forget Prius--get a Geo Metro instead!

[mercuryct]

I enjoyed this, and the comments following:

Overrated: Is the Prius really worth it? - WalletPop Blog

[Tweev]

I think what they guy wrote is fair - a bit biting - maybe the numbers are a bit off but really I think the people who have done the math have determined that there are many many better choices over the Prius if your primary goal is to save money.

[Sheepdog]

amazing how many people are on my ignore list now.

[Tweev]

I think this is the icon you were looking for:

[Boo]

Originally Posted by Tweev

I think what they guy wrote is fair - a bit biting - maybe the numbers are a bit off but really I think the people who have done the math have determined that there are many many better choices over the Prius if your primary goal is to save money.

I agree. Plus, there are a lot of people who just can't afford buying a $25K Prius, or any lesser priced new car.

BTW, my neighbor vouches for those Metro gas mileage numbers too.

[Rangerdavid]

please see my comments posted on the page linked....... some folks just don't get it....... who is that Bruce Waton guy anyway? I've never seen any of his stuff before.

[bwilson4web]

The house special tonight is filet of Troll:

Originally Posted by mercuryct

I enjoyed this, . . .

You can have it roasted, broiled, or any flame prepared way of your choice. I prefer my Troll very, very well done. One step from charcoal.

Having driven a rental GEO Metro, it was as comfortable as two Honda 350s strapped to a metal container housing the most uncomfortable seats I've ever sat in. Fortunately, I was a little hung over so the Metro was the perfect end to the trip.

Bob Wilson

[Codyroo]

Geo Metro! Bah! Can you get 2 adults in the back seat comfortably? Can you put anything in the smallish hatch area? Safety features?

I purchased a 1988 Honda CRX-HF back in the day. I didn't even want to look at the Chevy Sprint (later to become the metro/Suzuki swift)....a 3 cyl engine did not interest me.

The CRX-HF was rated at 45 mpg City and 51 mpg highway, but was only a 2 seater.

I regularily got 50+ mpg in mixed driving on the original 10 speed tires (Pirelli P165 13"). Got 56 mpg driving UP to Lake Tahoe (and 58 mpg driving back down!). Upgraded the tires and my mileage went down about 5 mpg. Add in MTBE and a faster speed limit and it was down to 42 mpg on my 20 mile (mostly hwy) commute.

Still, I miss that car, had to part ways when our first child came along. I've waited for a 5 passenger car to come along that could match the mpg's, and guess what......the Prius can do it!

[miscrms]

Posted comment, may have gotten a little carried away Probably matched the articles tone though.

Congratulations on being the latest author to attempt to look cool by bashing something popular that he knows nothing about! Pretty much any older smaller used car will be cheaper to buy than any new car. Good job Einstein! Might as well phone up the automakers and tell them to close up shop. We've all decided to drive used Geo's for the rest of time. And yet, for some strange reason, most people don't put 15 year old, poorly made econo-box death traps on their "top 10 cars to check out before buying" list. Next week why don't you do an article on how much iPods suck. That would be really original and prove you are cool.

The reality is, the Prius is the cleanest, most fuel efficient car you can currently buy in this country. It is sad that the most efficient car on the market is a midsized import starting around $22k. That's hardly the Prius' fault though. If you are in the market for a midsized car, the Prius is a pretty good option. It costs the same, is larger than, and is as fast as a similarly equiped 4cyl Chevy Malibu. It just happens to use half as much gas and put out 5X less smog emissions. Consumer Reports found the Prius to be the least expensive mid-sized car on the market when you consider 5 year cost of ownership. In fact its 5 year TCO was approaching or better than many compacts and subcompacts. It also had the highest customer satisfaction, and was one of the most reliable.

If you don't need a mid-sized car, unfortunately you have to weigh buying a more expensive, larger car, versus buying one that uses more gas. That sucks. Even the two seat SMART uses more fuel and is much higher in emissions. Ultimately thats a personal decision to be made on an individual basis, based on comfort, safety, performance, cost, brand, fuel economy, emissions, etc. Blanket statements about how much better a 15 y/o, smaller, dirtier, less fuel efficient, more dangerous, less reliable, less comfortable, less featured, slower, hard to find, Suzuki masquerading as an American car is than a Prius contributes almost nothing of value to that decision process.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by Codyroo

Geo Metro! Bah! Can you get 2 adults in the back seat comfortably? Can you put anything in the smallish hatch area? Safety features?

I purchased a 1988 Honda CRX-HF back in the day. I didn't even want to look at the Chevy Sprint (later to become the metro/Suzuki swift)....a 3 cyl engine did not interest me.

The CRX-HF was rated at 45 mpg City and 51 mpg highway, but was only a 2 seater.

I regularily got 50+ mpg in mixed driving on the original 10 speed tires (Pirelli P165 13"). Got 56 mpg driving UP to Lake Tahoe (and 58 mpg driving back down!). Upgraded the tires and my mileage went down about 5 mpg. Add in MTBE and a faster speed limit and it was down to 42 mpg on my 20 mile (mostly hwy) commute.

Still, I miss that car, had to part ways when our first child came along. I've waited for a 5 passenger car to come along that could match the mpg's, and guess what......the Prius can do it!

I bought a CRX the first year they were available in the U.S. Mine was the larger engine version with performance tires, but I still got great mileage. It was a wonderful little car, with the emphasis on little.

Tom