The yuppie hippie greenmobile that I drive
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After months of groaning over the gas portion of the Visa bill, H and I headed down to the Toyota dealer and traded in our Honda CRV for a yuppiemobile: A gas-conserving, environmentally-more-friendly used Toyota Prius. And while we've probably been happier--our wedding, say, or the honeymoon--we're pretty damn pleased with our decision and the foreseeable future. However, given that we've had the car, uh, for two days, a more complete review will take place later. Here's a brief rundown of the plusses and minuses we've encountered so far:
1. Good: The warranty. Our car is used, but it's certified for 100K more miles.
2. Uber-good: The gas mileage. Our computer tells us we're getting around 50 mpg, though we won't know the actual results until we fill up next time.
3. Silly: The on-board computer. Total sales gimmick. If it had more features it might be worthwhile. (Wonder if we can hotwire in a DVD player...?)
4. Good: Passenger space. The front is fine for people our (normal) size (me = 5'7" and H = 6'), and the back seat isn't uncomfortable.
5. Good: Trunk space. The trunk isn't uncomfortable to ride in, either, so say the illegal aliens we've been hauling over the border.
6. Weird: Being so low to the ground. Before the CRV I had a Toyota 4x4 truck and so I'm used to being higher up. I don't like encountering SUVs or trucks on the road in lower cars at night, but the trade-offs make it worthwhile. And anyway, at least we're not contributing to nighttime blindness (neither, actually, was the CRV since its headlights were dimmer than crap).
7. Very good: The car handles very nicely, rides smoothly, is easy to park, good size, not too ugly to look at (definitely better than the new ones).
8. Weirdly good: The console is in the center, set in towards the window. Takes about 45 seconds to get used to. I'm unconvinced that it's safer or better, but it's not bothersome and it's less obvious when you're passing a cop and you glance down at your speedometer.
9. Bad: Replacing, uh, anything not covered by the warranty. Kinda expensive.
10. Good: Emissions.
11. Very good: Quiet, especially when it's just running on the battery. Much better than the road noise from the CRV.
12. Decent: Power. We don't--and I'd say that most average driver's don't--need a V8 or even a V6. I'm not up on motor talk, but suffice it to say we can get up hills, get into traffic, and pull out quickly if we need to.
13: Unknown: Roof rack? I assume we can get one put on, but I've never seen a Prius with a Yak rack and skis, or bikes. Hmm...will see about that.
14: Slightly bad: Cargo. No, you can't haul more than a trunkful. But for our needs, we didn't need that cargo space. It came in handy while we moved around, to and from summer jobs, to our new apartment, and even once to sleep in. But now that we're 8-to-5ers, we don't need it.
14. Slightly bad: No AWD/4WD. The AWD was nice in the snow, but we don't get much of that where we live, and our roads are pretty well plowed when it does. Mostly we get ice, and I'm not convinced that anything but driving skills get you over ice in a decent, safe manner.
15: Really bad: No cruise control. WTF? Stupid Toyota. But oh well. Again, a weird trade-off.
16. Good: Resale. If we decide to get rid of it, the car only depreciated $3k in four years. Damn, as they say, though we have no such intentions.
17. Kinda good, kinda bad: Now on road trips, everyone will want to take our car.
18. Good: Insurance rates. Our insurance company rocks--we got a discount. Just found out this morning. (Edited at noon PST).
19. Good: Tax breaks, or so we hear....
20. Good: The feeling we get from driving it, and the knowledge that this is a long-term investment.
In the end, it might not save us any more money than a regular car. But we're one more hybrid on the road, one fewer gas guzzler (the CRV wasn't that bad, 22-25, until you compare it to what we have now), two more sensible drivers in a sensible car that satisfies our needs.
1. Good: The warranty. Our car is used, but it's certified for 100K more miles.
2. Uber-good: The gas mileage. Our computer tells us we're getting around 50 mpg, though we won't know the actual results until we fill up next time.
3. Silly: The on-board computer. Total sales gimmick. If it had more features it might be worthwhile. (Wonder if we can hotwire in a DVD player...?)
4. Good: Passenger space. The front is fine for people our (normal) size (me = 5'7" and H = 6'), and the back seat isn't uncomfortable.
5. Good: Trunk space. The trunk isn't uncomfortable to ride in, either, so say the illegal aliens we've been hauling over the border.
6. Weird: Being so low to the ground. Before the CRV I had a Toyota 4x4 truck and so I'm used to being higher up. I don't like encountering SUVs or trucks on the road in lower cars at night, but the trade-offs make it worthwhile. And anyway, at least we're not contributing to nighttime blindness (neither, actually, was the CRV since its headlights were dimmer than crap).
7. Very good: The car handles very nicely, rides smoothly, is easy to park, good size, not too ugly to look at (definitely better than the new ones).
8. Weirdly good: The console is in the center, set in towards the window. Takes about 45 seconds to get used to. I'm unconvinced that it's safer or better, but it's not bothersome and it's less obvious when you're passing a cop and you glance down at your speedometer.
9. Bad: Replacing, uh, anything not covered by the warranty. Kinda expensive.
10. Good: Emissions.
11. Very good: Quiet, especially when it's just running on the battery. Much better than the road noise from the CRV.
12. Decent: Power. We don't--and I'd say that most average driver's don't--need a V8 or even a V6. I'm not up on motor talk, but suffice it to say we can get up hills, get into traffic, and pull out quickly if we need to.
13: Unknown: Roof rack? I assume we can get one put on, but I've never seen a Prius with a Yak rack and skis, or bikes. Hmm...will see about that.
14: Slightly bad: Cargo. No, you can't haul more than a trunkful. But for our needs, we didn't need that cargo space. It came in handy while we moved around, to and from summer jobs, to our new apartment, and even once to sleep in. But now that we're 8-to-5ers, we don't need it.
14. Slightly bad: No AWD/4WD. The AWD was nice in the snow, but we don't get much of that where we live, and our roads are pretty well plowed when it does. Mostly we get ice, and I'm not convinced that anything but driving skills get you over ice in a decent, safe manner.
15: Really bad: No cruise control. WTF? Stupid Toyota. But oh well. Again, a weird trade-off.
16. Good: Resale. If we decide to get rid of it, the car only depreciated $3k in four years. Damn, as they say, though we have no such intentions.
17. Kinda good, kinda bad: Now on road trips, everyone will want to take our car.
18. Good: Insurance rates. Our insurance company rocks--we got a discount. Just found out this morning. (Edited at noon PST).
19. Good: Tax breaks, or so we hear....
20. Good: The feeling we get from driving it, and the knowledge that this is a long-term investment.
In the end, it might not save us any more money than a regular car. But we're one more hybrid on the road, one fewer gas guzzler (the CRV wasn't that bad, 22-25, until you compare it to what we have now), two more sensible drivers in a sensible car that satisfies our needs.
