Prius Myths and their Rebuttals

My Prius is 6.5 years old and has 122k miles on the odometer. If tyres, a recall I did myself for the heck of it, and oil changes are excluded I have averaged USD $4.7 a month to cover all maintenance and repairs. Details are here.

Face it OP, your old truck is a money pit. As for your worry what others will think of you if you are not driving a truck, you should grow some balls. I spent about 10 years in the military too, most of the time in the paratroops. I think what you call a 'conservative' I call a chicken-hawk pussy.

 

My twin-turbo truck dyno'd over 700rwhp and my Trans Am ran low 11s in the 1/4mile but I drive my Prius pretty conservatively (almost hypermiling) most of the time but I sling it through the corners. When traffic is fast then I will drive it fast. Just depends I guess. Age and wisdom has reduce my aggressive driving considerably and now instead of trying to race everyone in sight, I would rather get the best MPG I can. I readily identify with these gearheads and off-roaders but my attitude and behavior changed with education. That doesn't make me better than anyone else, just different.

 

This has been one of my main arguments for those against fuel efficiency yet claim to support our troops. The Daily Show covered it quite nicely last night...

America's Freedom Packages - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 03/21/11 - Video Clip | Comedy Central

 

I checked out the linkback below to the Dodge Durango forum. It seems our instigator friend is trolling, as he brags there about how he's coming here.

Well, whatever. I'm sure some Prius owner has done likewise (though never one of US, right? )

In a few minutes there I saw quite a range of misunderstanding about how Prii and cars in general work. Toxic batteries (so how healthy is that semi-burned fuel and leaky oil?), how Prii only get 35-40 mpg when "an average car gets 35-40" (that was a new one! I wonder if EPA knows this?), how a Durango is more efficient because its engine turns at a lower speed (that's precious!).

I'll hazard a guess that we know more about Durangos than they know about Prii, but I KNOW that we would ALL (both Durango and Prius owners) benefit greatly from stopping the pi**ing contest. It's pointless.

There may be a logical justification for driving a large inefficient vehicle. If I hauled stuff for a living and could only afford one vehicle, I'd probably have one too. But if 90% of my driving were a highway commute with one or two people, then I'd be looking hard for something more efficient. Being that wasteful just to get my ya-yas is plain unreasonable.

But I have no sympathy whatsoever for anyone who complains about fuel prices and leaves their monster diesel truck idling while they go into the -store for smokes and lottery tickets. Hell, I've seen vehicles left idling while their owners are in RESTAURANTS EATING, just so the vehicle would be warm when they came out (never mind that the 4 gallons of coolant and 600 pounds of cast iron and steel engine are going to retain a lot of heat for as long as they'll be eating).

Nosir. You lost your right to bitch at that point.

 

First, and foremost, thank you for your service. I have lost family in desert storm, and had family/friends injured in Iraq.





I understand the part about nickel, I work in a rechroming/polishing shop.

I dont know how to work on the newer stuff as far as computers go. The computer equiptment is far too expensive to justify purchasing.

As far as gov. regualtion: "It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error." Robert H. Jackson



"Did you know a replacement battery pack is cheaper than a Crown Vic transmission? Guess how often a Crown Vic eats transmissions in taxi use? "

Lets try no. A replacement battery is what? $1600-3500?

Rebuilding a Crown Vic trans? $750-1600

Used? 300-500

Crown Vic Transmissions (1992+, usually go for at least 220k. Some have gone up to 600k) The earlier AOD, like in my '86, does have a bad rep, usually the OD bands burn up.

Also the Panther platform (Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Towncar) has been built since 1979, thats 32 years.

Must be pretty durable huh?

I dont claim to know how to make hydrogen efficent, and affordable, I just daid its a better longterm solution then the prius is.

 

Did I ever call anyone a pussy for drving a prius? No, so relax a little chief.

I have 2 CARS I drive as well. Also my Dakota (Not Durango guys), is a midsized truck, its not in your face at all, i use it for hauling and towing.

I dont feel as if its a money pit, I enjoy it, and It has paid for itself many times with its impressive payload.

 

I saw that too. Then I laughed when I filled my tank today and the MFD read 53 mpg over 386 miles. Just too show off I drove home at 65 mph and ended the trip with 60mpg and 48 miles on the screen. The poor kids think they know it all. They really should do more research. Sadly, most off them are probably nice guys but are burdened by lies and political hyperbole.

 

Semi burned fuel? Leaky oil?

Tell that to the fellas with the clean running, well tuned beautiful trucks on there. Not everyone has a beat on truck. AA lot of the guys have put amazing work into theirs.

Also our Trucks do work a lot less to do the same work. My 5.2 V8 isn't workin very hard to propel my 3500 lb truck.

I have a dakota for the 34534523265 time. Thank you

Its like calling your prius an insight. It hurts.

In-efficient for whom? For you maybe, but I do haul. Also its nice to haul nice person too. I'd say I use the bed on my truck at least 3 times a week. Always moving something on the Weekends, for work, or on the side for cash.

