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My Prius Exit Interview

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by nylion, Sep 6, 2010.

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  1. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Hey each of us has our own priorities. Its not about spanking other cars, its about the experience in your car, and yes the 5.9 seconds sprint to 60 was good enough in my last car, although 5 is better. Did I mention they are about to build a formula one track by me, that should satisfy the need for speed safely.
     
    #61 austingreen, Sep 13, 2010
  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Hopefully you never got that impression from me!

    When I was over at GreenHybrid before the 'new people' destroyed the database, I once took the list of NHW11 owners and sent PMs to the top and bottom posters to find out what worked and didn't work. They taught me that our Prius mileage is also a strong function of where we live and our current place of employment . . . the way we use our cars to meet our individual needs. Sure there are 'low hanging fruit' but life is too short to worry about it.

    To paraphrase Garrison Keillor:
    Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the drivers are above average.
    ​
    Bob Wilson
     
    #62 bwilson4web, Sep 13, 2010
  3. nylion

    nylion New Member

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    No, Bob, not from you. Besides, I don't care what other people think about my Prius mileage. I was happy with it. My Z mileage is a steady 20 mpg. I am happy with that too. This all reminds me about the time I had a Nissan Pathfinder. I was getting gas and a car pullied into the pump next to mine. It was a beat up Honda Civic. The owner looked at me and said in a derisive tone, "How can you drive something that uses so much gas?"

    I smiled and answered, "Because I can afford it." He looked back at his car and walked away.

    Nearly half of the commercials I see on TV are for cars. Manuafacturers spend fortunes trying to build a mental image of their vehicles that will stimulate buyers. Prius has sold so well, that very few such ads have run. You do find Toyota spending money to get Prius's into movies and TV shows (product placement). They don't spend the money because they don't have to. At least, for now that's true. As we all know the car has no real competition, and it is already selling well enough. Why waste money on advertising blitzes?

    Ironically, the same is true for the Z. People who want them, know about them. They have no real competition in their class. A Corvette costs about $10k more than the Z, but no one interested in a Z would even consider the Corvette. They are just different breeds of sports car. The Z's comptetitors are the BMW sports cars and the Porsche. Both cost a lot more. So, I think that Nissan sees little point in trying to convince a potential Porsche buyer into a Z and visa versa. If I could afford a new Porsche, I would have bought one.

    The point of all this is that we have a lot in common. Both the Prius and the Z are non-mainstream production cars. The Prius is edging its way up to mainstream status, but still has a million or so cars to go to get there. The Z will never be mainstream. Two-seater sports cars are niche products. They don't meet the requirements of most car owners. When I bought my 2006, there were just 100,000 Prius's in the world. Now there are many times that.

    I als think that the Prius and Z have another amusing similarity: forums for each car tend to push to the extremes. A lot of "mine is bigger than yours" goes on here about gas mileage. In the Z forums it is about how race-equipped your Z is. I never cared about either.

    One thing about Priuschat (and the370z) web sites: I have learned a lot of valuable stuff about my car. My maintenance needed message would still be nagging me if I didn't learn how to reset it here.

    I will stay around here. I like the people and the topics. I am also truly interested in how the plug-in Prius will perform. Oh, by the way, there is talk that sometime in 2011, Nissan will release a hybrid Z. Unlike the Prius, the Z will have the electric motor in series with the engine. That way the car gains lots of low RPM torque. Interesting stuff keeps coming up. However, I promised my wife I would keep my Z at least 2 years!

    Bob
     
    #63 nylion, Sep 13, 2010
  4. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    One other place you might want to check out are the "ecomodder.com" folks. They have a few more 'dreamers' and imaginary 'tire kickers' but they also have a hardcore with dirty fingernails who also understand my technical postings . . . if you catch my drift. Just be careful or they'll start suggesting things like 'home brew' hybrid mods. <GRINS> BTW, the ScanGauge should work on your new ride too. . . .

    A funny thing about efficiency and performance, they are the Janus faces of the same goal . . . getting the most-est from the least-est.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #64 bwilson4web, Sep 13, 2010
  5. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    It looks like they would take the drivetrain of the Infiniti M35 which is a parallel hybrid. It would be very cool if they made it a 4wd plug in with motors in each of the front wheels. The Z already has good low end grunt, the electronics will give it quieter operation and a big boost in fuel economy.
     
    #65 austingreen, Sep 13, 2010
  6. drumslinger

    drumslinger future hybrid owner

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    Isn't it mucher better?
     
    #66 drumslinger, Sep 13, 2010
  7. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    The extra unsprung weight of motors in the wheels would have a significant adverse effect on handlng on anything but a pool table smooth road. That would be a terrible thing to do to a Z. Maybe Ok for a hair shirt EV but not a sports car.
     
    #67 xs650, Sep 13, 2010
  8. Sneezy

    Sneezy Member

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    I don't begrudge anyone for buying a car they want/need. Had I not been suffering from back problems for the past year, I may have jumped on a Camaro or Mustang instead of a 2nd Prius as a replacement for my in the shop every month HHR SS. The other thing is I already have my 2000 Trans Am as my fun car. Getting a Prius for my company car just fit.

    Enjoy!
     
    #68 Sneezy, Sep 13, 2010
  9. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    The Z is a great car. Before I bought the ES350 I toyed with the idea of getting something fast and 2 doored. I thought about a 370Z or a BMW 3 series convertible...

    Enjoy! If you enjoy driving thats a much better choice than a Prius.
     
