Re: Motortrend article: 100 MPG+ Chevy Volt, GM's "Moon Shot"

A guess we can assume you know nothing about the Volt, right?

Did you calculate how long you could have driven a Carolla, with the $5,000 premium you paid to buy your Pruis, before you would have spend any additional funds on gasoline? I seems to me you could have driven the Corolla for at least four years on that $5,000 before you spent ANY money for gas

Or buy 2 Corollas for the price of Volt.

Mike, selling is making someone want to buy. If they already want to buy, no selling is required. Historically, in the automotive industry, selling involves appealing to a prospect's self esteem. That's why they put names like Tundra and Yukon on large (mostly hollow) vehicles with large diameter exhaust pipes (think penis) and big tires (think tall). Americans have been played for suckers for years.

Sure, but that's not why this early adopter (engineer) bought the Prius. I quickly installed indicators on various system functions, and a ScanGauge, to make operating it more satisfying. It was years later that gas prices skyrocketed. Somewhere in there, the state provided HOV-lane stickers, which was a cherry on top of the cake. I could (and still can) drive by myself in the HOV lanes.

So calculating the five-year costs of the Prius vs. a Corolla would not influence the decision.

Back to your point, in my opinion the Prius is more comparable to the Camry than the Corolla, so the difference is much less. And, there were nifty features on the Prius that weren't on the Camry - at any price.

All in all, the Prius has been a good experience.

Mike Hunter wrote:

The Corolla is the most comparable Toyota model for the older Prius (we have two 2002s in the family), but it is hardly a straight-across comparison. The Prius comes standard with amenities like power mirrors and automatic climate control (not available even as options on the Corolla, as I read the specs) and power windows, power door locks, cruise control and ABS. In the last 40 years I have had a lot of cars. The Prius I now have is my second favorite, edged out by a Lotus Europa from my bachelor days. If you haven't driven a Prius long enough to get the feel of it you can be excused for wondering what the attraction is. The perfectly smooth and competent delivery of power is addictive - when I drive any other car I wonder what all the revving and shifting is about. I can't speak for the current model Prius, but my wife and I absolutely love the maneuverability of the sedan. I bought mine used a couple years ago with 103K miles on it, and the seller's wife (it had been her car, actually) got teary when they left it with me. I totally understand.

The Prius (applies to my wife's and to mine) is also the most reliable car I've ever owned, by a huge margin. Mine has 120K miles on it and my wife's has 95K on it, and each has needed a windshield (this is Arizona, after all!), tires and routine maintenance... nothing else. Neither is anywhere close to needing brakes.

So, over the average 95K miles of my wife's Prius it burned about 2000 gallons of gas (mostly city miles). A Corolla would have used somewhat more than twice that, especially since a lot of the driving has been short trips, but let's call it 4000 gallons. At an average price of $2.50 the extra gas would have cost... lessee, $5000. How 'bout that. Now we are paying half the amount for gasoline (it's like buying gasoline for $1 per gallon, in fact), are driving cars we absolutely love, not paying for repairs. Kbb.com says the base 2002 Corolla with auto tranny at 100K miles is worth $4300 as a trade-in in my zip code, while the base 2002 Prius is worth $6400, which puts us about $2000 ahead and increasing every day. What's not to like?

Mike

"needed a windshield (this is Arizona,.."

What or who breaks out windshields in Arizona?

Rocks being flung up from the road are a fact of life here - the state is mostly rock covered. My work truck averages a windshield every two years or so, but I put 25K per year on it and most of that is highway and freeway driving.

Uh, sure. I guess that proves a lot.

Nowhere did I say there isn't a place for larger vehicles. That's you imagining things in my post that weren't there.

Again, nothing to do with my post.

...and I suppose you've never seen an SUV or pickup speeding, cutting in and out of traffic.

Then why are you even reading and responding to a post about the Volt? Just to troll?

The short answer is yes. If you have a legitimate need for an oversized gas guzzler, then the socially responsible thing to do would be to get a vehicle for that, and something fuel efficient for your rush hour commutes. It doesn't have to be a Volt.

It's not just about the $$ that you save paying for gas. It's the fact that you're using less of a limited resource, as well as spewing less pollution into the atmosphere.

Yup, you are definitely a candidate for a second car.

Speaking of the Toyota Venza, I looked at one at the Philadelphia auto show the other day. If the driver is long legged and has the seat back, the seat is around three inches from the rear seat. Even a child could not sit behind the driver. LOL

Are you not the guy that said your "Shamwow" works great?

But, but, but do you not own a Toyota?

Apparently neither does our friend Elmo, he buys used cars

Aptera Cars Roll Out.

Is that why Toyota had a loss in 2008, as well?

you have it backwards.

I think you got that backwards. Benz took over Chrysler, used them to improve their own quality and then dumped them. Capitalism in action.