I think gas being 3.50 + sucks. Do I constantly bitch? Nope. Other people bitch more about what I drive then I do. Obviously if I couldnt afford it (Or any of my other vehicles) I would be taking the bus. I work hard, I have two jobs and go to school fulltime, why? So I can have the things I want. The self ritghteous nice person, who was my origional reason for coming on here, has no right to frown upon my choice of vehicles (Or comment on me smoking outside, thats a whole other arguement)

Who hasnt left their car running while they went inside to grab a pack of smokes for the road?

I will agree with you on one thing. People with Autostart on their keychains who start the car 30 minutes beofre they go outside need to be hung. Its just annoying lol.

 

guys maybe if everyone stops feeding the troll the kid will go back to Dodge land and leave us overly educated adults alone.

 

You're welcome

That rechroming shop does a lot more to f*** up the environment than a Prius. So why claim the Prius NiMH battery is "toxic?"

The average half ton pickup has far more TOTAL nickel content than the Prius does, "batteries included." Therefore, the average half ton pickup is more "toxic" than a Prius

Let's not even get started on all the airbags in modern vehicles. Not only are they a huge hazard to rescue personnel, they also have toxic end-of-use issues

Just about every vehicle made in the last 6 years has CANBus, more than expected have traction control stability control etc. Not exactly a roadside repair if something goes haywire

You admitted in a previous post how the air was cleaner. That is due entirely to government regulation of auto, commercial trucking, and industrial emissions

If you want to see true laissez faire in action, check out the pollution problems in India and China. No pesky catalytic converters there!

Around two grand. And the reason Duffy's Taxi in Winnipeg, Manitoba switched to Prius for taxi use was the dramatically lower maintenance, much longer lifespans, and 3 times the fuel economy

Up here that is what a Crown Vic electronically controlled trans, with the Police Interceptor package, costs to get overhauled. Maybe you get a huge discount where you live and/or work

There is no way in hell a Crown Vic trans used in taxi service lasts that long. The nice thing about the Prius transaxle is no bands, no clutches, essentially a couple of gears, a planetary gearset, a diff, and a chain. With routine maintenance, they last the life of the car

Try $4,000 up here

Not up here

Not up here they don't

So why has Ford concentrated on FWD platforms instead? Even the Crown Vic is fleet only. Speaking of which, until Ford put in the ballistic protection system for the gas tank, some police departments refused to order them

I guess those police departments didn't like cops getting burned to death after getting rear ended during a traffic stop

If you don't know how to make H2 more efficient and affordable, how do you know it's a better long-term solution than a Prius?

Hydrogen was a science-fictiony thing pushed onto the masses to make it look as if there was a quick cheap fix to long term fuel problems.

So rather than suck it up and admit we're f***ed as we don't even HAVE a long-term energy policy, we pretend nothing bad will happen

And please don't start on "environmentalists" stopping domestic drilling. If it really was that cheap and bountiful, and not requiring massive subsidies, there is no way a couple of hippies would stand in the way of progress

There is a reason why Americans import most of their oil from Canada. Canada has massive subsidies in the form of Crown Corporations. These Crown Corporations not only legally shield the oil companies from liability, they also GUARANTEE cost recovery!

Think about it.

The oil companies here CANNOT LOSE. No matter how low or how high oil prices go, they are guaranteed to make a profit! The higher the price of oil, the more windfall as even with record oil prices, they still get their guaranteed cost recovery

Canada also has environmental regulations far behind the US. Not as bad as, say, Nigeria where they routinely have Gulf of Mexico scale oil spills.

You can believe whatever you want. I do find it ironic you claim the Prius is for "liberals" and is "toxic." My only suggestion is that if you're so Patriotic, enlist and put YOUR nice person on the line. I did for 10 years, and will not lift a finger again

 

I completely agree with this comment

I really hate it when somebody gets in my face. First of all, that's very dangerous as I'm a big guy and can pretty easily hurt somebody. Second, it's none of their f***ing business

For example, several years ago I had to drive my dad down to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Gassed up near Cottage Grove in the Twin Cities. I think it was a Super America

I had the Prius, guy next to me with a Chrysler 300C had stickers Buy American, Proud American, etc. Forgot to ask if he had ever seen military service

Anyway, he looked at me and said "Jap crap"

I looked at him, and said "Thank you for buying Canadian"

He was shocked and said, no it wasn't

I said yes it was, made in Brampton Ontario. Guy behind me had a newer Dodge Grand Caravan, he became very interested and asked where HIS vehicle was made

"Windsor, Ontario" I said

The driver of the 300C simply refused to believe it. I told him to open his driver door and check out the build data. Sure enough. The guy with the minivan did so too, but he seemed more curious than anything

The 300C driver then remained silent until I was done filling and I took off.

Quite frankly, I could give one s*** if somebody smokes, as long as they don't blow smoke in my face. The nice thing about the US is lack of public health care. A smoker f***s up their lungs from smoking, tough s***

Here, the Socialized medicine, which every Province is responsible for, then pays for palliative care and other expensive treatments. I have a real problem with paying for lifestyle-induced health problems

 

Battery production is toxic. Whether you like it or not. Your prius isnt the enviromental wonder you'd all like it to be.

