I have been on a waiting list to rent a Gen III forever... you simply cannot find them around here....
Same problem here - i get the usual pokes: 1 - where is your 'manly' truck ? I used to drive a 2004 F-10 SuperCrew FX4 2 - i think you left your pocketbook in your car 3 - When did you become an interior decorator ( ouch ) But then in my office at work, I have a graph that shows money saved over the truck, and everytime sometime comes in a says something I compare my Prius to their car and add it to the graph for everyone to see. So far, 8 cars.. haha they hate it.. Ugly? Naw.. I think of it as a 'new' Honda CRX - used to love those cars. I think my 2006 looks like a rally car ( and sometimes drive it as such )...
That is what happened at the Minneapolis/Saint Paul airport, hardly a Prius anywhere to rent. I think because they are so expensive for their size class that the rental places are not buying them anymore? IDK. So this weekend we are trying out a 2011 Elantra rental Our last trip we drove a RAV4 which surprisingly got a squeeze over 30 MPG. We still play the Count the Prius Game even if we are not driving them Mike
Based on "punch buggy" we say "<color> one" when we spot them. We don't punch however. It's a Prius so punching people is just wrong. Naturally I'm better at it then my wife. She can't even quickly tell the difference between a Gen 2 and Gen 3 (I know, I know) and it takes her a while before she can differentiate an Insight-II. I can spot a Prius a mile away*, and I even have a working Gen-1-dar. * It's a lot harder to play in the UK. Fewer Priuses and other hatchbacks everywhere.
Awesome and we thought we were the only crazies counting Prii It's a very fun game and keeps you awake on long road trips. I find night time spotting to be a challenge. Many cars have the same front end look of a Gen II and you have to be close up to see the cool Gen III headlamps in the dark Goofy stuff. Mike
I may be in trouble... I counted 26 Prius during our recent trip to Orlando Florida... Do I have an issue perhaps....
Nope, I counted 81 on a one way trip Minneapolis to Keokuk Iowa a year ago. When you start to get nutty is when you find yourself with a notepad writing them all down Noticing a lot of Gen I Prii along our travels lately. Maybe people are dusting them off and bringing them out to challenge us Prii counters? Mike
Do you have pictures of it? I'd love to see. I showed you mine ( http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/95296-2006-magnetic-gray-photos.html ), now you show me yours.
Hey guys, if you're just looking to try one out, have you thought of Zipcar? I've seen a bunch of Gen III Prii in my area from that company, I imagine it's cheaper than renting unless there are some huge membership fees (I never joined).
I took some crap back in 2004, when I bought it, but rarely do now. And when gas went up to $5 a gallon, a ton of people started asking me about it. Interesting to note that back in 2004 when one of the car mags did an extended test of the Prius, they noted that it and one other vehicle in their fleet got more attention and more comments from people than any other vehicle had. What was the other vehicle, the Hummer H2. ;-) And I can't count all the Prii I see, I live in the San Francisco area of CA, it would be too distracting to count. I have been on the highway, with one in front of me, and one one either side of me...
Most people wrongly think to get 50 MPG you have to drive something that feels like an old Yugo. I usually get a little raised eye brow look when people find out I drive a Prius, but after they get a ride in one they change their tune. Most comfortable car I have ever owned except for a minivan when the kids where young. As far as power I need to keep using the cruise control because if I'm not careful I find myself doing 80 on the freeway without even noticing it.
The Gen III runs excellent down the Interstates at 80-85 MPH and still gets a respectable 43 MPG. You know what would make a cool sticker for the lower rear window? One that says 50 MPG and the middle finger salute Mike
It's not cheap. I looked into this when I thought about trying out one of the PHV Priuses when I'm back in the Bay Area. See Rates & Plans, car sharing instead of car rental and owning a car – Zipcar. No thanks. I'm not paying those fees just to try out the car for a few hours.
I don't know if I'd have called myself a "hater" because that's a really strong word. When I thought about what car to get recently, I looked at the hybrids out there (well, online) and came up against the Prius time and time again. I was somewhere between "Wow, what amazing mpg and technology!" and "Oh...a Prius." My views may be colored some by that awesome South Park on the subject, of course, which can be summed up by, "Saving the environment is great--just don't be a dick about it." I jokingly wondered, "Will I become a tree hugger if I get one?" and jokingly asked a couple friends if they'd stop speaking to me if I got one--friends who are the sort you'd expect to have snotty comments about it. I do not consider myself an "environmentalist" or "tree hugger" or anything, although I'm concerned about some issues. I just like getting good mileage, pretty much for the sake of it (OK, so I can be a dick about it, I guess, but it's mostly in my head ). And this thing has some neat technology on it and isn't what I bet some people imagine an "eco-friendly" car is, like something made of recycled cardboard, whose engine will only start if you're wearing hemp clothing (side note, anyone remember the SNL commercial for the Adobe?). I bet if you took the decals off and hid the battery indicator, a lot of people would find it to be a "neat little car," not even knowing. I'd guess some of the reasons for people's issues include not understanding how it works (thinking it's a plug-in and little more than an enclosed golf cart), a love for loud vroom noises and sportiness to prove manhood and so forth, its association with "hippies" and a lifestyle that is perceived as taking away people's fun, and a belief that bigger is more useful and safer. As an aside, my cousin moved to the US semi-recently and got a huge house and a huge vehicle--an SUV that evokes comments on its size even here, a city with a lot of large vehicles (e.g., "You couldn't find anything bigger?"). I'm trying to imagine parking near it in a Prius and going, "Nemesis..." or something. They're like polar opposites.
The Prius is mainstream enough that as long as you don't load it upo with a bunch of stupid stickers you should be fine. The stigma goes both ways when it comes to generating hateful comments. Check out this idiot's ride.... The best one read: "Beware of Liberals Posing as Americans"
Once again, I am in total agreement. I buck the trend as the only decal on my Prius is a "CA Farm Bureau" member. lol
