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Danny's New Prius at Grossinger Toyota

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by TonyPSchaefer, Jul 16, 2006.

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  1. mikel 52

    mikel 52 Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Betelgeuse @ Jul 19 2006, 10:54 AM) [snapback]288708[/snapback]</div>

    I was thinking the same thing. But wasn't sure if I should say anything.
     
    #41 mikel 52, Jul 19, 2006
  2. Canuck

    Canuck Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mikel 52 @ Jul 19 2006, 08:58 AM) [snapback]288711[/snapback]</div>
    Yup! Exactly what the boss and I remarked. Wonder why that is? We kinda' pictured Tony as a middle aged professor or some such individual. No, we are not disappointed, Tony.
    Got to thinking as I read all these posts that of the many Prius owners I have met in the last two years I have yet to meet one who I didn't like and found all of them to be interesting folks.
    Oh, and add my best wishes to Danny and his beautiful other............yes, and the Prius as well.
    Gary
     
    #42 Canuck, Jul 19, 2006
  3. philwojo

    philwojo Member

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    Sorry my pictures are not up right now, my web host is moving servers and things are up and down. If they don't come back up soon I will work on putting them else where.

    Glad you guys made it home safe and sound Danny, and not bad MPG for a newbie Prius driver!!

    Phil
     
    #43 philwojo, Jul 19, 2006
  4. Betelgeuse

    Betelgeuse Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Canuck @ Jul 19 2006, 12:13 PM) [snapback]288720[/snapback]</div>
    Yeah. I agree. I definately imagined him as quite a bit older, despite his obvious affinity for Futurama (which tends to attract a younger audience). Actually, I have no idea how old he is, but from his picture, he could be younger than me, which totally turns my world upside down.

    And I imagined him as less "geeky" . . . Now excuse me while I patch up my glass house. . .
     
    #44 Betelgeuse, Jul 19, 2006
  5. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    i enjoy seeing what other priuschatters look like, though they never look quite like i picture them :)

    looks like a fun time was had by all. now i want some ice cream...
     
    #45 galaxee, Jul 19, 2006
  6. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Alright. Let me clarify a few things here. :D (tee hee, this is going to be fun)

    First of all, a 100-degree Sunday event does not warrant my natural business casual or business formal attire.
    Secondly, I'm 36 and it's documented in multiple "how old are you" threads.
    Thirdly, I have no "thirdly".
    Fourthly, my wife and I both look considerably younger than we are and both get carded from time to time.
    Fifthly (is that even a word), I am a natural educator which might give the impression of a professor or whatever I was accused of.
    Lastly, don't blame me if I'm much more handsome in person than you imagined.

    I was talking on the phone with Eric Powers (ericbecky) this afternoon about Hybridfest. We both laughed that it's fun to finally meet the people we've only been able to picture in our minds.
     
    #46 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 19, 2006
  7. Betelgeuse

    Betelgeuse Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 19 2006, 05:55 PM) [snapback]288958[/snapback]</div>
    Hey. I'm an academic. Casual is good.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 19 2006, 05:55 PM) [snapback]288958[/snapback]</div>
    Please. I'm far too lazy to go look that stuff up. :)

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 19 2006, 05:55 PM) [snapback]288958[/snapback]</div>
    Excellent.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 19 2006, 05:55 PM) [snapback]288958[/snapback]</div>
    Sigh. You've got almost 10 years on me, and I never get carded.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 19 2006, 05:55 PM) [snapback]288958[/snapback]</div>
    No dispute here.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 19 2006, 05:55 PM) [snapback]288958[/snapback]</div>
    Done.
     
    #47 Betelgeuse, Jul 19, 2006
  8. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    :lol:

    you guys are great, i needed a laugh. :)
     
    #48 galaxee, Jul 19, 2006
  9. heliotropehead

    heliotropehead New Member

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    LOL! I enjoyed the pics too. I think Tony looks exactly like his avatar. LOL! Just kidding...
    I was imagning a buffer version however, a la Zapp Brannigan. I'm just sorry I missed the ice cream!!
    :)
     
    #49 heliotropehead, Jul 19, 2006
  10. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    Ok, so I've finally started to breathe air again after going through a couple thousand emails from my vacation, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to post a few comments and links to my pictures from the weekend.

