I joined the Prius club

True Anomaly · 07-21-2007, 02:53 PM

First post, and first-time hybrid owner.

I've driven purely SUV's for the past 10 years; my last one, a 4Runner, decided to stop working which necessitated a new vehicle purchase. I told myself I was going to get something hybrid whenever I got rid of the 4Runner, but circumstances meant I had to get a new car sooner than I thought. After much deliberation (and reading of this forum for many hours straight) I decided to get a shiny new black '07 Prius, and right now I couldn't be happier with the thing. It was quite easy to obtain; where I am in Texas is metropolitan enough to have the cars available, but not the demand for them that they're flying off the lot.

A few things have already surprised me. One, despite my absolutely reckless driving habits (I used to work for a fire department, so aggressive driving is natural for me), I find with the Prius that I'm taking it a bit slower and more careful, and much of that has to do with the MPG readout staring me in the face; it sure is an eye-opener about driving habits correlating with mileage. Which leads me to point two, which is driving this thing is like a video game! It's a challenge to drive a certain way to see how high I can keep the MPG; I'm refining my technique to get the best "high score". Driving is fun again! And point three, despite having driven only SUVs (and ambulances) for the past 10 years, I don't really feel that low to the ground in the Prius; it feels like you sit up quite high in the thing, as you do in an SUV.

Anyway, felt like sharing my newfound joy with folks who know all about it. This place is a great resource, and I'll be scouring it for tips and tricks.

Dave · 07-21-2007, 07:58 PM

Congratulations on your new ride. I hope it provides many miles of happy motoring.

bobdavisnpf · 07-21-2007, 08:18 PM

Congrats, and welcome to the forum!

You can get an extra quarter to half inch by inflating the tires up to 42-44 psi; that may also help you boost your mpg. And no doubt you've been reading up on hypermiling to boos mpg also!

Michgal007 · 07-21-2007, 08:23 PM

Welcome to PC and congratulations! Happy Priusing.

Bill Merchant · 07-21-2007, 08:26 PM

Welcome to PriusChat, True Anomaly, and congratulations on your new car. Lots of good info here, many questions have been asked and answered. Now you get to start modding your Prius to make it yours.

**Tideland Prius** · 07-21-2007, 10:25 PM

Hi and welcome! Congrats on your purchase!

I don't know if the Knowledge Base is still working but if it is, you can go there for some resources and info.

If you can't find what you're looking for there, then just ask us!

True Anomaly · 07-22-2007, 01:55 AM

Thanks guys. Will certainly be doing a couple of the simple upgrades like inflating the tires to get higher MPG. For now as well I'm concentrating on locating one of those Belkin Charge-and-Play adapters; there are WAAAAAY too many FM-transmitter adapters for iPods.

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07-21-2007, 02:53 PM	#1
True Anomaly Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	First post, and first-time hybrid owner. I've driven purely SUV's for the past 10 years; my last one, a 4Runner, decided to stop working which necessitated a new vehicle purchase. I told myself I was going to get something hybrid whenever I got rid of the 4Runner, but circumstances meant I had to get a new car sooner than I thought. After much deliberation (and reading of this forum for many hours straight) I decided to get a shiny new black '07 Prius, and right now I couldn't be happier with the thing. It was quite easy to obtain; where I am in Texas is metropolitan enough to have the cars available, but not the demand for them that they're flying off the lot. A few things have already surprised me. One, despite my absolutely reckless driving habits (I used to work for a fire department, so aggressive driving is natural for me), I find with the Prius that I'm taking it a bit slower and more careful, and much of that has to do with the MPG readout staring me in the face; it sure is an eye-opener about driving habits correlating with mileage. Which leads me to point two, which is driving this thing is like a video game! It's a challenge to drive a certain way to see how high I can keep the MPG; I'm refining my technique to get the best "high score". Driving is fun again! And point three, despite having driven only SUVs (and ambulances) for the past 10 years, I don't really feel that low to the ground in the Prius; it feels like you sit up quite high in the thing, as you do in an SUV. Anyway, felt like sharing my newfound joy with folks who know all about it. This place is a great resource, and I'll be scouring it for tips and tricks.

07-21-2007, 07:58 PM	#2
Dave Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 331 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Congratulations on your new ride. I hope it provides many miles of happy motoring.

07-21-2007, 08:18 PM	#3
bobdavisnpf Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 150 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Congrats, and welcome to the forum! You can get an extra quarter to half inch by inflating the tires up to 42-44 psi; that may also help you boost your mpg. And no doubt you've been reading up on hypermiling to boos mpg also!

07-21-2007, 08:23 PM	#4
Michgal007 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan. Posts: 810 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Welcome to PC and congratulations! Happy Priusing.

07-21-2007, 08:26 PM	#5
Bill Merchant absit invidia Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA \| Oregon \| Portland area \| 97004 \| Posts: 3,964 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 6 Times in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 1 Friends: 53	Welcome to PriusChat, True Anomaly, and congratulations on your new car. Lots of good info here, many questions have been asked and answered. Now you get to start modding your Prius to make it yours.

07-21-2007, 10:25 PM	#6
Tideland Prius Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 13,920 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 11	Hi and welcome! Congrats on your purchase! I don't know if the Knowledge Base is still working but if it is, you can go there for some resources and info. If you can't find what you're looking for there, then just ask us!

07-22-2007, 01:55 AM	#7
True Anomaly Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Thanks guys. Will certainly be doing a couple of the simple upgrades like inflating the tires to get higher MPG. For now as well I'm concentrating on locating one of those Belkin Charge-and-Play adapters; there are WAAAAAY too many FM-transmitter adapters for iPods.