Opinions Wanted Please

TimBikes · 04-29-2006, 12:53 AM

Have owned several sports cars and an SUV. Have had the Prius for 5 months - drives great, handles reasonably well, very functional, and of course great mpg. The build quality is also great, in my opinion. I like it more each day. Go for it. Even if you end up not liking it, you can take the tax credit then resell it (probably for close to MSRP since it is in high demand).

TidelandTravis · 04-29-2006, 02:50 AM

As always.. the contrarian...

I miss my luxury and sports cars... and frankly the novelty of the prius has worn off. I hate the car, but I promised myself that I'd keep it for one year.

So why am I on this site? I love the input on using the features from fellow members... and shit, they're a nice bunch of guys and gals. But I'd rather have the new diesel mercedes than a prius anyday.

BNG4DBK · 04-29-2006, 03:40 AM

My last four cars were turbo Saabs and Turbo Audi Quatros. I loved the surge of the turbos and I loved the mountain road handling. Of course, all had manual transmissions for maximum performance.

I've owned my Prius for two years now (30,000 miles). At first I missed the thrill of my former cars, but am now very much a Prius kind of guy. I love the attention I get (everybody's interested in the Prius), I love getting ~48 mpg (every 400 miles or so I stop for gas and buy somewhat less than 9 gallons), I love the fact that no repairs have been required, I love not having to shift gears while caught in traffic, I love the liftback feature (the car holds lots of big stuff), my friends love the back seat leg room, I love the fact that the engine turns off at traffic lights (9 Prius's contaminate about as much as 1 average car), and I love the fact that this machine is truly a technological marvel (my engineering background speaking).

At all times I get to appreciate the special character of this car. When on the twisty roads I got to appreciate the special character of my Audis and Saabs, about 1% of my driving. That other 99% driving time was key in my decision to purchase this car. It's fun every day of the year.

cne0233 · 04-29-2006, 07:06 AM

I think everyone purchases a car to go along with their personality. I purchased my Prius with package 8 for its optional features and gas mileage. I also feel the Prius air bag protection is important to me as I drive with a lot of crazy people down here in South Florida. I am also in IT and feel this car is a high tech and fun to drive. I am a conservative who spends most of my time trying to stomp out liberalism that I feel has destroyed moral values and have general caused more harm than good in the policies implement.

Ed Vatza · 04-29-2006, 07:36 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cne0233 @ Apr 29 2006, 07:06 AM) [snapback]247140[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I am a conservative who spends most of my time trying to stomp out liberalism that I feel has destroyed moral values and have general caused more harm than good in the policies implement.
[/b]

Son of a gun. And I always considered myself a liberal with strong moral values. Didn't know they were mutually exclusive. And I don't think we have to look back any farther than "W" to see policies that have caused more harm that good. Sorry, but it IS true.

Now to the question at hand. Obviously not everyone buys a car for the same reasons. I bought a Prius for a number of reasons mostly environmental. When I first read your post I wondered why you wanted a Prius. But it is a very cool car. And that just may be reason enough.

Good luck with your decision.

Charles Suitt · 04-29-2006, 11:46 AM

:P It will be interesting to hear from TidelandTravis when he sells his Prius after that "year" - specifically how miniscule his "depreciation" loss will be compared to the usual losses in selling an ordinary car after a year of use.

**TonyPSchaefer** · 04-29-2006, 12:11 PM

Dude, you're asking a group of Prius owners whether you should buy a Prius? The answer, of course, is Hell NO!!!

BUY TWO!!

As for the Benz when the 'novelty' of the Prius wears off. When I see other cars, like a Spyder convertable or Boxster, I think about driving it like everyone else. In my case, I would go back to the Prius when their novelty wore off.

HokieHybrid · 04-29-2006, 12:19 PM

I've had my Prius two months now, and my only regret is that I have spent so much time in rentals during that time. I should qualify that. I have had no maintenance problems whatsoever....my boss just keeps sending me all over the freaking country. I've been at my apartment 5 days in the last 21...so I'm currently digging it out from under piles.

