Make Me Love The Prius

OK, I had the same idea about renting a Prius. Anyone know a national chain that has them? Or more to the point, Northern VA DC Metro / Baltimore area.

I found a EV rental page, evrental.com. They listed National Airport (Budget Rent a Car) as a site but when I called they had eliminated Prius' from their fleet for the moment. Also tried the Toyota dealers here in the Rent-a-Toyota program near DC and Baltimore but they have no Prius in the RAC program. Not surprising with the demand of course.

I'd really love to rent on for a day or three to do a extended test. Sometimes you don't know how a car is going to fell on longer drives till you spend a few hours in it. Pedal angles and seats that seem ok at first can be a problem after a couple of hours. Especially those of us dealing with a bit of Arthritis at a relatively young age...

Thanks in advance,
Mark

 

Mark, I don't know about your area, but I rented one for a week from Enterprise. Give your local a call, then expect to test your patience waiting for the one you will buy by waiting for the one you will test. I tied my rental to a planned, but somewhat flexible timeframe, trip to Boston for just the reasons you cited.

 

YOU BEAST!!

 

Actually, I don't think the book says "don't drive fast" during the break-in period. It say "don't slam on the brakes unless you have to to avoid an accident." Not that I would push *my* new car, it hasn't been over 70 MPH

 

About the stability at high speeds......I think there is a big difference between Prii with the Vehicle Stability Control option and those without. Even though the VSC is designed to help control the car during a spin situation, I think it affects the car throughout its driving envelope. I find HUMU quite stable at highway speeds (I have VSC). There are posts in here from people who complain about the car being wobbly at freeway speeds or not tracking properly. I wonder if those cars have VSC or not.

A major reason I purchased a Prius was to help protect the enviornment while still allowing me access to a car. Time may come when that won't be possible and I (and a lot of us) will have to choose between cars or clean air. I love being part of a technology revolution that not only benefits the planet but sticks my big middle finger up at the oil-sated 19th century robber baron troglodites in the government who have NO energy vision other than continued drilling everywhere and endless environmental degredation.

Toyota designed the Prius from the start to make as small an impact as possible on the environment, including the eventual recycling of the car once it has passed its useful life The body style was intentionally created to highlight the difference between the Prius and conventional cars. I feel that buying one is putting my environmental money where my mouth is and helping steer the unthinking consumerism of America into more positive directions. My partner and I are converting our house to solar for the same reasons.

You are correct that you will not save any money with the Prius, but you will save a whole lot more than money. The car is a technological achievement and at a reasonable price.

I'm driving a rental for a few days and the steering wheel feels as big as a garbage can lid. It takes a few weeks of driving a Prius before you begin to feel the effects. Less stressful driving, generally. It's quieter, and, here's the amazing part: it tends to promote a much more tolerant and less hectic approach to driving in traffic. There is some sort of karma (no pun) about the Prius that focuses you on saving gas and walking with a softer footprint. Hard to get there, I think, after driving a BMW (not meant as a criticism, for sure).
Bob

 

Re VSC vs. non-VSC:

FredWB was one of the most vocal about poor handling. He has a BC #9 (ie VSC equipped). I think some of the "handling issues" stem from the electronic drive-by-wire system which doesn't provide the same tactile feedback. I really didn't notice the lack of the tactile feedback until I was on Snoqualmie Pass with 1.5 inches of slush and the OEM Integrity tires. Hoping that the switch to the TripleTred's will make some difference. (ours unfortunately is VSCless)