a $45 silicone wedding ring. (I almost lost it last week, which would have set us back over $50 for a replacement since my wife bought it on sale). I really didn't want my wife to spend any more than that on my ring. I would rather her have the money. For me, it is symbolic and it means just as much as if she spent thousands (and from far enough away it looks a little like 24K gold anyway!). Why are you spending $45 on a silicone ring when you can get them for like $3 :mrgreen:? I learned my lesson about expensive rings and thankful...

Seems like there is a lot of insecurity among non ivy grads. I don't necessarily agree with cheapskate, I'm pretty sure my mom isn't bragging about her daughter who is a Brown grad yet was living in her basement in her mid-30s and is almost unequivocally the least "successful" of her 7 children, 2 of whom have no education past high school at all. IMO, there is a some definite "elitism" from some on this board regarding this specific topic. You can call it "insecurity". I think we can all agree that this is a very individual topic; what school is "best" for an individual (in regards to future outcomes) is not some law that is true for the entire population. There is a difference between having a deba...

Yup, it gets old. With a high-achieving student such as OP's son, they'll likely do just fine no matter where they decide to go. It doesn't get old for Ivy League type Grads and Parents :D. After all, what is the point of an Ivy type degree (for oneself or one's offspring), if one doesn't take the opportunity at every cocktail party and on every internet forum to brag about how superior such a college is, and how superior therefore one is. College has stopped being a place where you go to learn some skills for career and life and learn to be an adult. It is a one upmanship game now. Coming back to Purdue or Illinois or <insert other much-maligned public U>, worked with plenty of public university products over 34 years in the Bay Area (inc...

Reading all the back and forth, almost feels as though Purdue is some backwater college in the boondocks, where "boondocks" = anywhere more than 100 miles from the northeast or west coasts. :twisted: Yup, it gets old. With a high-achieving student such as OP's son, they'll likely do just fine no matter where they decide to go. It doesn't get old for Ivy League type Grads and Parents :D. After all, what is the point of an Ivy type degree (for oneself or one's offspring), if one doesn't take the opportunity at every cocktail party and on every internet forum to brag about how superior such a college is, and how superior therefore one is. College has stopped being a place where you go to learn some skills for career and life and lea...

[Moved into a new thread from: Any Boglehead powerlifters? --admin LadyGeek] I'd be curious to hear what brand of bar and plates BH's have in their home gyms. I did deadlifts and power cleans regularly when I belonged to a gym, and am now looking to expand my home gym. Wonder if there's a happy medium between Rogue and a Dick's Sporting Goods 300 lb set? facebook marketplace for a rogue rack, the rest is ohio bar rogue, rogue bumper plates, bands, tractor supply horse stall mats. Rogue quality outshines everyone else. check out garage gym reviews they are really helpful. Then you haven't tried Eleiko...You have to decide if "quality" matters. The chances of "budget" equipment (Fringe, Rep, Titan, etc.) not lasting your ...

On a matter of paying for college, for those who talk about working 2 jobs and paying your own way, that was in the olden days. I did this myself and ran out of money, going into a co-op for 8 months to earn enough to finish. But in my day, the cost of 4 years of college was nearly matched by 1 year salary upon graduation. Today, at that college, 4 years cost $78,582X4 or $314,328. A graduating engineer isn't going to get paid that much until he's hit at least 4 years of working (I'm using my structural engineer son's salary as a basis). College is way more expensive than it used to be. In my state, $32,732 X 4 or $130,928. So even at state college, it's 2 years salary to pay. Generalizations are pointless. This absolutely happens today. T...

what makes it different than the mortgage or vehicle loan they'll likely be taking on a few years later? 1) no collateral and not necessarily getting anything valuable (e.g. no degree) 2) not dischargeable in bankruptcy 3) they're not the only one signing on the dotted line, the parents are too. These are good points. I also know of no normal mortgage nor car loan that allows you to defer all payments for up to 4 to 6 years while interest accrues and the amount of the loan snowballs. (Seems an expensive lesson to have your kids experience). Junior can just ignore that first loan each year while taking out another and another and another all the while not having to show any means to be able to pay it back. Sounds very different to me. They ...

