ATTN ALL PRIUS LOVERS!!

[One of the articles ive read described hybrid car owners as:

- having a high level of education than other car driver groups
nope average here
- having much higher income than the average car buyer—approx. $100,000 a year v.s. $85,000 a year for the average buyer.
imake more than average

- being more likely to be female.
im male
- being a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to fifty rather than the average age of forty.
hahah 31
- driving fewer miles on average
im driving way more than average
- planning to keep their car longer than the average person—a bir more than 5yrs rather than less than 5yrs
less than 5 years

- being willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly (or “greenâ€) product. '
depends , alittle more
- wanting to personally do something to help reduce vehicle pollution.
was not my main goal when buing
- expecting fuel prices to grow a lot faster than other people do.
already high here in norway,, its not going to get cheaper....

Do you agree with these descriptions of hybrid owners? not all

My aim is to create a profile of who the typical prius lover is. Any help would be much appreciated!

think there are more factors to people buing a prius, for me it was the hybrid tech. innovation, all the gadgets,,, low fuel usage ,,, and got the "green" part as a bonus,, had different BMWs before but this time i wanted a cheaper car , but still fun to drive with some gadgets aswell,, and i tought why not have a look at the prius...

Thanks
[/quote]

 

If you really are a student doing research, you need to learn something about how research is done. You'd do much better to have presented a poll where people could answer anonymously, and are presented choices that are not already biased towards an answer you are looking to verify.

 

  - having a high level of education than other car driver groups
i have a GED, no college.
  - having much higher income than the average car buyer—approx. $100,000 a year v.s. $85,000 a year for the average buyer.
around $25,000us/year, not very high. i'm just very good with my money.
  - being more likely to be female.
last time i checked, i was male.
  - being a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to fifty rather than the average age of forty.
only 26 years old, first new car purchase.
  - driving fewer miles on average
about 15,000 miles a year, not sure how close to average that is.
  - planning to keep their car longer than the average person—a bir more than 5yrs rather than less than 5yrs
possibly more than 5 years.
  - being willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly (or “greenâ€) product.
most likely no.
  - wanting to personally do something to help reduce vehicle pollution.
not one of my main reasons for choosing the prius, but it helped.
  - expecting fuel prices to grow a lot faster than other people do.
no, not really

i'd have to say i really don't fit into any of those descriptions.

 

If you bought into data that indicates that the "average" car buyer makes $85K a year, you might want to reconsider your project, i.e., do some more preliminary research.

 

- having a high level of education than other car driver groups
I am still working on my BS.
- having much higher income than the average car buyer—approx. $100,000 a year v.s. $85,000 a year for the average buyer.
I wish. Its in the 60's though.
- being more likely to be female.
I am a dude.
- being a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to fifty rather than the average age of forty.
I am in my mid 20s
- driving fewer miles on average
hahah 120 miles a day aprox year miles of around 26K.
- planning to keep their car longer than the average person—a bir more than 5yrs rather than less than 5yrs
Yup, Its an awesome car why would I want to change it?
- being willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly (or “greenâ€) product.
I am not really into the Green Peace movement.
- wanting to personally do something to help reduce vehicle pollution.
Hmm....?
- expecting fuel prices to grow a lot faster than other people do.
Yeah I think they will go up more then they will go down.


I dont know where you got your baseline information from.

 

- having a high level of education than other car driver groups
YUP - have a BSChE and MBA

- having much higher income than the average car buyer—approx. $100,000 a year v.s. $85,000 a year for the average buyer.
YUP, most definitely

- being more likely to be female.
hum, wait, ok finished quick check - NOT

- being a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to fifty rather than the average age of forty.
YUP upper 40's

- driving fewer miles on average
No not the case

- planning to keep their car longer than the average person—a bir more than 5yrs rather than less than 5yrs
Hum, guess it depends on how well it works after that long

- being willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly (or “greenâ€) product.
Most definitely NOT

- wanting to personally do something to help reduce vehicle pollution.
Really could care less

- expecting fuel prices to grow a lot faster than other people do.
YUP

AND the number one reason a Prius was purchased--

Loved the technology, bought it used at a great price, and buying it used it has the lowest life-cycle cost of any decent vehicle around.

 

I think your questionaire has merit, but can use some improvement. For instance, not many make $85-$100K incomes a year, and with alot of job losses in different states, (especially MI), so I would figure alot of the median income average for most would be in the $28K-$45K group. If one plans their money correctly then they would have no problem affording the car. Also, I personally feel that the income question could create somewhat a bias against those who don't have a higher income bracket and education.

I'm only 29, any person at any legal age can buy the car; it's just not limited to the middle-age group, men and women alike. It just depends on appeal and personal preferences. You should do a more comprehensive poll that would include people from different age groups, like 20's and up.

