Prius Politics

nope

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 18 2007, 10:56 AM) [snapback]463963[/snapback]</div>

you are one wise Swammy

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Jun 18 2007, 11:48 AM) [snapback]464004[/snapback]</div>

Agree. I did it because:

1. I wanted to support Toyota's hybrid technology
2. $,$,$
3. I refuse to buy American / Union made
4. $,$,$
5. I wanted people to think I was a tree-hugging Liberal Democrat

 

Cars are always a statement......

Techie

Froley

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mhawkin1 @ Jun 18 2007, 08:05 AM) [snapback]463967[/snapback]</div>

But, I am a bleeding heart liberal
I'm just a very techie liberal.

I also care about quality and value... liberally so. B)

Oh, and the environment... I care deeply about the environment.
I truly believe that it should be the Conservatives that care about the environment... after all, the environment, and the Earth, is something to Conserve, right? To maintain, to not change rampantly.

So, I've become a bleeding heart Liberal.... driving a Prius

 

No.
It fulfilled my dream of an extended range (partial) electric car (techie?) with lots of interior space. If I didn't want the interior space I would have purchased an '03 at a discount instead of an '04. I wanted to support ANY car company willing to take our favorite form of transportation in a totally new direction.

Like Evan, money savings never entered into the equation. Since I am personally *anti-cool* and now there are so many Prii on the road, I feel like an embarrassed lemming.

"It's tough being green"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MarinJohn @ Jun 18 2007, 09:33 AM) [snapback]464034[/snapback]</div>

You want the name of my Xebra dealer?

When I got my Prius, it felt like something new and bold. Now it's just another car. People buy them just because it's a Toyota and gets good mileage. Now it's the Xebra that feels new and bold. And fun!

When I got my Prius and told people it was a gas-electric hybrid, they asked me if I had to plug it in, and I had to explain what a hybrid is. Now when I tell people I drive an electric car, they ask if it's a hybrid. I have to explain what an EV is.

Hybrid is so yesterday!

The Prius used to be a political statement about caring for the environment. Now most of the people who drive Priuses couldn't care less about the environment.

The Xebra is a political statement. But that's not why I got it. I got it because I've wanted to drive 100% electric ever since I experienced electric mode in the Prius. And, boy, is it ever fun!

 

We bought our Prius for several reasons:

1. My wife loves the space and hatch
2. It is a much safer vehicle than our '88 civic
3. We thought it would be good to support the technology (maybe that's a statement?)
4. I love the the MFD and other gadgets

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Jun 18 2007, 11:48 AM) [snapback]464004[/snapback]</div>

I believe there are some who think it makes a political statement (in their own minds)
I think for the rest of us its a little for the enviroment and a lot towards our pockets (in gas savings)

 

For those trying to peg the politics of Prius drivers, check out Who Killed the Electric Car - Mel Gibson drove one for instance.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Jun 18 2007, 09:55 PM) [snapback]464445[/snapback]</div>

I have great admiration for you and Darrell and the other EV drivers. However, that being said, there are plenty of us who WOULD buy an EV, if there was one that was commercially available and wasn't limited to a 25 mile range.

Lots of people commute over 25 miles. Yes, that is part of our society's problems with energy overuse. But here's a prime example: my wife and I have changed states (twice) and jobs (three times for me) to get closer in location on our jobs. They are now 35 miles apart. While I'm still trying to get closer, there's only so much one can do in certain locations, professions, etc.

So the Prius is it for me, and yes, it can be a political statement. To me, despite it's flaws, it is saying that I know the gas won't be there forever, and by buying this car, I am helping to fuel the research into newer hybrids AND electric cars. Now that Prii are a hit, the EV's stand a chance. Barring disaster, society will always change in small, incremental ways.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Jun 19 2007, 02:26 PM) [snapback]464828[/snapback]</div>

And compared to some of the people on this board, he's a bleeding-heart liberal.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tyrin @ Jun 21 2007, 08:20 PM) [snapback]466183[/snapback]</div>

My Xebra goes 45 miles on a charge. I actually drove it 46 miles once, and had a little juice left over. I think I might have made it 50. I like to think of it as having a 40-mile range with a very big margin of safety.

I sacrificed nothing in buying the Xebra. With a 40-mph top speed (45 downhill) and a 45-mile range, it is a perfect city car and does everything I need a car to do 27 days out of 30.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Jun 22 2007, 10:52 AM) [snapback]466310[/snapback]</div>

To steal a line from the comedian Dane Cook, when people buy a new car they look for a car that they think will make them look like a BAMF, a Bad A.. M....... F......., nobody wants to buy a car that makes you look like a jackass.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(morpheusx @ Jun 22 2007, 10:15 AM) [snapback]466328[/snapback]</div>

How does that explain the popularity of the Aztek, then?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Jun 22 2007, 12:04 PM) [snapback]466356[/snapback]</div>

Do they still make that?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Jun 22 2007, 09:04 AM) [snapback]466356[/snapback]</div>

Now, THAT was an ugly vehicle!
Of course, I think that most of the new stuff on the road is fairly unattractive.
I mean, WHY do vehicles have to look "buff"?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ Jun 22 2007, 12:12 PM) [snapback]466364[/snapback]</div>

The auto industry "knows what the consumer wants" and apparently we all want cars that look aggressive right now. But I do agree, I am not driving something like a Xebra unless it is on a golf course. I have a hard enough time driving the wife's beetle because it looks so much like a teenage girls car. (especially her neon cyber green)