Prius Myths and their Rebuttals

[efusco]

An excellent summary article:
LA Car.com - The Cars and Culture of Southern California Magazine & Directory - WHEELS OF FORTUNE

[Prius4ever]

Great article! Thanks for sharing...what more can be said about the wonderful Prius? I will pass it onto all of those naysayers I encounter and that are still out there.

[AttaBoy]

You know, it's funny. I sell my own industry-specific software to car dealers for use in their Finance & Insurance departments (no - the monthly payment is NOT $528.00) so I'm in dealerships of every kind all day every day - or on the phones with these guys making changes or modifications. And I've been doing this since 1984 (yikes). I cover Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, sometimes Virginia, and I live in central Georgia south of Atlanta about 80 miles.

I only said all that because I know that in my more-than-a-quarter century being out here on the open road that I've driven a couple million miles. I owned 11 (eleven) new Chevy Surburbans in one 10-year period. And I've owned something like a total of 35 or 36 new vehicles, including this fabulous 2008 Prius (The wife and I are #2 and #3 for new 2009's on our local Toyota dealer's waiting list - full price, of course.). A few of you know me - so you know this stuff is not bs - every word true.

That asside - look, you can force ANY car to get fabulous gas mileage. I've been in so many on-line arguments over the years with the "Yes I did" - "No you DIDN'T" crap that I just lurk any more... mostly. Ain't got time...

But - as a perfect "for instance" - I had a 2004 Honda Accord EXL4 Navi (gorgeous car) that I drove from a gas station here to Selma, AL, and worked 6 hours and then drove it BACK home to that same PUMP - 502 miles exactly - still had a quarter of a tank of gas when I got there - and after careful refilling of the tank which included stares from people when I shook the car three or four times with the cap on to get that last little bit into it, I got 44.115 miles per gallon that day. The overly optimistic EPA on that car was (if I remember correctly) 32c/37h ? What's the new Accord 4cylinder rated at... 25 / 32 or something ? Basically the same motor ?

I don't care if you don't believe it. That's NOT the reason for the post. It's merely to tell all of you that hypermiling has been around forever with us extremists who really do know how to do it - at least a little bit - and to heck with truck drivers running 85 or 90 miles an hour and the rest of you in your Suburbans and Hemi's and 7-series BMW's who think you own the same roads I pay taxes on - screaming profanity at me as you whisk past my 2008 Prius getting 60+ mpg (see the picture and weep) over there in the right lane with my emergency flashers on to keep you nut jobs from running slap over me !

We don't have a recession where I drive in the Southeast. What we DO have is an endless armada of huge SUV's and honkin dualie (sp?) pickup trucks and 18-wheelers all blasting down the road into what must be some final financial "I DON'T CARE AND I'M MASHING MY GAS PEDAL TO PROVE IT" oblivion that has yet to come into focus. Most of them are smoking AND talking on hand-held cell phones and eating and putting on makeup.

There is NO common sense. Our collective stupididy is unconscionable. What - you want more proof? Okay. Look at the current outlaw administration. Thank you God - because now I'm SURE that we've been paid back for whatever it was we did to make you this mad... and maybe, just MAYBE, it gets better now ????

In the meantime I'm over here in the right lane - minding my own business - getting 60 miles per gallon in my little red Prius - and waiting in ANY line for ANY car that gets better than that - electric, fuel cell, diesel, nuclear fission, whatever it might be. PUT ME DOWN for TWO of 'em.

Ira Flato's Friday (Sirius radio) show, Science Friday, hosted expert folks the other day that said a single 95-square-mile solar array out in the US southwest desert would produce more than enough electricity to "fuel" the entire country. Also said that solar panels on the roofs of only 15% of all rooftops in the US that have the appropriate southern exposure would, also, produce as much electricity - and would entirely "fuel" the nation. Oh. And with existing technology... nothing to invent... just lay down a couple hundred thousand panels and install transmission lines east and west to move all this new electricity.

We are idiots. Shame on us. We get what we deserve... including lies and illegal cowboy war with lots and lots and lots of dead American kids who have died in those distant deserts while Osama is STILL out there riding around on a well-fed burro and laughing at all of us - but mostly your boy, George Bush.

[EZW1]

I have two comments:
1. The cost numbers include cost to manufacture, not just the cost to the owner
2. The lifetime number are high for the Prius because of the 'anticipated' battery life. Obviously, the battery will last much longer and for certain the gas engine will run much longer.

Don't be fooled about these numbers. I'll try to post some information from the Federal Government about cost of ownership in a future post.