And, though I don't have a college degree, I do have some college education, but I don't think that a person's education level should matter when buying a car--if you have enough smarts to know what kind of car you are looking for and going for the right deals and such, then anyone can buy the car, regardless of the education level. I've seen ppl with only street smarts being able to buy a nice car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusseeka @ Sep 2 2006, 07:14 AM) [snapback]312999[/snapback]</div>

i have a master's and am working on a phd, my husband has a high school diploma and his ase certifications

uh, not even close

one of us is :lol:

we're 23 and 28 here

probably about average or a little above, we put about 16-17k on the odo the first year we had it with typical driving

yep, we're looking at about 7 years if not longer, depending on what goes on in the future of our lives

a little more, sure. but really, we didn't pay any more for the prius than for any other car we looked at.

i'll admit that wasn't the top priority

eh, not really

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusseeka @ Sep 2 2006, 06:14 AM) [snapback]312999[/snapback]</div>

-AA degree
- way below, upper 20's
-yes, female
-yes, mid-fifties
-probably last "new baby" I will own for a while as approaching retirement in next decade
-no, not willing to pay more for environmentally-friendly
(Car manufacturers should make enviro friendly affordable cars, that way it benefits everyone!)
-yes, I do; if at all possible & affordable
-at this stage of the game with gas prices going down now, I don't know what to expect

Suffice to say, I don't think it takes a degree to understand what is best for our environment or how a car works.

But to make an informed decision as to whether or not to buy a Prius is a whole different ballgame.
You need to be an educated consumer when buying any product, especially a car.

It's not just any car, it is a Prius.

It's a Toyota, which hopefully says a lot about how foreign cars are made and their warranties.
(Sorry, I am tired of sinking money into an American made car that after it is repaired they have me coming back into the shop for "additional work.")

It has branding.

It has resale value.

It is definitely marketable.

It's the car of the future which has already arrived.

But I would say that most people who are thinking about buying or have already bought a Prius fell into one of three categories: 1) they love the style of the car, 2) they wanted a "green car", or 3) they wanted both.

I love the way the car looks. I like the way it is shaped & styled. I like the interior. It's small yet roomy, and I think it's great that it is an "evironmentally friendly green car."

 

Another pointer on research, and then answers: If you put your questions out there like this, you're relying on willing people to volunteer responses, and hence you have little or no control over the cross-section you're getting. Our group is probably not a very typical cross-section either. AND your questions all present some kind of bias or are leading in some way, probably because you're stating the findings of someone else's "research" as your questions.

BFA, so both higher, AND lower than average

Depends on if you're talking about family income, or individual. The car is in my name only, but my wife is no slacker when it comes to bread-winning. So, either below average, or above average depending on that.

I'm more likely to be male. (although I can't give you a verifiable,scientifically accurate probability, I'm going to say it's in the neighborhood of 100%)

29

I drive the same number of miles to get to work in my Prius as I do when I drive my Camry. Ok, as a unit, my wife and I drive probably way below average.

You'll have to pry the fob from my cold, dead hands... Or sell me a better car, but in either case probably more than 5 years.

yes

yes

I expect it because of trends, but I think the important factor now is that I don't mind if it goes a bit higher.

 

having a high level of education than other car driver groups........Yes doctorate



- having much higher income than the average car buyer—approx. $100,000 a year v.s. $85,000 a year for the average buyer. No...much lower


- being more likely to be female. Yes

- being a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to fifty rather than the average age of forty.
- driving fewer miles on average yes 64

- planning to keep their car longer than the average person—a bir more than 5yrs rather than less than 5yrs No keep cars max 3-4 years

- being willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly (or “greenâ€) product. obviously

- wanting to personally do something to help reduce vehicle pollution. yes and like the techno stuff

- expecting fuel prices to grow a lot faster than other people do. no

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusseeka @ Sep 2 2006, 04:14 AM) [snapback]312999[/snapback]</div>

I never finished high school.
I make 167k a year, so well above the quoted averages which are probably household income.
I'm male.
I’m 27.
I’ve never kept a car for more than 2 years, but I will keep the Prius (or another hybrid) as long as the carpool lane incentive is offered.
I drive about 20k each year, irrespective of car, but my mileage has gone way up with the Prius, as I don't care about the added cost of a few trips here or there.
Don't really care about the environmental impact, I joke it’s about the other green for me (money that is). I traded from a $50k 2006 Infiniti M35 (Premium package) to a $28k Prius that comes with a nice tax credit. The car payment dropped by about 1/3, gas by more than half and insurance by about 1/3. So the Prius is a bargain compared to what I normaly drive. Plus the carpool lane is such a major convenience.
Nope.
Not really.

 

If you do a little searching right here on PriusChat, you will find a lot of polls and threads that anwer many of your questions. You will ALSO find threads on the topic of how PriusChatters are NOT a representative sample of the entire universe of Prius owners. (In addition to comments above, highlighting the same issues.) I hope you are looking elsewhere for more data. I would advise you to take a look at THIS article, and pay particular attention to the sections entitled "Selecting Your Sample" and "Avoiding a Biased Sample." (And basing your thesis on one single article isn't a very good research practice.)

That said,<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusseeka @ Sep 2 2006, 04:14 AM) [snapback]312999[/snapback]</div>

I have a BS.
We have a high income.
I am female
I am 46.
I drive few enough miles that my insurance company charges me less than "average."
I plan on keeping this car until either it croaks or I do.
Obviously, I WAS willing to pay more for a "green" car on the face of it, but that $3150 tax credit sure does help in that regard.
Yup, willing to personally do something about vehicle pollution...and I LOVE the way it looks and all its bells and whistles.
I don't know what other people expect from gas prices. I just KNOW they will continue to rise.

