at least you used to , I'm not sure if you still can. All the senior guys at my office all have huge SUVs they all bought for the tax write off. Something about buying a car that is over a certain weight..pretty messed up stuff. One of the guys even waited til Dec 31 to buy it.
If you own a business, you can buy a vehicle over 6,000 lbs and deduct the expense. The largest SUVs are over 6k, so you could deduct it (not a credit). There are tax credits for buying hybrids.
HA! Walmart is now @ 1.83!! nice jump. But HEB arcoss the strreet is now 1.71! Toyota has like 5 cars with over 30+MPG non hybrids.
Well I could have very well had one but my traveling conditions are better suited for a gas-saving automobile.
Reasons gas prices rise: 1. Crude oil took a turn up over the last month. 2. We hit that point in the year where the EPA requires a more efficient formula for gas that costs more to produce and adds some more tax to the gallon of gas. 3. Demand increases as Spring Break rolls around and people start traveling, so prices are raised since demand is raised.
My wife owns a Prius. I don't think they are that cheap. The Toyota Echo is almost a dead ringer for the Prius yet costs about $6000 less. You can't make that up in gas savings any time soon.
I just looked online. That's MSRP. (And yes, I realize that doesn't include TTL ;o)) Costs are also going up because of the weak dollar and increasing demand all over the world. With a finite supply of oil, what do people expect will happen when demand increases from places like China, India, etc.? MadMax - I will defer to your lawyer abilities, but there were tax credits for buying an SUV over a certain tonnage if you owned a small business. That's why you'd see Hummers with Remax ads on them - CPAs were telling people to take advantage of the tax rebates by spending an additional $10k to get the big rebate. And... that's also why you saw SUVs get heavier a few years ago - they may as well meet the requirement! ArtV - How much does it cost to replace an automatic transmission? How about a manual? How often are you supposed to do that? I'm not acting as the hybrid defender (I don't drive one), I just think there are a lot of considerations when thinking about the price of gas... and really, about the price of owning an automobile - you're not dealing with just the amount you pay at the pump. Consider storage, taxes paid for roads, etc., effect on the environment, etc. It's a total package. And don't forget, if you're like bigtexx, you've got to place a big honkin' rock in your driveway to park on.
Hybrids are like any other new product, I'm sure they will eventually be cheaper. Companies have to recover certain costs when rolling out a new product like research and development.
I've never had to replace an automatic before, but my guess would be you could get it done at the dealer for around $2500-$3000. A manual clutch and throwout bearing at dealer prices will should run you about $1500-$2000 tops. $6000 would be the cost of a new engine and transmission. Would you buy a car where they recommend you replacing the engine and transmission at 100,000? That's about 1/2 the car's price at that point. And after you replace it, will you get your $6g back in resale? I don't think so. Plus your car still has 100k miles on it. And I don't see anyone but a dealer experienced enough to do it so you are at their mercy right now. Also what do you think happens to the batteries. "Properly disposed of", I'm sure. There is promise in the technology and it's kind of cool how it works. One day I hope we can get off oil for all vehicles, but I expect more from a new car than a $6000 "tune-up" waiting for me at 100,000. Most people will have to take out another loan to get the work done.
According to consumer reports they are the worse out of all car manufacturers over a 5 year period. The new Toureg was the most unreliable car last year according them also. From personal experience, they are the worse cars ever made. I've had an engine replaced at 50K along with the other 16 times I've taken it in for major repairs.
