Which green matters the most when it comes to your Prius?

Someone asked me if I was trying to save the planet by buying a prius. I told her I was trying to save my wallet some cash. What was your main reason, just curious?

1) My wife wanted a hybrid. When mama's unhappy, everyone is unhappy. I was waiting on the Saturn Vue 2 mode Hybrid which will never be sold, as I doubted a Prius could hold my networking gear.

2) It holds all my stuff. I was very skeptical that it would, but the dealer offered to let me take a test drive over night so I could load all my gear in it and test the mileage. Wise choice on his part. Many Hybrids are sedans, I can't get a 17 foot ladder in a sedan, but I can in a Prius

3) I fit through the doors. I am very tall and inflexible in the torso. If you cut off my head, I would bump my shoulder on a Toyota Matrix.

4) It pollutes less than any other car that meets 2) and 3). While owners may buy a Prius for mileage, I suspect the Toyota engineers designed the Prius for reduced emissions. (One of the solutions to less emissions happened to be: use less gas in the first place)

5) I like good gas mileage, some day we will be out of petroleum, and wonder how we could have thought it was a good idea to burn it up.

6) It is quiet. I like not being the 'loud exhaust' in my neighborhood. The less my neighbors think about me, the better!

7) My wife complained about my owning a manual transmission, I set out to get a CVT so my car would be 'more automatic' than hers. A solution no one can use is no solution.

8) Both my wife and I's most reliable car ever was a 1989 Toyota Corolla, buying another Toyota appealed to us. (My Alltrac wagon is still in the family, 20 years and 230,000 miles later. Her sedan fell victim to nephews)

9) I bought a Subaru Forester when I lived at 5000 feet and worked at 6500 feet in Nevada. It snowed ten months a year and all wheel drive was a great idea. Now that I live in Mississippi, it is hard to explain why I needed an all wheel drive SUV. 42 MPG is better than 24 MPG when you have a 110 mile daily commute. My daughter loves the Forester at the 49th parallel.

1) Reduce dependence on foreign oil who hate us anyway
2) Reduce carbon footprint (green environment)
3) Try to set the right example for my kids
4) Get to do all of the above plus enjoy the heck out of driving the Prius and all of the features that go with it !!

My Prius isn't green. It is one-half as brown as my older car, one-third as brown as many single-occupant commuter SUVs.

I also dislike funding both sides of the War on Terror.

I was on the fence until I was speaking with a coworker one day about my upcoming car decision and she told me I should buy the hybrid since I was a "thought leader" and it fit my persona better than any other car. She should work for Toyota....it did set my mind in motion...and I have shared that with her and thanked her for the insight (pardon the pun).

That and the fact that the backseat had WAY more room than the others cars I was looking at, that the "pain in the rear end" factor was likely to be lower (than VW), I would break even at gas prices a month ago and save money if prices go up (which they already have), and I wanted to set a good example for my boys. Who love the blue stick shift (teenager) and the "Welcome to Prius" dashboard, and ask me every day when I get home what my average MPG for the day was.

That's about it.

By the time I bought my 2009 Prius in August 2008, I had indoctrinated myself as sort of a greenie by watching 'Who Killed The Electric Car' a few times and by attending the 'Plug-In 2008' conference in San Jose, which I think was the first ever Plug-In conference.

I had test driven the Prius and rented the car 3 times before puchasing and I thought it was the neatest car I'd ever driven and was willing to take a chance on the marginal (for me) driver's seat in hopes that it would be good enough.

In 2008, I always noticed the Prius smog index was a '.09' while the average new car sold was ~ '.38' . That was another big plus for the Prius.

I was also very intrigued that the Prius could get better average fuel economy than every motorcycle I have ever owned.

It still is a really neat car to drive and my fuel economy has exceeded my expectations. I've had so many tanks measure just over 50 MPG average and my display, well into this tank is reading 54.x MPG today.

This morning at a stop light, I needed to back up a little bit, so shifted to reverse, backed up a bit, then shifted back to D....

What car shifts gears like a Prius? Conventional cars give you a 'clunk' as the transmission goes into gear. The Prius, the shift is just buttery electronic(ky) smooth.

I'd say 'environmental green' wouldn't make my top 3 reason for liking the Prius. It's nice to have, but in a way it's not something you can see, touch or feel.

The answer has to be multi-faceted. In no particular order:
1. We needed to replace a 1994 Acura.
2. I tend to replace a previously new car about every 10 years. Amortizes cost, and maximizes the enjoyment factor from all the advances. The Prius V with AT will fill that role well.
3. Toyota's reliability reputation.
4. Mileage: saves a little money and, geopolitically, every little bit helps.
5. Environment: ditto, every little bit helps.
6. Encouraging the hybrid vehicle industry.

Current Prii are an intermediate step toward PHEVs (plug-in hybrid vehicles). Every city should look forward to high speed and light rail, with electric "smart" cars for shopping, church, socializing. Another step forward toward eliminating hydrocarbon-based transporrtation.

Primary reason was economic, we had a 2007 Acura RDX we used for business, we sold the business and retired. At that point we decided a SUV was no longer needed since we wouldn't be driving 70,000 miles, and in town the RDX mileage was abismal (14MPG)...and it used PREMIUM gas! At this point in our lives, most of our driving will be within a probable 50 mile radius of our town, so city mileage was of prime concern.

