New family car: Prius 2008 #2

Hi there,
We recently bought a 2008 Prius to use as our new family car. We currently live in the USA but I am originally from the Netherlands. I mention this because to me there is something natural about driving a car with a 1.5 to 1.8 liter engine and still get quite some acceleration. Overcrowded roads and at the same time some level of environmental consciousness are the norm back home.

Last weekend we made our monthly trip to Costco and first time with Prius (do I sounds like I have given her a name: Prius??). We bought the usual one-and-a-half cart and it ALL fitted in the back. Having just sold our Volvo station wagon, I must say: I was surprised that we didn’t have to give the kids some cereal boxes on their lap!

Compared to the 2001 Volvo:
[FONT=&quot]- The Prius feels light (yes of course) but it is sturdier on the road. I mean: if I now drive over an uneven portion of the road, there is less rattle and less squeaking. This is very nice.
[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]- Room in the back for the kids: they have a bit less width, but more legroom.
[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]- I will not miss the moonroof of our old Volvo, nor will I miss the 19 MPG average (23 MPG highway, OK).
[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]- In the Prius I love the high-tech features of e.g. the smart key, the radio controls, the shifting from P to D and R.
[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]- The back-up camera is fun.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]-[/FONT] I'm very impressed with the fuel efficiency: with only about 30% highway the first 500 miles indicate 47 MPG. And this should become even better.



About me: I'm a researcher in neuroscience with a psychology background. I look at the effects of brain damage (as measured with MRI and PET) on behavior. I love statistics which I use a lot in my work. I also use a lot of computers (mostly MacOS and Linux). I try to make as many evidence based decisions in my life as possible. I don’t succeed in this in general (I said: I try). BUT: I've read about the Prius for about a year before we finally bought a low mileage used one.

Here a pitch for a website that I gladly recommend (I’m a member, but other than that not affiliated): TrueDelta Car Reliability and Gas Mileage Information

I've noticed several posts on the forum already about TrueDelta, e.g.: Reliability info on the Gen III Prius -- help make it happen

For those not familiar with Truedelta: If you sign up and are willing to respond to a one question survey each month you get access to all the reliability reports on all models and years that they have information on. The main variable to measure reliability of vehicles is something like: “How many trips to a dealer or other garage did you make this month for anything that is not regular maintenance”. Major do-it-yourself work also counts as a trip to the mechanic.

I've been reading a lot of old treads on the forum already (about tires, about what happens when you press P while in motion <you guys crack me up>, about someone who wants his Audi back, etc). Thanks to those who have already responded to a first few questions I posted this week!

Is it weird to show thumbs-up to other Prius drivers on the road?

Cheers,
Mike

 

rickwayne and bisco:
thanks for the welcome!