The state of the global environment, in general, and the American environment, in particular has become such a concern that we have finally begun to clamor for change. It is our love of the personal automobile as our main means of transportation that can be documented as having done the greatest damage to our natural settings. Moreover, the main resource currently used to power our cars – gas and oil – is a resource that cannot be replenished when depleted.

United States automobile manufacturers have belatedly become aware they are creating an antiquated product and are working quickly to provide the American consumers with a variety of hybrid cars that use alternative fuel sources. Foreign competitors, such as Honda, Saab and others, are way ahead of American car companies, and currently offer a wide variety of automobiles that are powered by alternative fuel sources such as electricity. Their greatest success to date, the Toyota Prius, is poised to leave the big 3 automakers behind them in overall sales.

We Americans want to be a part of this new ‘environmentally sensitive’ population. We want to be tree-huggers and will do whatever we comfortably can to participate in the green revolution. This includes our desire, even our growing need to purchase and become the rightful owners of these newest kinds of cars – the hybrid automobile. Except, when the average consumer begins to research the cost for these resource-conservative cars they often find them to be too prohibitive.

Most people are unaware that the average foreign hybrid automobile runs in the high $30,000 dollar range. These cars have been found to save the consumer merely hundreds of dollars in gasoline costs annually. However, these same fuel savings are often eaten up by finance charges incorporated into the credit extended to the auto buyer. Most Americans anxious to be considered environmentally friendly often ignore overlook this simple fact.

The foreign counterparts, our American car companies, in their eagerness to claim their portion of this growing market, are graciously willing to alter the engine of one of their current gas-guzzling models for the consumer for a mere five or six thousand dollars. Again, consider the cost of financing this credit over the life of the loan and it quickly becomes obvious that instead of jumping into the green revolution with both feet, perhaps we would be better served to use our feet for transportation!