From an environmental standpoint, imo, all cars run really clean these days. So you go all electric, where's the electricity to charge it up coming from, a coal or natural gas fired plant? Sounds like you do minimal driving so you're impact on the environment or the oil industry is minimal no matter what you choose. Go try out them all and pick the one you like the best. I wouldn't scoff at a 30 mpg+ non-hybrid vehicle either if it were me. A lot more to go wrong with a hybrid, plus they cost more up front.

"A lot more to go wrong with a hybrid"

People say that, but I don't get it. We haven't had any particular trouble. The one time we had a problem with anything having to do with the hybrid technology (out of town, of course), the nearest Toyota place fixed it within an hour, and the total cost was under $100, parts and labor.

I wish I could say the same about the Volvo! Actually, it has been fine, too, especially considering its age. The problem with a Volvo is how expensive it is to replace parts. My neighborhood mechanic works so much cheaper than the Volvo dealership it's a joke, but if I ever need major parts, he still will have to buy them from Volvo.

I love my 2004 Prius and would buy another one in a heartbeat.

I'm not as sure that I'd buy non-Prius hybrid. It appears to me (and I'm not an automotive expert in any way) that the Prius was designed from tires up to be more fuel efficient while the other hybrids were designed as traditionally powered cars that had a hybrid system added as an "afterthought".

Sounds like you have had good luck with the Prius you now have.I would go for the same.What kind of mpg do you owners of the Prius get?

I ordered a Prius.

To answer johndeere's question: we have a 2003 Prius, which was advertised as getting 50 mpg. A year or two later, they improved them to 60. Then the industry changed the way it reported MPG, and Toyota also started making the Prius heavier, so now Toyota says they get 48.

Our experience: unlike regular cars, which usually get better MPG on the highway than in town, the Prius really does, as advertised, do at least as well in town as on the highway -- because the battery recharges when you brake to stop or slow, I believe. But here is what REALLY makes a difference in a Prius (and for all I know, in any car): the length of time you are driving at a stretch. We live in a near suburb; it is only 2 miles to my husband's office and only 8 minutes to downtown. We very rarely have to drive more than 20 minutes at a time; many days no more than 10. And the first 5 minutes the mileage is always the worst. So our mileage isn't as good as most other people report (especially with a pre-2004 model): about 42 or so, usually. But when we are in northern Wisconsin, and it is at least 20 minutes to ANYWHERE, we consistently get 50-52.

Several people I know have Prius's. One has a Honda Civic hybrid. They average between 45-57 mpg.

Edmunds.com has plenty of user info about hybrids in their forums.

A link that might be useful:

Toyota Prius Forums & Discussions
townhall-talk.edmunds.com

If you are going trade every five years, you can get about anything and it'll be reliable. If you want something you can keep if you aren't in a financial position to trade every few years, I'd want something without the complexity of a hybrid.

On paper (recycled of course), the Prius is a very frugle vehicle but you have to know how to drive it frugally to get the benefits. If you don't have the expertise you can obtain a far better mpg from a small diesel. However as there is already a Prius in your household I guess you have, through trial and error, found the particular way of getting the most out of it.

Why not get a Shelby Mustang? If anyone asks you what car you have you can honestly say, hand on heart, that a Prius graces your driveway. The fact that it shares it with a thirsty, gass guzzling tarmac-shreader need not be divulged. Here we are having a very wet and cool June because not enough people drive Range Rovers. LOL!

Of course, you should also include a bumper sticker for the Mustang that reads, "My other car is a Toyota Prius."

A friend who works at a nearby Toyota dealer tells me there is currently roughly an 8 to 12 week wait for a Prius, so obviously they are appealing to many people in the marketplace. Virtually any inexpensive non-hybrid economy car (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cobalt XFE) is going to be cheaper overall to run than a hybrid, and might arguably be better for the environment due to lack of a large battery pack and the potentially longer lifespan of a non-hybrid, but people buy things for many different reasons, and there's nothing wrong with that.