Prius Demographics

I happen to be 22 and its the first car I've bought. Top 3 reasons I did are:

1) Don't wanna pay for gas
2) It's like driving a computer (I'm an engineer)
3) I like saving the planet

-J

 

Well I bought my Prius when I was 28. (I'm now 31).
I bought it because I'm cheap , I like technology, it's safe for my family, it has plenty of room for both people and all the people stuff, and it had every creature comfort I wanted in a car. I hate paying $3.29 for gas (I know some of you out there are paying more...)
And as I mentioned in a previous post:
"I was using about 30 gal of gas a week in the Volvo and about 13 in the Prius. By switching to the Prius I have saved over 2,200 gals of gas!!!! And have saved (at todays gas rates) about $6,500. So far my Prius was well worth the investment. Also I'll add I love it more then my Volvo, it's been less expensive over all to maintain, and it cost less to buy then my Volvo."

ok, my $0.02

 

Well I bought my Prius when I was 28. (I'm now 31).
I bought it because I'm cheap , I like technology, it's safe for my family, it has plenty of room for both people and all the people stuff, and it had every creature comfort I wanted in a car. I hate paying $3.29 for gas (I know some of you out there are paying more...)
And as I mentioned in a previous post:
"I was using about 30 gal of gas a week in the Volvo and about 13 in the Prius. By switching to the Prius I have saved over 2,200 gals of gas!!!! And have saved (at todays gas rates) about $6,500. So far my Prius was well worth the investment. Also I'll add I love it more then my Volvo, it's been less expensive over all to maintain, and it cost less to buy then my Volvo."
(btw, I've driven 85,000 miles in 2.5 years)

ok, my $0.02

 

I'm a 25 year old engineer. I've never been a fan of laying a patch (tires are expensive) but used to be a fan of...shall we say "spirited" driving. It took me a couple of years to get it through my skull that a Prius is a perfectly serviceable vehicle but I'm glad I finally got my priorities in line!

 

I'm 68, bought it in Jan. because it justs makes too much sense. I looked into buying one many years ago but the trunk wouldn't hold my golf clubs then. Now it will and gas prices make it a more logical choice.
The car has changed my driving habits too. Although I was never (in the last 30 years or so) much of a speeder, this car has kept me driving at the speed limit or a mile or two below the limit.
In the past I've owned Lincoln Town cars, a good sized Chrysler and we traded in a Honda Odyssey for the Prius. The Prius is the most fun to drive of any car I have ever owned, for, I believe, all the right reasons.

 

I am 49, but driving the Prius make me feel like I am 25 again.

I think Prius owners arguments being more sound is simply a common simptom of the higher IQs that cause a person to buy the Prius in the first place.

No be very careful about not wanting to Prove Yourself, because the Prius can hold it's own against most similarly classed cars and you may be tempted at times to show people how capable the car is when leaving lights or passing on an uphill grade.

As far as the Hatred toward Prius drivers, I think it comes from the safer and saner side of driving habits we develope to boost economy. Where I live, there are many freeways with two lanes moving in each direction. The slow lane putts along at 50 mph, which is 10 mph under the speed limit. Many drivers in the fast lane want to go 70 - 75 mph which is 10 to 15 mph over the limit.

So if I want to drive right at the limit to achieve the maximum feul economy, the only way I could do this in heavy traffic it to hang out in the fast lane. Of course, if someone come up behind me and there is a long gap to the right, I will move right to let them by. I think we are backward here compared to Australia. But if I am going to have to slow down to 50 and loose my momentum, I am more likely to speed up slightly and stay in the passing lane as long as I am passing cars or paced with a car in front of me.

I have already been told off here for this method, but I still don't see why I should have to continuously pull in behind one car after another and slow down so someone else can speed more than I am speeding. Many times if I do move over to let someone by, many times they will pull right along side of me and nearly match my speed to trap me behind slower traffic.

So, being a safer and steady driver does anger other drives the have those Zoom Zoom Zoom cars, but I am increasing my economy week by week, I am steadily getting 52 MPG now on hilly freeways and city streets.

 

I am a new owner currently waiting the delivery of my Prius. I'm 28.

Here's what J.D. Power says the demographic breakdown of 2007 Prius owners is:


17% - ages 16-35

46% - ages 36-55

37% - ages 56+

I don't know if this is accurate or not.

 

I'm 63.

When a friend of mine first saw my car, she said it would be a terrible thing if I ever had to grow up.

It's overrated.

 

I am 35 and we got two Prius 2 years ago. I still drive the Prius like my old F250 slow and steady (no in a hurry to get anywhere). The wife on the other hand would beat a Nascar to the grocery store. I am an operations research system analyst (with a BA in Aero enginerding). I also have an MBA with an emphasis in Automation. So the Prius is a dream come true. I also like the fact I am save $ by not using gas. My goal is to get 75 mpg on my next tank.

