Why did you get your Prius?

my Civic died @ 15 years old. My 10 years old Caravan burns $3 of gas just to get $20 of groceries.

I'm getting old and feel that I deserve a better car with comfortable seats and lumbar support cause this could be the last car I own, especially if it lasts 15-20 years (I hope).

2010 Prius IV meets all of the above. Able to drive in PWR mode and still getting 56-57 mpg all city is definitely a bonus. Blizzard Pearl with dark roof (moon roof and solar panel) looks awesome.

Limo sized backseat leg-room is the real reason for my wife cause she doesn't drive and she sits at the back sliding left and right on the leather bench to avoid the sun.

 

Well, my quest for the Prius started about 4 years ago. I looked at buying a Prius in 2006, but my then boyfriend (now husband) talked me out of it so I bought a Lexus ES 330 and my husband bought a Lexus LS 430. I had been telling my husband that we need to more for the environment (install solar panels, compost, etc.) but he never really listened. Then in late June I went to Portland, OR (without my husband). When I got back he had been to the Toyota dealership and picked up the Prius brochure; he said he couldn’t stand using so much gas anymore. (We live in Alabama so the Gulf Coast BP Oil Spill is always on the news.) He said he wanted to trade in our Lexus’ and buy Prius’. I have had mine for about 3 weeks now. He is still looking, but hopefully will have one by the end of August!!

 

purely financial reasons. I have a 45 minute highway commute to work and i will literally save hundreds of dollars each month is gas over my other vehicle (jeep wrangler). that said, i do enjoy the prius so far quite a bit. much more comfortable than i expected.

 

In order of priority:

#1 Save on gas and cost of transportation from what I use to drive.

#2 Reduced emissions.

#3 Reliability

...and my wife told me to get one...and i always do what my wife tells me to do.

 

I replaced my 2001 Mazda Protege MP3 (a very fun and reliable car) with my 2010 Prius last September. I got the Prius because I'm a real technology geek and gearhead and the super sophisticated drive train and control systems put me in awe. Plus getting 50mpg around town (compared to 19-20 in my last car) doesn't hurt..... or having no smog checks in California ... and barely polluting.

1. Technology
2. Environment

My only qualm is the slightly creaky interior and the handling, which can easily be remedied by better tires.

 

I got it for

#1 Fuel Consumption (savings compared to owning a petrol)
#2 Tax savings (no taxes compared to other non-hybrid cars)
#3 Cash Back from Government (Japan)

 

About ten years, a front page story in the Kansas City Star was about the number one reason marriages stay together.

Doing what the wife wants was the number one reason for marriages lasting.

It has clearly been my experience.

Actually, my wife was not as sold on the Prius as I was, but we needed a new car: my previous car with 200,000+ miles had been t-boned and I needed a replacement.

I think I can duplicate that 200,000 plus miles with the Prius, even in a time of rising fuel prices.

 

I have always made my own decisions, regardless of what my wife wants.

(My wife told me to type this. I don't know why.)

Tom

 

I bought mine because my wife figured up how much we spend on gas in a year on my 2008 Tundra. We were spending over $7000 a year on gas alone. So that same morning we went and purchased the 2010 Barcelona Red IV. Love the Prius but still miss my Tundra. My comute is 130 miles a day.

 

My purchase was long planned, started with selling the jeep diesel just before the first gas crunch, which I predicted and got good resale. I wanted one then, but price and gouging was making it high. Bought a cheap used forester and then a basic yaris for a few years, just waited.

Then, the lots got full, price went to below msrp and the .9% came along, I jumped. Paid half down and let them carry the loan part, very little interest this way. Anyhow, I am getting well above 50mpg and the payback will take care of the rest. The low end prius I bought is more than great!

Also with the crap happening in the mid east, we can see a war there which will again drive fuel prices high and those of us with high mpg cars will fare better. Plus, I have to admit, I am a tree huger and hate supporting oil companies in any way, but like all the rest am trapped.

 

I've always been interested in fuel efficiency, and have read some scary stuff on the future of oil production. It seems to be in the national interest for everybody to use less oil (why fund both sides on the war on terror?). Pollution is another major concern. I changed work in 2005 for a closer job so I'd drive less (and it was a much better work environment).

