• Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
New posts

Miss Kitty

Meow
Jun 10, 2005
47,011
1,131
70
So, if Chickpea and Paula get a Prius, can I justify an X5? :D
 

Bob

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2004
10,366
1,391
O'Wal
Best car on the market at any pricepoint is currently the Civic. Ace body structure for the best in collision safety and 30/40 mileage rating in straight gas engine. The 4 door LX/ auto is a good buy at around 17.5k and resale is also the best. The wheelbase is almost 107 inches and gives a great ride. If you buy a hybrid be forewarned that your dealing with a much more complicated vehicle that will need expensive batteries eventually. The Civic has a good tax credit for the first 60k owners I believe.
 

Miss Kitty

Meow
Jun 10, 2005
47,011
1,131
70
Yes, The X5 purchase will help kickstart our economy. If you buy a black one, it will be much easier to see your SoWal sticker.

:lolabove: ...no black...too hot.
 
Some freinds of mine bought a Prius a couple of years ago, and they love it, especially the gas mileage. One big caution is that it makes no noise when it starts, so people and pets won't quickly jump out of the way. Could be a slight hazard in that regard.
One evening as we were leaving a rehearsal for our string ensemble, one of the members couldn't find her car keys. She panicked, started retracing her steps, and finally found them. She had left them in her Prius, and it runs so quietly that when she arrived at rehearsal, she didn't realize that she had left the car running.

That's how quiet they are.
 

Chickpea

Beach Fanatic
Dec 15, 2005
1,151
366
30-A Corridor
Test drove one today and was very impressed. And we really became interested when we drilled a parent at our daughter's school who has been driving one for a while and she was raving about it and told us she gets about $50 miles to the gallon on average (and more on the highway).

Acceleration was the least impressive but big deal I guess (who I am gonna race????). Ride was very quiet and comfortable and my pet peeve is tightness in back seat and Pruis is surprisingly roomy in back.

Looked in consumer magazines and was very impressed as well by how well it tested in crashes (has 8 airbags - 2 in front for driver and passenger, 2 in side and then air curtains on both sides that protect both front and rear passenger (counts as 2 airbags as it spans length of car x 2 of course).

We have never bought a new car but in this case must say we are leaning towards newer model because of better battery - appreciate all your comments - keep em coming !
 

Chickpea

Beach Fanatic
Dec 15, 2005
1,151
366
30-A Corridor
Penn and Teller did a good bit on this on their Showtime show. They basically concluded that it gets about as good of milage as a Corolla, Civic, Mini, etc, but does not perform near as well. And you don't have to dispose of batteries with the non-hybrids. The Prius is more of a brand name or status symbol than a serious alternative if you put it on a pro/con list.

Pruis is hardly a brand name and frankly not much of a status symbol - I can think of many cars (mini for example) that are much sexier but not practical for our family - although it (the mini) is arguably IMHO, one of the best looking cars in the market today - so so well designed!

Have NO idea what you are talking about about mileage - I intend to cut my gas bills at least in half and it pollutes the environment 70% less than other comparable cars.
 

SGB

Beach Fanatic
Feb 11, 2005
1,034
183
South Walton
My sister has had a Prius for at least 2 years and loves it. Her husband is not allowed to touch the car, which is her baby. I drove it a few times and it is very quiet and very cool. I liked it a lot. My sister lives in California and she gets all kinds of benefits as a result of having a hybrid, such as free parking in the city and she's allowed to go in the carpool lane with just one occupant, and, of course, the great gas mileage.
 

6thGen

Beach Fanatic
Aug 22, 2005
1,491
152
Pruis is hardly a brand name and frankly not much of a status symbol - I can think of many cars (mini for example) that are much sexier but not practical for our family - although it (the mini) is arguably IMHO, one of the best looking cars in the market today - so so well designed!

Have NO idea what you are talking about about mileage - I intend to cut my gas bills at least in half and it pollutes the environment 70% less than other comparable cars.

Unless Pruis is the McDougals (hey to Coming to America) of Prius, then yes, Prius is a namebrand.

http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/603.html

http://car-reviews.automobile.com/news/could-the-prius-be-toyota-039-s-next-brand/2883/

http://www.leftlanenews.com/prius-toyota-new-brand.html

I'm not criticizing you on liking name brands. That's capitalism at its finest. Hear, hear for name brands. I don't really know how you plan on polluting the environment 70% less, not including battery disposal. The Prius gets 46 miles to the gallon, 50 if you believe the manufacturer. If you want to pay the price that you won't recover over 10 years at $3/gallon to purchase a Prius over something like a Corrolla, which gets about 40 mpg, then super. That will make up for all the extra CO2 my Mosquito Magnet pumps into the atmosphere as it feeds on sweet, sweet yellow fly meat.
 
Last edited:

Paula

Beach Fanatic
Jan 25, 2005
3,747
442
Michigan but someday in SoWal as well
Hmmmm... lots to think about. We'll be getting a car most likely sometime within the next six months. I wondered about safety ratings and whether cars are rated against others their size. Sooooo, which car would be best for long drives from Michigan to SoWal in terms of safety/comfort (e.g., Accord, Civic, Prius, or other cars along those lines)? Our Honda minivan sure made the drive easy. But we don't need to pack lots of stuff anymore -- very happy with carry-ons. We drive long distances about 3-4 times a year.
 
New posts


Sign Up for SoWal Newsletter