Interesting .... you've been a member since 2006 and this is your first post! Go away troll boy. -Brad
Well the thing is that this forum is full of people who have bought a Prius but have also joined the forum, so our reason's might be different than those of most Prius owners (who haven't joined this site). You're also not specifying if you're asking about those who bought it new/used and early/late. My guess is that the majority of people who have chosen a Prius have done so to save money on gas, to be followed by those who enjoyed the novelty of the hybrid, to be followed by those who hated giving money to big oil/want to be environmentally friendly. Those were my priorities at the time and in that order.
Betcha don't like to hear people use "convince" when they mean "persuade" ......... or to use "contact" as a verb either. I'm that kind of conservative too. I'm also an old Cold Warrior who is feeling more and more like a Commie in my sympathies these days....these are funny times. And I share one of my reasons to drive a Prius with Bush's CIA director, who viewed it as one of the best ways an average American could help out with the War on Terror (I share very little else with him, but there we are). Another reason is that I share the DOD's concern about the long term political instability that will ultimately result from excess atmospheric CO2 levels. I imagine that one of these two is what you meant by your post. I suppose a lot of people choose a Prius to save on gas, and as a hedge against higher gas prices in the future. Now that I have a Prius, I find that its the most fun I've ever had with a car.....I wonder how common that is.
The "Why do most Prius owners choose a Prius?" question is even older than this thread. OK...maybe not that much older, but still..... Five years later...the answers are probably still much the same. Mostly, it's the gas savings/ROI. Probably around 80-percent. Others like to scratch some eco-itch, thinking somewhat correctly for them, that driving a gas burning car that burns less gasoline than other gas burning cars will make them better stewards of our fragile little planet. Priuses also burn gas a little more cleanly of course. These are the "sincere" drivers... Still others want to be eco-chic. They think that if they drive dozens of miles every day to and from their inefficient, single family detached dwellings, then it'll "look" better if they do so in a "greener" ride....or they'll feel better about it at least. Other's still hope to be able to pay an 'eco' tax to avoid the drudgery of carpooling and/or mass transit, while avoiding as well the indignities of having to ride in a non-HOV lane. Lastly...there are evil, large companies that use Priuses as placards to place day-glo signs upon, stating that "they really REALLY care" enough to place eco-oriented vehicles in their fleets and that you should consider them instead of those other companies. Of course, government tax breaks don’t hurt here either… All of the above deserve their share (more or less) of credit for transforming the automobile industry. Hybrids are hardly uncommon these days. Especially in the FIVE YEARS that this thread has been hanging around in this forum. Someday soon....EVs may be more ubiquitous as well. We'll see...
Given that the OP's first and only post was in 06 and that he's had no activity since the day of the post, I doubt he was very interested in the answer and was likely a troll.