Best Excuses to Tell Your Friends Why You Bought A Prius are.....

The first thing to do in the resource conservation is to Reduce. Follows by Reuse and then Recycle.

I guess the excuse is just being green.

 

You wouldn't stand out here. Lots of right wing Prius owners in this area. And always proud to tag their vehicles to make sure everyone knows it. No need for dog whistles.

 

I play along with all of their wimpy car jokes, but I get the last laugh every time I visit the gas pump.

 

Because it is so unusual and contradictory?

 

Why would anyone need an excuse? Prius' are kickass vehicles in their own right. High mileage no matter what you do, look good, super low maintenance, save a ton of money, and have power to spare when you stomp on the gas.

My answer when asked why I bought one: because they are awesome cars, and everyone should consider owning one.

 

+1
When we took a long trip this summer- it was us in our Five, and two other families both in Ford SUV's. We all filled up before leaving home, on the next day after arriving at our vacation destination we planned a day trip 180mi (round trip) out. Both SUV's had to stop for gas on the way to the day trip destination. They both looked at us kind of funny when we pulled up to the convenience store rather than the gas pumps. When they asked if I needed gas- I showed them my fuel gauge- it was still at half! We don't need any excuses.....

 

... it suits my definition of mechanical and design honesty and elegance... it is a car "on the right side of history"...

 

Wow...how far are you commuting?!

 

It's a Prius thing, you wouldn't understand.... Oh wait, that's already used, Jeep

 

Only to those who insist on stereotyping.

Compared to that truck mpg, it would save me $44,000 at today's local average fuel price and the same total miles as the vehicle it replaced.

At the Canadian fuel prices I was paying for the past two weeks, it would save $55,000.

 

Like the person who started this thread.

 

Wow PriusAz, that's close to the same situation I was in. My 2003 Matrix was great, got around 30mpg, had a bunch of miles on it. The newer Matrix are kind of messed up and don't get that kind of mileage, so a Prius was the logical choice.

 

Funny, in 2005 when Gas first hit $3/gallon, my decision to buy a new car was between a $18k Toyota Matrix and a $24k Prius. I could not see the logic then in paying the extra premium. That was the talk then with those new hybrids. You also have to understand that back then, the GenII was much basic looking compared to this more attractive GenIII. With the price of gas inching up and waiting for an 'event' for it to hit $5/gallon, the decision to purchase this time around as you said, was much more logical. I'm a late bloomer...

 

I'm getting 102 MPG on my current tank. (Really! Lots of short trips to chargers this weekend)

Seriously, mentioning mileage always works. People hate paying for gas. It ends the stupid comments really fast.

 

LOL, when I was shopping in 2010, matrix was 18,000-20,000 and Prius was 21,000 and up. New matrix looks slick but drives awfully. Prius is a whole lot more car than matrix and it was a non-brainer decision.

The funny thing is in those 2 years, no one at work asked me a single question about it. I guess they have some preconceived notions about hybrids, and didn't feel like confronting me with their believes. I live in a red state.

 

My 2005 Matrix interior engine noise is much much noiser than the Prius. This is the same on the Corolla and the Pontiac Vibe as all these vehicles have the same 1.8L Toyota engine. I always felt the Matrix alternator output was undersized due to the speed of the engine and the dimming effect on the lights with the A/C on. The racy analog guages gives it a different feelin the cockpit.

Here in Az, a lot of people at work are gas mileage concience due to their recent purchase of new smaller cars. It did not take them long to approach me and ask me questions. Others are into home solar and electric car awareness. Somewhat an extension of California.

 

It's usually the other way around. When people find out that I drive a Prius, they usually go in to excuse mode and say, I really would like to drive a fuel efficient car, but I need my large vehicle because [fill in the blank.] And then go in to the conspicuous consumption thing and tell you how much their last fuel up cost. It's their money, they can spend it how they want.

 

I agree. It's as if they owe me an excuse about why the need a larger vehicle and that I will judge them negatively. I really don't care what they drive. If they can afford the $80-$100 fill-ups, more power to them. I enjoy the $35.00 fill ups once every 2-3 weeks. It's exactly what I can afford.

 

I was getting flack from my car-geek buddies any time I tried explaining my chain of reasoning. And face it, on purely mathematical grounds a Prius doesn't make sense.
I eventually shut them up when I came up with the only valid reason for buying a Prius: "Because I wanted one!"

 

It's our planet, they can destroy it how they want.
It's our military personnel they can't put them in harm's way how they want.

If they were paying the REAL cost of the gas, it might make sense.