Why did you buy a Toyota Prius??

Sure...you can use terms like "could you guys help me out", "I'm new to the forum" ...

But we all know you work for Volkswagen or Nissan...

Just kidding...good luck, I'd tell you why I bought a Prius, except I did not buy a Prius...

My observations in watching for a long time? People buy Prius for a variety of diverse reasons. Concious and subconcious.

It's probably good to ask, get new information...but also search the past postings...I think you'll find a diversity in psychology. A gap sometimes between what reasons people like to say they are buying a Prius...and the real reasons they want one parked in the front drive.

IMO it's not as cut and dry as you might think. With Prius, EV's, Hybrids...you get a blending of Altruistic goals meshed with the common and honest ego that almost everyone attaches to car purchases.

It's a good idea for a paper. But it could be a economics study or a psychology thesis.

 

Is "all of the above" an option?

I bought it for environmental reasons because the price premium is offset by the lower fuel consumption, so I got a Prius instead of a cheaper car that was more expensive to run AND would pollute more.

I bought it for low operating costs so that I'm hedged in the event that fuel costs spike again.

I bought it when I bought it (before end of 2009) to take advantage of the sales tax deduction. (that didn't net out particularly huge, so it wasn't as important as the other two factors)


As far as an economic/environmental study goes, you might have done better looking at the Gen2 buyers - they gave up more in terms of performance, and had fewer other options to choose from.

 

Did you purchase it for environmental reasons?

No, except that higher MPG = less emissions per mile traveled.

Or was it because of low taxes or low running costs?

The reason we purchased the Prius was lower overall costs of the vehicle throughout its lifetime and we needed a more reliable (newer) car.

Did you receive any government subsidies?

Yes, Oregon and Federal tax credits.

Where are you based (location)?

See answer to previous question.

*optional (please don’t take offence) – What is your approximate household income?

I will not provide this information.

 

Did you purchase it for environmental reasons? Yes, I commute every work day 60 total miles. Some days I drive only 22 miles because I am in a carpool, when it's my turn to be the driver, I drive all 60 miles. I'm trying to be more green with my barcelona red prius.
Or was it because of low taxes or low running costs? No, but that would be nice.
Did you receive any government subsidies? No, but I'm OK with that too. Mostly I purchased for environmental and economy of operation of the vehicle; and I love to chase MPGs. Finally, I hate that the US has to purchase so much foreign oil. It seems to have resulted in many economic and political problems.
Where are you based (location)? Manassas, VA

 

Reasons I purcahsed a Toyota Prius:

1-I'm Smart
2-It saves Time, because I can drive while alone in the HOV lanesof the Long Island Expressway, during the Rush Hours, Legally. The Prius earns a NYS DMV recognition as a "CLEAN PASS" vehicle, which qualifys for this special treatment.
3- It has a better design than the only competitor, the Honda Civic Hybrid.
4-I get to screw the Big Oil sob's out of the money the rest of America flushes down that rathole.

I live in New York State, and my income is not any of your business.

 

That is why I linked a 9 point article on why.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...502-2010-prius-school-project.html#post979468

Notice that 'environment' only enters points 4, 5 and 6, and 'economics' is only tangentially referred to in point 5. Cost of operation does enter into point 8, but more as maintenance time than as a monetary cost. (My wife may have had environmental and economic reasons for wanting a Hybrid, but 'keeping the wife happy' does not factor in WHY she wants what she wants)


Notice that a fair number of other's answers mention the government subsidizing their time (not just money) with passes for the HOV lanes. (there are no HOV lanes in my state so I can't get a pass to ride in them) Should you use these responses to formulate a proper questionnaire, I would ask questions about both temporal and monetary benefits.

You will notice that family pressures are #1, 7 and 9, while physical issues are #2 and 3. Not every car meets every person's basic needs. (keeping the wife happy IS a basic need)

(Another idea would be to contrast what owners like about their car vs why they bought their car. reality vs expectation I did not buy it for the high tech gizmos, but they make me happy each day)

(If you ask 'economic' questions, I would also ask for yearly mileage. Saving money doing 50,000 miles a year at 50 MPG is easier than saving money doing 5,000 miles a year)

 

2 words....."Chick Magnet"

 

Since 1979 all of my primary vehicles have been VW diesels. I wanted to replace my 2001 Jetta TDI with a Polo, but VW never brought them this side of the pond.

I never expected to own a gasoline powered vehicle again for primary transportation, but decided to give Prius a try.

I am more than pleased with the economy and hope it will be as dependable as my diesels. Too bad Toyota hadn't used one of their many excellent diesel designs in Prius III. I'm sure they would have had a 100 mpg winner if they had decided to take that road.

 

Energy Independence (First step towards). Too many freinds overseas right now fighting for my right to burn oil.

 

I'm with others that say the environmental factor wasn't the main one but is a nice side benefit.

I was moving from a Santa Fe, and I wanted something with significantly better gas mileage but still enough room to be able to haul around a fair amount of stuff. And while I realize that the gas savings are mostly offset by the higher car price for the hybrid technology, I would rather have my money go to a car maker than the oil industry in general, and the middle east in particular.

So I've cut my gas usage in half, and that's a good thing on several levels - environmental, political and personal. And I have yet to run into a situation where I have needed to transport something that I could have in my Santa Fe but couldn't in the Prius. When I was filling in for my son's baseball coach while he was out of town he was shocked that I could fit all of the gear he lugs around into my "little" car