 

38 here... But I like to believe it was actually back at 32, when the hybrid interest first hit me... That's when I went in to test drive a Honda Insight, but those crafty salesfolk put me in a 6-cyl Accord coupe first... well, I guess the 32 in me wasn't done with "spirited driving" yet, to use an earlier poster's phrase. I'd never had a car with 240 hp, and that totally captivated me! I leased the Accord, but started feeling buyer's remorse over it almost immediately. (Especially when I hit my first-ever >$40 fillup... and with fillups being nearly every 10 days, it was an unpleasant, recurring event.) Fortunately, my credit union's leasing program is penalty-free, and I got out of the lease a little early, in order to buy my Prius!

 

I bought my Prius when I was 21. I'm a network Infrastructure Administrator at CAT here in Indiana. I love every aspect of it.

 

We've only had our new Barcelona Red baby for a week now. We're right in the middle of the JD power stats mentioned above for age groups. I also happen to agree with the "higher IQ" argument of NoMoShocks. We researched for almost a year before buying, and even with our high expectations we are TOTALLY happy with our choice.

And it doesn't hurt that gas usage is down by over 50% just in the first week.

 

I'm 28 - I have a few friends near my age that have Pri’ and enjoy them very much. I my opinion, if you research the younger Pri’ buyers they might have higher education levels than their young (Mustang buying) counterparts. People 40+ are more seasoned and have more life experience to factor in when making significant decisions in life. Young people tend to make IGNANT choices.
Not trying to hate on Mustangs or anything.

 

I'm in my upper 40's, and in the 2 months I've had my 07 Prius, I also feel like I'm 20 years old again. I've ordered a peace sign to stick on the back, and a tie-die t-shirt. Must be an old hippie going thru a 2nd revolution or something. I feel sooooo good when driving the Prius compared to all the jerks driving their big Dodge Ram Hemi's. I love it. I love big engines & horsepower (mustangs, vettes, whatever) but love the feeling of being environmentally friendly sooo much more!

 

Im 29 and the wife is 24, she was interested in it first, I was more ignorant towards it assuming it would be more costly to maintain. After I did the research it only made sense, I sort of wanted to buy another small car (my previous car always got between 32 - 34 MPG), but with a child and that we make frequent cross country trips we felt we needed to get a "family" car, I didn't want to compromise for something that only got 25 MPG so i started looking at midsizes and even though i had already written the prius off I got a good look at one during the car show and was impressed (which prompted me to do the research previously mentioned). It made sense for these reasons.
1) Mid size car, and is much more roomy than an economy / small car
2) Best fuel economy
3) Cost You can read a hundred articles about it taking X amount of years if you were to buy a cheaper car for it to "save you money". But the truth is if you need a midsize car for a family the prius is an easy winner. Approx. price is $22,000 for a package 2 which is what I got, and when I looked at comparably equipped Ford Fusions they were in the neighborhood of $20,500.
4) The resell value and the hybrid battery warranty

By the way Ive put 9000 miles on mine now and have a lifetime average of about 55 mpg (about double that of a typical midsize. Already a savings of about $500 in only 4 months.

 

50 years young here.

 

34 here, MBA in Management, Employment Law Specialist.

I traded my BMW, frankly because I didn't think I had any right to complain about the environment if I wasn't willing to do my part. My Prius has changed my whole attituded about driving and life in general. I'm a much happier person, traffic and driving never stress me out anymore. i get excited about driving again. Much like I used to about my corvette and Alfa Romeo (sold the corvette). I'm thrilled and love doing mods on her.

 

Just turned 58 on 7-4. I sell them

I was a VP for a large international steel company til I was 48 when I retired. I used to sell steel to Ford, Chrysler and indirectly to GM. But with so many contemporaries reitiring at 60...and dying within 2 years it hit home that too much stress wasn't a good thing. So I retired to the beach to try to ensure I lived past 65.

In 2000 getting itchy I began working for a Toyota store on the sales floor where everyone starts. In June of 2000 they announced a radical new type of vehicle and a new type of marketing. The owners gave me the project to understand the vehicle and monitor the new marketing process. The initial owners, 'pioneers', had to apply to buy one of the original vehicles. Apply to buy a car? Well it was a huge risk at that time and Toyota wanted a certain pioneering, aware, technically savvy type buyer at first who had the self confidence to make a statement and take a risk on unproven technology. The next month a lady doctor called and said that she wanted to be among the first. She applied and was accepted, of course. The order was placed and hers arrived within 5 days of the promised date in early Jan 2001.

I had just bought a car and frankly I didn't like the looks of the Gen 1 that much so I didn't sign up. I was intrigued by the techiness of it though. But when the 2004 Gen 2 came out it was jaw-dropping...and a blast. I got my 5 yrs out of my last Camry and traded it on the last 2005 that we had on the lot on Nov 30th 2005. 19 mo's later I'm at 49850 mi and it's only done everything it's supposed to do. I think it might be the best vehicle Toyota has ever designed/produced/marketed.

 

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