Why did you buy a hybrid(s)?

1) The environment (What if... AL Gore and his cadre of scientists ARE right? The same reason I followed the Prius with a Brill Luxus push mower which I just got done pushing around the yard).
2) I feel that I am doing my part curb usage of oil. (What if... everyONE drove a hybird let alone a Prius? I want to be part of the revolution. One person at a time).
3) Maybe this is part of 2 but I take pleasure in feeling that I am sticking it to ExxonMobil even if it is in my own little way.

 

1. Rocky Mountain Institute soft path principles of energy efficiency.
2. Model what I teach.
3. Air quality.
4. Minimizing cost of transportation and fuel.
5. Previous Toyota experience (4Runner).

 

The totally surprising stuff-hauling space inside:
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/worktruck/
.
The challenge of hacking it to add much-needed instrumentation
.
The ongoing "numbers game", a different way to enjoy a vehicle than
just going out and making noise
.
Hearing that "inverter whine" every time I use the brake pedal
correctly, that tells me I'm getting a bunch of that energy back
without even looking at the brake-pressure lights or current meter
.
The opportunity to engage other people in conversation during chance
meetings, hand them flyers, and talk up the whole mileage thing and
how yes, everyone should stop driving like self-important buttheads
.
And of course, to be able to sit completely quiet at stoplights
and not blow all that waste heat out from under the car
.
_H*

 

Just my way of giving OPEC the finger to start with. Then after I had owned it for a short time I discovered "hay, this thing is really a lot of fun."

 

Primary reason was the low emissions (as a marine scientist, I understand that global warming is NOT a myth), and the fuel economy. Hybrids are just a small step toward the necessary process of weaning ourselves from an oil-driven economy. Saving money on gas is nice, but it wasn't a major factor in my decision. As far as why I chose the Prius in particular- technology, room, hatchback, Toyota reliability, I think it looks cool, etc.
And yes, sticking it to Exxon as well-

 

Our '91 Camry had over 230,000 miles on it, so we would have needed a car at some point in the next several years. What attracted us to the Prius (in order of importance):

1. High seats. My mom found it difficult to get into the Camry because of her knee replacements (knees don't bend as much).

2. Hatchback with folding rear seats. Actually #1 and #2 are about equal. We used to have an '85 Honda Civic station wagon that sat up high and had folding rear seats. The Prius provided the best combination of larger size, high seats, and hatchback style.

3. Gas mileage.

4. Safety features (I got VSC and I'm SO glad it was available at a reasonable cost).

5. Styling. It looks rad!

6. Smart Entry/Smart Start ROCKS!!!!!! I wasn't particularly interested in it at first (I'd never heard of it before), but it is THE coolest feature. It has joined VSC as a "must-have" in any future car.

7. The way-cool concept of driving just on the battery.

8. Environmental responsibility. The car is completely recyclable.

9. I didn't know before I considered the car, but being part of the online Prius community is a REAL bonus of ownership!

Bottom line--if the Prius had been a sedan instead of hatchback (or if the seats were as low as the Camry), I probably would have looked at a less expensive car that had more of what we wanted. The 2004 Prius just had it all in one beautiful car, so we ended up buying it even though we weren't originally going to replace the Camry that soon. I've grown to love it so much that I'll NEVER buy a conventional car again!!!

 

90 mile commute to work, and the Hyundai Santa Fe was only getting about 22 mpg. Loved the car, but moving closer to work isn't an option, and I was spending way too much on gas. I'd considered a Prius when I got the Santa Fe, but none of the dealers had one for me to look at. They were a little easier to find this time, but not much! Love the gadgets, great stereo (important on that long commute!) and the hatchback/folding back seats offer enough room to take my dogs to the vet and haul lots of stuff

 

I bought my Prius mainly because I want to try and do my part, environmentally. I wanted to spew less CO2, and use less gas (and buy less Saudi oil). I specifically chose the Prius because of the room, the milage (vs. most other hybrids), the gadget factor (that was a big one) and I love the looks.

I get asked about it all the time, and I tell 'em I love it, and it's a ton of fun to drive.

 

70 mile daily commute and routinely rack up 28,000 miles a year. Needed a serious commuter car, that also offered midsize comfort and 4 passenger seating. The Prius fit the bill perfectly.

