Time for change?

Can I ask what your interest in owning a Prius is, if it's not to save or impact our environment ? If it's not aesthetically pleasing and you can afford higher-end luxury cars, have you considered other hybrid alternatives to the Prius?

Just wondering where you are coming from in terms of perspective and intent to own a Prius, because I too, am a former luxury car owner (Benz convertible) now Prius convert. I ordered mine yesterday.

 

Based on your experience, the only choice I see for you is a Touring model with Package #6. Top of the line.

And since you can't wrap yourself around the car, neither could I, first time.
(I thought the car looked like a shrunken Ponti.....no wait, I don't wanna mess you up..)

Find a Touring package #6 and go on a test drive, say overnight if possible. Go back again for another test drive or find another one, different color.
If the car is for you, you will settle down in it. If not, then you wait till a model design change.

ZC1

 

Most of your comments about what the Prius is and isn't are personal projection. Comments like " The Prius isn't hot accept (sic) in LA" are just plain silly, grammar aside. The Prius is now considered trendy and desirable in much of the country, and not just for the Birkenstock crowd. Even on PriusChat, I think you will find most of us are not the hard-core Birkenstock type. Some of us drive Prius for the environment, some for the great mileage, some for the advanced technology, and many for a combination of factors. The Prius is by far the best engineered car on the road today, regardless of whether you like the styling.

As for you driving one, you're not going to find anyone on PriusChat that will twist your arm or beg you to drive one; that has to be a personal choice. You need to be comfortable with your decisions and your image, so it's up to you. From my perspective I find the Prius much cooler and more sexy than a BMW and a "Brand New Tahoe everything you can get" combined. It's not just an issue of what you can afford. Like you, I can afford to drive whatever I want, but I drive a Prius because I like driving my Prius. It's cool and sexy and fun, and by far the best rolling video game in town. You can't beat the engineering and technology, but then that's my opinion as an engineer, a pilot, and a sailor. Your opinions are your own. It's time for you to do some serious soul searching.

Tom

 

i beg to differ i think a prius is VERY sexy..My girlfriend just got a new BMW 6 and now is thinking of trading it in and getting a prius, after seeing mine....
all the OTHER cars all look the same now..
I love the high tech look "Its more aerodynamic body resulted in a drag coefficient of 0.26

ps I live in Florida..start looking around and see how many people are driving a prius..saving the planet..very sexy in my book ...
and I dont wear Birkenstocks!!:car:

 

I advise waiting until you think that the Prius is hot, or until you don't care anymore whether it is hot.

 

The Prius is hot in LA? Well isn't everything hot in LA? That is it's either stolen or in a high ambient temperature. :heh: In my opinion, you will never be able to determine why you want to own one, because it will almost be an intangible for you. I've got a Vette and I'm not sure why I own one (that is, my rationale doesn't always fit my lifestyle). What burns me is the Highlander Hybrid is "not for offroad use." What good is that (IMHO)!

 

If you don't want the car, don't buy it. Plenty of people who do want one are on waiting lists. No point in making them wait longer.

 

Glad to hear it! I hope by now it is a done deal and you can share with us all of the particulars. Somehow, I imagine it will be a loaded touring model. If I had it to do all over again, I might get the touring edition. I definitely would by the decked-out version. I have about everything available on my standard Prius, and I love it.

This is even better news! As you soul belongs not to yourself, likewise, the planet and its inhabitants are neither yours nor mine. Among the better reasons to buy a Prius -- it will help renew your mind as well as your actions. Buying one Prius will not save the planet. Still, buying one Prius will likely get you to start thinking and acting in ways that are "better", i.e., more economical, more ecological, less wasteful, less energy-dependent, and more thoughtful of other people (especially those not yet with us).

If you are worried about image, well . . . who isn't, at least in some form. You can afford to buy the car, so you likely can afford to sell it. If you buy the Prius and can't handle the changed image, you can always sell it to some very grateful person.

I hope it all goes well for you. Please keep us posted.

 

You sure are in for a surprise. Check out the mini & compact offerings. There's far more cars smaller than Prius than you even imagined. High gas prices are now drawing the spotlight away from the dinosaurs (giant guzzlers).

.

 

watermelon1,

If you want all of the bells and whistles, go for the Touring with Package #6. You will love it!!!! As for being small, john1701a is correct. You will be surprised. I'm 6'4" and have plenty of head room. The Prius is a gas to drive and a pleasure to own. It is reliable and about as high tech as it gets. Go for it !!!!

 

Sounds to me like you are trying to identify with a particular political ideology and label branding. Get that garbage out of your head and start exploring reality and making beneficial changes in your life will become MUCH easier. I've done it so I'm speaking from experience.

If you have the right skills you'll have no problem on the dating scene driving a Prius. If you require a "hot car" to get dates than I'm not sure what to tell you except get over it. Those kind of women are not worth the effort. I'm speaking from experience here too.

 

About a month ago I bought a seaside pearl (I think--the light blue) Prius with the #6 package. The only reason I even considered looking at a Prius is that some friends from another messageboard kept raving about how roomy the Prius is. I pictured it being tiny and cramped inside. I had just test driven a couple of different Nissans and Hondas, and when I went to see the Prius, I was in l-o-o-v-e.

Where am I going with this? My 13 year old and almost 17 year old both think the Prius is cool. The interior feels very modern and tech-y, but I also think the egg-like shape gives it a nice womb-like feel, too (in a good way). Everyone who has ridden in it has been amazing at how nice it is inside. It is so not what I pictured when I thought of Prii before I checked them out.

 

If you need green and sexy and have money - get the Tesla.

 

Here's my reason for switching out our Range Rover & Exploader 4yrs ago:




Sick of funding terrorism & making the oilies wealthy while supplies diminish

 

Hi Watermelon,

I agree with everything that's been posted here and also wanted to add something about image, particularly for a single person. I wouldn't doubt that your Prius could attract different women than high-end cars typically attract. If I were single, I would probably look for someone with a Prius as opposed to someone with a much more expensive car, since the Prius owner would be more likely to share my environmental and economic concerns as well as be in a similar economic sphere. So in fact, the image that your car projects could be very significant in determining whether to buy a Prius (or any other car, for that matter).

It may be something worth considering? Just my 2 c.

Cheers!

 

Get a Lexus LS ($104K), GS ($55K), or RX ($42K) Hybrid.

 

So, I just read this for the first time, and was going to suggest renting one, because the first time I saw one, I thought it was butt ugly, but now, I think it is very sexy. So now Watermelon has had one for 3 days, right? I hope you are finding it rewarding. I love my Prius more than I ever thought I would.