New Owner and Loving It!

Good evening...I've been lurking on PriusChat for the past several months, as I wrestled over whether or not to purchase a hybrid. I took delivery of my 2008 Prius (package #5, Seaside Pearl) on December 26th and cannot express how truly pleased I am with this vehicle. (My other car is a 2006 Dodge Charger and I've been an affirmed fan of Chrysler products for longer than I care to admit.)

The members of this site provided me with a great deal of information and insight that made purchasing the Prius feel like the right thing to do. I'm rather tall (6'6") and read other tall folks' tales about the car's roominess. It's as comfortable a car as I've ever managed to squeeze myself into! My wife and I are avid golfers and we were worried about fitting pull carts, golf bags and all of the peripheral golfing gear into the car (It all fit!).

Finally, there's the wonderful experience of pulling up to the gas pump, knowing that I've more than doubled my mpg over what I was getting with my Charger. I filled my Prius up the other night for the first time. The car that used the pump before me rang up $51+ for 87 octane. I barely went over the $20 mark. According to my display screen, I achieved 43.6 mpg and my manual calculation pegged the mpg at 46.2.

I'm still learning some of the nuances of the vehicle and have "enjoyed" reading the 400+ page owners' manual. I'm sure that I'll be asking a bunch of "newbie" questions, so I ask that you please bear with my ignorance.

Meanwhile, thanks again to everyone who contributes to this Forum. I enjoyed learning about the Prius before I went out and actually bought one. Now that I have mine, I'll be turning you to you for more advice in the future.

 

Thanks for the welcoming note. I'd include the photo with all of the golf gear stowed but I need a lesson from my wife on how to operate our digital camera! She's amazed that I've taken so well to such a high-tech vehicle, while still managing to be clueless about things like operating the VCR and DVD player in our den!

 

Absolutely! It was a memorable day after Christmas for me.

 

I ride the LIE but I'm considerably east of where you are in Whitestone (I grew up, living on 18th Avenue, between Parsons Blvd and 147th Street). I can be found trolling the LIE between exits 70 and 72. I don't recall ever passing or being passed by a grumpy Prius driver.