Are you satisfied?

OK, I may have over stated my position about the Prius being a luxury car but it does have more toys than my old Mark VII had with the sole exception of power seats and power trunk. Yes, and I again agree that the Prius isn't as quiet. But why do we have to justify the hybrid? People don't sit around saying they aren't going to get their money out of, say Lexus, or Caddy or such. Why are we such a target?

Hybrids are here to stay and the American public needs to quit feeding their ego with BIG gas slurping pieces of tin and think about the financial good of the country. I wonder how much the trade deficit would drop a month if more people thought the way we collectively think here at PriusChat? Of course it would go up with all the Prius' imported but maybe, just maybe the BIG 3 would see there is money to be made in hybrids -- instead of of hiding their heads in the sand, hoping that the hybrids would just go away. But even if they did start getting serious about it; it begs the question could they do it as well as Toyota and could they really ever catch up, since Toyota has at the very least a 5 year lead.

I have thought seriously of creating a bumper sticker that would read:

Buy a Prius -- Save a Soldier

But it would probably tick off too many Hummer owners!

 

well said Madams...

and about the trade deficit?... well wouldnt change much since Priuses do add to that number

 

The Prius compares well with a Camry LE (Base $20,125) or Accord LX PZEV ($20,725). These two models are one step up from the "bare minimum" and compare well, even accounting for the small rebates/financing offered. I made a list the other day when I got frustrated reading about the "hybrid premium." I don't feel I paid a premium for my car (other than no discount from MSRP, but I didn't want to wait for discounts) and it's a good value for all the options. If someone doesn't want all that stuff, maybe not such a good value. My parents paid the same or more for their cars and like mine much better. Even if the Prius only got 30MPG EPA I like it. Even if Camry & Accord were $10,000 less I wouldn't buy one since I don't like them. Value is perceived by the buyer. If the Prius were the Echo with somewhat better mileage, it wouldn't have much value since Echo gets pretty good mileage and Prius would cost more. It's like the Civic Hybrid, a great car, but still just a Civic with better mileage. I tried to talk myself into one while waiting for the Prius, but no dice. It could have been $2,000 less than a regular Civic and I still wouldn't want it. It's TOO BORING! But great for getting you from Point A to B.

Biggest argument against a Prius Premium - demand exceeds supply, people pay MSRP or over, even with production now competitive with many regular (non-hybrid) cars. After all, price is relative anyway. If there was a premium there'd be a greater inventory than normal cars.

 

The way I look at it is are there features you cannot live without now that you have the Prius. I cannot live without SKS, the look (yeah at first it was ugly but it is growing on me), power (makes our Honda Civic feel like a go-cart), and the high fuel economy. The cost of going from the F250 to the Prius cost me $8k but I will save that much alone in 2 years so I am happy. Also, the fact that I can say I am doing what I can for the environment/national security makes me feel better.

My Prius came with some kind of soundproofing package. The dealer said they added extra insulation to dampen the noise and vibrations. It is much more quiet that any other car I have ridden in. My radio volume does not go above 20-25 unless my windows are down (then it is becuase the other cars are so noisey).

 

Tideland-
That's a great question. Can you split it off as a separate thread so it might cast a wider net? I'm about to get an 05 to add to my 04 so the answer sure does interest me.

 

rear wiper...

must be heavier than it looks

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"80907)</div>

Haha, oops. Yes, I was comparing everything to the Lexus, but then again, that's the only car I've had for the past 7 years. As much as I love the Prius, I just don't think it is even close to being considered a luxury car. I don't even consider my ES300 a luxury car. An LS430 is a luxury car, not the 'Camry in a nice suit' that I have.

Of course, I think the Prius is the best car in its price range in terms of features, size, interior space, safety (a big consideration for me) and of course fuel economy.

I was dissapointed with the muddy sounding JBL stereo, though. You'd think a mid-level company like JBL could make a system that didn't sound like wet rag was placed over the speakers...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"81134)</div>

Naw, mine is a 1997 model, the first year of the 3rd generation ES. Mine has the 5 spoke wheels and amber tails.

 

Very Satisfied.
32000 miles in one year, 48.5 mpg, mostly mountain driving 75mph. No mechanical problems, replaced tires at 31000 miles.
Great car!