Going Green was the last thing from our minds (NOW, I'm ashamed for not careing about the planet), but at the time of purchase, it was purely a matter of mileage and reducing fuel expenses.

We'd owned a Camery back in 2000, and it was bullet proof, so we were aware of Toyota's reliability record, and that caried some weight in the decision.

Originally, my wife wasn't too keen on the idea, and I was impressed with the technology. Since we'd never owned a Hybrid and knew nothing about them, this was all TOTALLY new for us!

Now that we've had the car for 2 1/2 months and 1500 miles, we're both ABSOLUTELY loving this car. BTW, my wife had both salt and pepper on her crow, and she had humble pie for dessert!

Again, I'm embarresed that our first thought wasn't Green, but we have both come to realize that without knowing it we have contributed to doing our part in making the world a better and greener place to live...we're feeling just a little proud!

David & LaDonna (aka blind Guy and Wife)

1st Look at Prius - Pass for Echo

In 2001, we rented a Prius for three days to find out how well it worked. The mileage was disappointing; the $22k price too high relative to a $14k 2001 Echo; the green color bad; and lack of cruise control and options with no choice ... we passed on the $8,000 more expensive Prius.

2nd Look at Prius - The Auction

In the spring of 2005, I was on a waiting list for a new Prius. I got a call from the dealer, "First person in with a $1,000 deposit gets the car ..."

"Uh, thanks." I looked at the receiver as 'you must be crazy'; hung up; and went back to work.

3d Time - Bought 2003 Prius via Ebay

That Fall, we lost our 1991, 32 MPG, Camry in a rain-slick, blind overpass accident. I was thinking about a Prius replacement but the spring 'waiting list' and price was still a turn-off. So I started considering a used Prius but was put off by the traction battery risk ... until I realized the wing-nuts claiming "you'll have to replace the $6,000 battery" myth were wrong about everything else. I thanked them for resolving my last objection.

Via Ebay, I found a 49k mile, 2003 Prius at a Texas dealer for $1,000 under Kelly Blue Book value. I flew out plotting the mph vs MPG and ever since.

4th Time - Bought a New 2010 Prius

An opportunity came up and we sold the 2001 Echo. The new owner got a 29k mile Echo, 32 MPG, for Kelly BB, wholesale price. It had original tires with like new tread, some hail dimples on the hood. They replaced the keyless entry and audio systems, which added Bluetooth for their cell phone.

We also like our 2010 Prius III and saved $3,000.

Operational Costs

Both Prius are getting +52 MPG compared to the 32 MPG of the Camry and Echo. We drive ~20,000 miles each year:

• 385 gal @52 MPG
• 625 gal @32 MPG
• 240 gal @$3/gal ~= $720 saved each year
• $2,880 saved since Oct. 2005

I prefer to save greenback dollars and see complete harmony with fiscal responsibility and lower environmental foot print.

Bob Wilson

1.) trying to save money
2.) eco- friendly
3.) wanted to have a hybrid car
4.) fuel efficiency

1. Have an eco-friendly car
2. Fuel eff.
3. Being part of a new way of driving
4. Have a nice/cool car (altough some people find it ugly as hell)

:rockon::rockon::rockon:

Interesting comments in here for sure.

The people in Iran and Saudi Arabia DO NOT HATE US.

Please, people... stop thinking this. Their leaders are idiots, but the vast majority of the citizenry of these nations are actually very pro-American.

That being said, it's still important to not be reliant on foreign oil.

1) Reduce dependence on foreign oil who hate us anyway

But I do have American friends :welcome:
Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries

I doubt that. Until the grid changes, until we develop better ways to generate power, the hybrid auto remains a highly efficient answer.

Another is the bicycle -- but tough in rain and snow, carrying multiple passengers or lots of baggage, or long distance travel.

Come on, guys. Admit it. It's not about the money. It's that nice, warm, superior feeling. It's the feeling you're more responsible, more planet-minded than fellow citizens -- while also enjoying a car that's downright better than any competitor. In other words, it's the feeling you get for not having bought an Escalade.

That's the kind of smug attitude that people hate Prius drivers for.

I'm not a Prius owner yet but I'm seriously considering a Prius V ("Touring" in Canada) in a few months. Reasons:

1. Styling.
2. High-Tech. I love the silence as they pull away.
3. FE. I'm not the tree-hugger/environmentalist type; I just don't like to waste fuel, idle for 15min when it is -40C outside, or waste bags at grocery stores.
4. I have no need for a pickup, suv, or a high performance sedan. I have no kids, no pets, nothing to tow or haul, and I don't care to go fast, hug corners, or show off. The less attention I get the better. I think Tundras are sexy, and Lexus IS F too, but I can't justify them.

There is a personal satisfaction knowing that I can get from point A to B with less fuel but I won't feel superior to the next guy. I have to consider the rumors that hybrid batteries are using up rare-earth elements and if true, maybe we're not as green as we like to think.

Almost EXACTLY my reasons ... and in almost EXACTLY the same sequence ...