 

The main reason I bought it is for the Hybrid Synergy Drive. I just love how it works.... how it defies conventional thinking... how much benifits HSD bring in emission, mpg, responsiveness, smoothness, regen braking, lack of starter and alternator, no serpentine belt, Stealth drive mode, etc...

I had a perfectly working 2000 Celica with 86k miles. Federal Tax credit and HOV access pushed me over to trade it in. I now realize Prius is the least expensive full hybrid with HSD you can buy. If you are rebel or loves to defy conventional ways and do it in a cool way, this is the car for you. Atleast it is for me.

Dennis

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(usbseawolf2000 @ May 31 2006, 11:42 PM) [snapback]263835[/snapback]</div>

I agree! I am still waiting for my Prius to arrive, but as the lease on my 2003 Murano was coming to an end and the gas prices were going through the roof, I thought I would look at the Prius. The earlier Prius generation was much too small for my considerable bulk, but I had heard the 2004 series was bigger. I started with the usual misconceptions about battery life, performance and size, but a short test drive and a little research put those fears to rest. Then as I researched further, I realized that the Prius is an engineering masterpiece, on a par with a fine Hassleblad camera. I would own one just for the beauty of elegant engineering unfettered by previous convention. Also, since such a product would face an uphill battle for acceptance, it would HAVE to be over-designed for reliability, etc. or it would fail in the first few years. Obviously this has not happened with the Prius, so I was quite comfortable with the move. Besides, I like taking the path less travelled!

Dave H.

 

About two years ago my wife's car was nearly totaled in an accident. I say nearly totaled, as the repairs ultimately took six months and exceeded the value of the car, but the body shop didn't know at the beginning. But we knew it would probably be several months, so we decided to get a third car to have a utility car for relatives visits and potential future breakdowns.

I wanted to get a 10-year old beater commuter car that wouldn't depreciate much and would get much better gas mileage than my SUV. My wife didn't think a used Civic was very hip, so we settled on a used Prius. Used Priuses weren't in outrageous demand at the time, and we purchased a 2-year old high-mileage classic from a couple that had just upgraded to the all-new 2004 model. At $2/gallon at the time, the higher price of the used Prius wasn't necessarily going to pay itself back over its lifetime vs the Civic, but at least it would be that much better for the environment. With gas now over $3/gallon and a little bonus (after taking possession of the car I found the wife had been coerced into the 100K extended warranty, which we transferred over), it seems like both we and the environment won.

I'm no fan of enriching oil companies either, but I don't think everyone needs to buy a hybrid. If say only 10% of the population adopted hybrids, that might create enough of a marginal gap between capacity and demand to stabilize gas prices at a healthy but not excessive level for 100% of the population.

 

I bought the Prius because I had no choice. No modern production Battery Electric cars available, so I bought the best gasoline car I could find.

 

I had been talking to my mom about helping me get a new car. I am a full time nursing student and could never afford something other than very used on my own. My old '95 Geo Prism was leaking oil to the tune of 1L per day. Nearly needless to say, I threw a rod. I was sold on the Green factor of the Prius after some research-and a very determined green party friend. My mom was convinced by the dealer it would be a good car, plus Toyota's are known for the 150,000+ mile mark here in GM country Ohio. I needed a good family car to last the next 10+ years, and I drive about 200,000/yr. So in 10 years when I'm ready for another car, my Prius will be going strong for my current 6 yr. old as her first car.

 

I needed a smaller car,
so I tested the Scion's xA & xB also the Yaris---
all good intown cars but all lacked cruse control.
Next I tried the Matrix & Corolla. Ok but try to find
ABS, side airbags, & VSC. Oh they have the JBL
stereos, but I don't want that to be the last thing I hear.
The Prius had the safety options and was easy on the gas.
Thank you tax credit and one years savings at the pump (20k mi.=$3.3k)
= the cost of a similar equiped Corolla.
^^^^^
What's life without regrets,
1 Comfort - the seats are FIRM, with few adjustments(no motors= less weight)
2 the door armrests - is that 1/8th" or 1/16th" of foam padding under the cloth?
the same for the console lid.
It's almost summer, if I can't rest my elbows (in short sleeves) for long
how am I to enjoy the cruse control? (I know - wait for winter)

Hey anyone with aftermarket leather-- do they add more padding?

Thank the FSM I found you guys&gals, the first thing I did was to kill the reverse beep.