Need smug-proof defense for buying my Prius!

just say its because you like it.

 

How about dollars in your pocket every time you fill up for the life of the vehicle.

 

In our case we certainly like the great mileage but we bought the car because we liked it better than the others in the same class. It is quiet, rides smooth, has great features, is fun to drive, has more room for people and luggage than it look like it would have. One of my favorite features is to hang my keys on my belt loop and not have to touch them - I want my house to have the same feature.

So it doesn't have to be about green or mileage. It's simply a great car. Driving it is one of the highlights of my day.

 

Tell them you like the new technology that hybrids offer, and then talk about that. Just makes you sound like you like cool stuff

 

I hate standing at gas pumps.
I like just going where I want and not being too concerned about the gas budget.
I love the style of the Prius.
Have you seen the toys in this thing? It's like a rolling Xbox!
I was going to get an Escolade but I wanted to save some cash, and you wont believe the mileage.
It makes my girlfriend hot for me.
You buy what you want, I bought what I want.
Smile and walk away.
I thought, "why not use half the gas?"
If 50% of our oil is foreign and I use half as much, am I using any foreign oil?
It is just the smoothest, quietest car we tested.
I wanted an electric roadster but the waiting list for Tesla is way long.
National security, it seemed the right thing to do and it was.
Arabs don't like Americans.
There is no starter noise to wake my neighbours when I go out early in the morning to see my girlfriend.
It's good for sneaking up on mutha f... oops inappropriate language.
I discovered that just because I want a comfortable midsized car I don't have to suck down gas at 25mpg.
I could go on.

 

1. Money. Lowest total cost of ownership.

2. Money. Highest retained retail value.

3. Peace of mind. Highest reliablility (tied with other Toyotas).

4. Happiness. Highest owner satisfaction.

5. Politics. Less foreign oil used, less money to fund terrorists.

6. Fun. Hang around with us for a while.

Of course you could start feeling smug about any of those things too.

 

Debatable if politics are involved

 

Were you at PCD?
We had a ball.
Prius people are the BEST people, seriously.

 

Is smug-ness a real problem in the States? I've the seen the Southpark 'Prius' episode, and just assumed that the OP was a troll with little imagination.

 

Tell Them You Support The Troops by Driving a Prius!!
The Less Oil We use The Less We Will Have To Fight For It!

 

Because it was the car that best fit my needs. Why did you buy your car?

 

Hmmm, almost 5 years into my ownership and haven't had to "defend" my Prius ownership yet. Must be an advantage to looking like a mean, bald, 800 lb gorilla

Although one time, around 3 years ago, I did come close to getting into an arguement. I had gone into a parts store to get some odds and ends, and upon walking out, saw a couple of small, skinny guys looking at my Prius

I overheard them say things like "must be a real pansy to drive one of these gay cars" so I quietly walked up right behind them. Used the fob to unlock the doors, and I have my Prius beep volume turned all the way up. I then growled "excuse me"

Oh, that was funny. I glared at them, and they very quickly got out of my way, color draining from their faces. I was a lot bigger back then, but would probably get the same reaction even after having lost all that blubber.

 

Print out the following image:

Cut the page to fold and hold a $20 bill and carry it in your wallet. When someone asks, open your wallet and showing them the $20 bill carrier, say "This is my fill-up money."

The other alternative, pull out your wallet and say, "this is my kind of green:"


Bob Wilson

 

and the response to gas savings would be "you could have bought a versa and saved yourself 10,000 dollars. how much does 10,000 give you in gas?"

IMHO just say you like it. others can't argue with you about that.

 

Smile back and ask,"Is that a family class sedan with automatic transmission, power steering and brakes?"

Don't stop but go step by step and ask,"Does it have alloy wheels; rear spoiler; 5 star front driver and passenger protection; ABS brakes; 6-speaker CD player; ... "

List the standard parts of your Prius and let them propose the car with the equivalent features. ... It doesn't exists with Prius mileage. <GRINS>

Finally, ask them which car has received the top Consumer Reports rating for the past five years, the Prius, and the most recent score, 93%.

Of course they can but it has be shown to be a patently false comparison. It has to be shown they don't know what they are talking about but might as well propose a pair of sneakers.

Bob Wilson

 

You bought one of the best hypermiling vehicles so you can compete with other hypermilers online for bragging rights.

You wanted a weird looking car.

You wanted the HOV benefits.

 

I have three basic responses, two of which are preemptive.

The response depends, of course, both on the audience and on the speaker. The reason my wife and I got a Prius was that she wanted one, and I'm a big believer that gas prices should be higher than they are (due to the negative externalities of pollution, global warming, and involvement in the Middle East) so I was ok with getting one. That said, it wasn't the most economical choice for us, because we don't drive much and my parents would have given us their 2001 Lexus ES for free. My wife nixed that idea because she thought the Lexus was pretentious. I, on the other hand, think that some Prius owners are a bit smug. But it's better to be smug while doing a good thing than full of oneself while driving a monster SUV.

Given all this, here are my statements/replies:

1. "You know what's really great about the Prius, is that to start it I just pat myself on the back, and that supplies all the energy it needs to get going". [my favorite by far, because it's so diasarming]

2. "As a liberal, bearded professor in the SF Bay Area I figured that it was important to complete the stereotype." [for people from work]

3. "You know, the technology really is impressive". [In response when my brother in law said "congrats on your golf cart"].