Questions for Prius owners...

Your 'survey' is starting from the wrong assumptions and someone has filled you up with a completely false image. I'm glad you came here to get the facts and data. However, you might start by 'reading' before posting. For example the thread titled, "Re: genuine curiosity: why do all you like the Prius so much (i promise, not a troll thread.)" would give you a more solid basis.

Oh by the way, have you ever heard about a "push poll?" It rates right up there with the question, "Have you stopped beating your wife."

If you are really after a useful poll, it should have questions that work just as well in any other car forum. This is not a set of general car ownership questions but rather ones that are closer to "push polling." As a poll goes, I give it an "F" but you have time to fix it.

Bob Wilson

 

Obviously, some aspect of the owner is revealed by the car selected. In my case it was the minimize the money, and time, spent buying something (gas) that serves NOBODY by being expended wastefully

Hard to say no to that question, but it was not the core motivation for a Prius purchase.

It is a step in the right direction, but hardly something to brag about.

Get from point A to B with the smallest gas purchase.

No. It is almost never advertized. In fact, there probable has been more negative (political) press than positive advertisements. The second 2007 Prius purchase was motivated by the unbelivably good performance of the 2001 Prius.

Everyone makes judgements, including you. The only variable is how freely they are stated.

Not much different than extremely obese individuals that have no desire to improve their condition. They are free to live there life as desired, except somehow I and others have to pay for their lifestyle indirectly. It's that paying for other's bad decisions that causes the rub. Gas is not infinite, nor any other resource on this planet.

 

What does your car mean to you? i.e is it just a mode of transport or a statement of who you think you are? A mode of transport

Do you care about the environment? Of course

Do you consider yourself to be doing a good thing by owning a prius? Yes, considering the alternatives

Why did you buy the car? I needed to replace my 11-year-old car. I had decided that my next car would cause as little damage to the environment as possible.

Do you think you were influenced when buying the car by the whole "saving the planet" advertising? No. I could give a $%^& about advertising; I was influenced by the body of science on the implications of our dependence on fossil fuels.

Do people make judgments (both on and off the road) about you because of your car? I don't know and don't care.

How do you feel about huge, gas guzzling, chelsea tractors and v12 supercars? Sad.

 

I personally think the Prius is fine little automobile for what it was intended for. I hardly think I am saving the world, by any means, but its nice to know that I am using less fuel than most normal cars. I also think that Toyota is a bit hypocrite organization. On the one hand hugely efficient small cars, compensated by hugely inefficient gas guzzling lunkers like the Lexus LX570 and Toyota Landcruiser.

However, my Prius purchase was indeed motivated my two things. I needed a car that fit my preference of a small car with large interior dimensions (that is why I also drive a 2002 Chrysler Neon!). I also wanted a car that would get low emissions and high fuel economy. Personally I detest Prius braggarts that go on an on about how we Prius owners will save the world, and we are the beaming beacon of greatness in the world of cars. People like that are misinformed. If the Prius is used as a status symbol for fuel efficiency greatness than its ruining the point. Heck, I have got 45 mpg in mostly downtown Toronto city driving in my Chrysler Neon several times in the summer, do I brag.. No, but I own two great little cars and I love them both.

I enjoy driving my Prius and educating others on how they can save the environment with their own car. For example: A friend of mine has a 300C Hemi V8 with MDS (multi-displacement system). He never knew what it was about or cared. When I showed him how he could improve his mpg by forcing the engine to cut to 4 cylinders sooner, he now plays a game with his car. His best mpg to date is 30 mpg, which for a V8 is hugely impressive. That is what Prius' and prius owners should do, teach people. We make do with less, and others can too.

 

What does your car mean to you? i.e is it just a mode of transport or a statement of who you think you are?
Transport

Do you care about the environment?
Yes

Do you consider yourself to be doing a good thing by owning a prius?
Good, no. No car is "good" for the environment. But it's less "bad" than most other cars. The only good car is the one not built.

Why did you buy the car?
Fuel economy and reduced emissions

Do you think you were influenced when buying the car by the whole "saving the planet" advertising?
No. Emissions are a simple fact. Advertising is not required to understand emissions and environmental impact.

Do people make judgments (both on and off the road) about you because of your car?
do not know. Maybe you should survey non-Prius owners and ask them?

How do you feel about huge, gas guzzling, chelsea tractors and v12 supercars?
Trucks/tractors: for those who need it (very large family, work, etc), it's fine. V12 supercars are so rare, and driven so little... their impact is probably negligeable.

 

Just out of curiosity. Did you feel compelled to ask those questions to YarisWorld.com? I think people buy the Prius and the Yaris for similar reasons. The whole cult-of-prius stuff is really just a press fantasy in my opinion.

11011011

 

I was thinking that too. I don't own a Prius but my wife owns a Yaris, and probably would have bought a Prius if we had had the money at the time -- I think a lot of folks view the Yaris as a "Prius lite," even though the Yaris isn't a hybrid.

