Praise for the Prius

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Sunday June 08, 2008 · 6:52 AM PDT

2008/06/08 · 06:52

In 2006 I bought a used Prius from the sister of a former student. She was going away to grad school on the East Coast and needed the money. She hated selling it. I wanted to buy it after seeing Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and wanted to take more practical steps to save the environment.

What kind of car inspires such a passion? Two years later I understand why. I feel it was one of the best moves I ever made, and I'm wondering if all cars will be hybrids in 1- years.

It's just so smart. In fact, it reminds me of Obama in so many ways.

Quiet. So quiet that some visually impaired people in California want to put a noise maker on it, like belling a cat, because at low speeds when it's running only on electricity it makes almost no noise.

Smart. Smartist car I've ever owned. It keeps you informed on the car's status through the view screen.

Powerful. It has two engines, gas and electric. If you need to climb a hill or pass someone, they BOTH kick in and the torque is amazing.

Careful with money. I get about 39 mpg in town, 44-50 on the highway. What people don't realize is how much you save on maintenance. It has no conventional transmission. The cooling system (which also cools the batteries) is supposed to stay sealed for 100,000 miles. I'm the type who ALWAYS takes my car in for 15,000 mile maintenance checks as the manufacturer recommends. Usually it's a few hundred dollars. At 30,000 miles I paid $64, including the oil change. This week I'm taking it in for it's 60,000 mile check. I was told I'll pay $128.

What I love about it is that it uses ELECTRICITY first, then the gas engine, unlike some other hybrids. That's why its MPG is so superior. Honda's hybrid does not follow that model.

Needless to say in 60,000 miles nothing has gone wrong. The 38 batteries under the passenger seat are expensive to replace--$4,000, I've heard--but in California they're covered for 150,000 by manufacturer's warranty.

Some say it's ugly, but it's aerodynamic styling helps at the gas pump.

Right now I have heard that dealer's are selling this $22K car for as much as $8,000 above list. That would definitely not pencil out. However once things settle down and supply gets closer to demand, I think a wise person would be thrilled to own such a vehicle.

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