    Let me start with my first impression of Chicago:

    TJ Praynor / Grossinger Toyota

    TJ was great from the moment I got off the plane - he had suggested picking us up from the airport and followed through on his word by showing up right on time to pick us up in a loaded-up Sienna. It's pretty rare that you can say this, but he went beyond my expectations. The poor guy was apparently having sleepless nights because my car didn't even end up coming in until Thursday. His planning and execution for the event on Sunday was great, and I appreciate everything he did for Tim, Nichole and myself to help us feel at home in Chicago. (Note: If you ever get a chance, do check out Tub Tim Thai in downtown Skokie - TJ suggested it and it was excellent)

    TJ seems truly interested in hybrids and the unique community behind the hybrid automotive movement, and treating the hybrid car-buyer as the unique consumer segment that they are will bring him much success in the future. Grossinger would be smart to put more resources behind him and help him build Grossinger into the hybrid dealer in Chicago.

    Grossinger was a great venue for Sunday's event - their dealership is very nice, new, and clean. Everyone I dealt with there treated us like VIPs. I'm not sure if this was because of TJ's prompting or not, but I got the feeling that it is how they treat all of their customers.

    Chicago

    What a great <strike>town</strike> city! Everyone we encountered were nice and courteous, aside from the honking while driving (foreign to a Southern boy). Chicago is very clean (ranking up there with Boston), and a beautiful city to visit during the summer. Apparently for the Mid-Westerners it was "hot", but it didn't bother me too much and we got some great excercise walking around town. You've also made a believer out of Nichole, who bumped NYC off the top of her "Favorite Big Cities" list in order to place Chicago up on that high pedestal. I get the feeling that we'll be back to visit very soon.

    Chicagoland PriusChat Group

    A great group of people - it was pleasure meeting all of you and talking "shop" for the afternoon. Time really flew by! Tony, Alpha, Phil, Nichole and I had a great time continuing our discussions over ice-cold beer after the meet. Thanks so much to Wayne and Teresa for taking Tim to the airport - I know he was anxious to get home to his 6 month old son and wonderful wife. Be sure to let me know when the next Chicagoland meet is set for - I'm sure Nichole won't mind looking for airfare to come up for it!

    It was also great to meet TMS USA and finally have interaction with a representative from Toyota. We all appreciated the effort you put into flying out on the red eye for the event and then standing in the hot sun for hours. I hope that this is the beginning of a long relationship with Toyota and PriusChat.

    The Car

    You knew I'd have to talk about it eventually. In many ways, the Prius has far exceeded my expectations. I was immediately caught off guard by the smooth handling, the refined interior appointments, the accelleration... you name it. It took me 3 days to turn on the stereo, but once I did and configured it the way I wanted it, I think it sounds pretty good - much better than I was expecting due to the comments I've read here. I was ready to be disappointed by the navigation, but I must admit that it is much better than I expected and I would not get an external unit over the factory one given the choice. Granted I'm moving from an MR2 to the Prius, but I find the seats very comfortable, and had no problems sitting in them for 6-8 hours at a time on the way home. I'm not sure if the leather helps or not, but no complaints here.

    I've come up with a new tagline for the Prius - Little on the outside, HUGE on the inside. THIS SUCKER IS HUGE!!! I had sat in the backseat before, but I did not remember it being as roomy as mine is. We had plenty of room in the back to stuff all of Nichole and I's stuff for the return home and still pull over the toneau cover.

    The CVT provides elegant, smooth acceleration and has amazed everyone who had rode in the car with me. There is plenty of power generated for my liking in going 0-70.

    So far I've taken probably 15 people around from work for quick little joyrides, and all of them have walked away with a different outlook on the Prius. I think I've sold 4 of them so far :) Just to sum it up (since I've been writing this post over a period of 2 days), I can now totally understand the fascination with the Prius. When I started PriusChat it was out of a need to have a community setting for this unique car, but after just 6 days of ownership I can say that PC has ended up being a great resource for me (go figure!). While driving I'm always making either mental notes of notes on my Treo of things to research, and I've always found the answers here on PC thanks to the owners that have paved the path before me.

    Thanks to the folks who made it out Sunday to the meet at Grossinger, thanks to TJ Praynor and Grossinger Toyota, and especially thanks to all of the PC members who have built PriusChat into what it is today and have always been supportive while waiting for me to finally take ownership of my own Prius.

    Now for the pics!

    The Pick-Up Day

    The first time seeing my car (w/ TJ)

    The first time sitting down in it

    Look at me, I own a Prius!

    http://picasaweb.google.com/tcooper185/ChicagoPriusTrip

    The Meet-Up

    The Group

    Link to the rest of the pictures

    The Trip Home

    The First Fillup

    Thanks for the Notre Dame hats, Bill!

