Do Prius Owners Hate People with Big Cars?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aeron @ Sep 3 2007, 04:06 AM) [snapback]506225[/snapback]</div>

Actually, lots of Prius owners have the Prius PRECISELY to make a statement. B) A significant portion of Prius owners are environmentally conscious, and there is no symbol of the "green" movement more visible than a Prius.

Some Prius owners are also in it for the challenge of driving, for a different kind of "Performance." I'm referring to the "Hypermilers" who see it as a fun challenge to see just how extreme they can stretch a gallon of petrol. These are car enthusiasts of a different sort.

There is in fact more to owning a Prius than just A-to-B for a lot of people!

 

Aeron that is unusual that you would have a Ford and a Holden, you are a rare Aussie indeed.
Come to Adelaide and you will easy find me, I'm the guy in the Prius that is always first away at the lights. You make too many asumptions about people and you think that for a person to be an enthusiast he must drive a high power car. People ask about the Prius al the time and about my other vehicles too, that isn't about power, it's about having something a bit different. Because the Prius is on the pointy end of technology a lot of people are curious, like you are. If you weren't curious you wouldn't be here. As an enthusiast what did you shell out for each of your cars? Prius cost from $37K to $46K, not your average runabouts are they.

Would you say a person with a collection of pristene model T fords, FJ and FX (48-215) and such would be considered an automotive enthusiast? Or a bloke who has a couple of common as dirt 4 door sedans with body kits? The collection of vintage and veteran cars would get my vote.

I'm a Toyota enthusiast, I currently own 3, a 1968 Toyota Crown Custom with under 20,000 miles on it, a RAV4 and a Prius. In the past I have had a Tercel, 3 other Crowns, a Corona and a Camry. You don't need or want to change cars often when you own a Toyota.

Every time I pass a broken down car on the side of the road I always think to myself "They must have run out of Toyotas". I don't know why anyone would want to drive anything else.

I haven't only owned Toyotas, a long time ago I had a 1969 XW Falcon, and I drive Commodores in my job. I'll never buy another Australian Ford or Holden, not unless they get their act together and start making cars as good as Toyota.

People always stop and ask me about my bike, it's just one of the things I love about it.


That's my Crown in the background.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aeron @ Sep 3 2007, 02:06 AM) [snapback]506225[/snapback]</div>

Nice cars to be sure. You are wrong to make such generalzations about Prius owners though. Many of us actually enjoy driving our cars and have to be careful not to make extra trips just to drive them and thus waste fuel. The Prius is my favorite vehicle I have ever owned. True I can take it to the autoX and do THIS anymore but that is not a big loss to me. There was a chap that came in here proclaiming to be a true "driver" and how we would never understand why he chose a BMW over a Prius. I can only laugh when a person assumes this air of superiority and ignorance. I hope you are better informed than that guy.

Remember, I have a pretty good idea of how you think. I held similar views not too long ago when I was president of our LS1 Car Club and owned/raced 4 GM vehicles and had a 9sec capable Mustang in the backyard. Haha


Pat, That is a very nice bike.

 

Thankyou, but I'm not an enthusiast,

Aparently.

 

Hi Aeron,

I am in my 50's here. I have never liked cars with big engines. Mainly because I like cars that can change direction quickly. Even when I was a little kid, I loved it when I was in a high dynamics situation in a car. I also like to work on cars, but do not enjoy putting car on jack stands. And Large Engine cars are dangerous to put on, and hold up on jack stands. Besides, ever try to do the plugs on a V8 ? Not fun.

When I was younger, I was a natural at handling a rear-wheel drive car. I never had any training, or professional experience. Even so, a few times I had to pull back at what I was doing, to help the passenger recover from hyperventilation. And this was in a relatively slow 1974 Opel Manta. Sadly, if you don't use it, you loose it. There is not allot of "car culture" here in the Chicagoland area. The closest road course is like a 5 hour drive away, and they only recently put up a NASCAR track an hour from downtown Chicago. If there would have been more car culture, I might have become as involved in cars as F8L has. Although I did win a TSD Rally in college.

I had other interests too, which led to my professional career. In my office area I have computer with software valued near what the typical garage has in equipment, and then the testing hardware is about the twice that amount of money, again.

As far as the Prius goes, and Prius drivers, we do not like like large, heavy chunks (otherwise know as SUV's) of metal 5 feet from the back of our vehicles, that do not have nearly the braking capability of the car we are in. Which is the usual traffic situation here in the US if you drive the speed limit, on secondary roads.

Large engine cars are not so bad in some cases. The Corvette gets 30 mpg plus at a 70 mph cruise. Its just a waste of great car craft to use one of these in commuting traffic. Which is where I do 90 % of my driving.

The Prius is my first Toyota. I bought it to support the engineers who are working on Hybrids, and its looked to be a good economic decision. I have wanted a Hybrid car since 1979, when first introduced to them in one of my college classes. I even brought this up to guys at the local EV club, but was pooh-poohed (this was about 1985 or so). You know, Ferdinand Porshe was one of the early Hybrid Car experimnetors, right ?

