Prius Snobbery Grows

[Bullspit]

My wife bought a Prius, not to be green, but to save money on gas. She loves the car, but since it was her first new car ever that is to be expected. To my knowledge the Prius does best on gas of any of the current hybrids (although the Insight did as well or better 10 years ago).

She gets 55 miles per gallon with no problem and often averages 60.

I'm not saying that there is some green snobbery going on. I know a guy who was in the auto business and when the hybrids first came out he tells me they would just shake there heads at the college professor types (ouch) that would come in and beg them to take 5000.00 over sticker for one just to make a statement about their greenness.

All the same, my wife bristles if anyone accuses her of being a eco-hippy... I can get a way with calling her a neo-hippy but I have spousal points. There is a whole Prius forum and there are a lot more conservatives there, she tells me, than you might expect.

Ok, I've stuck up for my wife... more spousal points for me! I think I'll call her a neo-flower child tonight.

[FelixEstrella]

What a pile. MPG means nothing if the number of miles driven is huge. If your commute is 50mi each way can you really claim a greater share of the oh-so-green mantle than the guy who lives 15 mi from work, drives twice a week and bikes three times a week?

These friggin' Pius owners need to get a grip.

[1911Man]

The "green" CFL bulbs have mercury in them. The hybrid batteries are toxic waste when they're depleted and a severe risk of burns and electric shock in an accident. Ethanol takes as much energy to make and deliver as it produces and is a net wash on carbon emissions. It also inflates the price of food. How is this "good for the planet"?

[dfwmtx]

Fixed it for you.

Green With Envy: Pious Owners Smile as Neighbors Fume

0-60 in 12.5*.....yep, impressive automotive engineering right there.

The best thing I can say about the Prius is that if I were a ninja, I'd buy one because they're uber-quiet. But I'm no ninja, and the Prius is ugly, hard to see out of the back, the rearview camera you need to back up with is an extra, the backseat is the hardest to get out of, and the trunkspace sucks.



*driven by lesbians in an unscientific test on Penn & Teller's 'Bullshit!', season5 episode "Energy Crisis"

[rightisright]

I almost plowed into the arse-end of a Prius last week. The idiot must have been "hypermiling". Doing 45 miles an hour on an Interstate in NJ where the de facto speed is 75-80 MPH, in the middle lane no less, is an exercise in Darwinism. Hopefully he doesn't take anyone else out with him.

[308Mike]

It take the equivalent of 1000 gallons of gasoline to make a hybrid.

That would depend on which hybrid is being made. The Honda Civic Hybrid is a regular Civic using a slightly smaller gas engine with an electric motor assist, and a small extra battery pack attached to the back of the rear seat for the electric motor.

It doesn't contain hundreds of pounds of batteries.

It's really much "greener" to by a used car with decent gas mileage.

Than buying a Prius? I'd agree.

At least some of the magazines and others are sitting up and taking notice of VW's little 76 MPG diesel being used in Europe. Perhaps some pressure will be applied and either someone here makes comparable vehicles, or we start importing them. I know there are VW plants just across the border in Mexico.

[mekender]

those little Geo Metros were amazing with their little 3 cylinder engines.

[308Mike]

those little Geo Metros were amazing with their little 3 cylinder engines.

Perhaps, but my car has MUCH more room, air conditioning, lasts longer, and gets better mileage (costs more too). For the bucks paid, the metros are exactly what they were designed as, cheap transportation from one point to another and not necessarily in comfort, but great on gas mileage.

[randy]

those little Geo Metros were amazing with their little 3 cylinder engines.

When I worked security at a large east coast hospital, our mobile units had these. The transportation manager loved their financials.

The local choir boys were able to outrun them (on foot) on an embarrassingly regular basis. Our bike patrol was more effective. Our guys thought it was a major step up when they got Neons.

[crazylegs]

I got a buddy of mine who's into shooting who drives a Prius.

He likes to brag about how easy it is to load ammo cases in the hatchback, the fact that he never gets pulled over, and how cheap it is for him to drive to far away gun shows.

To each his own I guess. I can't knock him for driving an ugly car, I'm stuck in a Saturn Ion.