I've not read all the replies. We made a deal with our son and daughter. They took the subsidized loans and if they finished school, mom and dad would pay off the loans. If they didn't finish school they had to pay off the loans. I like this. Fits in with roughly half college costs saved in 529s. Thanks. In fact, I’d like to tie it to success after college. Can’t think how yet… The rates and fees on unsubsidized loans aren't cheap - and unlike subsidized loans interest starts accrueing immediately. I don't believe skin-in-the-game works anyway (if they are irresponsible them owing money won't matter to them) but if I did - paying extra taxes by avoiding 529 use and paying a ton in fees and interest for loans isn't the path I would choose. ...

ScubaHogg wrote: ↑Thu Mar 30, 2023 12:30 am

fireman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:10 am
Best tip I received involved the flooring material: horse stall mats from Tractor Supply (4' x 6' x 3/4"). They were around $40 or $45 per mat. They are a little more now ($55?) but still a bargain compared to rubber flooring from gym outfitters.

+1. These work great. Fair warning, the first few days they might off gas quite a bit, but it goes away

My wife made me keep the horse stall mats in the backyard for a few days before putting them in the garage.

22twain wrote: ↑Thu Mar 30, 2023 6:04 am

cheapskate wrote: ↑Thu Mar 30, 2023 1:58 am Reading all the back and forth, almost feels as though Purdue is some backwater college in the boondocks,

where "boondocks" = anywhere more than 100 miles from the northeast or west coasts.

Yup, it gets old. With a high-achieving student such as OP's son, they'll likely do just fine no matter where they decide to go.

2.) You'd need to be very unlucky for the battery to die after just 10 years. Toyota's warranty is 10 years/150k miles precisely because it's extremely rare. I am not getting into the debate over the longevity of high voltage batteries, but the 10 year battery warranties are offered primarily becuase of marketing rather than anything else. Chrysler, for instance, famously used to offer lifetime powertrain warranties on their vehicles, which obviously did not have anything to do their powertrains being especially reliable. Lots and lots of manufacturers have done the same thing over the years. I would worry more about the automatic transmission than a hybrid battery. Automatic transmission failures cost thousands of dollars. CVT failures ca...

Yea, the $5,000 is for the latest model and if you go through Toyota. But even if you go with refurbished batteries from a third party at the price you shared it wouldnt break even in the example discussed. To me - still - the whole hybrid game makes sense if you´re very comfortable predicting the battery will last for as long as you intend to drive the car, or you want to flip it after X number of years and make it someone else´s problem... which I always thought as morally questionable. I recently read (okay maybe not from a super-authoritative source) that the average life for the transmission in my ICE car is about 130k miles before it fails to one extent or another. So if I sold my car at 120k miles would that be morally questionable?...

I see a lot of parents spend large sums of money thinking they will come out ahead with a full ride. My son is in 7th grade and plays competitive lacrosse. We spend maybe 15k a year on club team fees, private coaching, travel, gear, etc. He is pretty good but we have zero expectation that he will get a scholarship or play college lacrosse. We are just supporting his passion. The parents who are in it for the scholarship are frequently irrational and would be better off saving all that money. Ditto. I spent 2yrs working at a world famous athletic training facility that trains professional athletes in pretty much every sport (focusing primarily on NFL and NBA combines), and we would get parents calling every day asking about training their 6...

I see a lot of parents spend large sums of money thinking they will come out ahead with a full ride. My son is in 7th grade and plays competitive lacrosse. We spend maybe 15k a year on club team fees, private coaching, travel, gear, etc. He is pretty good but we have zero expectation that he will get a scholarship or play college lacrosse. We are just supporting his passion. The parents who are in it for the scholarship are frequently irrational and would be better off saving all that money. Ditto. I spent 2yrs working at a world famous athletic training facility that trains professional athletes in pretty much every sport (focusing primarily on NFL and NBA combines), and we would get parents calling every day asking about training their 6...

Leesbro63 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:35 am

Lastrun wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:31 am
Well, YMMV, mine went at year 11, less than 200K miles. I keep my cars 15 years, but not my Mariner.

