Anyone with Prius experience?

[cddallara]

The only experience I've had with them is that they are probably the only more douchier drivers than BMW/Benz drivers around here.
Either jamming in and out of traffic like a motorcycle with no signals, or doing 10 under "being green".

[TheLazyDog]

I don't know why anyone is even slightly impressed by anything the Prius is or does. Its fuel economy sucks. It is not environmentally friendly. It is a stupid, pointless car.


"...it's a very expensive, very complex, not terribly green, slow, cheaply made, and pointless way of moving around." -Jeremy Clarkson

[Cactus]

I don't know if it qualifies, but the first gen Honda insight came with a manual, and they're genuinely fun to drive. Plus they make the prius look like a gas guzzler.

[shagrath]

Found this on ihatestickers.com. Should belong on every e28

[tsmall07]

She will not be very happy with the prius for very long after coming out of a nice e36 M3. You'll buy the car, sell it in a year, and pay $10k in depreciation for the privilege.

Why not try actually carpooling to get into the carpool lanes. Strange idea, I know.

[TSMacNeil]

Carpooling won't work in this case. A large chunk of the time/miles is spent shuffling the kids to the schools they attend...and THEN driving across the valley to work...then getting the kids again.

[Cactus]

150 miles a day is 3 hours with decent traffic flow. Your wife sits in jams for 3 hours additional? Fuck, I'd pull my hair out and serious blood pressure issues if my commute took any longer than 15 minutes. I'd move much closer to work if I were you (her), otherwise I'd brave the genital itching and drive a hybrid anyway. If I could find an extra 15 hours a week I probably wouldn't have self-loathing issues.

[Mike W.]

The only experience I've had with them is that they are probably the only more douchier drivers than BMW/Benz drivers around here.
Either jamming in and out of traffic like a motorcycle with no signals, or doing 10 under "being green".

Yeah, my take is they are either below 55 or over 75, but nowhere inbetween.

[winfred]

i always thought is was amusing a 10 year old camry kills it for mileage on the road and nobody seems to see that, sorta like coke describes cola and trump describes rich is how the smug is perceived

if they actually want a MPG car diesel electric would be the way to go, 3-4 cylinder turbo diesel (maybe even supercharged), 1-1.8L humming away at its happy zone making juice when needed, may or may not be coupled to the driveline which would effect engine size and configuration, could be run on CNG or LP without much effort, dual fuel would be really cool when CNG/LP is out of range. id say 100-130 mpg could be realistic with unlimited range for that

I don't know why anyone is even slightly impressed by anything the Prius is or does. Its fuel economy sucks. It is not environmentally friendly. It is a stupid, pointless car.


"...it's a very expensive, very complex, not terribly green, slow, cheaply made, and pointless way of moving around." -Jeremy Clarkson

[Crazy_Canuck]

Jetta hybrid

[turbodan]

How much would a "HYBRID" badge cost?

[wkohler]

Our traffic isn't that bad. Alternate routes aplenty, too. It's all about knowing when to be where.

[Tammer in Philly]

if they actually want a MPG car diesel electric would be the way to go, 3-4 cylinder turbo diesel (maybe even supercharged), 1-1.8L humming away at its happy zone making juice when needed, may or may not be coupled to the driveline which would effect engine size and configuration, could be run on CNG or LP without much effort, dual fuel would be really cool when CNG/LP is out of range. id say 100-130 mpg could be realistic with unlimited range for that

Works for trains, and it is the ideal solution. Cost constraints keep it from happening. Hybrid powertrains are a $3-5k premium over gas. Diesel motors are a $2-6k premium over gas. Combining the two would give you a very fuel efficient, $40k Golf. A buyer would have to drive a million miles to recoup the cost of investment. Not gonna happen.

-tammer

[TSMacNeil]

Thank you gents for your thoughts

For the record, I'm aware of the stigma associated with driving a hair dryer...believe me. I am trying to ameliorate a bad situation with her ex and their kids.
Short version: he moved to the ass-end of the valley with no thought of managing their kids' school situation and its affect on my wife on "her days with the kids". She works until 5, the kids get out of school around 3 and traditionally wait at their dads' house until they get picked up on " our" days with them. We found out that he moved way out there from the kids...after the fact. The kids dont know what a dickhead their dad is...yet. My wife works on the other side of the valley as a flight attendant instructor for an airline at the Sky Harbor airport. The timetable for school and her work aren't very flexible...and the drive is getting expensive and very time consuming for her.
This explains her interest in the HOV lane. Fuel economy takes second in priority. I can attest she is heavy-footed, so I'm sure the M3 is getting horrible mileage for her.

Personally, easier and better for me for her to just quit working and save me from buying a hair dryer. That's a tough sell.
Anyway, thanks for the opinions. Haven't made up my mind yet. I found a Prius. I like the Jetta with bio idea even better- but would prefer not to buy a 4th car again. After all, I still don't have my war-wagon bought and outfitted yet.


( there's a moral of this story somewhere, I'm sure...)

[greentalks43]

I would avoid the Toyota Prius personally, the MPG is tempting but the cost of any major repair will offset the savings easily. We have two in the shop and its easily one of the worst cars I have driven. Besides a Honda Accord/Civic, Toyota Camry/Corolla or VW Jetta Diesel will all yield great mileage, not Prius status but a better overall driving experience. The cost of maintenance would be a hell of a lot less as well.

