How old are the Prius owners here?

Actually, there was a poll like this a while back. I'm 23 myself. As for the reason... I guess they r the same as many others here, great mileage, hybrid technology, the cool factor, emission, etc.

 

OK, I really don't care about who else owns a Prius, or why, as long Toyota sells lots and people understand it's a good thing, as Martha says. We Earthlings have made a big mess of our environment, so anything we can do to reverse the trend helps. The Prius is a step in the right direction.

 

I bought Gen 1 in 2001 when I was 48. Since I was a kid (and a car nut) I have always thought it would be better for cars to run on electricity and traction motors. When I had the chance to buy one I jumped for it. Environment is not a big concern for me but I love the technology and the excitement of being a part of the future of the auto. It is also still an attention getter in parking lots!

 

I turned 20 a few months back, I will be a junior this fall. I never really considered why I got a prius. I was driving my mom's old 84 mercedes turbo diesel and it was a servieable car and all but my parents were looking into getting me a new car. At the time, I thought a prius was such a "liberal car". I know this is going to sound very inflammatory but bear with me. Prius drivers, imo at the time, still had the tree hugging hippie stigma attached to it. I couldn't imagine driving one. I'm a pretty big kid and always thought my first car would be a SUV, H2 kind of car.

One day, my mom said her friend got a prius and it was really cool. Asked me if i wanted to test drive one. I orignally felt reluctant, I thought I'd be caught dead driving a prius around school. I thought it'd be cool to test drive a new car so I went to the dealer and they gave me a demo of all the prius had, bluetooth, sks, nav, and the incredible fuel economy. Needless to say, I was very impressed. I especially loved the sks, no more digging thru the pockets while carryng heavy bags for the keys. It wa great.

I told my mom I loved the car, she put down a sizeable down payment for me. And the rest is history. I gotta pay for my own gas so in hindsight, I couldn't have made a better choice. I'd be wrose than broke if i had to refuel a h2 every thee days.

The most surprising thing by far, however, was the fact that I went to a few parties at my firend's house and they were all asking me all these questions about it. I had a great time showing off the sks and all the cool features. This was back in august of 05.

The onyl complaint I would have now is that there are way too many millenium silver prii in so cal. Every parking lot I park at there are at least 2-3 other millenium silver prii. Now if only I had a 06 magnetic grey, now thats a beauty. But thats a different story.

 

58 here. I did NOT like the looks of the Prius at first. I wanted it for the low-pollution, the high mileage, and the cool technology. Plus I wanted a car with ABS and air bags, which my old '89 Civic did not have. And I wanted a station wagon, hatchback, or liftback for the flexibility. -- Since then I have grown to like the odd look of the car. -- Now what I want is for it to be a PHEV. If EDrive Systems ever actually starts doing conversions I'd consider it pretty seriously.

(PHEV = Plug-in Hybrid. EDrive promises 30-mile range in EV with their $12,000 conversion. But last I checked they had nt yet begun actually doing the conversions.)

 

Let's just say I'm in an older age bracket and I'm female. I bought the Prius because I'm one of the liberal-leaning former flower-child types who kind of wants to do the right thing. I had been considering getting a hybrid for a while, but hadn't really acted on it or done much research. I was always under the impression that a hybrid would lack power -- one thing that makes me really nervous is a sluggish car when trying to merge onto a busy highway. When I was ready to start thinking about buying a new car, I read the 2006 Consumer Reports new car issue and was impressed that the Prius had earned a 95% satisfaction rating from its owners, the highest rating for any car. Also, CR had many other positive things to say about it. After test driving one, I was immediately sold. Loved the cool technology and thought it drove just fine. Although in the past I had never liked the looks of hatchbacks/liftbacks, I thought this car has such a distinctive look it didn't bother me -- and it seemed really roomy and practical.

 

I just turn 52!! Oh my God.....................
Because I'm a friggin techie nuts and I hate giving my money away to the Oil refineries.

 

I personally am 36 with a young family of 3 kids.

Driving around town, we have noticed that most of the other Prius drivers are... How to say this delicately? ... More likely to by blue hair die and Grecian formula. You know, those that collect Social Security Benefits instead of building them. It is an interesting phenomena.

The results of this poll show that most of the owners participating are at least 20 years younger. I wonder if the more experienced drivers are a local Northern Nevada thing or if it is just that the Internet is more the domain of the younger generations.