That said, we had looked into a Prius for my wife about 2004, early 2005 but the waiting list was way too long. My Subaru was in an accident in 2004, and developed some troubles that may or may not have been related to that. I think those problems were resolved, but my wife didn't trust the car and eventually told me to look into getting a Prius and although I didn't necessarily want to get rid of the Subaru, the Prius was enough of a draw that I happily obliged.

I was able to get an extra one that a dealer had (normally there was still a month or two or three wait), but it was silver, not my top color choice. It's good for not showing dirt though. I'm also not enthralled by the shape or the fact it advertises "hybrid" to the whole world, but its definitely a matter of function over form, and as an engineer I appreciate that.

Since the purchase my workplace moved much closer to my home, so now I almost feel guilty for having a Prius and not driving it more. But I like the reduction in gpm (gallons per month) that I use.

early 2005, with Subaru and 13 mile commute: 48 gpm
late 2005, with Subaru, new job at 8 mile commute: 42 gpm
early 2006, with Prius, 8 mile commute: 21 gpm
mid 2007, with Prius, workplace moved, now a 3 mile commute: 12 gpm

 

I like that story. Gives me hope somehow.

 

My 09 murano was a great car. Leased it but was tired of driving a large suv. Researched compact hatchbacks and test drove a few compacts. The accord crosstour and venza were too big and the mazda3 was too low. I traded the murano even up for a IV and got .9% financing for 60 months. Prius's are sitting on lots in southwest Illinois and they are dealing. What sold me was the amazing leather seats--the roomy interior and awsome cargo potential. It rides smooth for a compact and handles nicely. The mpg was at the bottom of my list. The extra cost of the hybrid will be impossible for me to break even on -- don't drive enough. But I have to admit that seeing the 50mpg readout is addictive. Great car -- easy in and out and again, the best seats I could find. Very happy after two days.

 

May wife was driving a 4Runner, Limited, V8, AWD, 15K miles a year at ~12 miles/gallon. nuf said.

 

I realize I am spitting into the wind, but I bought it first and foremost because it reduces my purchases of imported oil.

 

They simply made me an offer I couldn't refuse! That and I love driving past gas stations...

 

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Hi there,
I think Norway has higher petrol prizes, and in Denmark they pay 180% registration tax PLUS 25% VAT, so 205% car tax, when buying a new car.
Just my comments to the tax/ petrol imputs...

 

For me it was
(1) fuel cost
(2) HOV lane admission during rush hours (cut 1/2 hour off each way of commute)
(3) ancillary benefit of lower emission production, etc. We were driving two V8 vehicles (the Boss still has her 4.7l Sequoia, which she LOVES and simply will not give up).
(4) although inconsequential, part of a personal bid to send less $$ to our "friends" in the mideast.

I'm one of those that traded out of a big 6.1l V8 Chrysler Hemi engine, which got 17 mpg in mixed use. Could NOT have a more different driving experience although, like some others have mentioned, I've found a new delight in driving (how should I put it?) gently.

 

I previously owned a 2005 Prius that, almost literally, saved my $$$butt during the $4+/gallon prices a few years ago, & it was pretty reliable. I don't forsee any real decrease in gas prices during my lieftime, so @76K+ miles, I traded her in f/a 2010 model. I've only got 400 or so miles on the new one but so far despite the increased complexity I like it. I've owned 40+ cars since I started driving(1957), & my current Prius entertains me more than any other car I've had, which is almost as important to me as the fuel saving & reliability factors.
Donzi

 

I used to driver a Boxster S but running costs were definately ruining the awesome experience. Fuel, tyres!, taxes, insurance and maintenance were all pretty high, tires being probably the most annoying since had to be changed every 15-17k km and cost 300+ euro per tire. Let's not forgot speeding tickets. Then the B is not a relaxing car to drive, most of the time I just had to go from A to B and found the experience annoying.



So after 50.000 km made in 2 years I looked for a regular mid-sized car and to be honest I found them all unexciting and old stuff... but the Prius which had also the advantage of allowing me to drive into restricted traffic areas in my town which might have come in handy. I thought that with the Prius I would have avoided to compare it with Boxster being anything but sporty. And so it happened. Now I take pleasure in driving slowly and achieving good fuel consumption and don't really miss the Boxster.

I have recently driven a friends of mine Boxster and yes I liked it, but not enough to make me question my decision.