Yeah? Airbags have been standard in most cars since the early 90's, whats your point?

Right, which is why I like my old cars. All I need to fix them is a toolbox

I said the air is cleaner, I never said why. Perhaps its that we have lost a bunch of heavy industry. To India. To China.

Okay, some police depts. refused to order them? Come on the Crown vic has been the police car of choice since 1980. I dont buy your BS.

Longer lifespans? Then a RWD Body on Frame V8 sedan, built like a tank? That just makes me laugh. Wheres your track record?

I know the Crown Vic is fleet only, thats because producktion ends at the end of the year.

Ford is doing it to try and get more use out of the new taurus platform i'd assume. Which the new Police Interceptor is based off of (AWD, Ecoboost)

I'm not a scientist, thats their job. If you think cars like the prius are the end all to end all, then you sir, are a fool.

I'd rather pay 5 a gallon for american gas, then 3 dollars for Arab's gas.

 

Most of us don't consider it to be BUT it is a hell of a lot better than what you are driving and what is generally available on the market at an affordable price. Do you think it is a better idea to continue driving heavy polluters and waste resources until we come up with a miracle technology or would it be prudent to make incremental changes as technology evolves? I really hope you know the answer to this one.[/quote]

Did you even know why? It didn't sound like it according to your previous post and your aversion to "environmentalists whom you should thank for your cleaner air and water. If you want to blame a lose of heavy industry jobs on anyone I suggest you go to the source of those jobs... The corporate world, not the Government.

Have you checked out how many older Hondas and Toyotas are on the road vs. K cars and other "tank-like" cars? Very few people want to drive gas guzzling crapped out cars. If one is forced to drive a bucket they generally will choose a fuel efficient one. Unless you live in the ghettos of the U.S. but we know what good decision makers those people are.

Then where do you assume you know enough about the environment to make an accurate assessment of it's state of health? This is yet another reason you are not qualified to have an opinion or make decisions that affect human health due to automotive emissions or second hand smoke and why Government has to step in. People are often too uneducated to make proper decisions in a world of high technology and high population.

Again, who said that? Are you simply bringing your own anti-environmental baggage to this forum so you can rant? Maybe you should go find the lady that sparked this whole issue with you and have it out with her instead. You came here making accusations in the form of questions and you were given corrections for your misconceptions. If you cannot accept the fact that you are wrong on nearly all accounts except this one:

Then there is no reason to continue this conversation. Unless you just like arguing with Jayman. lol

I'd rather force everyone to pay the true cost of gasoline so we can stop subsidizing your bad bad habits and get off this destructive rollercoast of oil addiction and keep our troops out the business of securing oil reserves.

 

That's not a healthy pursuit, but I'm willing to watch.

Tom

 

From a distance.... I like Jayman but I hate arguing with him. His knowledge-base is as formidable as his harem of women.

 

Fuel at $6 will change a lot of habits and opinions. I wonder how long it will take '96DD to adjust to life in a high-rise apartment and taking the subway to work?

 

I sure do. So if I did get rid of my truck to buy a prius, guess what? Someone else would buy it, and then we would have The truck plus a prius on the road. How's that better for the environment?

Oh boy are you wrong on this one.

Now how many 80's Box chevy's do you see on the road? Literal shittons. How many 80's civics? Not a lot that aren't rotted to the roof.

Please do not use the K car as a "tank like" comparison. Thats just ridiculous.

Old trucks? Lots Old Bronco's Suburbans, Tahoes, Durangos? Lots.

I dont live in the Ghetto, I live in a blue collar town outside of Chicago. Schiller Park, look it up.

If people want to smoke, let them. If a restaurant/bar allows smoking, and you dont like it, dont go there.

Theres the "I'm better then you" thing again. Seems to be a prevailing attitude in this "Prius Culture". Thats part of being an american, I get to choose what and how I drive, that statement sounds a lot like something you'd hear in the USSR.

Its not a bad habit, It's called the backbone of America. This country was built on cars, truck, and trains. Find a way to replace my family's tractors, and other farm equipment cost effectively. What's every kid's dream? To own a Hybrid? No to have a fast car that looks good, and sounds better. My truck can do things you hybrid cant dream of, same for my cars. How passing someone on the highway?

Just because you have a vendetta against regular cars, dosent mean there going anywhere anytime soon.

Please don't bring your liberal "were there for the oil" theories into this. I have family in Iraq. Lets move on.

 

LOL. I took the bus everyday from the time I was 12 til I got my license. I will Never ever use public transportation again. I hate it. Hence the reason I have a car

 

Stop fighting with the kid and he'll go away!!

 

Sorry Ryan, but this is going to be too fun.

Oh, fantastic. That doesn't sound ghetto at all.

Then you're not going to like the rest of my post, in which I give you the smack down!

Done. Median income ~$34k. Impressive.

I passed more cars on the freeway coming home from work than times you farted last night in bed.

I'm actually a conservative but even I know that we went there for the oil.

It was mine.

Ever heard of having both a hybrid and a sports car? Oh I forgot, $34k... Sorry!