I bought the Prius for the mileage, the hatchback, and the Toyota name. And that's in somewhat reverse order. I wouldn't have bought a hybrid from anyone other than Toyota or Honda, and it's not that I hate Detroit. It's a matter of who has had the technology long enough to build a reliable car. 90% of my driving I am alone or with 2-3 people, and I don't need to haul much more than a few suitcases. There's no point in trying to be a speed demon in DC traffic, and I speed enough as is.

But I would say the Prius has more speed than my 96 Camry did. It was a four cylinder, and if you loaded it down was a bit dogged occasionally. I have found times when you might hear the Prius, but it still gets up to speed at a nice rate.

I will admit I need a truck probably 2x a year. My friends always find some muddy situation to get me into, and then I need to haul something occassionally. But I have plenty of friends who drive F250 and F350 Diesels...I didn't need to join their ranks. So I'm not the crazy environmentalist all hybrid drivers are stereotyped to be. I needed a cute car that was equally as geeky as I am! Everyone who has gotten in my car since I bought it has been pleasantly surprised....they weren't expecting all the options I have in a green car.

EricGo · 04-29-2006, 12:19 PM

wife: enjoys standing out, really likes the Prius drive (soft and quiet). She has no criticism to offer.

me: techno-geek and enviro led me to the Prius when it was redesigned from (IMO) it's ugly 2003 shape, to it's current gorgeous design; and it is the best in those respects, hands down. I don't mind driving the car at all, but I find the handling to be -- well, somewhere between neutral and bland. Sort of a small minivan experience.

That, and rattles in my 2004 model dashboard are the only things that make this car a 9 and not a 10/10 on my personal scale. A hybrid Scion xA or a hybrid Honda Fit are closer to my idea of a perfect car.

fredmertz · 04-29-2006, 12:24 PM

Absolutely no such animal as a typical Prius driver.

As for the novelty, the car is fun to drive, very comortable, gets great gas mileage and has most of the gadgets you will find on other cars. I choose to get into the Prius most mornings.

04-29-2006, 12:19 PM	#18
HokieHybrid Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 196 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I've had my Prius two months now, and my only regret is that I have spent so much time in rentals during that time. I should qualify that. I have had no maintenance problems whatsoever....my boss just keeps sending me all over the freaking country. I've been at my apartment 5 days in the last 21...so I'm currently digging it out from under piles. I bought the Prius for the mileage, the hatchback, and the Toyota name. And that's in somewhat reverse order. I wouldn't have bought a hybrid from anyone other than Toyota or Honda, and it's not that I hate Detroit. It's a matter of who has had the technology long enough to build a reliable car. 90% of my driving I am alone or with 2-3 people, and I don't need to haul much more than a few suitcases. There's no point in trying to be a speed demon in DC traffic, and I speed enough as is. But I would say the Prius has more speed than my 96 Camry did. It was a four cylinder, and if you loaded it down was a bit dogged occasionally. I have found times when you might hear the Prius, but it still gets up to speed at a nice rate. I will admit I need a truck probably 2x a year. My friends always find some muddy situation to get me into, and then I need to haul something occassionally. But I have plenty of friends who drive F250 and F350 Diesels...I didn't need to join their ranks. So I'm not the crazy environmentalist all hybrid drivers are stereotyped to be. I needed a cute car that was equally as geeky as I am! Everyone who has gotten in my car since I bought it has been pleasantly surprised....they weren't expecting all the options I have in a green car. __________________ 2006 #6 Black with Silver Pinstripes!!! Yet another Cool Chick in a Black Prius!

