Are You "Defensive" About Your Prius?

Not sure what section of the forums to post this in, moderators can move it if they wish. Just curious about how many Prius owners are extremely passionate about their car, to the point of becoming defensive about it? Even angry if someone makes negative comments about your Prius?

I bought a Prius 16 months ago, just for the fact that I wanted a vehicle that got better gas mileage for long trips. But truthfully I'm not an environmentalist. Nor do I care if it's a hybrid vehicle or not. And I'm not trying to belong to any type of Prius "culture." I simply wanted a more compact, very reliable, low-maintenance, gas-saving vehicle. From all that I've read, the Prius has a long good history of just that. (And I do enjoy the technology more than I thought. It's definitely different). But the bottom line is, it's just a "car." I drive it normally, like any other car I have owned in the past. I don't get angry or upset if someone does not like the fact I drive a hybrid car. (Just don't tailgate me!) And I could really care less what other people choose to drive. Doesn't bother me if they are in a big hog four-wheel-drive monster.

I'm very pleased with it so far. The wife? Not so much. Once a soccer mom, always a soccer mom. She prefers the height and the roominess of her Honda SUV. And I actually like my old pickup truck very much, but you can't beat the gas mileage of the Prius on those very long drives. I noticed that some people in these forums get extremely defensive about their Prii. Is that just an Internet bravado thing? Or are they really like that in person, too. One thing I will say, is I have seen plenty of crazy Prius drivers out on the road. They are definitely not slow pokes or conservative in their driving. They tailgate and speed just like most other people.

 

I wish I could say my " other car" is a classic Corvette Stingray. ;-)
I had a guy in a new Tesla pull up next to me. Beautiful sleek car. Much bigger than I thought. Great platinum color. Totally silent when he sped off, and fast! Why can't Toyota make something like that? Only $100K, a drop in the bucket to all us big spenders.,

 

This thread can go wherever it wants. I'm not even sure what I was trying to say in the first post. Too much late nite Bourbon.

 

That's exactly what I was saying. Or trying to say, thank you.

It's fine to have passion about something, but not to the point where people are coming to blows over a simple thing like a car! I'm talking about the "Internet blows", not actually fighting in person, although that's probably happened too. Ridiculous. We are just driving a "car." That's all. Do some Prius owners actually try and make some kind of "statement" by driving a Prius?

And does anybody else notice how many very aggressive, (should I say crazy?) Prius drivers are out there? I guess they figure they are going to get 40+ miles per gallon, so that gives them the right to drive 90 miles an hour!

 

I did not notice it so much at first. But I sure do now. Very strange. Unexplainable. Weird people who just hate being behind a Prius for some reason. Even if the Prius driver is keeping up with the flow of traffic and not impeding other cars.

I hope I see that "Prime Guy" again someday. The one who flipped me the bird. He may just end up with his recharging plug stuck up his A**! LOL

 

The "Prime Boys Club" all hate me. Maybe it's because I expressed an opinion that the car is overpriced. For only getting 20-30 miles of EV range? I think Toyota could have done a much better job with that vehicle, and given the buyers what they really want, about 200 miles of electric range. Why not utilize a larger and stronger ion battery, perhaps the full length under the backseat? But then guys would gripe that it's too much weight. Well hell, you can't have everything!

If I'm going to drive a car that I have to plug-in, give me a Tesla! Made in America! (You only live once. )

 

I hope I don't jinx myself when I write this. But am I the only 4th generation Prius owner that has no complaints about their car? Yes, it's only been 16 months, but this car has been near perfect. I have no issues whatsoever. Not even any little minor gripes. I can't believe how good this car has been so far. Been driving the heck out of it, pretty aggressively. No rattles, everything performs as expected. Navigation is good. XM radio is great. LED headlights are awesome. The brakes make the car stop on a dime! Has very good acceleration for a hybrid. The steering is precise. Handles well and the suspension is nice. Even the windshield wipers are excellent.