    The rest of the trip home pictures
     
    #50 Danny, Jul 21, 2006
  11. withersea

    withersea DNF is better than DNS

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    Danny- Great pics! Thanks for taking the time to post them. It is uncanny how Tony resembles his avatar. Very spooky. Were you signing autographs in a couple of the pictures????!!!
     
    #51 withersea, Jul 21, 2006
  12. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(withersea @ Jul 21 2006, 03:23 PM) [snapback]290068[/snapback]</div>
    Yeah :) And they better hold onto them too - they'll be worth something someday! :)

    Perhaps I should do that for next year's calendar for an extra buck or 2 :D
     
    #52 Danny, Jul 21, 2006
  13. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    agreed, very nice pictures! looks like you had a great trip home.

    and you and nichole look very happy together. :D
     
    #53 galaxee, Jul 21, 2006
  14. tmsusa

    tmsusa New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Danny @ Jul 21 2006, 12:52 PM) [snapback]290082[/snapback]</div>
    Welcome home Danny--Enjoyed hearing about your trip and your great new Prius. Our consumer-generated media partner, Nielsen BuzzMetrics, started a new automotive blog this week called Automobuzz , authored by Bill Stephenson. First guest blogger happened to be TMS USA, and first event to for which to blog was the PriusChat/Danny-Cooper-Gets-His-Prius Event in Chicago.

    Congratulations!
     
    #54 tmsusa, Jul 23, 2006
  15. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(withersea @ Jul 21 2006, 02:23 PM) [snapback]290068[/snapback]</div>
    Yeah, that was my calendar he was autographing (I have the goofy hat), but I must give credit to MikeL52, since it was his idea (he's standing to my left in the photos).

    I still think Danny should give his story of being stopped by groupies. He's becoming famous! :lol:
     
    #55 nerfer, Jul 25, 2006
  16. withersea

    withersea DNF is better than DNS

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ Jul 25 2006, 11:47 AM) [snapback]291981[/snapback]</div>
    OK Danny- let's hear about the groupies.
     
    #56 withersea, Jul 25, 2006
  17. seasidetraveler

    seasidetraveler Member

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    MAN! Great pics! You are the owner of a beautiful car, if I must say so.

    How on earth you you get so much fuel in there? First 10 gals, then 11?? I can never get more then 9 in... Maybe it's the west coast gas pumps? I would love to drive more than 350 miles on a tank!

    I think it's somewhat easy to get the negative impression of the Prius when on priuschat simply because a lot of people only post when they have an issue with their Prius, thus the people reading see "another recall, my Prius broke down, my Prius stalled again, my brake pedal went to the floor, etc etc etc..." But the true "FREAKS" post the little happy events shared between them and their Prius, and that is what makes coming here so great- people share their stories, and we feel like a (dysfunctional) family.

    Congrats and enjoy the beautiful new ride!
     
    #57 seasidetraveler, Jul 25, 2006
  18. santoro1

    santoro1 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Danny @ Jul 21 2006, 02:30 PM) [snapback]290047[/snapback]</div>
    Thanks for the pictures Danny... I will be taking delivery on my magnetic gray this Thursday!!! I already have the pinstriping and body mouldings ready to be installed!! Can't wait.
     
    #58 santoro1, Jul 25, 2006
  19. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    Danny:

    congrats on your car. your post is the best description of how important this site really is. although the Prius is advertised as "just drive it like any other car, the hybrid system will take care of the rest" here, we all know that that statement is for the technologically challenged. there is so much to discover and explore on this car and this site is an invaluable resource detailing probably millions of hours of direct user experiences. cant put a price on that.

    once again, i thank you for all that you do
     
    #59 DaveinOlyWA, Jul 26, 2006
  20. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    Okay, I'm a little slow on the draw here, but I finally got my pictures developed from the meet. I put them in my PC gallery:
    http://priuschat.com/index.php?act=module&..._album&album=80

    The first three (actually last three, by order of entry, but they show up on top) are shots of the back sides of the cars that I don't think others have. For one, that's the biggest difference on the pre-2004 style. Also, I wanted to show off the cargo space in my car, I put the right-hand seats down and put in some 8-foot 2x4s and bags of mulch. Okay, not fancy like you'd see at most car shows, but this way you can see some of the practicality of it.

    And yes, I still use a film camera. Somehow can't bring myself to spend $200+ on a digital camera when the 35mm one works fine and I can get them developed at Target with a CD for online use.
     
    #60 nerfer, Jul 29, 2006
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