A counterpoint:
-Why on earth would someone buy the replacement batteries from the dealer?? They are like giant cell-phone batteries, right? Ni-mh or something? There are no aftermarket sources for them? If I need a new or extra battery for my Blackberry, I can either buy it from the dealer, (Sprint), for ~$100.00 or on eBay for $12.00. That's brand new/OEM and yes, it's working just fine. That's the battery industry in a nutshell, no different from buying coolant or motor oil from the dealer or aftermarket.
-150k on a set of batteries is not bad. If this was a 150k Suburban that needed a transmission and the dealer quoted $4k, all of the anti-Prius crowd would still think it was a fine vehicle.
-The Prius is the current state of the art for production hybrids and is driving the advancement of the technology. (With their sales numbers). I've lost count of how many people I know that have them in CA., everyone to a person loves the car, from gear-heads to car-haters. I would rather have a VW TDI if they were better cars, but the quality just isn't there. It is on the Prius. I've yet to see even the anecdotal "Prius is a POS/lemon/electronics nightmare story. You cannot swing a dead cat on the internet w/o hitting a POS Audi/VW/MB/etc. story.
I don't have a Prius, but I'd love one for a city car. The carpool lane thing is an after-thought, I'm never on crowded freeways, plus the stickers are gone for new cars. And it gets a lot better mileage than a BMW MC, Rick. As much as 20 mpg better in a roomy car w/ A/C on. I've heard true stories of ~60 mpg and better, so dream on. I love bikes and want a Ducati, but if I'm expecting Prius fuel economy from it I am dreaming.
I love it that they are trendy in CA. Sometimes I see 5 of them stopped at one light or an entire line of them parked somewhere. It's like VW bugs in the '60s. Each and every one of them means one less stupid SUV on the road, (last decade's trendy vehicle), cleaner air and less demand for oil + more room in parking lots. How can this be a bad thing? SUVs were a f**king environmental disaster as trendy cars. One little turd w/ a cell phone and a pack of Parliments in a 6k lb. vehicle? Talk about mass-stupidity. Oh yeah, you can tow your boat w/ it for 3 days a year.
I realize that I'm on a pro-Prius rant here, but I always get irritated by the people who don't like them because of the (perceived) people who drive them. I know plenty of apolitical types who own them, they're just great cars. If it was ONLY the clean air aspect of them, they would be fantastic. The car that started this thread can get new batteries and go another 150k miles, with ever-increasing ROI as fuel prices rise and car payments disappear.
