With heavy persuasion from my beautiful wife - backed by the in-laws, I parted with my beloved (high mileage) 2001 Honda Insight this past Monday and came home with a Silver 2002 Toyota Prius Classic. With another child on the way, my former two seater was deemed impracticle as a back-up baby hauler and the emergency contingency vehicle. Even though it was used mainly for short commuter trips around town, we would be in a bad situation if one or both vehicles were needed for more than 1 child at any given time. I will admit that prior to the switch, we went to Honda to test drive a new 06 HCH. Two things prevented the purchase of the HCH: technologically, the car seemed several years behind our 2005 Prius, and of course, the Car Dealer (Deland Coggin Honda) were a bunch of thieving weasels. They would not give me more than $2000 for the Insight and tacked on $2,000 above MSRP because "the car is in high demand".... And before you ask Malorn, we didn't consider a domestic...and will never, ever. So, as always, we returned to Phillips Toyota in Leesburg, FL and they put us into the car that would be considered one of the next best choice of cars (after the Gen II Prius of course) that we could purchase second-hand. Even though our 2005 is nice, this 2002 is sweet - but what else would it be...it's a Toyota. They gave us $8150 for the Insight, and sold us the Toyota certified Prius for $16,500. Pros: Lower mileage (41,000); warrantee (continued); 2 more doors; 2 more seats; a real trunk; smoother ride (no joke); better and advanced technology; better resale; no chronic maintenance; no squeeks, road noise, rattles, dings,....nothing. Cons: I lost about 10 mpg's for average; not as much attention (if you like that kinda of thing); not as good acceleration; not a whole lot of aftermarket stuff or information online for the Prius Classic. All in all, I know we did the right thing. My wife says "your mid-life crisis is over...grow up". So I guess this is it. 2 Pri in the garage, new short haircut, second child on the way....and most importantly, ...a happy wife. As soon as I take a picture of both cars posed-up, I'll post a new avatar.
This is the second time someone has referred to having a Prius as a grown up choice.... I still think it is too techie to be a grown up car, I just love talking to it. The love of the extra 2 doors though is something that does come with age (and stiff knees, sore backs, etc.)!! My daughter and her husband intend to steal my 05 Prius when they return from Italy in 3 years. Then I will need to go and get a new one. We too are a Toyota family and very proud to make that informed decision. Congrats on your Prii.
Yeah, but the classic owners are hardcore! I never get wave-backs from genIIs but always get wave backs from classics (if they see me).
I agree, when you have that second kid, it kind of dawns on you that you have to deal with having a family even with your car. That was one of my big issues when getting a car, my Honda Civic of 14 years had a back seat, but only two doors, and I was tired of my kids complaints when hauling their teenaged bodies into the back. So the 4 doors (actually 5) of the Prius was a great choice. My daughters and their friends are very impressed with the extra doors, and the extra room (not to mention the high-tech Prius features). On the other hand, I like a hatchback much more than a "real trunk", so that's one place where real grown-ups can differ. -Roger
Yep yep. Btw, I missed two Priuses today so if you waved at a Tideland and I didn't wave back, it's because I didn't see you til you passed by the side window! Sorry!
hey sweet someone who appreciates a real trunk! you lost 10! work a little harder and you'll realize you only lost about 4 but you gained 3 more seats and 2 more doors and stealth. good choice you won't regret it.
I must be a young fool...I'd love an insight I could share with the 2004 between the missus... 2002 Prii are ugly ! how could you
personally I've always thought the Insight was an ugly little duckling. Classic just looks like almost any other car. One thing I will admit Honda has balls keeping it in their lineup. Since the sales are nothing, like 5 a month, how can they justify that?
I don't see the other Prius drivers who wave until it's too late, alas. If anyone's waved to me, I'm not ignoring you or indifferent. Yesterday, though, I saw one of the Prius drivers who seems to be new to it and hasn't figured much out yet. He accelerated away from me, a traffic jam ensued, and after that, he went flying past me again One of those people (didn't see if it was male or female) who probably complains that their mileage isn't that good.
funny, I always have Priuses flying right by me and always wonder what milage they are getting. Sometimes I wish they would stop so we could compare
I've heard many times that the drivers in Boston are crazy. Whenever I remark about the maniacs here in the Detroit area, I sometimes get people say something like "You should see how they drive in Boston. They go 80 while they pass you on the shoulder." Kind of scary and I don't know if it's true or not because whenever I've been in Boston, it's on business and I love walking to the office there. Boston is a great city. Are they done with that major construction project of theirs yet?
HEHE, no they are not finished, new leaks almost every day (being a bit sarcastic) I don't notice cranes and bulldozers any more Ohh, by the way I was one of those who went 80 while passing on the shoulder until I got my Prius
B) ooooo, bad girl. In my Corolla, it was actually fun to drive really fast and the car is so quiet at high speeds that I found myself, now and then B) going 80 without realizing it. The Corolla is also highly manueverable and agile so I actually miss that car <sniff> but 50 mpg is worth the sacrifice
hehe, I also had a Corolla before my Prius. I often found myself going 90mph, yes, I know that is insane. I have a 50 mile commute and thought I would get home so much faster going 90mph, was I wrong. My Prius probably saved my life!
Yes, the Insight sure is a fun little car and I miss it - it was really more my personality than this Classic Pri. None-the-less, there were a few minor issues with it that I could have lived with but chose not to. Having an Insight is like owning a restoration project: At first it's fun, but then, the more you fix-up, the more goes wrong...and starts costing big money. In my book, that defeats the purpose of the fuel efficiency. CEL lights,...finicky oxygen sensors, rattles, ill-tempured ground wires - it got old. Now, if it was a third car, just to keep as a project and weekend driving, that would have been fine. The Classic Pri "looks" so normal but as the days go on, I'm really starting to like it more. Honda only continues this line so as to remain King of the Hill
Yeah, way to go. An eminently reasonable decision in your situation, and the price was reasonable (incl. the trade). I sold my '02 with 54K mi. a couple of months ago for $16K. Now, how about a classic nose-to-nose pic for the avatar?
The Insight is that unreliable? How many miles did you have on it? I've considered getting a Insight as a second car after paying off my Prius, but now I'm not so sure.
Thank you Jack...guess I was needing a little support. I'll be working on the avatar this weekend. Just got a new digital 5.2 magpix to do it with too!