Hi there, new Prius owner here...

I just bought myself a new 2010 Prius II in Blizzard Pearl, and I'm really liking it so far. This is not only my first Prius or my first Toyota, but my first new car ever -- I've driven more than my share of beaters, hand-me-downs and iffy used cars from shady dealers. In particular, I don't think I'll ever drive another non-truck Ford again.

I've been eyeing a Prius for a while. Before this, I was driving a somewhat beat-up 1994 Chevy S-10 Blazer that my brother got for me in August of 2008. It was free, so I wasn't complaining then, but by this summer I was kind of sick of the fact that it only got 17 MPG combined -- not exactly fun even with gas a relatively cheap $2.50/gal. I wanted to do a cash-for-clunkers deal, but the program turned into a pumpkin long before I could make room in the budget for a car payment.

And then the problems started. Oil leaks, coolant leaks, all sorts of trouble that wasn't easy or cheap to fix (or practical, considering the truck's age and the fact that I wanted another car anyway). It also had mushy brakes, which ended up costing me the thing's rear window glass after an unfortunate mishap in a parking lot.

This was kind of a pain. Even with reliable bus service, getting around in the DC suburbs without a car is a slow process.

Finally, my boss gave me a raise last week. I did the math and figured I could afford the $450/month payments for the Prius, so I drove the Blazer over to Springfield Toyota and told them "give me whatever you can for it, it's toast."

I left later that day with the Prius and a smile. The financing guy also threw in the platinum extended warranty and (oddly enough) a Lojack. I hope I won't have to use either.