Save the planet vs. Save the wallet

op2:op2:

Oh boy... FWIW, the fuel economy was my primary reason too.

 

I get that same reaction whenever I answer people similarly.. For me it is all about the bottom line. I drive the Prius gently to keep the mpg up, but the Volt I drive it like the wheels are going to fall off since I don't have to worry about paying for it at the pump. Is nice to be able to accelerate fast again without having to shell out $60 a week for gas, or anything at all for that matter.

 

I considered the low emissions a side benefit of a vehicle I purchased primarily for fuel efficiency and technology.

I believe in global warming and having a smaller footprint, but honestly, being environmentally friendly is expensive (and often times, inconvenient) as hell, so I just try to do what I can and give commendations to Leaf-owners.

 

I bought a 2011 Prius because it had good handicap access. My late wife was a brain injury patient (horseback riding accident in 1996) and transferred from a wheelchair with assistance (grab, stand, turn, sit). The used Subaru Outback I bought in the summer of 2010 for her caregivers to drive her to upcoming breast cancer treatments became more difficult to use as she got weaker due to the lack of a frame to grab around the windows.

After some test drives with my wife, we found that the Prius had good ergonomics for her, was a good overall car, held a transport wheelchair behind the rear seat, had a flexible interior configuration, had a reliable reputation, and, as a bonus, had great fuel economy. I bought the car while she was in the hospital for a supposedly short stay. Unfortunately, the docs discovered that her aggressive cancer had returned and metastasized throughout her body. She continued to worsen in the hospital and passed away - never getting a chance to ride in her Prius.

 

^ what a sad story... sorry to hear about that.

 

Prius is a winner for many reasons, good looking sporty, economical, eco-green, fun to drive, highly useful vehicle hatch-back design, easy to park, engineering triumph, practical, dependable, reliable. Certainly long term cheap car was high on my list too as nearing retirement. But it is easy to see why Prius could attract different types of folks. Did I say babe magnet? she was probably hitting on you.

 

For a moment, I thought you were referring to GM's build quality!

 

Firstly, each of us is allowed to buy what we wish, it does not have to be a "versus" thing at all. The closest to 'fuel economy' on my list is that there is a finite amount of petroleum, someday folks will be angry we thought burning it was a good idea.

Others I have seen wish to not not fund terrorists, hurt gas companies, preserve national security, etc.
Anyway, here is my list, Green makes some appearances, but is not all that dominant.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...502-2010-prius-school-project.html#post979468

(I have 75,000 on it now and MPG is up to 48. I like the 'gizmos' more than I thought I would)

 

funny thing is, i'm not sure the 'saving money' thing really pays off.

 

Im very sorry for your loss.

 

I used to dish out $45 (approx) weekly to gas up my car. Now, I pay $30 every two weeks.

Call me a pig but I bought my prius for the mileage, not for the environment. THe environment part is a perk that came with. Im happy either way.

 

Buying a low emission sipper was important to us.
I love using approx 60% less fuel.
Prius isn't the solution, but it's a step in the right direction.

If we wanted to save money we would have bought the Two.

 

The Prius is the total package. No matter your political stance it fits the bill and I am just happy all of you bought one!

Carcompulsive, I am sorry to hear she passed. I'm still fighting stage 4 colon cancer so I sort of understand the situation but I cannot fathom losing someone so important.

 

Well done, but you would have saved more by buying a used Prius instead of new. Next time you can do better still by saving up the entire price and paying cash. Forget car payments; pay yourself instead of some financier.

 

I intended to pay cash, but Toyota had 0% interest loan rates. So I invested the $27,000 in bonds and I pay off the car from them, $5000 left to go.

 

Be happy you don't live in California. At rates that go from 0.15 to 0.45 per Kw H you'd be paying more to charge that volt than to gas a conventional car.
My last car was a 37 mpg non-hybrid Civic HX. In terms of economics the two are roughly even. With the tire-eating propensities of the Prius the Civic HX might come out a little ahead.

 

If you do something just for the money and nothing else, it is a more egotistical viewpoint than doing something for the benefit of all.

You don't always have to buy what costs the least. If that was the case, you should have bought a $200 junker. It would take a long time for the gas bill to equal out and you would have no car payments.

 

Car compulsive: I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for letting us know about your wife; I had noticed you started calling her your late wife and had been wondering. Although your late wife never got to try her Prius, perhaps she would be happy that it has brought you into the PriusChat community - to which you have already contributed a great deal.

F8L: Good luck with your fight! :cheer2:

For me, I'd like to think I'm considering a Prius because of the environmental benefits but I must admit I'm also quite lazy and hate visiting the gas pump!

Back to F8L:

That's a big difference in mileage between the 15" and 17" wheels. Is it the same car and the only difference is the wheels? I'm looking at the new 2012 Prius v wagon and considering the top package and wondering how much that will impact on fuel economy.