Also, I think -- and this is just based on personal observation -- that while environmental concerns certainly are at the forefront of Prius marketing, I think there's a lot of reasons people buy them, including fuel efficiency (which might be understood as financial as well as environmental) and even image, as a few others have alluded to. I mean, there are probably a lot of reasons people buy SUVs, too -- I consider myself an environmentally-conscious person but I don't demonize Hummer owners as freaks who like to run down deer, or anything. Matter of fact, I'm using my cousin's SUV next week to pick up a Christmas tree -- something that would be tricky in our Yaris (not impossible, but tricky).

 

Actually this explains why GM has and continues to fail in their hybrid efforts:

• mock hybrids - their belt assisted hybrid is a joke. It is nothing more than automatic engine stop with automatic start when the brake is released. This is nonsense and the EPA numbers show that to be the case.
• $50,000 hybrids - they designed and built their only efficient hybrid drive into vehicles costing $50,000 and more.

GM is incapable of making a consumer priced, efficient hybrid. They have some bizzare concept of "green" as if we are stupid enough to buy their mock hybrids or wealthy enough to buy their $50,000+ hybrids. Actually I suspect they chose these under-performing or over-priced hybrids so they could declare them a failure ("Don't blame us, no one is buying them.")

What GM and Chrysler can't figure out is how Toyota continues to sell every Prius, Highlander and Camry hybrid they make. In fact, Ford sells every Escape hybrid and still GM-Chrysler don't get it. But that still doesn't fix the technical defects in the survey. Fortunately, it doesn't take much time and is otherwise, harmless.

Let me suggest another approach would have been to quote those who make these facetious claims. Put together a survey along the lines of agree or disagree and why. The reason is not only will you get an accurate answer but then you'll begin to notice the sources of this misinformation. Someone who lies about something as simple as characteristics of hybrid electric owners will have no hesitation in lying about other topics.

Bob Wilson

 

GM's BAS hybrid is only marginally effective in the Malibu, increasing fuel economy 3 mpg (11.5%) and costing $2,355 more (9.2%)

• Malibu 2.4L 6S --- (22/26/33) --- $23,200
• Malibu Hybrid ---- (26/29/34) --- $25,555

However, BAS is quite effective in the Saturn Vue, increasing fuel economy by 6 mpg (27.3%) and costing $4,880 more (17.5%) Not bad for a "mock hybrid".

• Vue FWD ------- (19/22/26) ----- $23,050
• Vue Hybrid ----- (25/28/32) ----- $27,930

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid increases fuel economy for 7 mpg (36.8%) and cost $5,650 more (19.4%)

• Highlander 4WD ------------ (17/19/23) ------ $29,050
• Highlander Hybrid 4WD ---- (27/26/25) ------ $34,700

The Ford Escape Hybrid increases fuel economy by 9 mpg (39.1%) and cost $6,190 more (26.8%)

• Ford Escape FWD ----- (20/23/28) ----- $23,115
• Ford Escape Hybrid --- (34/32/31) ----- $29,305

The trend seems very clear to me. The more you're willing to by for a hybrid system the greater the increase in fuel economy.

Comparator - Features
Comparator - Features
Comparator - Features
Side-by-Side Comparison
Side-by-Side Comparison

 

What does your car mean to you? i.e is it just a mode of transport or a statement of who you think you are?
Mode of transportation. Now the COLOR, that is because I turned 50 and bought myself a birthday gift, lol!

Do you care about the environment?
Yes, and I worry that not enough people do.

Do you consider yourself to be doing a good thing by owning a prius?
Good for me? Absolutely! Good for the environment? Sure I guess so.

Why did you buy the car?
The car I had was 11 years old, had 94,000 miles on it, and was coming up on some serious maintenance issues. It was a 2 door and my life had changed in 11 years so I needed 4 doors. So, I started looking. I didn't want a "boat," and wanted something with minimal maintenance issues. I also check the insurance surveys, wanted a good rating on there. Finally, I didn't want to keep shelling out tons of money for gas. That narrowed it down quickly, lol.

Here is a link to the insurance info I mentioned above:
http://www.libertymutual.com/omapps...me=PersonalMarket/Document/ShowDoc&c=Document

Do you think you were influenced when buying the car by the whole "saving the planet" advertising?
Not one bit!

Do people make judgments (both on and off the road) about you because of your car?
Oh yeah. My mechanic's first comment was, "I never figured you for a tree hugger."

How do you feel about huge, gas guzzling, chelsea tractors and v12 supercars?
Well, trucking is important to our society, we don't have adequate rail service to move goods. But I don't like driving next to them! But the large passenger vehicles? Oh please, someone ban them! I grew up with a family of 11 kids, they didn't own an SUV, I don't believe there ever was such a thing back then. They just didn't all go out together much. So these people with 3 and 4 kids who tell me they HAVE to have one, well, I get disgusted with them.

 

Then perhaps asking the Smart Fortwo community the same question would be value-added.