Could this just be a function of the same old 50 year problem: GM/Ford/Chrysler car quality way behind Honda/Toyota quality? (Mariner is a Ford product, for reference)

It could be a function of "parts just fail, some before others". Ford's hybrids have a pretty strong history and reputation for reliability, probably stronger than the Honda hybrids. Besides, 11yrs and almost 200k miles, sounds like those batteries already paid for themselves.

Yea, the $5,000 is for the latest model and if you go through Toyota. But even if you go with refurbished batteries from a third party at the price you shared it wouldnt break even in the example discussed. To me - still - the whole hybrid game makes sense if you´re very comfortable predicting the battery will last for as long as you intend to drive the car, or you want to flip it after X number of years and make it someone else´s problem... which I always thought as morally questionable. I recently read (okay maybe not from a super-authoritative source) that the average life for the transmission in my ICE car is about 130k miles before it fails to one extent or another. So if I sold my car at 120k miles would that be morally questionable?...

chinchin wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:56 am I guess I should feel bad for victimizing people through my ownership of Visa and Mastercard via VTI.

Every company I have an investment in has the underlying purpose of making money off people...Oppressor here.

Both parties you mention, merchants and cc users who carry a balance, do so by choice. there is no 'victim' here. merchants are free to be cash-only, and cc users are free to not carry a balance. there is no one being 'forced to subsidize cash payments to unrelated persons." Now, choosing to do either of those things comes with a cost, of course. But a choice having consequences does not make it any less of a choice. This goes for almost anything, but it's currently popular to fight over who is the biggest victim. All choices have some consequences. IMO , if you have a choice, you are not a "victim". "Victim" is a strong word. The concept admits of gradations. Movie fans will recognize "I'll make you an offer ...

For whatever reason people do not want to pay over what materials cost. They want people to work for free. I know multiple people with this mindset. I don't know anyone like that. Everyone knows you pay for material and labor, and labor now is at least $50/hour for handy man stuff. I'm as "frugal" as they come, but I realize that it's at least $150 to get any serviceman in my door, even if they are only there for a second. This bit us in the butt last time we actually were able to get someone to our home (about a year ago). We try to DIY everything, but we could not figure this one out. The refrigerator wouldn't seal and we thought the hinge or seal was broken; serviceman figured out in a few seconds that a few frozen peas had go...

In my experience, as a professor, athletes tend to major in communication or psychology, and not engineering. Engineering is an incredibly time-consuming and intense major. Many, many people have said it should be a five year degree. There’s not time for athletics in an engineering curriculum. There really isn’t time in many majors for a Division I athlete. I once had exceedingly smart, softball pitcher, who couldn’t get out of B land. We discussed what she would have to do to move the needle, but there was just no way. I think your comment must be based on the school you teach at? My three athlete kids were premed, Business ( finance CPA) and Math. All did just fine as did many of their teammates...I think a lot of this has to do with the...

6bquick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:43 am
Both parties you mention, merchants and cc users who carry a balance, do so by choice. there is no 'victim' here. merchants are free to be cash-only, and cc users are free to not carry a balance. there is no one being 'forced to subsidize cash payments to unrelated persons." Now, choosing to do either of those things comes with a cost, of course. But a choice having consequences does not make it any less of a choice.

This goes for almost anything, but it's currently popular to fight over who is the biggest victim. All choices have some consequences. IMO, if you have a choice, you are not a "victim".

Every individual and marriage is different; what works for us, may not work for someone else. I generally try to refrain from giving marriage advice, but we combine everything (mostly because wife has less than zero interest in doing anything with money, besides making it).

You would know by now if he had a shot. He would be winning every tournament and competing against those older than him. Tennis teams aren't huge in college and only the absolute top tier would get a full scholarship. Now, there are always partial scholarships. Heck, they gave those out when I played in community college. I have little experience with tennis, but I played D1 college football (and have 3 siblings that were also college scholarships athletes - 2 in soccer, one in track - and a 4th who went to an Ivy on full need-based aid primarily because of sports - water polo) and I also spent a handful of years training collegiate athletes for NFL and NBA combines. This is my experience. Parents do not realize how difficult it really is ...

teCh0010 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 6:11 am

bendix wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 9:33 pm

Mordoch wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 9:25 pm ...