Additionally, I had a real poor reliability Ford product (a Ford Tempo-rary <_< ) , and was not about to get another. One of those issues was the $2500 transmission rebuild at 70 K miles (around 1993, probably more today). The Prius has a very different kind of transmission, conceptually invented by american aerospace engineers at TRW, and implimented in an excellent reliabilty package by Toyota. There are no clutches, or bands in this transmission. So, there are none to ware out either (if you have a lead foot).

So, when you put the automotive equivalent of the devil up there as your Avatar, we Prius drivers are probably going to have a problem with that. Besides, who is the wacko who posts that Prius and the Machine Gun bit from Top-Gear on U-tube ten times a week. It wouldn't be you would it ?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Apolloxbgt @ Sep 2 2007, 08:57 PM) [snapback]506147[/snapback]</div>

I was under the impression that folks like you used high horse powered cars to compensate for their sexual inadequacies.

B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aeron @ Sep 4 2007, 12:19 AM) [snapback]506669[/snapback]</div>

Religion, politics, and global warming. LOL

Could be because most are over the age of 30 though. When I was young and uneducated I didn't talk about these things. :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aeron @ Sep 4 2007, 02:19 AM) [snapback]506669[/snapback]</div>

Hello Aeron,

First I don't hate you or other drivers of vehicles that get poor fuel economy. Like others said, I look at it as a lack of understanding. However, some I've talked to understand things perfectly well and just are selfish. I've heard plenty of people tell me the environmental impact of our oil consumption and the economic impact of running low on supply will not happen in their lifetime so why shouldn't they use as much as possible if they can afford to. (The mindset is mostly from people who are 50 to 70 old)

I do feel sorry for you if you truly draw your image and personality from the car you drive. A car is just a material possession that can come and go. The true you comes from inside and there is where you need to look for happiness and fulfillment in life. From yourself and your family and friends.

I used to be really into cars and really wanted a sports car. I thought that it would bring happiness and present a certain "image" I was in college and couldn't afford such a car so I drove the Chevy Cavalier station wagon that I inherited from my grandfather instead. It was just about the most "uncool" car you could have. But it turned out that it really didn't matter and my friends didn't care what kind of car I drove. Women didn't care what kind of car I drove and most of the cars that I thought were great they thought were a stupid waste. Still I had plans of buying a new BMW M3 when I graduated with my engineering degree.

Instead I got married and a VW station wagon. I also started to think about things rationally and about the future. I started to put 20% of my income into a retirement account and started saving for a house. You might not want to hear about it but that $60,000 you spent on cars would be worth about $300,000 in 30 years and $450,000 in 40 years.

I'm only 29 but my outlook as changed a lot in the last 7 years.

 

I have 3 cars, does that mean I have 3 personalities?
I have a 6 cyl sedan a 4 cylinder AWD and a Prius, my god I'm a mixed up kid.
Oh no, I have a 650 motorbike, that's 4 personalities and a lawn mower and a ...
No wonder I'm always out of time, it's all the personalities I have to entertain!!

 

No, I don't think it's that bad. I am proud to be doing my part in helping the environment and I just figure the rest of you will come around eventually. Though it IS annoying when I am in back of a large truck or SUV and I can't see beyond that vehicle to know what's coming up ahead

 

No.

I had a 1975 Pontiac Firebird 350 V8.

I also had a 600 S Class Mercedes V-12 engine.


Gas is too expensive now and I am not about spending all of my money on cars.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aeron @ Sep 2 2007, 04:52 AM) [snapback]505750[/snapback]</div>

Hate the sin, not the sinner I always say

 

It's so funny how big engined car enthusiasts tout performance, horsepower, speed 0-60 and 1/4 miles, and sound as the reason for their passion. Out of those, the only one of those characteristics a gas engine (currently) can provide unequaled is noise... so if the passion is to be the fastest off the line, you really need to be thinking electric and get one of these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqqtJpfZElQ

or these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm6gD6r3-cw




P.S. Nice bike, patsparks.... here's mine:



I like to think of it as the future of motorcycles, as I think the Prius is the future of cars...

 

I do like the mega scoots, very practical comfortable machines. And yes they look like the future.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Sep 5 2007, 07:29 PM) [snapback]507628[/snapback]</div>

Practical indeed... and a surprising performer, too. Armed with only a 638 twin, an eCVT and a power mode (increases rpms to improve responsiveness), this little scooter can beat almost anything off the line save for a big performer like turbo Porsche. And although it can keep up with the big guys, it doesn't have the high end acceleration folks have come to expect of traditional motorcycles and crotch rockets. Still, make no mistake about it... plenty of oomph to get out of the way on the freeway, and a true top speed (indicated is about 10% off) of over 100mph is plenty enough to get the average person in trouble!

But I do like the trunk and glove boxes... and the step-through. A true ladies bike with a place to stow the purse and shopping!

Sorry for the temporary hi-jack!

 

100 miles per hour, you bloody hoon!! You would never catch me going 100 miles per hour!!!!
I'm always careful not to get caught.

A couple of my friends have Burgman scooters, great things. Hey mine is a 650.