I don't know what the average age here is but in my area most Prius owners are retired. I'm 28 years old and quite frankly most people my age or younger, atleast in this area, wouldn't even consider a Prius. I wish Toyota or Honda would produce an affordable performance oriented hybrid to attract younger buyers. Everyone I know has been impressed with my car and the technology involved. I feel most people have their mind made up on hybrids because they don't understand them. I'm not saying we can all make the world a better place by driving a Prius but it is a step in the right direction. Young people have the chance now to start making a difference for themselves and their future children/grandchildren. Sorry to rant but it just irritates me.
You will find many younger Prius owners on this board. Somewhere there is a poll regarding members' ages and if I remember correctly it was quite diverse. Some of us took a little longer to "get it". Even my kids don't get it yethwell:.
I'm 20 and I've had my Prius since last June. But yes, most young people don't have the money or credit for a Prius. I got mine due to a death of a loving member of my family. I researched extensively but even before I found out that I could get a new car I already really liked the Prius.
we run up and down that stretch of 77 a few times a year but have never seen a prius in wv as far as i remember. we did get assaulted by an idiot in a large truck in charleston once...
I had a wonderfully literate post, but for some reason, the laptop ate it....is that the new excuse in schools, BTW. Anyway, many decades from retirement here, but most people in their 20s that want to spend $24K on a car are guys that are going to buy big trucks or V-8 Mustangs, not Prius'....except for some of us "flower children" :hippie:
I'm 24! Bought a 2008 prius in september when they first hit the market! I drive about 3000 miles a month for work, and am actually saving money by owning a new car! I agree that I don't ever see any younger people driving them, but I think it is for two reasons (neither of which include money) 1 Uncool image 2 Marketing is towards a different audience Yes...I just used the word uncool, because it is so all encompassing, and it knows no generation barriers. That being said, I have convinced two of my friends to buy one because I am so stoked on the car. I think all toyota would have to do to sell more prius is to put adverts on mtv, cosmo, and just aim for a different audience. You know the young hippie tree hugger audience. <wink>
I am 27 now, and I bought my Prius nearly two years ago. Most young people are interested in technologically advanced products, and few cars are more advanced than the Prius. Anecdotally, I do tend to see more "older people" driving Prii, but I think more and more young folks will make the leap.
I'm 24, and I just bought a Prius earlier this month. I'm an engineer, so the technology and practicality definitely appeal to me. There's a young(ish) Marine Corps Sergeant who I work with who also owns one. Other than him, most of my friends make fun of my for driving the car.
There are a number of young Prius owners here. My friends don't have hotrods but they do prefer sporty cars and image over the Prius. The difference? They don't have the luxury of driving as often as I do because it costs too much to fuel their car. You might say, well they're doing better than you since they're using less fuel because they're driving less, except their tanks are a lot bigger and because of the rubber bladder, it takes 2.5 refuels for one of their tanks in the winter, 2 tanks in the summer and I'm sure they're refuelling at least once a month which has me covered (I refuel every 2-3 weeks)
i'm 23 and have had my 2008 for three months now i tend to be "older" however considering i am married with two kids. i surprise a lot of people apparently. maybe it is because i still act like i am 14.
Well, um, we aren't retirement age! DH and I are a little more "experienced" than some on this board, but inside, we're just a couple of kids having fun! :car:
I'm 22, bought my Prius back when I was 21. I traded in my Scion tC for it. I guess I knew what I was doing back then. . I mainly did it because I liked the styling and features of the prius.
I'm only 53 but my wife says I act like I'm 8. She also says I'm a techno-nerd. I think the latter is probably correct. AFAIC you're only as old as you think you are. My interests have always been science related, everything from ham radio to egyptology, geology, mineralogy, geography, computers... ad nausium. The Prius fit in with our environmental concerns, which is the main reason we bought one, the geek factor was attractive to me too. I actually DID see somebody less than 30 driving a Prius this morning, and was surprised, every Prius owner I see has gray hair. At least only my beard is gray so far.
I'm also probably one of the younger drivers. Bought it when I was 22, with a 15k "loan" from my parents - which has been paid in full.
I'm 26...my friends all drive nonsensical sportscars and huge suv's. I have two friends who drive Tdi's...which I guess I consider more mature vehicles to drive.
I'm an old geezer (58) but a few years from retirement. I'm curious, however, about the comment that young people don't like the Prius because it isn't sufficiently performance-oriented, but likewise gratified to see the multiple replies by people in their 20s who do own Prii. I had the impression, in my relatively short time on this site, that all adult ages were fairly well represented, except perhaps the blue-hair set. My first car, when I was in college in the late 60s, was a VW Beetle. Back in those days Beetles were everywhere on college campuses, probably one in four cars was a Beetle which was basically the economy car of its day. It definitely had demographic ramifications, however. The hippies and "flower children" and enviro types gravitated toward Beetles (and VW vans), whereas the more conservative kids and young adults drove '57 Chevy's or newer muscle cars or trucks. Hopefully, as gas prices continue to hike their inevitable and inexorable way to $4 per gallon and more, the appeal of Prii and other hybrids will increase among all age-groups. I remember a time in the early 70s when you basically couldn't give away a muscle-car, and suspect that those days are coming again.
I bought mine when I was 29. A friend bought his classic Prius at 26 or 27. But I do usually see more "experienced" people in Prii. I'd guess that the average age of Prius drivers I see is around 48. Personally, I'll do what I can to spread "economy" as a cool and popular idea, and "performance" as uncool/wasteful. I'm annoyed by people who think that wanting to be more efficient with my own money and easier on my world is some kind of radical attitude.
