Today’s fun and games focused (har, har: not quite—didn’t look at Fords!) on test driving and checking out a brand new Prius. To replace the Honda, which we’ve almost internalized as Gone. Never to return. Sadly. Well, prices were higher than quoted, when (slimy) sales-dude finally got to actual numbers (rather than “twenty-four and change”—that one became 28K when tax, tag, title, and some $600 BS charge were added). We’re thinking about waiting until the new models are released in the fall.
Comments?
We’re thinking Green trumps all. Plus we haven’t been able to discover a downside to the Prius—other than it being a Toyota, and Toyota being world’s top seller of vehicles, so buying a Toyota would make us a kind of human sheep….
5 June 2007 at 3:16 pm
James says:
As I told John… Go for it. It sounds like a perfect car for y’all.
Pick up a Saturday or Sunday paper, find an ad, parse the small print, and then insist they give it to you for that price.
6 June 2007 at 6:33 am
mouse's moom says:
I wouldn’t worry about being a sheep. Having experienced both “American” and “Japanese” vee-hickles, I’d go with “Japanese” any day.
Some of the folks involved in testing vee-hickles to certify them for various things have interesting opinions about the hybrids as they currently stand though. I won’t even try to quote for fear of inaccuracy.
Too bad about the slimy sales-dude. We’ve got Kevin (first language Chinese) here at Honda. *Much* better than the folks at Chrysler.
6 June 2007 at 8:05 am
Pooh says:
Jay has a hybrid, I believe a Prius, check with her.
6 June 2007 at 8:10 am
Sammy says:
We’re hearing rumors of huge mileage jumps with a new lithium ion battery (if I have that right); the question is whether it’ll be in this fall’s model, or the following year’s….
6 June 2007 at 10:23 am
mouse's moom says:
I think the issue the geeks have is that for the *owner*, the cost of the vee-hickle is high enough so as to significantly diminish the savings from fuel economy — for the consumer, that is. Not that it isn’t a green vee-hickle.
blahgging from kzoo. Shore hope we can fit all o’ this stuff into my cute little blue civic!
6 June 2007 at 10:25 am
mouse's moom says:
“blahgging from kzoo.” (and other inconsistencies in what I just wrote…)
er, commenting from kzoo.
6 June 2007 at 3:03 pm
Sammy says:
You seem a bit distracted, oh Great Wanderer, perhaps because you’re not traveling via kayak?
6 June 2007 at 6:11 pm
mouse's moom says:
hahaha! I need a kayak ride! It was a long day moving the Mouse out of her dorm. She won’t return until next March because Senegal happens in between. Many trips up and down stairs today. I’m not sure if I’ll miss driving to kzoo next year or not. I have plenty of other places to drive, thought. And yes, I was sure distracted. I still am. Love you and buy whatever damn vee-hickle you want and don’t listen to slackers like me! 🙂 🙂 🙂
6 June 2007 at 6:12 pm
mouse's moom says:
That would be “plenty of places to drive, though”, not “thought”. Sheesh. Distracted? Naaawwwww.
7 June 2007 at 9:48 am
Jay says:
From a 2004 Prius owner – It was definately a price jump from us. It cost more than the last two cars we had purchased combined.
That said, I am really glad we got it. It drives wonderfully, kind of glides. It also has a lot of room (if you have passengers in the back seat) and can carry a fair amount of stuff – fold down back seat.
Things that make a difference on your gas mileage.
Starting fast, stopping fast, air conditioning and heater use, type of driving.
In the winter here I set the “indoor” temp at 68 and managed to get 45-47 mpg.
In the non-winter I tend not to use the air conditioner and get 48-52 mpg most of the time.
My car-poolers always want me to drive, especially with the price of gas.
A friend who has one calls it the bio-feedback car because you can use the screen that shows where the power is being drawn from and you try to maximize use of the battery.
What I have heard from a co-worker who just ordered one (2007) is 2009 for the all-electric version (not sure on the details here). They now have a rear-camera for backing up that ours does not have.
I would go for it.
Jay
7 June 2007 at 10:14 am
Sammy says:
Thanks, all, we like the car. And it does glide. The backup camera is cool. The “bio-feedback” screen is way cool. So, now we’re trying to deal with the haggling part. It seems that Toyota dealers have added another level that want its cut. It’s no longer just (hah!) the sales-weasel, dealer, and manufacturer that want some of your CASH, but they’ve added in there a regional coalition of dealers. So, at up to about $1K per “level” (all from Hades), we’re not happy. JCB’s working the web….
7 June 2007 at 11:28 am
anne-bananne's eldest says:
i know someone in the bay with a green prius… it does look elegant…
7 June 2007 at 2:40 pm
Sammy says:
Anybody tried Cars Direct? Seems like it might let us skip all the middle men—see above….