I'm sure you've all heard this before ......

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KProspero @ Sep 17 2006, 11:25 PM) [snapback]321025[/snapback]</div>

Hey welcome KP! did you friend acknowledge his irrational, and slightly hypocritical comment?

 

well, a decent car will run you about 18 - 20 thousand...might as well make it a good one that not only gets great mileage, but helps the environment as well. Not to mention all the great features.

 

You friend does have a point. BMWs are emotional purchases and thus don't need any rational justification for why they are a good purchase (people want, them, not need them) however I think many people see the prius as a logical purchase, one that is financially sound. You certainly could do much worse but the prius is not worth the price when compared to some used offerings on the market. Yet as an emotional purchase it doesn't have the appeal of other cars like a BMW.

Yet I still like it

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alpha13 @ Sep 18 2006, 01:39 AM) [snapback]321058[/snapback]</div>

Isn't this statement a bit like a declaration that chocolate ice cream is "better" than strawberry? Maybe, maybe not. I suspect that there are a bunch of hard core Prius owners who wouldn't be caught dead in a BMW. All depends upon what "appeals" to you.

 

they'll never get their money back, whereas w/ the Prius you will after 2 or 3 years. But, what a stupid question, when has anyone ever gotten their money back on ANY vehicle? let alone on a BMW???? B)

Enjoy the Prius!

 

If you're trading off a 43mpg diesel jetta for a prius, you may not recoup your money with the hybrid at all, or not very fast.

I would never trade my F250 for a Corolla or a standard civic in an attempt to buy cheap and get 30mpg. Those two cheaply priced reasonable mpg cars would drive me nuts because they're just a plain car brand car...

The prius having all the gadgetry, computer display, 50+mpg potential all came together to be what it took to pry me out of my F250 diesel.

For me, comparing a 30+mpg corolla to a 50+mpg prius and then determining that I'll never recoup the difference is not a valid arguement because I'd never buy the corolla. It is not and never will be about driving the cheapest car on the planet.

The other falsehood that keeps coming in the articles about "You'll never recoup" is that they always base it on 15k miles per year. If you are that 15k miles per year person, you should run the numbers because you very well may not recoup the hybrid cost.

Those article writers should be adding caveat... if you drive 30k miles a year, you'll easily recoup the money and then much more.

For me, in 209 days of ownership (about 7 months, 24000 miles) have saved just over $2700 in fuel cost vs. having continued to drive my F250 diesel pickup. Next march when I do my tax return it will be another 6 months from now, so we'll be in the $5400 fuel savings range + 3150 tax credit... in the first year, I've cashed in a $8500 difference in vehicle operating expense.

I will then have a 1 year old Prius with 40,000 miles on it rather than a 8 year old F250 with 160,000 miles on it.

I think I did ok on my prius purchase. I'm also averaging 52.5ish mpg over the first 25,000 miles.

As for gallons of fuel that I did not buy from the middle east, I left 892 gallons in the sand for later use thus far in 7 months. This is one car... If we had 1 million more prius's on the road in the hands of people who drive 25,000 miles or more a year this is a huge fuel savings for the country.

I track all my stats here...
http://d.spicher.home.comcast.net/prius/LifetimeStats.html

 

This weekend there was a full page article in the Parade section of the SD Union Tribune titled "Are Hybrids worth the hype?" (in 70-point letters) There's no substance to the article, and basically all they say is "right now analysts say they are not worth it."

There is a ton on FUD being spread about hybrids. Even my own mother in law asked "can you go above 60 mph?" All the FUD is rather ironic because there is essentially NO hype out there, it's mostly FUD. The only thing perceived as hype is the EPA estimate on the window sticker, and 99% of people don't know what the EPA estimates mean.

It's a normal car, for crying out loud! Well, it's much better, but at the core it's still just a car and it's only better/worse/worthwhile depending on what you drove before it. Compared to my BMW 325i it's a great car.

Enjoy your purchase!

 

For me, the Prius was as emotional a decision as the BMW was for your friend. I was dissatisfied with the lack of safety features in my '89 Civic station wagon (principally air bags, which were uncommon back then) but I didn't want to give up the convenience of a station wagon body style. The Prius answered the convenience point and was available with the full compliment of air bags plus VSC. But what really sold me was the pure emotional draw of SULEV/PZEV, the high mpg (for emotional/environmental, not economic reasons) and the coolness of a transmissionless drive train that had never existed in any car before the Prius, and was capable of driving on pure electric power, at least under limited circumstances.

Pure emotion. A recent-model used Civic or Corolla would cost far less over the life of the car. But I get emotional over my near-zero pollution, my lessened impact on the world oil market, and my super-cool transmissionless drive train.

 

People don't realize that we buy it not *only* for it's gas efficiency. Personally, I love how high-tech it is.

 

Yeah, I don't know how anyone would "break even" on buying a new car, and paying for gas. Ironically, the used Priuses are selling for close to the new car cost, aren't they? That sounds like "breaking even" to me.

I own a 5 year old BMW, which I will now sell. I loved this car, and I thought I'd really miss the smooth driving experience. I actually don't (but don't tell your BMW-driving friends, they won't believe this.) I no longer want the stiff driving experience, so this was a good time to get something more comfortable to sit in.

Why did I even consider a Prius? I believe that global warming is real. If you believe that gas emissions should be reduced, then it's a short jump to wanting a cleaner vehicle. And I looked into the alternatives, bio fuel, etc. The only thing better might be a plug-in hybrid and renewable energy for your home.

The full tax refund made me hurry up and make my decision. Getting 50 mpg doesn't hurt, and all things considered, the Prius has more storage space, high-tech features, and comfort. I also like the fact that it's unique looking.

Now, if it cost the same as a five year old BMW, then I could break even!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 18 2006, 08:46 AM) [snapback]321148[/snapback]</div>

Amen to that.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Sep 18 2006, 10:18 AM) [snapback]321091[/snapback]</div>

Right. I have a 5-year-old — every decision I make today, including the emissions levels of the car I drive — has an impact on her future. I'm picking up my new Prius tomorrow. I made the decision to go with the Prius because (not in any particular order):

1) I want to drive the cleanest practical car on the road.
2) I think it's way cool.
3) I want to say "Way to go!" to the marketplace and to Toyota.
4) Yes, I'll say it: I want to make a statement, and I don't think I need to apologize for that.
5) The less petroleum I consume, the better for everybody.

Best regards,

Steve

 

The Prius was an emotional decision for me, too. I think the idea that a BMW is more appealing in that light begs the question, "to whom?"

 

I bought a Prius for a variety of reasons:
I've been fascinated with the idea of the hybrids ever since they came out.
I was spoiled with good mileage on my 1990 Honda Civic 2-dr. hatchback (33 mpg city/40 mpg hwy).
I realize we can't all keep living the way we are by poisoning our air.
I don't want to give any more of my money to Osama bin Laden, et al., than I have to.

Sometimes doing the right thing is not the cheapest alternative.

 

As Rangerdavid pointed out ... someone *buys* a car, and then intends
to spend some time *using* it. What are you "recouping"? What scale
is this supposed mythical "savings" matched up against? Trying to
compare to a Corolla is a specious apples/oranges connection, because
they really are different cars. Just because two cars have a similar
body dropped on top really doesn't justify thinking of it as this
"hybrid premium" nonsense that the press has locked onto.
.
_H*