Toyota Prius... there, I said it!

[scottmandue]

Yeah, yeah... I know... hand in my man card and pick out a "European shoulder bag"

No, but wait... I have purely evil selfish reasons to want one... REALLY!

Three little letters... H O V

I drive 20 miles each way of boring freeway to work everyday... 45 minutes each way.

When I had a co-worker near me we car pooled and it was 30 minutes.

So I could save 30 minutes a day, five days a week if I get a car with a HOV lane sticker.

I have already looked at autotrader and such cars are available... have also registered at priuschat form and getting some pros and cons on these cars.

My commuter car is just a disposable appliance to me and nothing more... I reserve the right to have a sports/fun car to drive on the weekends.

Anyone know about these cars? Anyone own one or know someone who does? Any ideas of an alternate HOV car? (can't do a motorcycle).

My biggest worry is the battery, I hear they are mega expensive to replace... however I also hear certain models have a 150K mile warranty on the battery.

Thanks in advance.

[Aurel]

Make sure you can still get a sticker first. It looks like those may not be available anymore as the HOV lanes get overcrowded...

Hybrid Owners: No Carpool Lanes For You | NBC Bay Area

[URY914]

Make sure your manbag matches the color of the car. And of course your shoes need to match your manbag as well. Happy motoring! (or should I say Gay Motoring!)

[BeyGon]

We just looked at the Escape version yesterday, it will take a long time to make the difference if you are thinking gas savings. Buy a cheap KIA Rio and get 35 miles a gallon. You can throw it away after the 100,000 mile warranty.

[Hugh R]

Can't get an HOV sticker for new hybrids anymore in CA. Best bet is to buy a used one with the sticker, but you'll pay a premium. I think they're taking them away at some point as well (01/01/2011).

[scottmandue]

Looking at buying a used one that already has the HOV sticker.

And most of them are in silver that will go with my shoulder bag and shoes, do these pants make my butt look big?

[URY914]

No, actually your azz is cute.

[Rick Lee]

This is what I use for HOV's. In CA I can lane split on it, I can outrun any car on the road and I've never once paid to park it anywhere. Gets 45 mpg and costs a fraction of a Prius.

[vash]

thinking of taking a job in SAN FRAN. i will buy a bike.

having said that, my wife wants a prius. she thinks its cute. whatever. i see it as more "headroom" for my own carbon footprint.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Can't get an HOV sticker for new hybrids anymore in CA. Best bet is to buy a used one with the sticker, but you'll pay a premium. I think they're taking them away at some point as well (01/01/2011).

Taking stickers away from cars that already have them, anyone know if that is going to happen for certain? I have heard rumors but nothing concrete, that would be a deal breaker for me.

Would love to have a bike, but not going to happen.

[pwd72s]

Be sure to keep the Obama sticker on the back...

[mikester]

I beleive the sticker program for hybrids expires in 2011 (like hugh said). We have stickers on our Prius (2005) and it was useful when I was commuting downtown but now I life 2 miles from my office. =-)

[SoCal911T]

Bad news: They have the same gas pedal problem as other Toyota's.

Good news: You'll never notice.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by mikester

I beleive the sticker program for hybrids expires in 2011 (like hugh said). We have stickers on our Prius (2005) and it was useful when I was commuting downtown but now I life 2 miles from my office. =-)

Is that no new stickers or old stickers no longer valid?

[sammyg2]

Hybrids have actually become cool in the past free weeks, when the tree-huger-turds had to stop producing so much smug because of the brakes on their "save the world" cars have potential problems. It's no longer trendy to have a prius, and those people are all about being trendy.

"Oh, you still drive a toyota? how brave" as they look down their faux-intellectual noses.

So, since the enviro-turds are no longer all smug about have a prius, having a prius has become cool.

[vash]

if my wife gets one. i get to pick the license plate. going with "SLOW" or "UNFAST".

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by Aurel

Make sure you can still get a sticker first. It looks like those may not be available anymore as the HOV lanes get overcrowded...

yup, NLA, unless they changed it back. I wonder if you buy one with the sticker on it already...

I don't know that the ones out have an expiration date on them

Originally Posted by SoCal911T

Bad news: They have the same gas pedal problem as other Toyota's.

Good news: You'll never notice.

You are killin' me here

[scottmandue]

Looks like unless they change the rules the HOV stickers go belly up 2011. Which negates any positive of owning one... except for pissing off the enviro-haters... not worth it in my book.

Well, now that that plan fell through maybe I will look at Boxster... seeing as I came out of the closet and all

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

because of the brakes on their "save the world" cars have potential problems. .

I didnt think they went fast enough to need brakes.....

[speedracing944]

I rented one in Florida for a week and liked it. It got great gas mileage and handled super fast highway speeds with ease. I set the cruise at 90 mph for a 90 mile trip and still returned 37.5 MPG for the stint. The older model had a Cd of 0.26 and the new one is 0.25. That combined with a low frontal area makes for a slippery high speed car, if you dare.

I have always wanted to buy one, gut it, tub it and install a LSX series engine.

Speedy