Who else traded luxury for a Prius?

I do not know...the 400-BHP might be kinda fun....
(but not the wieght, wood, and pillow soft ride!)

 

A month ago I traded in Lexus RX 330. I do miss the soft leather and overall luxary feeling of the RX; however, when I see gas prices continue to climb and complete dependence on foreign oil it was time to prepare for the worse. I did test drive the CT but was not that impressed plus they really didn't want to deal much on a trade.

 

Dodge is running a Hemi add just for you. Picture of an evil looking black Hemi with the words, "Horsepower per dollar is just as important as miles per gallon". VAROOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM...

 

LOL!

I've never liked Dodge products...but I respect their "I really don't care what you think!" attitude, and I would looooove to play with a Challenger for a day...or two....or three....

 

I went from a 2008 BMW M Roadster to a 2010 Prius III. Today is the first full day driving and I have to say that I am happy to have the 50+ mpg. The M got about 17 mpg on the highway and 14 or so on the street. While going from 330 hp to 98 is a bit of change I am happy.

All of this does however coincide with getting married and having a beautiful baby girl. Not only was the roadster impractical, but there was a major shift in priorities. Time to move past the high car payment and high fuel costs; with about 18,000 per year in just office commuting, I am saving about $3,500 a year.

 

My A4 convertible lease ran up, and I picked up a non-german car for the first time in 15 years...I was very hesitant at first (the only thing that convinced me was the $1500/year in gas savings), but now that I have it I absolutely love it! Which I find really weird.

We still have a MB E350 on lease for another 18 months, and I can't wait to get rid of it...every time I drive it, it reminds of all the money I've thrown away on luxury vehicles over the past decade! These german cars are built for the autobahn (ie...over 100mph) and long term - most luxury cardrivers in the country lease their cars for 3 years and never go over 90! My average MPH over the first 22K miles in the E350 is 21 MPH/17.2MPG (mostly city driving, Los Angeles!)...why do I need a 270 hp engine to go 21 MPH?!?!

Not to mention that the prius doesn't have stupid low profile/245 tires...two of which my wife busted when she drove over a curb last year...$700, or the dented rim from a pothole that cost me $280 a month ago...

It is the perfect car for city driving!

 

I've been fortunate enough to drive many fantastic cars (luxury & sports--Porsches, BMWs, Mercedes AMG, etc.). When I decided to get a Prius (for environmental reasons, not $ savings), I prepared myself for the worse in terms of driving experience and creature comforts relative to what I'd experienced with previous cars.

I'll have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Partly attributable to expectation setting I'm sure (I had done a really good job of preparing myself for the worse), but my Prius V really is a great little car. With the 17" wheels, handling & ride comfort is surprisingly good. Interior is relatively spartan, but my biggest complaint is interior noise (rattles & creaks, and lack of sound insulation).

One thing that surely helped ease the transition was getting a V (with the 17" wheels, LED headlights, more direct steering, upgraded stereo, leather seats, etc.).

 

I disagree with the OP's opinion on the Prius frankly. I am changing from an S Type Jaguar to the Prius. On the test drive I found the leather seats in the Prius perfectly comfortable and easily as soft as the leather in my Jag.

No mirror heater! The UK Prius certainly has heated mirrors. A lack of road feel through the steering is now common on many vehicles too so I am told.

No adjusting seating in the back! I have never has any adjustment in the rear seating in any luxury car (several Jags) I have ever owned. Most luxury cars I have owned are Saloons as we call them in the UK with fixed rear seating.

I think the top of the range Prius is well appointed for the price and I have no complaints whatsoever.

 

I went from a Toyota Tercel with no A/C, wind down windows, and no airbags to a Prius, so the Prius is a luxury car to me.

 

I didn't trade down to a Prius but I didn't start out to buy one. Instead, I started by shopping for a Lexus ES, 250H, and/or Avalon. It wasn't until I put down on paper the car I needed did I find out that it wasn't any of the above. I drive 70 miles daily to work and back, 95% of the time I am in the car by myself and even less time is there someone in the back seat. Looking at things this way the Prius was a no brainer. I bought it and am glad I did.

 

In the past year, my wife and I have gone from owning a 2006 Infiniti M45 and a 2006 Subaru Tribeca Limited to a 2011 Scion xB and a 2011 Prius II.

