The Hype-rid Challenge: Value vs. Vogue

Nice quote. I will never buy a Ford again in my life and Kia's are suspicious of poor quality/reliability. So not options just Prius baby!!!

 

Yeah, I just read in the Globe or Post (can't remember which - we get both at work) that Winnipeg is the new murder capital of Canada. Even though Vancouver has one of the highest overall crime rates in Canada, the vast majority of crime here is property related. Aside from gangs, and husbands/wives shooting each other, there isn't much violent crime here for a city of this size. Compared to where I was born - Chicago - and some of the other cities I've lived in - New Orleans, Los Angeles - Vancouver is a very safe (and boring) place. The people on the bus here might look scary, but they aren't really.

Sorry for the thread hijack, but I'm pretty bored of the anti-prius press stories... I did enjoy the post in the thread below the initial post where the one guy asked if the other guy was "retarded".

 

Yeah, Vancouver used to really be a progressive city, as opposed to just pretending to be one. I've lived here many times (not really sure why I keep moving back :blink: ) and in my not at all humble opinion, this city has been going downhill for some time now - and most people here don't even see it! ...but that's another thread.

Fifty years ago this city had a fleet of zero-emission busses - pictures - and I do mean zero because electricity here comes from hydro turbine dams (although they have their own environmental issues... again, another thread).
/rant

OK, a little on the actual topic... notice how in the subtitle Ming claims that the Prius is a media darling? What is he smoking? The media hates the Prius. I've lost count of the anti-Prius stories. It's interesting what people will say/do when they feel threatened.

 

Drive 300 miles/week. Want to pollute less while doing so. My concern for the opinions of other drivers can be measured in microgivashits.

 

Nothing new about it I think Winnipeg has taken this "honor" for 3 or 4 years running. As long as politicians don't give a s*** what do the people/sheeple expect?

My Aunties used to endlessly worry about me when I lived in Utah. SLC has less than 1/2 the total homicides (Or 1/4 the homicide rate), despite over twice the population of Winnipeg. I felt far safer in Utah.

The fact I could legally carry concealed probaby helped too. Believe it or not, most of the time I left my handgun at home, I just forgot it under my pillow. Shows how "scared" I was in Utah.

 

Ok, I have to admit to a fashion factor with the Prius, but no one has mentioned one of the two largest factors I used in choosing this car. Safety rating, specifically rear passenger. I plan to have children in the next few years, so one of my main factors is the safety of a child in the rear seats.

Prius has one of the best safety ratings of any car in its class. On a scale of 1-5
Driver=5 Front Passenger=4 Rear Passenger=4

Compare this to the Kia Spectra and you'll see a pretty big difference:
Driver=4 Front Passenger=4 Rear Passenger=3

I had a lot of trouble finding a safety rating for the Ford Focus they used in the article. The safety info I could find on a 2 door Focus was not bad for 2005, but for 2004 it was awful.
Driver=4 Front Passenger=3 Rear Passenger=4 (up from a dismal 1 in 2004!)


Another major factor for me is resale value. Should I have a need for emergency money, or even if I just want to trade in for the newer model, I like knowing my investment will hold much of its value. I don't know about the ford resale, although I'm sure it is lower than the Prius, but I _know_ the Kia resalve value is extremely poor.

Also, part of the "vogue factor" is that I find it imprtant to support new technolies that have a great potential for helping to correct social and ecconomic woes. I think supporting a company that creates a quality hybrid car is important. Without cosumer support, no matter how impactful new developments can be, they will never suceed.

Finally, there's the Toyota factor. I had a Toyota before the Prius and I was really happy with it. They make quality cars that generally outlive the competition. They have one of the best warranties in the country. Repair costs and services needed are generally low.

I am not rich. In fact, my husband and I both work with children and there is not a lot of money in it. However there is again that sense of creating a social change for the better. I am educted, but I have been saving for some time to be able to buy a new car, just how I wanted it. The bottom line is I could have bought a non-hybrid sooner, and it would have had some features I really wish the Prius had (moonroof, heated seats, etc) but as a savvy consumer, I paid $300 under MSRP and the social, ecconomic, and safety gains I made far outweighed the extra cost or even missing features.

To me there is nothing like the feeling of making a difference in your own small way. The Prius is a great way of doing that.

 

I believe it. I've never owned a handgun, nor have I ever felt the need to.

 

The NHTSA test is somewhat dated; that is, the testing standards are somewhat dated. I suggest you examine the EU NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme). In particular I'm a lot more concerned about the "offset" frontal crash rating. This is a "real world" crash in which only a portion of the car can absorb the crash energy.

In the U.S. the test is done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

http://www.hwysafety.org

Most American pickups and SUV's have terrible crash ratings in the offset test. The Jimmy/Blazer and Astro are particular examples.

The Prius was tested by EuroNCAP and had very good results:

http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_rat...p?id1=3&id2=193

 

I've been waiting for the IIHS results to come back for the prius... they seem to be taking their sweet time.

Thanks for the link to the EuroNCAP tho!

 

Humm.. I"ve never heard it put quite that way... but I have a nice meter that measures that too... my wife...

If you don't have one... don't buy one.. they're too expensive.