Why drive a Prius?

[jyl]

Originally posted by Rodsrsr
Somebodys getting a little defensive. Mabey they bought a prius and feel offended by my innocuous statements.

I find Priuses almost as interesting to discuss as Porsches.

[kstar]

How about 0-60 in under 4 seconds and full torque available from 0-5000 rpms?

It's not a beauty, but it sure is quick:


This story is from 2003 and the technology has only improved: http://www.forbes.com/resourceful/2003/10/21/cx_dl_1021vow.html

The Tesla looks better, but still has that kit car look, IMHO.

We'll see more attractive, faster and longer range electric cars very soon and I'll have no problem image-wise buying one!

Best,

Kurt

[dd74]

Originally posted by Rodsrsr
Like it or not, it is what it is: For the most part the Prius is driven by ostensible liberals...

What the hell is an "ostensible liberal"?

...and yes as painful as is must be, the Miata IS MOST DEFINITELY a chick car.

No, it's not painful. What's painful is your potential ability to turn the Porsche into a dick's car.

[RANDY P]

Originally posted by jyl
Well, the locals get kind of *****y when I drive the Porsche. I've come back to my car to find snippy notes on it like "this is loading zone not rich people zone".

That's odd.

I've always noticed the huge amounts of random 911's cruising around Portland. Seems that it's a very Porsche friendly place.

however, the Libs do run rampant. that note probably came from a Granola / Hippie on a bicycle

[johndglynn]

I'm just about ready to order a Prius. We pay income tax on company cars here in the UK and owning a Prius will save me about £50 a month in tax plus the fuel. If you work out the saving plus tax, it's the same as getting a $3k raise per year - not far short of $10k extra in salary over the 3 years we will have the car. That pays for a lot of track days in a 911.

My current car is a Volvo V50 2.0 TDi which the manufacturer says should get 50-plus mpg on the extra-urban cycle. It gets 41. Few guys at work have the Prius, they are getting 56 average and the car is bigger inside than their previous Audi A4 Avants - the rear leg room is enormous and the trunk is huge also. Plus it has the best crash protection on the market.

I have a 4runner and an old Landcruiser (both diesels) for towing duties etc but they do maybe 4k miles a year between them. I do more miles in the 911 than both of them combined. I'm not overly 'green', am mindful of the issues but not evangelical. I'm not into giving away my money to the guys running/ruining the country either, so the Prius makes lots of sense on lots of levels.

If you've never been in a Prius, but are prepared to run them down just because of who you think drives them, then that's a bit small minded but easily rectified. Go sit in one and check out the way they are put together, read the brochure and get a handle on the technology and engineering that has gone into the product. They are good cars even if they're not 911s. For what most people want from a car in that sector they are almost perfect - all they need to get past are the media-fuelled misconceptions.

[island_dude]

Its pointless to try and convince the knuckle draggers here into seeing any other point of view. The fact that some of these folks scream liberal when ever they people driving something other than an SUV or a full sized truck pretty much indicates the degree that they are brainwashed. Somehow, the only patriotic and politically correct vehicle for them is something that is massive and gets about 3m/gal.

I can't particularly understand the political aspect of wanting to get better gas mileage. Its as if it is patriotic to get less than 20 MPG or something.

[Zef]

Because one day (soon) everybody will have to drive them....because too much people drove that "/$%?&* SUV...you know that pollution they cause...Hummmm...Oh yea...!

[m21sniper]

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.

Something is 'seriously' wrong inside your head based on the part i highlighted in bold.

[m21sniper]

Originally posted by kstarnes
Perhaps; just as many on the outside of the Porsche world view Porsche drivers as those who may be trying to compensate for "short"comings. The stereotypes cut in all directions.

Best,

Kurt

You drive a miata, dont you kurt?

Sorry....i must concur with the others: Miata= chick car.

PS: I really couldn't give one rat's ass about the environment. If i did, i sure wouldnt drive a classic 'hotrodded' V-8 porsche that is lucky to get 10 mpg city.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by island_dude
Its pointless to try and convince the knuckle draggers here into seeing any other point of view. The fact that some of these folks scream liberal when ever they people driving something other than an SUV or a full sized truck pretty much indicates the degree that they are brainwashed. Somehow, the only patriotic and politically correct vehicle for them is something that is massive and gets about 3m/gal.

I can't particularly understand the political aspect of wanting to get better gas mileage. Its as if it is patriotic to get less than 20 MPG or something.

No one said they want you to drive a low mileage car. We just find humor in some of the claims.

Also, I will go drive a Prius so I can be fair about it.

