I am not a "green" person

Oh good grief the doctor is in. I warned you hawkmoon. Martin, just stay on topic and nobody will get hurt. :twitch:

 

I'm a mixture of the last two. I'm selling my BMW which just got out of warranty to avoid MPG and maintenance costs. At the same time, I like "sticking it to the man" and not giving the big corps money by saving on the power bill, water bill, gas pump, etc, even though I don't really need to. Then the technology in the Prius is what set me over the top.

 

Use of MPG is plain stupid. Try doing it in GPM - gallon per 100 mile (or like most of the planet in L/100km); everything will become easy and make sense.

 

We (you and I) are clones.

 

The nice thing about this forum is that we're not all the same. Some are green, some are tech and some are frugal.

 

I'm an all of the above too...I believe we need to be responsible with our resources and air quality...living in LA definitely makes you think about pollution because you can see it. I also am frugal and the Prius is one of the cheapest cars you can own in the long term (I'm a long term car owner, 10+ years). I also dig the technology involved....

For me the Prius just hits all the major points: Efficient, affordable, cool, and responsible. Its a win-win-win-win in my book, which is why I bought it! haha...

Mike

 

I really miss the option "all three above" . Reasons 1 and 2 were equally prevailing in my case though, as I would characterize myself as a sort of "greeny geeky" .

 

...and I'm a green, frugal technophile!

 

I see your point, but "everything" does not become easy and make sense. If I just bought 2 gallons of gas how far can I go? With mpg that estimation is really really easy for even mathematically challenged people. 50 mpg * 3 gallons = 150 miles.

If you use GPM, it would be what? 3 gallons / .02 gpm = 150 miles.
I'd bet that 99% of the population finds the mpg method easier...and this is a more likely computation than averaging the fuel consumption of two cars.

So, while I can see and use either method, myself and understand the math I don't think that one way of expressing fuel consumption makes everything easy. And besides, the EPA uses mpg, the US Prius uses mpg, all US vehicles use mpg so it isn't going to change despite what Canada and other countries use.

3PriusMike

 

Yup, guilty as charged. I'm a 'greenie'. Have CFL's, lower my thermostat and put on a jumper, bring my own grocery bags to the shops, cycle as much as I can (duh, I live in Holland).

But I also like to drive 'something different'. And I love well-engineered things. The Prius is definitely a well-engineered car. Especially the mechanical simplicity and elegance is something I admire every day.

 

In fact, EPA's fueleconomy.gov can be set to display in either US MPG/ft/gal or international L/100km / meter / liter. This makes it an excellent tool for anyone on Earth, not only for United-staters.

BTW, Japan is in between, using km/L...

In my case, I guess I prefer to reduce my consumption rather than go more miles with the same amount of gas!

It also avoid dealing with/trying to explain something like infinite MPG.

 

I also would have voted "all three".

1. I am a "green" person and want to curb my carbon footprint but I don't really car about dependency on foreign oil
2. Why shouldn't I buy a Prius? I am a frugal person and did the math: The Prius reduces my maintenance and fuel costs, and more than that, its global TCO makes it costs less than comparable cars (assuming petrol prices will continue to climb...)
3. Once I read on it and got it, I am a sucker for technology and love the latest, greatest gadget. My apetite for well engineered technology is then satisfied!

 

Well, if it's just "...did the math" the Prius would NOT be the car to own. I could be wrong, but I think there are several other cars, like the Smart Car, that cost less to own over a period of time than the Prius. Factoring in the initial cost of the vehicle, maintenance, and the price of fuel over say, a ten year period, Prius is not the cheapest vehicle. Now if we look at cost and environmental impact and the 'coolness factor', Prius comes out the clear winner!

 

The comparison still needs to be honest. A Smart For Two doesn't bring you the same usability a Prius does...

In my case, owning a 2001 Echo/Yaris, I made a comparison of the TCO of the Prius (4-doors) vs a new 4-door Yaris (still a car a lot smaller). In CAN$:
- Yaris new (all included): 21K$
- Prius Premium (including ~1,5K$ of accessories) (all included): 36,5K$

On a 8 years, 250 000 km life, based on 1,05$/L of gas and a 7% increase per year, cost in gas will be:
- Yaris (real average of 7L/100km): 30,6K$
- Prius (average yet of 4,3L/100km): 17,8K$

I assume maintenance costs to be about the same. I've made an adjustment considering the Prius brakes will last longer. I was already putting synthetic oil in the Yaris in the fall/winter:
- Yaris (1,2¢/km): 4K$
- Prius (1,3¢/km): 3,25K$

Total cost of ownership:
- Yaris: 55,8K$ (and 46 Tons of CO2)
- Prius: 55,5K$ (including -2K$ tax return from Quebec) (and 26 Tons of CO2)
*Insurance is not included but the difference is minor (don't know why!), at 450-500$/year.

A quick look at toyota.ca reveals that a similarly accessorized 2010 Camry LE (4-cyl automatic) would cost 72,5K$. A 2010 Corolla with a comparable package and accessories comes at 63,3K$.

Theses figures do not aim to be very precise but confirmed my choice of the Prius.

Hence a greeny greedy happy Prius owner!

[EDIT: I forgot to add a unit converter to get from Earth to US units. Also, to go from CAN$ to US$, simply use google: "amount CAD in USD".]

 

Where is the poll option,
"Prius is the right size car for my needs and I like a car that stands out as different to everyone elses and I only drive Toyota"?

 

I understand your math and in practical terms I know that we need to compare apples with apples. Also, we LOVE our Prius and will never go back to 'conventional' vehicles.

I'm just surmising what I've read about life-time ownership of automobiles. Articles from sources such as Edmonds.com, MSN Autos, and others seem to indicate that if you only think in terms of total cost of ownership, Prius is not the least expensive vehicle. Still, it's the best car to own IMHO.