Let´s assume you´re right. Why is there a whole market of companies out there making a living of third party hybrid battery replacements? Why do they sell even for Toyotas, of which I think very highly, replacement batteries for a 2016-2020 Prius? For a 2014-2019 Highlander? Wouldnt that strongly indicate there´s a market for it and consequentially this happens maybe a bit more often than one would like?

They sell replacement engine and transmissions for newer cars as well…

If you are going to call something “unreliable” because you can buy the replacement parts then I’m assuming you ride a horse to work?

Well, they do sell other horses too...because they die and all

I'm a PhD exercise physiologist who works in the medical field; I am having a hard time understanding the biological mechanism other than anecdotally you are not comfortable being "cold". If you have specific medical conditions this may be the case (ie. my wife has Raynaud's), but for most of us this isn't a health/medical concern (a far as I know). "Cold" is also extremely subjective; I believe the poster you immediately responded to was referring to 60 degree weather . Being submerged in 60 degree water is one thing, but being exposed to 60 degree weather for extended periods is not an issue for the large majority of people. Well.. the WHO recommends healthy people to keep indoor temperatures between 64 and 75, and th...

Unless they have gotten frostbite or have Raynaud's, how exactly does having cold hands negatively impact health? Repetitive tasks in the cold induce more strain. The strain can be further aggravated if someone rests in the cold. I think a lot of people don't realize their ailments are a result of not keeping their extremities warm. I'm a PhD exercise physiologist who works in the medical field; I am having a hard time understanding the biological mechanism other than anecdotally you are not comfortable being "cold". If you have specific medical conditions this may be the case (ie. my wife has Raynaud's), but for most of us this isn't a health/medical concern (a far as I know). "Cold" is also extremely subjective; I bel...

vbdoug wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:18 pm "Sherlock", my favorite Netflix show of all time, is currently available on Prime. It is not available on Netflix.

"Extraordinary Attorney Woo" from South Korea is on Netflix.
It is excellent.

Kudos forever to "The Big Bang". On reruns everywhere.

I am both amused and entertained by shows with mildly autistic characters.

As someone with high-functioning autism, IMO "The Big Bang" is darn near unwatchable. I have no clue what the appeal of that show is. "Sherlock" is fantastic though.

To me - still - the whole hybrid game makes sense if you´re very comfortable predicting the battery will last for as long as you intend to drive the car, or you want to flip it after X number of years and make it someone else´s problem... which I always thought as morally questionable. I think if you have a car that you know has a problem that a test driver wouldn't find and you don't disclose this, it's a moral problem. If you sell an 8 year old hybrid, which you know to be working fine with no undisclosed problems, I think "the market" understands that the battery could die tomorrow or run another 7-8 years. Just someone's 150,000 mile ICE car is sold with "the market" knowing that it could run another 150,000 trouble...

snackdog wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 11:16 pm Nothing is a good buy at current prices, except maybe a Chevy Bolt if you can find one.

I keep hearing about all these amazing deals on Bolts. I did a search recently and there were TWO bolts for sale within 500 miles of me and both were advertised for well above MSRP.

I would never trust a child for that responsibility. Wow, I knew my DD was pretty exceptional, she’s been taking care of her cat since she was nine years old. If you want a pet, you have to take care of it. Liter box, canned cat food and grooming. It’s never been a problem… That is fantastic. Are you suggesting that you would be fine having your 9-year-old travel by herself a few homes away and enter another home and go through the process of taking care of other cat(s) and then shutting up that home and returning? I’d let my kid do that. In our state, you’re allowed to babysit other human beings when you’re 12. When I was growing up, it was quite common for kids to do these types of things starting around those ages. $10/day sounds like a...

Unless they have gotten frostbite or have Raynaud's, how exactly does having cold hands negatively impact health? Repetitive tasks in the cold induce more strain. The strain can be further aggravated if someone rests in the cold. I think a lot of people don't realize their ailments are a result of not keeping their extremities warm. I'm a PhD exercise physiologist who works in the medical field; I am having a hard time understanding the biological mechanism other than anecdotally you are not comfortable being "cold". If you have specific medical conditions this may be the case (ie. my wife has Raynaud's), but for most of us this isn't a health/medical concern (a far as I know). "Cold" is also extremely subjective; I bel...

