Afterthought

Technically this blog is over but every once in a while I might drop in with an afterthought or two.
I've had my convertible back for a few days already and still getting used to the low seated noisy driving. I think I got a little too attached to the Prius.
Well I decided to do some research about getting a hybrid and I realized something, battery life. Being a fan of Hondas and Toyotas, and being the previous owner of an Acura that was just as old as me, I know that their engines last long, at least 200,000 miles. My Acura was 220,000+ when I sold it. Since Hybrids being available to the middle class is fairly new, we don't know yet how long these batteries are going to last. Another thing, because this is fairly new, so I doubt there is very much competition out there when it comes to repairing or replacing the battery so that right now is probably very expensive.
According to Toyota's website and other sites, the Toyota Prius has already reached 50 MPG while Honda is still in the mid 40s. A plus for me with Honda is that the Civic hybrid is a sedan, as I said before, I'm not a fan of hatchbacks.
Although I'm definitely considering getting the new Toyota Prius that has solar panels, one thing bugs me, I severely doubt this car will be available in the next few years when I'm ready for a new one. The idea is great, but how many people are going to benefit for it? If you live in Southern California like me, where all we have left is sunshine, it'll work. Or in other sunny locations like Florida and Texas, those can be very beneficial, but what about the rest of the country?