[WilNJ]

Seems like there are a lot more hybrids on the market these days.

http://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresu ... 102&rn=200

Buick LaCrosse
Chevy Malibu (blech)
Chevy Tahoe
Ford Fusion (heard good things about the chassis, not sure about the hybrid)
Ford Escape (Owned one for 7 years, V6 though, not sure about hybrid)
Honda Civic
Honda Insight
Hyundai Sonata (again, hear good things about the chassis, don't know about their hybrid tech)
Kia Optima
Nissan Altima
Then obviously the Toyota offerings, Prius in many varieties, Camry and Highlander

All should qualify for the HOV lanes even the Tahoe which probably gets worse mileage than the E36.

[Tony]

Jetta/Gold/Beetle TDI great MPG
or
Ford Focus or Fiesta good performance+decent Mileage
or
Mini/Fiat 500 decent mpg + style
any of these would be better than a soul destroying Prius

[WilNJ]

Jetta/Gold/Beetle TDI great MPG
or
Ford Focus or Fiesta good performance+decent Mileage
or
Mini/Fiat 500 decent mpg + style
any of these would be better than a soul destroying Prius

None of those is available as a hybrid which gives her access to the HOV lane, which seems to be as big a driver as anything else. .

[shagrath]

Buy a Festiva and make a hybrid out of it. In gas form it makes 42mpg. Make it a hybrid and get the HOV lane too.

[Tim in N FL]

Tim, is a Golf TDi eligible for the HOV lane? Once broken in, people on the VW Vortex were saying they're getting 48-52mpg on the hwy. Think of it as a smaller touring.

Karl

That is my vote for a commuter...a VW TDI, probably the Jetta Sportwagen. Pick up a couple of those "Hybrid" and "EcoBoost" badges from your favorite auto mfr and if you're pulled over by the local highway patrol, you'll be "in the clear."

[1st 5er]

Pick up a couple of those "Hybrid" and "EcoBoost" badges from your favorite auto mfr and if you're pulled over by the local highway patrol, you'll be "in the clear."

"Duke it out" takes on a whole new meaning.


Tim I just noticed your sig; "91 e34 M5 Schwarz 188k - SOLD then KIA"
Inquiring minds, and all that, you know?

My apologies, Tim.

[Tim in N FL]

Tim I just noticed your sig; "91 e34 M5 Schwarz 188k - SOLD then KIA"
Inquiring minds, and all that, you know?
My apologies, Tim.

Thanks Sherman...you've got PM with the details. I don't want to thread jack Tim's post.

[1st 5er]

Tim I just noticed your sig; "91 e34 M5 Schwarz 188k - SOLD then KIA"
Inquiring minds, and all that, you know?
My apologies, Tim.

Thanks Sherman...you've got PM with the details. I don't want to thread jack Tim's post.

I agree.

You've got your thread back Timmie.

[tsmall07]

Tim, is a Golf TDi eligible for the HOV lane? Once broken in, people on the VW Vortex were saying they're getting 48-52mpg on the hwy. Think of it as a smaller touring.

Karl

That is my vote for a commuter...a VW TDI, probably the Jetta Sportwagen. Pick up a couple of those "Hybrid" and "EcoBoost" badges from your favorite auto mfr and if you're pulled over by the local highway patrol, you'll be "in the clear."

Around here, it requires a special plate issued by the DMV to have access to the HOVs with a hybrid. They issued so many plates in the first year, they canceled the program. If you didn't get your hybrid plate when they first started the program, you're SOL. People that have the plate can transfer it to a new hybrid if they buy one, but if you don't have the plate you can't get one. Also, if you sell the hybrid and don't have another to transfer the plate to, you lose it and can't get it back.

[TSMacNeil]

The Diesels are eligible if they are run on Bio. I like the new Jetta TDI idea. There are only 2 retailers for Bio that I know of in Phoenix. The warranty gets voided if the Bio content is above 5% or so. What I don't know yet, is how they know you're running bio or not.
More research needed.

[Cactus]

According to my (frankly limited) research, all alternative fuels are elligible. Get her a propane powered car.

[WilNJ]

According to my (frankly limited) research, all alternative fuels are elligible. Get her a propane powered car.

Carbureted E3 with CNG conversion?

I'd also be curious as to how they can confirm 5% biodiesel? I know for regular diesel they can dip the tank looking for red dye but I'd be curious about how bio-diesel is verified.

[Crazy_Canuck]

That is my vote for a commuter...a VW TDI, probably the Jetta Sportwagen. Pick up a couple of those "Hybrid" and "EcoBoost" badges from your favorite auto mfr and if you're pulled over by the local highway patrol, you'll be "in the clear."

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-v ... -info-news

Just go to a VW dealer and order the badges; yup they make a jetta hybrid now.

[TSMacNeil]

So...it's not going to be a Prius after all. I has decided that much.

I am intrigued by the VW Jetta TDI. So more reading to do about it.
With regards to "badges"....nope, in AZ, you get a special decal tab for your plate...no way to game that monkey.

There is an issue retailing Bio in AZ. (probably political) Currently, you have to buy it in bulk (250 gal minimum) and rent their pump and nozzle. Oh, and you have to be zoned to store fuel in your garage. Thats not gonna happen where I am now.

[wkohler]

My neighbor has a Passat TDI. He got 48.5 mpg with a couple hundred miles of sustained 90 mph in Nevada. Reno to Phoenix on a tank and he still has fuel in it. Loves it. Not sure how much he will love it at scheduled service time, but he loves it now.