I like the Prius because I hate waste. Theres plenty to go around in this big world if everyone takes only what they need. Normal cars throw away all of that breaking energy and idle gas away when stopped.

 

I'm 24 turning 25 in a couple of days (July 28th)! :blink: I've been trying to convince everyone, even myself, to get a Hybrid and I finally did it! I test drove the Camry which was the same price as the Pkg 7 but it didnt' feel the same. I wasn't as excited with it. Maybe it was the cool little pictures in the Nav screen that got me, but I loved the Prius' feel much better.

 

I'm 59.

Two quick stories....

When I was around 21 I had a choice to make. To purchase a Mercedes 450SL for $10 grand or invest it. It was a damn hard choice. But I was told that your money would increase in the market and the car wouldn't. Well, I made a huge mistake. I put the money into options. I didn't know what I was doing and lost it all. Ten years later that 450SL was worth double what I would have paid for it. Ever since then I have been looking for something to replace that lousy experience. But I did learn.

Story #2

I have always been a geek/techie. Anyone who knows me knows that gadgets have been my weakness. It took me a year to "research" the Prius but I gotta tell ya that this car is the first car I ever purchased "new". AND this is that replacement Mercedes. It represents to me everything I have ever wanted in a car. The love affair with our cars is what drives our addiction to oil. It represents freedom. But this one allows us to enjoy it without the guilt factor. I am so glad I got the Prius.

 

I'm 37 and had been thinking about a Prius for a couple of years before picking mine up on July 1. Although I really dislike car payments, it was time to replace my POS 2000 VW Jetta before the tranny fell out, and I had liked the Prius since the new body style came out in 2004. I also strongly considered the Acura TSX and TL but I just could not make myself buy an "outdated," inefficient car, no matter how beautiful. Here in Dallas, a.k.a. Plasticland, the Prius does not get much respect -- but thankfully, the older I get, the less I care what other people think.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fatale @ Jul 8 2006, 09:38 PM) [snapback]283183[/snapback]</div>

 

I'm 24, and as I drive around So. Cal, I see nothing but atleast 35+. Sorry if you're younger, but that's all I really see.

After hearing the first quarter earnings of all big oil companies, I was so outraged, the next day I got on the internet and phone to track down a Prius. The day after test driving one, my sister gave birth to my first niece. Over the next couple of days I countined to hear stories about global warming, high levels of ozone, and the usual stories of pollution. As I waited for my Prius to come, I felt all these stories were a sign. Just a week after picking it up from the dealer, I heard a story on the radio (while driving) about how autism could occur from intaking high levels of pollution. After hearing that story, I was convinced that I made the right choice.

 

33 years here. I wanted my Prius for the lower emissions and fuel economy. Also the tax ded and HOV access don't hurt! My car is doing pretty well, considering it has to drive around an eighties rock child. B)

 

I am 32 and I just got my Prius a little over a month ago. I chose a Prius for a couple of reasons. The first being that about a year ago my boyfriend surprised me with a new car, a 9.3 Turbo convertible Saab Turbo something or another. He traded in my Pontiac Vibe in the deal. Although my friends were green with envy that my super great boyfriend bought me this super great car, I secretly felt sad about him having spent so much money on a car I knew wasn't for me. Yes, fancy in comparison to my Pontiac, but I am just not that into cars as decoration, more for functionality. Being that I live in Dallas with some of the dirtiest air in the country a convertible certianly wasn't enjoyable yet it was functional in that it prompted me to consider the air that we breathe. And since the 2 door Saab was WAY TO SMALL for what I needed I began to look for what I would get next.

A PRIUS was the answer!! I like it a lot. I wouldn't say I am in love with it, I have never really cared much about cars at all. I do love that it is not completely oil dependent, Anything I can do to separate myself from needing George Bush and his War For Oil THRILLS ME TO NO END!!!!!!!!!!

I am enjoying Prius Chat in a very uncharacteristic strange way. Thanks to everyone for the sharing of great knowledge and information!!

 

I am 23, going on 24. Bought mine in April this year and it has thus far been an excellent decision.

 

I'm 30. The Prius was the only vehicle I considered when I decided to replace my old car. The Toyota name really speaks for itself, and the car's fuel economy and performance are great.