Hey Scotty and everybody,
Me and my partner are wondering what are some good hybrid and electric cars, especially ones that feel like/drives similarly to the Nissan Versa SL 2007/08 I can't remember the exact year. Anyway that car was nice for all our needs which was them doing food delivery, teaching me how to drive, and taking our dog out to places like parks/rivers/beaches/ect. The Nissan Versa for unclear reasons had the piston crack through the engine block and was told that they would have to get a whole new engine.
So far in our area there are some Nissan Leaf 2011s and 2012s, LOTS of Toyota Prius's from 2005-2015s, found one Toyota Camry hybrid, and a 2002 Honda sonata. There are some more but I gotta look at it again, I have a list of them we are interested in, but I think it's a bit long to add to this question. We looking for something under 10k and around or under 150k miles. Oh and nothing Ford, we just really don't like Ford, just have had too many negative experiences with Ford.
So I have a lot of questions cause I don't know much about cars, and my partner has only owned one and helped a few friends with maintenance on vehicles. Soooo....Idk what kind of order to ask them so I'll just ask them in no specific order, I'm sorry, but I'll separate them a bit so it's easier to read.
What are some good makes and models we should keep our eye out for?
Like which ones tend to need more maintenance/repairs, and which ones will last long and strong?
What amount of owners is bad, and what amount of accident reports is bad? Or what's a bad ratio of those to see? Like 2 owners 5 accident reports, good, poor but not bad, or bad?
How can you tell a place is lying about a car having been damaged in an accident?
Do sedan style hybrids have better mileage than SUV style hybrids?
For the things we would be using the car for, should we get a hybrid or get an electric? Would getting a hybrid be more efficient since we want to places like beaches and such?
Sorry this is long, but thank you to whoever fully read/responded, and if you read this and have this in one of your videos Scotty THANK YOU SO MUCH we watch your stuff a alot and have learned so much from you/your channel and look forward to learning and hearing more from you.
Sincerely,
V and M
Do sedan style hybrids have better mileage than SUV style hybrids?
of course.
SUVs are larger and heavier
1) Good Makes & Models: Most Toyota hybrids. Some Honda hybrids. Prius, Corolla, Camry, RAV4... Civic, Accord, Insight, CR-V… If you find specific ones, let us know, and we can try to tell your the good and bad of each year, make, model. Generally speaking, the above are good lists of hybrids.
I don’t really recommend electric if you like to do road trips. On top of that a 10 year old electric car is bound to have lower capacity battery due to age and use.
2) The big thing to worry about with aging hybrids it the hybrid battery. But it isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. I would be open to a used hybrid, but not a used electric. The price for a battery for electric cars are insane. If you thought they were expensive for a hybrid, think again for an electric.
I would say the Gen 2 Prius is more bulletproof than the Gen 3 Prius, but Gen 3 Prius isn’t bad, assuming it was properly maintained.
BTW, no matter if a car is a hybrid or gas, one maintenance item that often gets overlooked is the PCV valve. It needs to be cleaned or changed every so often.
3) The lower the number of owners, the better, usually. But there could be some anomalies. It depends on the type of accident. If it is just a bump or fender bender, no biggie. But if the structure of the car is compromised, or the engine is damaged, that could be more problems. Obviously, ideally no accidents.
4) Lying: It’s hard to tell with an untrained eye. Some hints about accidents are body panels that don’t line up properly, bigger or smaller gaps in the wheel well on one side than the other side, paint overspray under the car or on non painted parts, paint that doesn’t match.
5) Sedans in general get better gas mileage than SUV. Less weight, lower to the ground, lower displacement engines.
6) If you like to travel or do road trips, get the hybrid. If you just do primarily city driving near chargers, get the electric.