Both the M45 and the Tribeca had all the bells and whistles and were luxurious to drive... they should be considering the M45 was north of $55k new and the Tribeca was over $35k new as well. Now our two current cars are a little more spartan (the xB more so than the Prius). But, we had shifting priorities... both of us had been laid off when the economy went bad in 2008 and have had to take lower paying jobs. We decided we just couldn't flush money down the toilet anymore to drive cars that got less than 20mpg consistently, plus cost a lot in maintenance.

We're very happy with our choices... sometimes life makes you do the smarter thing, and I'm greatful for it now!

 

Let's get real here!

A 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan E350 with all the features that I would want, I already have in my 2010 Prius V/ATP for $31,800 not $57,373. Yes, my V has a rattle & some road noise, but I'm not willing to pay a "premium" for the "prestige" of owning a Mercedes & it's perceived luxury!! Of course, I'm not objecting to the 48 mpg and being green!

 

I'm the same. Sure, it's a different world sitting inside a Lexus IS350. But after 10min, the novelty was already starting to fade. All that I'll be left with is the payments and that's no fun.

 

I have had several expensive cars...but not really a luxury type. 2003.5 BMW M3 SMG. 2004 Mercedes G-wagen. None of them are really Lexus LS luxury types.

Frankly, i have never really found a BMW (3- and 5-series) or Caddy (CTS) sound system that i like. BMW has always had crappy system, even their HK audio. (Disclaimer: never tested a 7-series HK system.) The current CTS BOSE system is seriously lacking. Infiniti with their BOSE also has been only OK at best. Mercedes HK system tends to be good. Lexus ML is always excellent, with a few exception (RX for example). Acura ELS system is very good (on par with most Lexus ML systems) in the TL. TSX ELS system is OK.

For me, i sold my G-wagen for the Prius V with ATP. Why? I did this when gas prices were still relatively low. Change in job requirements (more driving)...and change in life's perspective for my family's safety. For me, driving the G-wagen attracted way too much attention, esp. at local Walmart. I did not like it. I was paranoid about the attention (from bad folks) and how this could harm my family. So, i made the decision to give up luxury brand name cars...and buy regular name brands. Additional benefit is the lower cost of maintenance. I am good with Acura because it is not really a highend brand and the maintenance is dirt cheap (= to Toyota).

For the JBL owners out there...don't mess around with the settings too much...stick with ZERO (middle) on all the settings while leaving ASL ON. And IMO, the JBL in the Prius is better than HK in BMWs and BOSE in Caddys/Infinitis.

 

x2. I must also add that the price range of the Prius is nothing special. You can buy a Camry for under $20k...and buy a $34k Camry Hybrid. So, is Camry an "Econobox" simply on price point?? Same for Accords, etc.. Does that make a loaded Civic or Corolla worhtless?

Lexus HS base price is around $33k...and goes all the way up to around $48k...so, potentially, it is more expensive than a base GS350. So, does that mean that the HS is not worth it since it is really only an entry level luxury car vs. a GS? That is down the personal opinion of the buyer. The HS costs that much because of the extensive features that it has vs. a base GS. But, that does not mean that the GS is overpriced either...it has nice luxury trimmings in the interior to justify its price.

In other words, a $35k Prius is not really bare bones vs. a base BMW 3-series. Each offer different stuff to justify the price. It all depends on who the buyer is. To call the Prius an econobox vs. a BMW is misleading IMO.

 

I went from a 2004 VW Phaeton into a 2010 Prius V. The two things I miss the most: ventilated seats & sound deadening.

 

I had a Lexus 470 and 2 BMW X5s and got a "newjob" sounds like I'm not the only one trying to make better choices with transportation! I love the car! It's so cheap 2 drive, and interesting to watch and learn how to save even more by driving it differently. Then sometime I drive it!

 

I traded in a 2007 Buick LaCrosse CXS fully loaded, I really did like the car, comfortable ride, leather seats, good stereo, not so great fuel mileage (18 city 26 highway). I went with the Prius because I saw gas prices were going to go up.

 

Sold my 2002 BMW M3 with Dinan performance package, 19" wheels, coilovers, SMG, Moonroof, etc, etc. Got tired of $400 oil changes. Love my 2011 Prius, in Blizzard White, and 52 MPG. Just installed Rosen Nav Unit with backup camera. More room, better MPG, 100,000 mi extended warranty, cheap to maintain, what's not to like. Should have done this years ago.