Comments re Test Drive...

I'm finally at a point where I can shift without looking. That took a few weeks.

Yep. Killed that during the first week.

I've only tried it to 90. Works ok at that temp. Front window can fog suddenly when the temperature is close to the dew point.

Yes, that does work well. There are a LOT of features. I continue to discover new ones after seven months.

The brakes are something you should learn to use properly to maximize your mileage. You don't pump the brakes but instead ride them with moderate pressure applied early. Instead of using the mechanical brakes, this technique slows the car by charging the battery.

Frankly, I find my Prius to be far more agile than my Explorer. In fact, I now hate driving that POS.

Sure hope you like yours as much as I like mine. :-)

Yes, of course, I had to look--and then look to see that I was actually in D or whatever. While different, it isn't bad.

I suspect the backup beepr may be useful for a short amount of time--until I am more used to driving it, without the more obvious signs of the car's having started, etc.--esp. since the first thing I do is back out of the garage.>

Do you then have to turn on the defogger? How do you clear this up quickly?

Toward the end, I tried speaking to it (without looking at what commands it accepted, but having gazed at them online). Can it only remember three POIs (I think that was what the acronym was--and I assumed that was Point(s) of Interest), or perhaps it still had lots of POIs input by other folks? Anyway, since I didn't want to resort to the manual then, that was as far as I got.

I'll have to retrain myself. Right now I just coast for a LONG time when I see a stop ahead--since my (heavy) car has a lot of momentum.

Hehe. Well, I am not coming from an Explorer, and I wouldn't expect that to be particularly agile! My car (W8 Passat) is. Interesting that you call your Explorer a POS. My friend calls his Mercedes one. He is thinking of getting a Prius too, but I sort-of doubt he will, since he is not particularly green.... Maybe I will just have to let him drive mine until he succumbs.

I am now thinking I will. I will keep my W8 for a while, IF it is ever back from the dealership, because I am not sure how the Prius will do at night and on slippery roads. I am wondering whether I will need to get real snow tires for it....

The Prius is probably much safer than the Explorer in slippery weather, especially with both traction control and the stability control. SUVs are so unsafe without stability control, our government has made it mandatory in all SUVs, but by 2009. The Explorer is a poor design. The weight of the chassis, if you flip the vehicle over, will crush the roof down to the door sill, even if the vehicle is stationary. Read the book "Tragic Indifference" for more about the Ford Explorer/Firestone issue if you want more info about the Explorer design. If you don't like the steering in the Prius and can wait two months, the 2006 model will have a slightly better steering feel.

It has happened to me twice now and is very unpleasant. I slow down and push the defogger button on the steering wheel but it takes about 30 seconds to clear a square foot of windshield. Frankly, I think it is a serious bug in the climate control system.

How so? I am going to have to find some info. My car was in NY as of last Saturday, but I don't have to take it. (There are at least 25 people who want it.) I still have to figure out the relative tax benefits. Also, it may make sense for a friend who can benefit from said benefit to buy it (in name, anyway), since I can't use the benefit. He is, of course, going to be away when it comes in--and I don't know that, under the circumstances, the dealer will want to wait a week more to get it off the lot.

The steering wheel was a bit odd--small, of course, and I didn't expect it to be slightly ovoid. Also, seems I had to keep turning the wheel much more than I was used to.... Is this different in 2006?

I am getting so psyched that I may well just take delivery of this one when it comes in.

That's not good....

Jean,

Tax benefits? Who cares - let me tell you about the benefit. When you fill the tank (even at todays prices in the Boston area) from having the fuel warning light on - to full and it costs you less than $25 AND you can drive for 500+ miles on that gas in Boston traffic (I do it every week) AND the poor SOB at the next pump just put $75 worth into his/her SUV and got less than 400 miles out of that. My friend just bought a Ford F150 truck with the employee pricing promotion, then he filled the tank - HA HA HA. I think OPEC paid Ford/GM/Crystler to run that promotion;)

The tax situation, what ever that is, = chump change.

I've put over 20K miles on mine (2004, purchased ~11 months ago) driving up/down 495 primarily. Foggy windows, never been a problem for me. I always leave the AC on auto, you see AC dries the air so you don't get any fogging. The AC will blast you out of the Prius, I find I have to set mine at 72-75 degrees or else I'm freezing.

The back up beeping - confused the hell out of me the first couple of days, but I don't mind it all now. I actually like it now so that I don't have one of those blond moments and accidently take off in the wrong direction;)

The buttons on the steering wheel have turned out to be one of the VERY nice benefits. I've adapted to them and really miss them when I drive one of my other gas guzzler cars - Maxima or Accord. The thing that was weird for me was the way the cruise control worked, but you will adapt to that too.

What surprises me is that as of last weekend Portsmouth, NH Toyota had

If you see a blue 04 Prius on I495 with a Norton motorcycle window decal in the back - that's me;)

Thanks for your comments. I am leaning strongly toward getting this car when it comes in. This is slightly complicated, because *I* won't benefit from the tax situation and have been thinking of letting my friend buy it (in name) so it is not lost. But he's going to be away for a week, and I don't know that the dealership will want to wait around, given how these cars are flying off the lot....

I have, of course, read that the money one saves does not add up to the added expense, but the figures must be changing as the gas price goes ever higher--and that is only part of my motive anyway.

Wow! It is surprising to hear anyplace has Priuses (still pondering that plural) on the lot. I thought I lucked out finding one that was coming in imminently, and I feel that even more when I hear many folks would like this car if I don't take it.

I agree that the ongoing economies are more important than the tax benefits. Our 2002 is getting ready to turn 50K miles, so it has consumed about 1000 gallons of gasoline. The Nissan it replaced (a 2-seat Nissan, no less!) would have consumed 2500 gallons, so at an average of $2 per gallon over the last three years it has saved us $3000 in gas... about $1000 per year. That will undoubtedly increase each year. How can I complain? How about the round figure: we are saving $100 every month in gasoline costs. That savings is

Mike

Chump change? IF you are in the 30% tax bracket, you will save $600, which is about a year's worth of gas. (12,000 miles at 50 MPG at $2.60/gal.)

earle

• In California the waiting lists, which have come down from six months to a few weeks, are now expected to increase. This is because a solo Prius driver can now drive in the HOV (diamond) lanes and *many* commuters are likely to take advantage of this.

earle