Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Just tell your nosy neighbor that you're going Hollywood, and name drop your star "friends" that are fellow Prius owners... :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CEguru @ Nov 4 2006, 04:18 AM) [snapback]343702[/snapback]</div>

I live in a reasonably upscale neighborhood. I have gotten nothing but positive response. Some making comment about the positive benefits for the environment, some curiously wanting to see the car.

 

Just tell them that with your Prius you made a step up in the world. :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CEguru @ Nov 4 2006, 06:18 AM) [snapback]343702[/snapback]</div>

There are lots of $75K+ cars in my neighborhood. The only status comments that I've gotten from neighbors is "Gee, it's nicer in the inside than I thought." I also did have a neighbor say that it would be a good car to send their kid off to college in. I take it to mean it is perceived as a "lesser" car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CEguru @ Nov 4 2006, 06:18 AM) [snapback]343702[/snapback]</div>

I used to live in a neighborhood like that, but I moved. Most of my neighbors here have his-and-her SUVs it seems some days, but a few have been curious enough to come over and take a look, everyone I give a test drive to seems pretty impressed.

 

Just tell them you decided to buy the best car available on the market to day with price no object

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CEguru @ Nov 4 2006, 09:15 AM) [snapback]343714[/snapback]</div>

My favorite definition of "status": buying something you don't want or need with money you don't have to impress people you don't like. (Certainly not the case with my Prius.)

 

Your neighbor is an idiot.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius The First @ Nov 4 2006, 09:07 AM) [snapback]343732[/snapback]</div>

Beautifully stated!

About a year ago my boyfriend Shawn surprised me with a 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible fully loaded and completely paid for. 8 months later UPGRADED to a 2006 Prius Pkg 7 with port installed leather. I wish I had a camera to freeze in time all the akward facial contortions of my sweet friends as they tried to not be offensive while asking me "What the hellis wrong with you?", "Is Shawn mad?" and commenting that "He must really love you", and "Well, it has more room than the Saab I guess."

All people can do is pull from their own limited knowledge bank and when they don't learn anything new, they just stick with the same old responses to the new and obviously enlightened actions of others.\

i really think we are luckier, the Prius owners of the world!!!!

And no,of course Shawn was not mad, he wanted me to get the car I really wanted!!!

 

Reminds me of when I lived in Silicon Valley at during the Dot-Com years. Suddenly, everyone was getting huge SUVs. Even though I had as much money (on paper) as any of them (this was before the dot-com crash, remember), I kept my tiny Geo Metro. I was the only one who never complained about being able to find a place to park.

 

I have some friends who traded in their Jag for a Prius. More and more people are buying this car because they want to put their money where their mouth is.

Your neighbor probably has no idea what a Prius is. From the outside, it looks like an econo-car. You ought to take your neighbor for a ride so they can see what it is about.

 

You have to be a smart consumer and the Prius happens to be an excellent value and a bold step into the future.

 

As you can imagine by the pic of our home on the lake ... there are lots of overpriced cars around us. We got only good comments from our neighbors when we got the prius. But back in early 2004 no one knew what they were.

On the other hand, I'm sad to say that when we replaced our gas guzzlin' Range Rover, for the hybrid Lexus SUV (we need one big hauling / towing car) some neighbors felt we traded down ~ until I pointed out the RR is NOTHING. All status ... I point out to them that consumer reports, label the RR as the WOST reliability wise vehicle, where as the LEXUS is the highest reliability car. Once I point the facts out, they go away a little smarter, and look at the RR for what it's worth ... the European version of a Hummer.

 

Your story would be yet another indication to me that money and intelligence don't necessarily go hand in hand.

Our neighbors were suitably impressed with our Prius. Right now, the Prius is about as "status symbol" as you can get. You could park next to any highfalutin' car and it will hold it's own quite well.

Vince

 

there's a certain subset of the population to which nameplate and appearance mean everything. toyota is an "average joe" nameplate that lots of people can afford. and to this certain subset, if you're not showing off how much money you have, you must not have any at all.

the prius is a smart purchase at a lower price. there are plenty of really craptastic luxury vehicles out there with high dollar sticker prices, but there's nothing smart about spending that much on a vehicle that's not nearly worth it. it's foolish, really, to get caught up in a brand name.

and you know what they say about a fool and his money...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Nov 4 2006, 03:53 PM) [snapback]343865[/snapback]</div>

It is insane to me to be financially comfortable and to make purchases based on showing what you have. Is it even possible to enjoy your weath that way. I love it when I have the most valuable item and the only people that appreciate it's value are people who have the same values as mine. Not the obvious "mercedes/jaguar/gucci" labeled items that any mojo can look at and know what they are supossed to get from it. The quality is so rarely anything other than the name. It doesn't have to be a quality item, the label is the carries it's value for most. Gross!!!
Although I admit that I go so far as to avoid anything of this variety which may indicate that I haveway too much energy tied up in the whole deal.

Oh well, nothing feels better to me than the SMUG inside my soul when someone questions my Prius purchase and I just smile and without one iota of defensiveness at all!

I think what I really feel is gratitude to have my Prius!