Prius Owners?

PTProfessor · #1 07-10-2013, 01:12 PM

Just wondering if there are any other Prius owners out there?

guitar12 · #2 07-10-2013, 02:42 PM

2006 Prius here. I'm the original owner and it's coming up on 98,000 miles. Love the car.

Rob

dirkronk · #3 07-10-2013, 03:29 PM

I don't own one but two of my cousins do. Both absolutely love theirs. One cousin is on his second Prius...purchased after he'd put 200K+ on the first.

Me, I have a love/annoyance thing going on with Prius. I wanted to fall in love with it back when I was buying a new(ish) car three years back, but was convinced to go for a larger car with decent MPG rating ('07 Avalon), since I was buying it largely as a reliable highway traveler and the seat comfort (or lack thereof in the Prius) on long trips was an issue. Both my wife and I have back/neck issues as well as longish legs, so a supportive thigh cushion is a big deal to us (we're also rather spoiled in this regard, having owned Volvos with their great seats for so many years). Alas, the Prius seats just didn't do it for us.

In fact, this year, we're looking to replace my wife's ancient Volvo 240 with a new or recent used car, and she's leaning hybrid. But once again the seat comfort issue is pushing Prius out of the picture...even though we were hopeful that the larger V would have better driver/passenger accommodations. No dice. We'll probably go with a used Lexus HS250 or a Camry hybrid instead.

If and when Prius pops for some serious seats, preferably 8-way power adjustable or better, we'll go shopping again.

Dirk

JLed79 · #4 07-10-2013, 04:11 PM

I've never owned one, but when I visited my grandmother a couple years ago I drove hers around. Honestly I liked it much better than I thought I would. Acceleration is a joke, but the handling is pretty darn good. I do have colleagues that drive them and love them. I just need more power and to go faster lol.

chitz · #5 07-10-2013, 04:25 PM

So your the ones who drive 5 mph under the speed limit in the fast lane.

Holding up traffic while being giddy with excitement about getting 279 miles per gallon.

That F-250 in your rear-view mirror is me!

Just pokin a lil fun, don't get mad and speed off!

(or worse, slow down)

JLed79 · #6 07-10-2013, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chitz

So your the ones who drive 5 mph under the speed limit in the fast lane.

Holding up traffic while being giddy with excitement about getting 279 miles per gallon.

That F-250 in your rear-view mirror is me!

Just pokin a lil fun, don't get mad and speed off!

(or worse, slow down)

Hahahaha. Nice. I have a friend with a big truck like that and his license plate reads MPG LOL. hahahaha.

PTProfessor · #7 07-10-2013, 04:53 PM

Here's my guy...I love getting 50+ mpg! I use the "power button" when those trucks are on my tail!

pdivs · #8 07-10-2013, 04:59 PM

I do 3 year leases. I'm on my 2nd one. Love it.

The Dude · #9 07-10-2013, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chitz

So your the ones who drive 5 mph under the speed limit in the fast lane.

Holding up traffic while being giddy with excitement about getting 279 miles per gallon.

Ha ha. My wife just said the other day that Prius drivers have surpassed Subaru drivers for being the worst on the road. Personally, I think Volvo drivers are in second instead of Subara drivers... Getting behind a Prius in my area's winding and hilly roads is an exercise in patience.

richyirich · #10 07-10-2013, 05:47 PM

I don't own one, but have driven one. My friend's mom purchased one when it first came out. We took it on a road trip from Seattle to Los Angeles. If I remember correctly, I think we spent a total of approximately $80 on gas for the entire trip.

cpmusic · #11 07-10-2013, 05:57 PM

We have an '09 Prius we bought used two years ago, and aside of a problem with the auxiliary battery* (since fixed), it's been smooth sailing. My wife is the main driver, and in bumper-to-bumper daily traffic she averages between 45 and 50 mpg. It's not quite as comfortable on the freeway as our Outback, but it seems to have been designed as a commuter car, not a long-distance cruiser.

*The auxiliary battery is a small 12-volt unit that sits under the rear cargo floor. Its sole purpose is to fire up the main computer, and it's kept charged by the main battery once the car is running. The problem with ours was two-fold:

Although you can turn on just the computer and radio by pressing Start with your foot off the brake, if you do that they will run entirely off the aux battery and drain it in a hurry. To simply sit and listen to the radio, you have to start the car fully. It sounds like a waste, but the engine runs so seldom and for such a short time that it doesn't depress mileage.
It seems that the previous owner didn't know or care about #1, because the aux battery discharged within about six weeks of our purchase, and each time it's fully discharged, it grows weaker and more likely to fail. After three jumps we bit the bullet and had the aux battery replaced. Since then the aux battery hasn't given us any trouble.

chitz · #12 07-11-2013, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dude

Ha ha. My wife just said the other day that Prius drivers have surpassed Subaru drivers for being the worst on the road. Personally, I think Volvo drivers are in second instead of Subaru drivers... Getting behind a Prius in my area's winding and hilly roads is an exercise in patience.

Your wife is correct... It's Prius, Subaru, Jettas then Volvos.

imwjl · #13 07-11-2013, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chitz

Your wife is correct... It's Prius, Subaru, Jettas then Volvos.

Stereotypes may vary by region. I know pickup truck driving, diesel machinery operating good ol boys and truck drivers who drive the Prius, and Subarus have changes so much they are almost the unofficial vehicle where it snows or roads are bad.

The Prius is also a popular fleet vehicle. The good ol boys I described above have them and I see my customers still buy them and more recently some larger Ford hybrids.

They also change by market trends. Audis have a lot more market share and popularity now than just a few years ago. The former Saab and Volvo owners in my neighborhood are driving Audis now.

My wife's cousins probably defy the Prius stereotype. All but one are very conservative in terms of religion and politics. Two are corporate executives. All drive a Prius. One of our customers has 1 - 3 Prius for each of their 7 offices, and that business is no way "granola".

I've joked and talked with my police officer friend about stereotypes. As a shift leader in area with 614,000 people you could call her a high level moderator. She sees and makes a good case that most engaged in us or them behavior as equally bad.

The reality is I see bad drivers and bad behavior driving all sorts of vehicles, and a lot of people mistakenly identify safe driving as bad driving.

P.S. Wait till we have more autonomous driving features in cars or autonomous cars. Then even more will probably be pissed off at safe driving!

aviatornation · #14 07-11-2013, 09:30 AM

Owning a prius is equivilent to having an ugly girlfriend or owning a first act guitar....your happy to have something,you just dont want to be seen with it...

PTProfessor · #15 07-11-2013, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aviatornation

Owning a prius is equivilent to having an ugly girlfriend or owning a first act guitar....your happy to have something,you just dont want to be seen with it...

My Prius is better looking than all of the ugly girlfriends I ever had...(truth be told, every girlfriend I ever had was very pretty). Be that as it may, I am proud to be seen in my Prius. Should I now adorn my Prius with my Martin Guitar logo license plate (on front of car) or whould that be blasphemy?