I am yet not convinced hybrids are more economical than ICEs, at least at present. Take the 2023 RAV4 LE (base RAV4) as an example: the ICE version gets 27/35 mpg for $27,975; the hybrid version gets 41/38 at $30,725 (difference of $2,750). To make the math easier, let's assume hybrid gets 40 mpg and ICE gets 29 mpg (this assumes more city driving, which is to the benefit of the hybrid). If someone drives this car 12K miles per year, the fuel savings is 114 gallons. At $4/gallon (gas is currently $3.20 where I am), yearly savings is $456 in fuel. It would take 6 years to break even in nominal dollars and a few more (8-10?) than that in real dollars. Of course, if you drive many more miles and/or gas prices go higher than $4/g, then the hyb...

Debit (with a credit feature) rewards me for not spending. I can’t afford to pay 18 percent more than the purchase price. Also I’ve had no need for credit once I started working and paid off my student loans. So other than student loans I’ve probably paid less than $1,000 in interest in my entire life. I try to collect it, not pay it. That makes my life much easier. I hope you are aware that you don't pay any credit card interest if you pay your bill in full each month Yes I am aware of that. Thank you. What percentage of global cardholders pay it off in full every month? Not to jump into the fray here, but I think part of what IvyGirl is saying here resonates a bit with me. Specifically I get her feeling of vulnerability and hurt pride. I...

Debit (with a credit feature) rewards me for not spending. I can’t afford to pay 18 percent more than the purchase price. Also I’ve had no need for credit once I started working and paid off my student loans. So other than student loans I’ve probably paid less than $1,000 in interest in my entire life. I try to collect it, not pay it. That makes my life much easier. I hope you are aware that you don't pay any credit card interest if you pay your bill in full each month Yes I am aware of that. Thank you. What percentage of global cardholders pay it off in full every month? Not to jump into the fray here, but I think part of what IvyGirl is saying here resonates a bit with me. Specifically I get her feeling of vulnerability and hurt pride. I...

Agreed. We are credit card churners and will again pocket more than $20k - net - this year thanks to playing all the credit card games. Maybe some here make enough money to turn their noses up at $20k, but we certainly do not! The moral judgements about those of us who use credit cards for "rewards" is even more fun. I could not care less what someone else does, but CC churning is the easiest way I make a few thousand dollars every year...and I think it is contemporary culture appropriate to say I feel perfectly fine with my decision because I check almost every "disadvantaged/oppressed/underrepresented" box. Um, if whoever oppressed you was paying for the "rewards," then maybe... CC "rewards" as rep...

Surprised at all this "insulting my intelligence" stuff. Because of the dictionary definition of "reward"? If they renamed it from "cash back" "rewards" to "if you use our credit card everything you buy costs less" would that change everything for you? It's just words. If you are that much of a stickler for proper definitions of words how do you function in life? If someone asks you how to get to some destination do you say "car, bike, taxi, walking, lots of options!"? Agreed. We are credit card churners and will again pocket more than $20k - net - this year thanks to playing all the credit card games. Maybe some here make enough money to turn their noses up at $20k, but we certai...

We have saved enough in 529s to cover 4yrs at public U in our state (at current costs)...it's a heck of a lot less than $100k/each Are you accounting for tuition (and fees) only, or full cost of attendance? Are you referring to the state flagship, or any public college? Every college is required to have a cost of attendance page, and I'm not seeing any flagships that are "a heck of a lot less than" $25k/year for the full cost of attendance (having just checked CA, WA, CO, MI, VA, and NC). But tuition and fees are not the majority of the cost (only 34% of the total cost at UC Berkeley, 24% of the total cost at the University of Colorado, etc.). There are two (IMO, more than decent) universities within 6 miles of my front door, bot...

Surprised at all this "insulting my intelligence" stuff. Because of the dictionary definition of "reward"? If they renamed it from "cash back" "rewards" to "if you use our credit card everything you buy costs less" would that change everything for you? It's just words. If you are that much of a stickler for proper definitions of words how do you function in life? If someone asks you how to get to some destination do you say "car, bike, taxi, walking, lots of options!"? Agreed. We are credit card churners and will again pocket more than $20k - net - this year thanks to playing all the credit card games. Maybe some here make enough money to turn their noses up at $20k, but we certai...

