Second thoughts

Sorry for the late reply but if you are a recycler and prioritize reducing your impact on the planet, then you should definitely keep the Prism for another 5 or 10 years. The fuel savings, based on your first post will only be around 80 to 100 gallons per year. The energy required to build one new Prius will be forty times your yearly fuel savings. If you, instead, put a priority on how cool your car is, then get the Prius. The big picture makes buying a new car an issue of resource consumption that simply can't be justified. I'm not judging your decision. I'm just taking another point of view.

Personally, the Prius helps me to justify my lifestyle. If I were truly putting my priorities on reduction of environmental impact, I would not have a lifestyle that causes me to drive 28,000 miles per year. The Prius saved me about 1300 gallons of gas this year, compared to my old F150. Moving to town and living near my job, could have saved me just as much without trading vehicles. For me, driving the Prius is mainly a way of justifying my lifestyle. It's kind of similar to buying all my beverages in little throw away containers and then being proud of my recycling efforts.

In the end, get the car because it's cool, but don't pretend that you are helping the planet by doing so.
Buying a Prius to save the planet is really a halfway measure. Perhaps you could say it's a hybrid approach. It's a really cool car though and it does get some people thinking about the issue of fuel consumption.

By the way, I do not mean to imply that you are deluding yourself. I am addressing the views that I have heard expressed by many others about why they bought a Prius. I'm glad to have you join the family. I humbly ask you to forgive the tone of this post. I'm not very good at sugar coating my views. I really do believe in the Prius as much as anyone and I'm trying to come to terms with my own self righteousness on the matter.