Caravaning Priuses

Yes, we have about 25 % of the Prius!
Seems like every Tom Dick and Jane has a Prius!

Check out the OC Prius Club- meet up coming soon!

 

If I ever see another one on the road, maybe we can caravan.

Tom

 

I was driving the other day and ended up going to the same place as the prius in front of me. Every turn and lane change was the same :huh: I felt dumb but im not going to go speeding around some guy just to not follow the same car.

Oh we both were going to the local mall.

 

i see one a day usually durning my hundred mile commute in Houston. We don't have the HOV kicker so there are fewer here I suppose.

 

Here in San Diego, I tend to see about 1 Prius for every mile I travel.

Interestingly enough, I was in some of the poorer parts of town last weekend and couldn't find one Prius anywhere. Interesting finding - I think it tells us that the Prius is a car for the affluent market.

 

I like following a prius on the road for a very practical reason. We accelerate/decelerate at thesame rate, and we drive at the same top speed: plusing to 35 mph or so, and gliding down to 29 mph.

I like following a prius on the road for a very practical reason. We accelerate/decelerate at thesame rate, and we drive at the same top speed: plusing to 35 mph or so, and gliding down to 29 mph.

 

I often find myself following other Priuses if/when I can and sometimes find other Priuses following me for long distances. I wonder if other drivers wonder if we (the Prius drivers) know each other. Sometimes it happens more than once in a day...it makes me feel like I'm in a special sort of club. I especially love following or being followed by another black Prius.

Back in March I was on my way home from a San Jose/San Francisco roadtrip with a girlfriend (see avatar photo) and was driving along the Central CA coast (Hwy 1/101) and noticed a blue Prius behind me. He followed me for a good 30-40 miles before turning onto another road somewhere near Monterey.

 

seen in Princeton this evening:
me, another blue, 2 grey (or possibly the same one 2 times ) and this foreigner- all within minutes!

 

Only got to caravan once. Was in Delaware , when I unexpectedly ran into my son and his friend in the parking lot. We were on I95 going north when we met up with a Salsa Prius and continued. Felt good. Subtle smiles on our faces.

 

Im lucky to see one Prius a week in Sioux Falls, SD. I actually saw one today, and the guy waved at me. It is the first time that happened in the 10 weeks I have owned my car.

Cary in S.D.

 

Every day (when I'm home) we would see two or three and we live in a town of 70,000!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cary1952 @ May 27 2006, 11:43 PM) [snapback]261943[/snapback]</div>

They are very rare in Canada as well, though you would expect to see more in Toronto with the traffic.

I drive about 80 miles a day (2+ hours) in commuting across Hwy 401 - the heaviest-travelled highway in North America - and see maybe one Prius every other day. Very rarely is it an '06, usually an 04-05. Once in a blue moon I will see a Classic. Aside: Much of my commute is rolling on the highway at about 40MPH, so you can imagine the awesome MPG I get.

Part of the problem is pricing, as Canadian models sell for considerably more than the US, but I think a bigger part is that Toyota does not advertise the car at all north of the border. Very few people are even aware of what the car is about, and as soon as they hear the price tag they dismiss it without even learning about it. Ah well, their loss.

Aside: I already saved myself $100 on gas in my first month of ownership (vs. my previous 4-cylinder Honda that was stingy in it's own right), so I consider this a very wise purchase!

However, with gas prices continuing to rise and with the government recently doubling the tax credit, I expect to see more of them on the road in the near future...

- Kevin

 

Caravaning is kinda cool, especially on the freeways.
I feel it does a better job of making the statement to non-Prius owners that this Prius thing is catching on and has real merit.
When driving with other Prii during a recent road trip, with two bikes on the trunk mount carrier, I was wishing I could compare mileage figures over a 5-minute stretch of interstate to better estimate wind drag. Though I suppose other variables such as tire pressure, trim rings, passenger weight, could reduce significance of such comparisons between vehicles.
BTW: My typical mileage of 47-48 mpg, dropped to 41-42 mpg with bikes strapped on the back.

Oh, did I say I love this car!

 

That would be really cool. I've never seen any going in the same direction, although I did see a total of 5 one afternoon. The 5th one was in the parking lot at the grocery store and it was exactly like mine. I think I scared the sh*t out of the lady sitting in it when I knocked on the window and said "You're the 5th one I've seen today!!" After a moment of of utter confusion and sheer terror, she smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cooljw @ May 23 2006, 02:48 PM) [snapback]259938[/snapback]</div>

That is what I see as well. I work in a poor neighborhood in North Hollywood. I almost never see other Prius near here except for the one I drive on the one my colleague drives. I will see a few more in the West Valley on the way home. When I really see a lot of Prius is on my weekly drive to West Los Angeles. I drive through Brentwood to get to my destination. I usually see at least six in the two-mile stretch. For those of you not familiar with Brentwood, this is the city where OJ axed his wife and where the jetsetters live.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cooljw @ May 23 2006, 04:48 PM) [snapback]259938[/snapback]</div>

Less affluent people tend to drive American, and older, vehicles. If you truly want to save money on combined car price and gas, get a cheap small car. (Until the used hybrid market gets bigger).

Growing up out in the sticks in northern MN, I remember thinking that there must be a law in the cities (by which we meant "the Twin Cities") that cars needed a 3rd brake light, because I started seeing tourists (ie. people I didn't recognize and not wearing overalls) driving cars with the center brake light, but nobody I knew of had one. Then I went to college and realized, all New cars had the 3rd brake light! Being out in the boonies, we couldn't afford new cars, but the connection hadn't really dawned on me before that. :huh:

I've never seen a Prius commercial here in the Chicago area (print or TV). Occasionally they'll mention it along with other cars, but even that is rare. Pretty much it just sells itself.

I thought everybody knew about Prii, but after I got mine, I had to explain it to several people (including one lady in our office who drives her pickup 40 miles every day and complains about the commute).

 

About two years ago, before Prius sightings were common even here in socal, I was driving on the ventura freeway in my black prius when I came upon two white prii. It was an automotive homage to the darth vader entrances.

 

[attachmentid=4243]The closest I have ever been. Came out of a Pancake House and there he was.