Joined the Club

After weeks of forum lurking, reading of countless car reviews, comparison shopping (against Honda and Mazda alternatives); tax planning (to see if we could take full advantage of credit), and frenetic scrambling to locate a new 2006 model... our Prius has arrived. With thanks to our dealer, we were able to purchase a 2006 model of exactly the color (Silver) and option package (5) that we had wanted.

Still learning its nuances (the smartkey entry and ignition takes more getting used to than the hybrid transport system), but initial reaction is that it's basically everything we had read about and hoped for. Though we basically knew what to expect from all the reading and test drives we had conducted, it has still evoked some interesting initial impressions once we took it home and parked it in our driveway: my own amazement at how much shorter it was than a 2006 Honda Accord loaner car parked next to it in our driveway; my wife's far greater amazement when she pulled up next to it in our 2003 Honda Odyssey; our combined amazement at how large and comfortable the interior space was (roughly the equal of the Accord); my daughter's reaction at seeing it for the first time, "You're right, Dad. It IS really geeky!"

After just 24 hours, it looks like I'm already infected with the Prius new car owner bug: I'm spending far too much time observing the real-time MPG gauge, as well as too much time on this forum reading others' comments and looking at discussions of after-market accessories.

Last, thank the lord for the Internet, and for this forum in particular. You should have seen the initial look on our salesman's face when I pulled out the pre-purchase checklist that I had printed out from this forum.

Please wish us the best that our experiences over the ensuing weeks, months and years are as pleasant and satisfied as the vast majority here.