New owner

I have watched the Prius with fascination since day one & still remember my first "sighting". I am a fairly conservative 50's guy that waited until my old car was no longer reliable. Canned the 1990 Olds Regency 98 & recently purchased a 2008 Prius. Although the Olds actually did better than many cars, livetime average 27 mpg & could hit 35+ on the highway, my Prius is not only all I expected, it has surpassed my expectations. I absolutely love this car and that may be an understatement.

I'm not your typical old fogie either. Grew up rough & tough, rodeo, fast cars, US Army, Harley's etc, etc. 3,000 + hours flying time & has been a fantastic ride so far (life that is). I returned to school at 40 yrs old & now have more than one diploma, work two jobs & enjoying life.

I have noted the different reactions to this vehicle & really don't care what everyone else thinks, just give me my respect in the form of intelligent & mature driving & let's get on down the road. I would like the Prius if it only got 35 mpg! I'm not really into the payback deal as much as some, I just want a car that is reliable & doesn't cost a fortune to operate. My payback is not having to take out a loan to buy a tank of gas!!! I own some acreage & have a four wheel drive Chevrolet extended cab pickup. Better have a $100 bill in your pocket to fill it, although better now with cheaper gas. Actually it will get around 20 or better if not pulling a trailer. A stock trailer & 75 mph gets 12-14. I love to pull in and fill my Prius for less than a nice meal !! Actually instant gratification & I don't have to justify my appreciation with a payback or minimized effect on the invironment, although I am Native & do appreciate it all.

Everyone that rides or drives my car is stunned & amazed. Very nice road car & a pure joy to drive. It doesn't always fit those specialize situations, but one fine car. I wanted to thank everyone on this forum as I perused it & found out exactly everything I wanted or needed to know before I purchased my vehicle. Nice, very nice.

 

My mileage was around 50 from day one. My first tank was 48 mpg, but included a 77mph trip & bucking a 30mph 330 degree quartering wind. I typically get low 40s in those conditions & pepped it back up with prudent driving & a low tail wind. Tires at 42/40.

I did change tires today & went to the Kumho Solus KR21 's. Why? I'm a Michelin man usually, but I have a shop a few miles from my place & they handle only Kumho & think they are a very fine tire. Told me this one was the best tire made. Took it with a grain of salt, but worth a try.

I changed to 195/60/15 's & only a few miles on them ( like 20) & not getting the same mileage. The handling is superb. Period. Quiet & vehicle rides like locked on rails yet very sensitive to your input. It handles more like a sports car when you want to carve a curve.

I have put appx 4,000 miles on this vehicle since the last couple days of December. So pretty new here.

I have a feeling I may very well end up with the Michelin Primacy MXV4 or the Goodyear Assurance Comfort Tred.

I also installed the splash guards at the same time, but not saying that is a factor. Just a variable at this point. Tomorrow I'll be driving several a couple hundred miles & also same again this week-end. We'll see what happens. Right now I'll settle for a couple miles per gallon hit for the quietness, stability & handling on the tires. Braking is as improved as the ride & other positives. I changed several things at once here, so I'm going to give it some time & see how it goes.