[Welshdog]

Originally Posted by AttaBoy

We don't have a recession where I drive in the Southeast. What we DO have is an endless armada of huge SUV's and honkin dualie (sp?) pickup trucks and 18-wheelers all blasting down the road into what must be some final financial "I DON'T CARE AND I'M MASHING MY GAS PEDAL TO PROVE IT" oblivion that has yet to come into focus. Most of them are smoking AND talking on hand-held cell phones and eating and putting on makeup.

Wow you seem to have described every other vehicle and driver I see here in Texas. Even in "liberal" Austin the number of morons driving these giant vehicles like they are Mad Max is shocking. I remember a woman years ago who gave a soundbite on the local news about her Ford Excursion being a "great grocery-getter". For what, the entire Marine Corps?

Ira Flato's Friday (Sirius radio) show, Science Friday, hosted expert folks the other day that said a single 95-square-mile solar array out in the US southwest desert would produce more than enough electricity to "fuel" the entire country. Also said that solar panels on the roofs of only 15% of all rooftops in the US that have the appropriate southern exposure would, also, produce as much electricity - and would entirely "fuel" the nation. Oh. And with existing technology... nothing to invent... just lay down a couple hundred thousand panels and install transmission lines east and west to move all this new electricity.

I think we would have one little problem with that - darkness! Unless some kind of mass storage system can be implemented there is still a substantial need for electricity at night. And while we can do the solar changeover with existing tech the practical aspects of doing it are mind boggling. As is the investment needed to do it. I'm all about solar and renewables, but any sea change in our power generation/distribution system will be arduous. We'll manage to do it, but I don't think it will happen quickly.

[jayman]

Originally Posted by AttaBoy

There is NO common sense. Our collective stupididy is unconscionable. <snip>We are idiots. Shame on us. We get what we deserve... including lies and illegal cowboy war with lots and lots and lots of dead American kids who have died in those distant deserts while Osama is STILL out there riding around on a well-fed burro and laughing at all of us - but mostly your boy, George Bush.

I'd like to think the average American and Canadian is a decent, law abiding, moral citizen. Unfortunately, what I see around me is just the opposite

Well, I guess in the final analysis, we get the government that we deserve, don't we? I'm always reminded of this whenever I travel on business. Unless a person has really been around, they have no business knocking down a country like France or Sweden or Switzerland

Speaking of which, bright and early Tuesday, I'm back to the grind. Gone almost 3 weeks. I always hope when I return that things here have somehow calmed down and everybody has come to their collective senses.

I guess that is asking too much

[hyo silver]

Originally Posted by jayman

...I always hope when I return that things here have somehow calmed down and everybody has come to their collective senses...

How generous of you to assume we all have senses to return to. I like to say that if sense were common, more people would have some. Enjoy your trip.

[chevysuburban]

fact- prius owners are more likely to be intolerant and view anybody who disagrees with them as ignorant or stupid (before i get attacked, this is based off of an actual survey of the political views of different car owners)

[JimboK]

Originally Posted by chevysuburban

fact- prius owners are more likely to be intolerant and view anybody who disagrees with them as ignorant or stupid (before i get attacked, this is based off of an actual survey of the political views of different car owners)

I suggest you cite your sources when you state something like this as fact. Do you have a link?

That is unless your intent is strictly to bait, which your user name and your other post suggest is the case. I'm not sure you're interested in credibility, but if so, you're not starting off well. So don't expect this report of a "survey" to be very credible either.

[chevysuburban]

mr. jimbo,
I do not have a link as it was published in a local newspaper. For the study, the reporter had owners of different types of cars fill out questionnaires discussing their own beliefs and what they thought of those who held other beliefs. while calling the results of this report fact may not be completely accurate as the survey only questioned 100 owners in each of the categories (ranging from large SUV to hybrid owner), it does offer evidence of a common occurrence. Notice that I said 'more likely' instead of 'always'. Prius owners were the leader in what could be called intolerance in that they believed those who held different opinions than them could be considered "uniformed" and "ignorant". In a way, you are simply supporting my information, as you are assuming that, because I point out something that you disagree with, I am just interested in causing trouble and don't care about credibility. I don't have a problem with you questioning or disagreeing with my information, however, please do so in a way that at least suggests some openness to a view that you don't believe in.

as for my username and other post, I'm, proud of my suburban as I'm sure you are of your prius and I don't have any problem buying gas for a car that I like, consequently, my mpg's are not really an issue. I posted them to try to remind other forum members that there are other drivers on the road who have places to be and would rather not be stuck behind somebody who is more concerned with their digital mpg display than they are with being courteous towards other drivers and at least going the speed limit.
I don't have a problem with you disagreeing with what I say, the reason I am on this forum is actually to get to know different opinions.