04-29-2006, 12:19 PM	#19
EricGo Three cats, one Prius, and assorted humans Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Albuquerque, NM (SouthWest US) Posts: 1,810 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	wife: enjoys standing out, really likes the Prius drive (soft and quiet). She has no criticism to offer. me: techno-geek and enviro led me to the Prius when it was redesigned from (IMO) it's ugly 2003 shape, to it's current gorgeous design; and it is the best in those respects, hands down. I don't mind driving the car at all, but I find the handling to be -- well, somewhere between neutral and bland. Sort of a small minivan experience. That, and rattles in my 2004 model dashboard are the only things that make this car a 9 and not a 10/10 on my personal scale. A hybrid Scion xA or a hybrid Honda Fit are closer to my idea of a perfect car. __________________ R2-E2: 2004 Prius, 37K miles, lifetime MPG 57.1 as of 8/2006. Rolling 12 month average: 61.05

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04-29-2006, 12:53 AM	#11
TimBikes Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: WA Posts: 1,288 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Have owned several sports cars and an SUV. Have had the Prius for 5 months - drives great, handles reasonably well, very functional, and of course great mpg. The build quality is also great, in my opinion. I like it more each day. Go for it. Even if you end up not liking it, you can take the tax credit then resell it (probably for close to MSRP since it is in high demand).

04-29-2006, 02:50 AM	#12
TidelandTravis Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA (Thousand Oaks) Posts: 58 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	As always.. the contrarian... I miss my luxury and sports cars... and frankly the novelty of the prius has worn off. I hate the car, but I promised myself that I'd keep it for one year. So why am I on this site? I love the input on using the features from fellow members... and shit, they're a nice bunch of guys and gals. But I'd rather have the new diesel mercedes than a prius anyday.

04-29-2006, 03:40 AM	#13
BNG4DBK Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 12 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	My last four cars were turbo Saabs and Turbo Audi Quatros. I loved the surge of the turbos and I loved the mountain road handling. Of course, all had manual transmissions for maximum performance. I've owned my Prius for two years now (30,000 miles). At first I missed the thrill of my former cars, but am now very much a Prius kind of guy. I love the attention I get (everybody's interested in the Prius), I love getting ~48 mpg (every 400 miles or so I stop for gas and buy somewhat less than 9 gallons), I love the fact that no repairs have been required, I love not having to shift gears while caught in traffic, I love the liftback feature (the car holds lots of big stuff), my friends love the back seat leg room, I love the fact that the engine turns off at traffic lights (9 Prius's contaminate about as much as 1 average car), and I love the fact that this machine is truly a technological marvel (my engineering background speaking). At all times I get to appreciate the special character of this car. When on the twisty roads I got to appreciate the special character of my Audis and Saabs, about 1% of my driving. That other 99% driving time was key in my decision to purchase this car. It's fun every day of the year.

04-29-2006, 07:06 AM	#14
cne0233 Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 11 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I think everyone purchases a car to go along with their personality. I purchased my Prius with package 8 for its optional features and gas mileage. I also feel the Prius air bag protection is important to me as I drive with a lot of crazy people down here in South Florida. I am also in IT and feel this car is a high tech and fun to drive. I am a conservative who spends most of my time trying to stomp out liberalism that I feel has destroyed moral values and have general caused more harm than good in the policies implement.

04-29-2006, 11:46 AM	#16
Charles Suitt Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Dallas TX Posts: 1,622 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	:P It will be interesting to hear from TidelandTravis when he sells his Prius after that "year" - specifically how miniscule his "depreciation" loss will be compared to the usual losses in selling an ordinary car after a year of use.

04-29-2006, 12:11 PM	#17
TonyPSchaefer Ruler of Omicron Persei 8 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 8,443 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 4 Times in 2 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 17	Dude, you're asking a group of Prius owners whether you should buy a Prius? The answer, of course, is Hell NO!!! BUY TWO!! As for the Benz when the 'novelty' of the Prius wears off. When I see other cars, like a Spyder convertable or Boxster, I think about driving it like everyone else. In my case, I would go back to the Prius when their novelty wore off.

04-29-2006, 12:24 PM	#20
fredmertz Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 77 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Absolutely no such animal as a typical Prius driver. As for the novelty, the car is fun to drive, very comortable, gets great gas mileage and has most of the gadgets you will find on other cars. I choose to get into the Prius most mornings.