And, as noted above, this group is NOT a group of "typical" Prius lovers--any group that is so highly-self-selected will skew your data.

 

-having a high level of education than other car driver groups

I have no idea what education level other driver groups have. This was phrased poorly.

I have a master's degree.

- having much higher income than the average car buyer—approx. $100,000 a year v.s. $85,000 a year for the average buyer.

LOL. Well, then I'm below average. I'm a teacher and my income is something around $70,000 a year. I guess I'm lucky to own a car at all. But I only buy a car once every ten years.

- being more likely to be female.

Yes.

- being a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to fifty rather than the average age of forty.

51.

- driving fewer miles on average

Less than 10,000 a year.

- planning to keep their car longer than the average person—a bir more than 5yrs rather than less than 5yrs

I usually keep my cars 10 years. However, if the 2009 model shows significant design improvements, I may buy early. I purchased in April, 2005 and would consider a new purchase in fall of 2007.

- being willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly (or “greenâ€) product.

No. I don't consider I've paid any more for the Prius. My previous car was a 1996 Saturn SC2 coupe and I paid $20,000. My 2005 Prius was $20,000. I planned to spend $20,000. The Prius is larger, more powerful and has more amenities than my Saturn. I got MORE car for the same amount of money 10 years later. So no, I did not pay more.

- wanting to personally do something to help reduce vehicle pollution.

Yes, but that alone was not the deciding factor. That was a perk.

- expecting fuel prices to grow a lot faster than other people do.

Oh, yes. I think we'll be seeing $4.00 gas in 2007-2008. I think gas will be $5 a gallon by 2010.

Do you agree with these descriptions of hybrid owners?

Not entirely. And I think the questions aren't totally scientific re: polling.

I'm not sure you'll get any valid data here since you're only asking Prius owners that have sought out and joined Priuschat and that are willing to answer this poll. If you want fun data, look at the Apple post and compare the number of Prius owners that own an Apple versus the "normal" population.

 

Do you agree with these descriptions of hybrid owners?


- having a high level of education than other car driver groups
Not here. Smart guy, (humble too) but no college or higher education.

- having much higher income than the average car buyer—approx. $100,000 a year v.s. $85,000 a year for the average buyer.
Hmm, probably lower income (I'm semi-retired now, I said I was a smart guy!) but higher savings

- being more likely to be female.
Nope, not last time I checked.

- being a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to fifty rather than the average age of forty.
OK, you've got me there.

- driving fewer miles on average
Again, no way. I drive about 18,000 mile/year, much of it for work. In fact, I usually don't recommend getting a hybrid to people who drive only short distances. Doesn't optimize the hybrid use or make financial sense.

- planning to keep their car longer than the average person—a bir more than 5yrs rather than less than 5yrs
I used to do that, but I might upgrade more quickly....the Prius Touring looks tempting.

- being willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly (or “greenâ€) product.
OK, got me there..again

- wanting to personally do something to help reduce vehicle pollution.
Yup.

- expecting fuel prices to grow a lot faster than other people do.
Well, most of my friends would never have believed $3 a gallon gas 2 years ago when I bought the Prius.
At this point I think we will have a temporary plateau in prices, maybe even a slight drop. But just wait for the next hurricane, broken pipe, or international dispute.


Add to the list of typical owner characteristics;
Early adopter types,
Gadget freaks

 

I hope you've got a lot of other sources of information! Your post here will have only people who have internet, knows of this website, makes time to read your post, makes time to ANSWER your post, and etc. etc. Same as what Dragonfly and Rufaro said. I especially don't like stereotypes. But anyway, here goes:
I'm a 24 y.o. female with a master's degree. I'm currently on my first job making a SLIGHTLY more than the average newly graduated speech-language pathologist. I care more about the shape/style of the car and its gadgetry than the environment, and never cared about gas prices either. I have almost 5k miles after having the car 2 months. This being my first car, I hope to keep it a while but dont' know how long - considering trading it in for the newer lithium battery version later!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusseeka @ Sep 2 2006, 07:14 AM) [snapback]312999[/snapback]</div>

 

- having a high level of education than other car driver groups
*AA degree

- having much higher income than the average car buyer—approx. $100,000 a year v.s. $85,000 a year for the average buyer.
*25,000 year

- being more likely to be female.
*yep

- being a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to fifty rather than the average age of forty.
*32

- driving fewer miles on average
*18-20,000 year

- planning to keep their car longer than the average person—a bir more than 5yrs rather than less than 5yrs
*Probably trade in 3 years

- being willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly (or “green”) product.
*The way I see it, everyone pays more by NOT purchasing an environmentally-friendly vehicle

- wanting to personally do something to help reduce vehicle pollution.
*yep

- expecting fuel prices to grow a lot faster than other people do.
*KNOWING they will grow

Do you agree with these descriptions of hybrid owners?
*Not so much! You better do a BUNCH more research. Good Luck!