    #69 SW03ES, Sep 13, 2010
  10. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Doh, powering, not in. Sometimes something goes wrong between my brain and fingers. Think of the motor layout of porsche 918 or bmw activehybrid prototype. Nissan would place the infiiniti M hybrid bits in the car, but a bigger battery and two new motors. It would make it weigh more, but short term power to weight goes up. I'm not sure how the weight would affect handling, so that is something to consider. Going the 918 route of shaving weight with carbon fibre probably wouldn't be cost effective, but Nissan could probably add 150hp electric horsepower with 4wd control for less than $60K Z35 hybrid, not that I think they will do it, but I would buy one if they did.
     
    #70 austingreen, Sep 13, 2010
  11. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    People can buy whatever car they want, but the reasoning sounds so odd and like what people having a midlife crisis do. Why not plan ahead and buy the car you really want from the start? Switching cars after only a few months for such reasons when you knew what you were getting sounds so fickle and scatterbrained. A big waste of money on depreciation to throw away a car after a few months.
     
    #71 web1b, Sep 14, 2010
  12. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Zs are great cars, but there are quite a few people on the Corvette forums that are ex 350Z/370Z owners.

    They are in the same market, high performance sports cars that are at home on a road race course for a track day or on a long cross country trip as well as playing around on local roads.
     
    #72 xs650, Sep 14, 2010
  13. nylion

    nylion New Member

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    Maybe I'm not being sensible, but I am very happy that I took the hit. Next week I am getting a rear view camera installed (it integrates with the nav just like the Prius). I did, reluctantly, pass on the $3000 integrated radar/laser detector. Though it might turn out to be a good investment if I plan to do sustained 100+ mph driving. Naaah, that's going too far.

    I guess there is no rational answer to why I did it for you. The heart wants what the heart wants. I'm too old for midlife crisis, so this may be endlife crisis.

    Ya know what? I don't care. I lost $7,000 by trading now. It would have been more, but I bought the Prius when Washington had a deal where there was no sales tax on any car that got over 40mpg. I don't drink or smoke, so I probably made up the difference with what I didn't spend on other vices.

    Meanwhile, I can't wait to drive the Z. I love every minute of it. That's worth seven grand to me.

    Bob
     
    #73 nylion, Sep 15, 2010
  14. Michaelvickdog123

    Michaelvickdog123 New Member

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    About 10 days ago you posted your "exit interview". It was very well done, and many of us enjoyed reading it.

    That said, I just have to wonder why you continue to post on this thread? Seems to me you would have moved on a long time ago? I think we all got the messsage (a long time ago) that you love your Z, enjoy driving it, and really could care less that you're out 7-10 grand. Got it.

    :rolleyes:

    Are you lonely, or simply feel you have to justify your purchase to others? You don't. Enjoy your car.
     
    #74 Michaelvickdog123, Sep 15, 2010
  15. Lottamoxie

    Lottamoxie Member

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    Nylion,

    I spent $7K on my dog over a period of 4 months this year, trying to extend her life, from cancer. And...it didn't work. So you could have spent that money in lots of ways that didn't give you as much satisfaction as the new car.

    Life is short. Too short.
     
    #75 Lottamoxie, Sep 15, 2010
  16. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Reminds me of a song:

    http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/h/hoorayforcaptainspaulding.shtml
    Bob Wilson
     
    #76 bwilson4web, Sep 15, 2010
  17. TheSpoils

    TheSpoils Member

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    I, for one would like to see some pics of the Z. Include some interior shots of the dash and the MFD showing your MPG. It is always nice to see how well an efficient driver does on an inefficient vehicle / scenario.
     
    #77 TheSpoils, Sep 15, 2010
  18. creativeguy

    creativeguy Member

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    ... or when gas is back up to $5. Will people still love their Z's then?
     
    #78 creativeguy, Sep 16, 2010
  19. mwok86

    mwok86 New Member

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    As long as they have a credit card and extended credit lines, they will. It's all about the minimum monthly payments forever.
     
    #79 mwok86, Sep 16, 2010
  20. nylion

    nylion New Member

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    Bob, I love your Groucho Marx song. Yes, I am still here. Not cause of the car but because I have a lot of fun chatting here.

    My current mpg is 19.5 +- .5 mpg. Aggregate average mpg over the last 200 miles is 19.2. My Prius gave me an average of 42 mpg. So, yes I am spending more than twice as much on fuel. I drive about 15,000 miles a year. The difference in cost (which I have seen calcuated ad nauseum here) is significant, but affordable for me.

    Now that I have two weeks driving the Z (isn't two weeks the proper interval for newbies on here to give educated reviews?), I still like it. Shocking, huh? Aside from the better speed, handling, etc. the most surprising difference for me is the behavior of the car when I release the gas pedal. The Prius sort of glided, losing speed slowly. The Z exhibits, what feels to me, engine braking behavior. I can feel it downshift even with no foot on the accelerator. It's totaly different than my Prius. I like it. It's easier to manage downhill driving. My mpg meter (just like on my Gen 3) shows max mpg (30 mpg is the high point on the Z's readout). Apparently the car's computer is using downshift to provide the most controlled engine braking. I can reduce this effect with just a bit of pressure on the gas. The mileage reading doesn't change but the car glides similarly to the Prius.

    Aren't you glad you read that? Actually, this is very interesting to me since I am a computer scientist by training. It means that the car doesn't just sit in top gear when the accelerator is released. The computer keeps the transmission tracking for optimum rpm as the car slows.

    What can I say? After four years of Prius, feeling gears shift is a novelty.
     
    #80 nylion, Sep 16, 2010
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