[TerryBPP]

Originally posted by m21sniper


PS: I really couldn't give one rat's ass about the environment. If i did, i sure wouldnt drive a classic 'hotrodded' V-8 porsche that is lucky to get 10 mpg city.

I don't believe in global warming (yet) but I do know we need to reduce pollution and dependence on forgien oil. When your grand kids have a 3rd eye and are paying the gas attendant in dinar's your only have yourself to blame.

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by 9dreizig
what about a VW TDI ?? they get better gas milage and with a little ingenuity ,, you can make your own fuel from used restaurant oil.... that's the car I'm thinking I'll get..

Originally posted by jyl
I think VW TDIs are great cars. My friend routinely got 50 MPG with his. What pushed me to the Prius was that after suffering the "reliability" of European cars, I wanted at least one car in the family to be a Toyota. Not wanting to look for a diesel pump was a secondary reason. I have to admit I have no interest in mooching used french fry oil and doing the whole bio-diesel thing.

I do straight (filtered) used canola in both of my cars. The money I save on fuel is just about enough to cover the cost and hassle of owning a piece of crap VW. They say the newer VWs are better, but I've heard too many other nightmarish accounts.

I may buy a car and transplant a VW diesel engine, but there is no way I'll own another VW. I wish I could get one of the Honda Accord 2.2 diesels from Europe.

FWIW, collecting & filtering oil is 10-15 minutes/wk TOPS. It takes me more time to drive to the closest diesel station.

Originally posted by 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.

Weren't you the guy who also got mad about white girls hooking up with black guys at bars?

I think it's funny to see people who actually get MAD about what someone else drives. There must be deeper issues at play; I suggest counseling.

That goes for both sides. Someone stuck a snide sticker on my Suzuki, as well as other SUVs, the other day. It says "I'm changing the climate, ask me how." That was kind of ironic.

[Rick Lee]

You would probably go to jail or get severley fined in the US for making your own untaxed fuel.

[Jim Richards]

this looks better, though not commercially available as yet:

http://www.pmlflightlink.com/archive/news_mini.html

[kstar]

Originally posted by m21sniper
You drive a miata, dont you kurt?

Sorry....i must concur with the others: Miata= chick car.

PS: I really couldn't give one rat's ass about the environment. If i did, i sure wouldnt drive a classic 'hotrodded' V-8 porsche that is lucky to get 10 mpg city.

You guys are really funny, getting all emotional about what kind of cars other people drive. Why such petty issues?

I have a 2000 Expedition and used to have a hot rod '72 911T, but sold it not too long after my daughter came along. Some here on the board know about the '72 as it had a special motor. I personally am not a Miata fan, but have considered a Prius as an "around town" car.

I also think it's fine to put a V8 in your 911, a V12 in a Prius or maybe a Veyron motor in a pink "Hello Kitty" themed Miata; I honestly don't care.

Are you afraid someone might think you're a girlie-man if you drove anything less than your V8 911?

Kurt

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
You would probably go to jail or get severley fined in the US for making your own untaxed fuel.

I self-assess quarterly at 17 cents/liter. Most provinces & states have provisions for paying taxes on fuel that isn't sold at the pumps. For example, farmers who use untaxed "farm" gas in their street cars have forms available to pay the road tax. Not that they do, but it means there is paperwork available for that type of thing.

[jyl]

Originally posted by m21sniper
Something is 'seriously' wrong inside your head based on the part i highlighted in bold.

Ha ha. It is true, though.

An older 911 is entertaining to drive because it demands concentration and focus to get the most performance out of it.

The Prius is similar, but the "performance" in this case is MPG. You learn how to get the most mileage out of the hybrid system. Squeezing another 1/10 MPG becomes like squeezing 1/10 sec lap time.

The main difference, for me, is that in my daily driving here in Portland - commuting on pretty boring city streets, from stoplight to stoplight - I can try to squeeze the most out of the Prius, whereas squeezing the most out of the 911 would be a ticket to jail.

One reason for buying the old Vespa is because I think it'll be more entertaining than either.

Edit: And because most days the wife drives the Prius.

[jyl]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
You would probably go to jail or get severley fined in the US for making your own untaxed fuel.

Are you actually hearing of prosecutions of biodiesel users in the US? I'm not. Still doesn't make me interested in the hassle of doing it, but it's not for legal reasons.

[Rick Lee]

Someone posted something here a while back about a guy getting prosecuted for that. I've seen it on the Drudge Report too. Don't mess with the man's taxes!

[jyl]

How would you realistically get caught, unless you were selling biodiesel to others?