Why drive a Prius?

[Rodsrsr]

I know people think they're doing the right thing and saving tons of money by driving a Prius instead of the SUV, but realistically, all there going to do is sell the SUV so someone else can drive it and pollute. Now maybe if they had the SUV destroyed so no one else could drive it, that would be a direct replacement. And from a financial standpoint it will take years to break even on the gas savings. Prius= good marketing to gullible liberals.

[jyl]

Our Range Rover was getting old, unreliable, and extremely expensive to keep on the road - it needed to be replaced. Plus it was getting 12-14 mpg, so my wife was spending $300/mo in gasoline. We replaced it with a Prius, which is saving us appx $200/mo in gasoline, should be as reliable as any Toyota, does and carries everything we need, and has turned out to be as entertaining a car to drive as the 911. I don't know if you understand that logic, but it made sense to us.

[lendaddy]

Certainly many/most are sold to gullible libs and those that want everyone to know how much they care. But..they do serve a purpose in advancing technology so I say thanks to the "look at me crowd" for funding the research.

[Aurel]

And if people only buy used SUVs and no more new ones, do you think the car manufacturers are going to keep making them?
Prius may no be the solution to gas prices and pollution, but it sure has hell gets better gas mileage and lower emissions than an SUV.

And since the war in Iraq is not going *so well*, it makes sense to start thinlking about alternatives to gas guzzlers, after all. Of course there is a lot of hype about hybrids. And I personally drive an SUV, so I am not biased. If I really had to save on gas, I`d get a VW TDi. But I don`t have a problem with anyone who wants to drive an hybrid.

Aurel

[kstar]

Why drive a Porsche?

Everyone has their own reasons why they drive the car they do, yes?

And shouldn't folks have the right to pick from the available selection of street legal cars to drive?

FWIW, I am very liberal on some topics and very conservative re others, and I'm not sure I understand the politically slanted angle of your query. Just trolling?

These questions always seem odd coming from folks who drive Porsche sports cars.

Drive, and let drive.

Kurt

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by jyl
Our Range Rover was getting old, unreliable, and extremely expensive to keep on the road - it needed to be replaced. Plus it was getting 12-14 mpg, so my wife was spending $300/mo in gasoline. We replaced it with a Prius, which is saving us appx $200/mo in gasoline, should be as reliable as any Toyota, does and carries everything we need, and has turned out to be as entertaining a car to drive as the 911. I don't know if you understand that logic, but it made sense to us.

Plus...all the good far lefty folks up there in Porty-Potty-Land think you care about the envrionment...in an ALGORE way...

Didn't take you long to fit in with the community image, did it???

[Howard Agency]

So you can stay in the fast/carpool lane at 2mph below the limit?
Prius Must Die!

[tonypeoni]

Ive always got a laugh out of the term "offensive car". No car ever offended me whether it was a lowered gangster ride or a monster truck. If thats what suits them then cool. The prius changed that. Its not a car but a political statement every time I see one I just know its full of libs.

[MRM]

'Cus it will go 105 if I'm chased by the cops with drugs in my car.

[Rodsrsr]

kool-aid drinking libs.

[lendaddy]

"I just wanted to be part of the solution mmmmmmkay"

[Moneyguy1]

I dunno...All my life I have driven cars (family cars, that is) that were, shall we say.."economical? Corvairs, Pinto Wagon, VW Squareback, Dodge Aspen..you get the idea).

Why? I like to save money!! The cars were less expensive to purchase and they got reasonably good gas mileage. Still do...Haven't bought a new car since 1976. Used Fords, mostly, mid sized station wagons. Once had an Olds 98...That thing could pass everything but a gas station. I would like to try a hybred someday. But, retired, I drive about 3k per year and rent a new car from National when I take a trip.

[Rick Lee]

My bike gets better mileage than a Prius and costs half as much. But fuel economy had nothing to do with why I got it. BTW, how much does it cost when a hybrid's batteries need to be replaced?

[Hugh R]

I used a friends Honda civic hybrid to pick someone up at LAX on a late Sunday night and to go 63 miles it used 1.2 gallons of gas. I cruised along with all traffic no problem. The A/C kept me cool and it drove like a regular car. What is wrong with that? I'll consider a hybrid on my next newer car purchase. BTW, my brother-in-law who is high up in Toyota, USA says the five year battery life thing is BS. He says they'll go 10 or more years no problem, and he believes the $5,000 battery projections will be less than half that by then. There are a lot of "life cycle" estimates out there that compare a Prius going 100k miles versus a Hummer going 300K miles and that the Hummer is more "environmental" in a holistic approach. What I care about is which one costs me less.

For the most part, in LA you don't get a driving experience, Porsche or otherwise, what you get is commuter traffic. For a basic transport car, to me, what is comfortable, cheap and reliable is the question. I'll drive the 911 to work but I prefer to drive it up the Pacific Coast Highway, north of Malibu, on a Sunday afternoon.

[Jim Bremner]

the nickel for the battery is mined in north-eastern Canada

Sent via cargo ship to CHINA to be made into a battery

Sent Via a cargo ship to Japan to be inserted into the car

Sent via cargo ship to Los Angeles to be sent all over the U.S.

I would give my left NUT to know how much fuel that it takes to fuel the ships east & west, let alone the leakage, spillage etc.

I can't wait until someone makes a Prius with a LS-1 or 2 'vette motor in one

[jyl]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
My bike gets better mileage than a Prius and costs half as much. But fuel economy had nothing to do with why I got it. BTW, how much does it cost when a hybrid's batteries need to be replaced?

The battery replacement concern is baseless.

Last I checked, to date no Prius' battery has been replaced other than after accidents. My father's gen 1 Prius with >100K miles is still going strong on its original battery. Prius taxis with far over 100K are on their original batteries. I did look into the cost of replacing a Prius battery once, I don't recall the exact quoted cost but it was in the $2,500 to $4,000 range. Given the length of the Prius warranty, and the record of battery longevity, I'm not worried about it.

Of course a motorcycle is going to be a more economical means of transport. But bikes aren't for everyone. If you had to carry two little kids to school and back, day in and day out, in rain and cold, I doubt you'd choose a motorcycle . . .

[dd74]

The batteries are supposed to last 100,000 miles, and I believe are warrantied for as long.

The liberal analogy to the car is to be expected. It comes from the same ignorance that labels Miatas as chick cars - that is until a Miata hands them their asses on a nice tight race course.

So first your Porsche is beat by a Miata on the track.

Then your F250 Ford p/u sucks down three times as much gas than the less expensive, farther traveling Prius.

Yep, it's a sure fire liberally-minded automotive conspiracy.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by pwd72s
Plus...all the good far lefty folks up there in Porty-Potty-Land think you care about the envrionment...in an ALGORE way...

Didn't take you long to fit in with the community image, did it???

Just repeating my point...

[Hugh R]

See the thread about "I watched someone die today" or something like that, which is on page 1 right now. I used to ride bicycles in the city until I got hit by a hit and run cab and left (literally) for dead. I was given the Last Rites at the Catholic hospital they took me to. I won't ride a bicycle on the streets in SoCal any more. I might consider a motorcycle if, and when, I move out of LA.

[lendaddy]

I think the point is that you could have gotten the same or better mileage in a more competent car for less money.

A Prius owner trying to justify ownership via economics is akin to a religious person defending their beliefs via logic....it just doesn't work.

Neither is necessarily wrong for there actions/beliefs, they just aren't being honest with themselves about it.