If you don't have the ability to do minor repairs you lose two ways: you have to pay for everything AND you don't have a good sense of how a job should be done and how much time it should take. If you believe you are too old to learn, then either set aside a considerable amount for repairs or sell and move to something that requires less maintenance. Even if willing to pay high it will be hard to find suitable workers. Easier for significant jobs (paint the house, replace the roof) not so much for trivial ones. I'm willing to try to learn just about anything and I have some handy friends. The last two attempts to get a serviceman into my home were a nightmare, so we have to be in pretty much an emergency to not first try it ourselves.

Sauceonside wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 2:02 pm Hi, you’re right. I’ll give some more details.

I owe ~27k on my other vehicle. That is my only other debt. I have no student loans or credit card debt. I owe no money on the sports car and I only drive it in the summer. We have bad winters here.

My mortgage is at 3.25%.

I make 120k a year. Single no kids. I contribute 15% of my income to my 401k, I don’t think I max it out ever year. I have about 150k saved in retirement.

Echo a few others that you are behind on retirement savings and have too much of your income and NW tied up in cars, but paying off the mortgage would be way down the list of things I'd do if I suddenly came into $60k in your situation.

I asked for an example and you gave a good one. As a minor point, I don't think the base model hybrid (XL hybrid) is $1,500 less than the base model ICE (XL). Both appear to me to be the same price. But you are still correct in that Ford Maverick hybrid seems more economical than the ICE model. Any other examples or is this the only one? FWIW, I like the Maverick hybrid a lot. Of course, like so many vehicles these days, hybrid or ICE, the extended wait time to get one is painful. That has changed for '24 orders, the '22 (which I own) and the '23 were $1500 cheaper for the hybrid, but they are LONG sold out. Clearly it was due to demand; you can get an ICE model, but you are likely to be waiting 18-months if you order a hybrid today. I don...

You are missing that in some cases the delta in price between ICE and hybrid is smaller, difference in fuel efficiency is larger, and expected maintenance maybe lower in the hybrid. All of those are the case for my (hybrid) vehicle. If these are true, sure. Please give me an example. Also, note that my example was heavier on city driving and used $4/gallon, both to the benefit of the hybrid. Try out the example of someone who drives nearly all highway miles and gas stays at $3.50 or below. Breakeven point is nearly 30 years in nominal dollars. Ford Maverick hybrid. The hybrid is the base model ($1500 cheaper), mixed driving mileage is 26 for ICE and 37 for hybrid but we've experienced a much greater differential (we're averaging 49.3mpg ov...

We've taken both our Teslas with friends on 1500+ mile road trips as it was much preferred over driving ICE. I’ve heard tortured (and unconvincing) arguments that an EV is “as good” as ICE for a road trip, but preferable? By what stretch? This assertion needs a LOT of explanation. I’ve done dozens of ICE lengthy road trips. You hit the accelerator and quickly fill up as needed at endlessly available gas stations. How can that be improved on? EV should be cheaper to "fill er up". Should be , but that isn't a given. You would be shocked what some public charging stations charge. As I noted earlier, in my area, it is usually >$.50/kWhr and some places charge $.70/kWhR at times. Fast chargers (the kind you would use on a road trip) a...

What I have learned from this thread: my daughter charges FAR too little and needs to start her own pet care business (shoot, I WFH, it would be worth it for me).

I am yet not convinced hybrids are more economical than ICEs, at least at present. Take the 2023 RAV4 LE (base RAV4) as an example: the ICE version gets 27/35 mpg for $27,975; the hybrid version gets 41/38 at $30,725 (difference of $2,750). To make the math easier, let's assume hybrid gets 40 mpg and ICE gets 29 mpg (this assumes more city driving, which is to the benefit of the hybrid). If someone drives this car 12K miles per year, the fuel savings is 114 gallons. At $4/gallon (gas is currently $3.20 where I am), yearly savings is $456 in fuel. It would take 6 years to break even in nominal dollars and a few more (8-10?) than that in real dollars. Of course, if you drive many more miles and/or gas prices go higher than $4/g, then the hyb...