Hey folks, I'm stationed at Ellsworth AFB out here and got a little tired of the 12 mpg that my Tundra gets. Looked hard at the Camry hybrid but I decided to reserve luxury duties for my truck and pay the same to get pure funtion and better mileage. I can't say that I did it for the environment (with trends in gas prices and mpg standards, the middle class won't get a chance to pollute much more in the coming years without selling their first born to China ), I pretty much did it to drive more and pay less for it. I know a lot of you are allllll about mother earth on here so don't let me offend you, all that stuff is respectable but my larger priority right now is savings and quality of life as I work my way into a decent living. With my commute I'll be paying about 50$ instead of 2oo!! Suddenly a 356 a month lease doesn't sound so excessive! What I like most about toyota is I can get a good deal (24800!) on a 50 mpg car yet when I move I have a truck that can tow a trailer with all my stuff and the Prius and save big money I'd otherwise spend on a uhaul ( the truck really helps me keep my man card too!). From best mileage line up to a space-shuttle-towing truck Toyota has the bases covered! Although I'd like to see more American manufacturing and parts content be a little more on par with the tundra, but I'm sure that'll happen more people lose their ego and buy them. I do think that the biggest problem with these things is looks, as an aspiring engineer I can appreciate the technology working here, but even I'll admit these things are ugly :/ People who buy the prii now don't have self esteem issues but a majority of Americans do! And Toyota handled the styling of the BRZ so I know they have the chops! It's fully possible to keep the basic shape and wind flow while making a version that has more mass appeal and conventional looks. But I have faith, Yota posts profits that dwarf most other manufacturers and they haven't really innovated much lately. I'd venture to guess they're working on some pretty significant updates to their tech since the only other place I see the money going is all the HUGE dealers with lounges and car washes and hookers.... I'm ranting, anyways looking forward to learning a lot on here guys.
As an engineer you should be able to appreciate what went into designing the appearance of the Prius. How else could you get the aerodynamics, utility and people space in such a small car?
My thing is that the basic shape doesn't really need to change, it's the styling that most people can't cope with. But I do appreciate the car, my point was since they are diversifying the prius lineup, they could stand to change some styling cues and make one that isn't so blatantly hybrid, there are people out there who don't want to make a statement about it, they just want to save big bucks on gas and not be made fun of in the process ( something more common outside of Cali ).
Hey juggernaut, your logic was the same as mine when I bought my Prius this past September; I was doing it for the economics. Heck, my avatar is me in my 27' Four Winns with twin engines (1.2 nautical mpg!). Im no tree hugger and to be honest since Ive joined PC, I think the majority of people are not buying Prius's solely for their hippy love of mother earth or the endangered lesbian seagulls, etc...lol I traded in my 15mpg SUV that I used to tow something with once a year. It wasnt worth keeping around paying $80/week in gas. Now with the Prius, I pay $20 a week, go twice the miles (240 miles per tank in the SUV and 450 in the Prius!) and when it comes time to move the boat around the yard or pick up more firewood this winter, Ill borrow my Dads F350. All in all, my car payment makes itself in gas savings/insurance/upkeep from my old SUV. My Prius will have paid for itself in about 4.5 years. Now THATS numbers I like to hear!! hehe Congrats on your new ride!
Most people I know did not buy a Prius to make any kind of statement. It is people with an anti-environmental or political agenda that tend to come to such conclusions. I could judge your first post and almost put you in one of those categories but you are also in the military which could sort you into another category of folks who generally dislike non-manly or low-HP vehicles. I know because many of my friends were stationed at Travis AFB and I sold car stereos and performance parts for 15 years to people on base. See how stereotypes work? As time goes by and you learn more about the community you will realize that a large percentage of Prius owners on this forum cannot be easily boxed into a stereotype. The styling of the car is just fine. It's peoples perceptions and attitudes that need to change.
True!! I love my guns, boats, beer, and women...errr ok you can only fit me into one Prius stereotype Ive driven SUV's and trucks since I was 16. Just got sick of spending so much on gas. Realized I dont tow much, if anything anymore - the new boat is too big and heavy. OP, you are going to LOVE the savings of the Prius. I noticed right away I had more disposable income.
I thought I was clear enough but I'll try again. I'm over all of the BS that is judging someone on what they drive. I like to have something that I think looks awesome but that's what my other vehicles are for. My sole point is that most people are stupid and worry more about how they look than what they get out of something. As sad as that is, it's a simple fact that if the Prius had a version that looked less obvious then more people would buy them. That's all I was getting at, remember I bought one, it's not that way with me, but I was not long ago and know about a few things that dumb people see as 'wrong' with the car. Can't win the hearts of idiots by looking different than them, only way to get their money is blend in. Anyways here is a picture of my babies
Congrats on the car. You won't regret the savings for sure. I caught slack from a few "friends" about my choice to buy one but once I showed them the true mpg they shut up. It is a funky looking car but I find after a few months I like it more and more, traded from an 08 Corolla S, couldn't ignore the mpg screaming at me. Don't know if you guys get Motor Trend, but my avatar is one of the few pics of the potential 2015 model. It sounds like Toyota is listening to consumers and trying to style the car more like others but still keep the killer economy. Hope it looks even half like their pic! Gonna do wheel and suspension upgrades in the spring to improve handling and looks but if this model shows up in 2 years, I'll be first to the dealer to check it out. Merry Christmas!
OT but I was stationed at Ellsworth from 83-86. I was there for the last B-52H departure and the 1st B-1 arrival. SD was literally the Wild West then. No car insurance requirement. No car inspections. No state income tax. Open carry of handguns. Even with all the snow and ice we got, the state didn't use road salt then. Made for some interesting commutes from Rapid City.
Wow, sounds pretty brutal. Still no car inspections, state income tax, no waiting period for handguns. They don't use salts still, but they do sling dirt and shit onto the roads after plowing Thankfully we do need car insurance here, lots of racial tension tho...
