Henry <doREMoOVEtTHIS2@earthlink.net> wrote in article
<PCVif.2411$Hk1.1900@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>...

Nope!

Looks to me as though you've already made a decision - even though, by your
own admission, the math doesn't work - and are simply seeking affirmation
to your flawed, twisted, "carpool lane" logic..........

.....that, or some sort of imaginary scapegoat which will allow you to say,
"Some idiot on the Internet said it was a good car....."

....when you know from what has already been published, and you have
already read, that they are NOT good cars, nor are they a good buy....HOV
lanes notwithstanding.

Not to me they're not - since my experience with them is usually on the
receiving end of a pair that have not been correctly aimed by their idiot
owners......especially the ones that have been installed upside-down by the
IO, blinding you with high-beam-aim while on low-beam.

I can state without fear of contradiction that HID headlights actually make
it *harder* for my own personal set of middle-aged eyes to see at
night.........

Forget what the sticker on the car says about its mileage.  The average
seems to be 43 to 48 mpg, with much depending on the gas quality such as
winter verses summer mixes (higher ethanol in winter makes their mileage
drop around 10% to the 43 mpg figures).  The fuel mixtures seem to differ by
states as well which accounts for much of the discrepancy in the car's mpg
figures.

About their durability, seems the Canadian taxi cab companies are moving to
them as they did save their companies hundreds of dollars (monthly!) in
maintenance and fuel costs.  One driver logged over 200,000 miles in year
with virtually no problems.  Warranty for the battery is moot since, in
California, the warranty is something like 10 years or 120,000 miles since
they determine it as part of the emission control system.  The change from
ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) to HV motor is indistinguishable while
driving and can happen literally hundreds of times just on the way to work.
No shifting either. System is very well thought out.  Oh, all driver
controls such as the steering wheel, gas pedal, and even brake pedal are
fly-by-wire controls. Majority of braking is by the HV motor.  Pretty
ingenious in that the fly-by-wire brake pedal tells the computer the amount
of deceleration needed and feeds the ECM info to the electric motor to allow
the deceleration force.  The final 5-7 mph is by the electrically-assisted
hydraulic brakes which should allow for longer brake pad service life.

The HOV issue.  This is only good for up to the year 2008, beyond that who
knows?  Also, some county highways (not federal or state) with the HOV lanes
forbid the Prius with solo driver on them even with the $8 sticker.  Note,
too, that there is a set number of stickers available (California set the
number at 75,000) so the longer you wait, who knows if you'll get one?

The feature list on the vehicle is great with their integrated Bluetooth
phone system and GPS navigational system which will boost the car's base
price by $6K.  Their Smart Key system cannot be beat, which makes it a very
difficult car to steal short of a flat-bed hauler.  Just don't lose a key
fob else it will cost you dearly.  The new '06 models added leather seats
and a rearview camera integrated into the NAV console.  The non-US models
have auto parallel parking as well (part of the fly-by-wire capabilities).
There is a demo, in Japanese however, on the web of it in action.

Their HID lights are auto-leveling based on the sensor on the rear axle, if
that were what its called, unit.  They seem to gain brightness in a few
seconds of turning on, maybe to save the lamps from voltage surge?  They
will shut off automatically when the driver's door opens.  They have that
familiar bluish tint.

A buyer's warning would be the surcharges various dealers are charging which
range from MSRP to $6000 over, and the highest seem to be in the Los Angeles
area.  One advantage, if you call it that, is that the resale value has been
high, much as was/is the state of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the resale
market.  The wait times can be excessive though.

I'd check out the Prius forums for more facts like Priuschat.com or
Priusonline.com.  Good luck.

B~

Why do you think it might be a bad decision? Even if you break even or
less, you are doing your part to fight against high petroleum prices and
cut down the emission of greenhouse gases.  When my current car needs
replacement I am very seriously considering a Prius.  Of all the hybrids
I currently see on the market, I think Toyota has done the best job of
engineering the Prius.

I had a Prius and got rid of it because I drove just 8,000 miles a
year.  I traded it with someone who drove over 36,000/year was getting
killed on gas.  But I liked the Prius a lot, and I don't think it's an
unreasonable choice if you need a hatchback, even if you don't drive
enough to justify its extra cost (about 35,000+/year).  The best 4-door
hatch seems to be the Mazda 3.  I'm disappointed with the Matrix
because it's such a gas hog.

HIDs are a waste because it's incredibly expensive to replace the
assemblies, which are also favorites among thieves (you may want to ask
your insurer what HIDs cost to cover).  Just get brighter conventional
lamps.

You will pay a premium over a comparably sized full gasoline engine
car.  A Corolla will easily get in the high 30's mpg, so it is
difficult to justify paying a premium for a Prius that will get even
better milage.  It will take several years of driving the Prius to
generate enough savings in gasoline to offset it's higher initial
price.

I think these cars are too new to know what the long term maintenance
costs will be.  That battery pack will eventually have to be replaced,
and the car uses some sophisticated (read expensive) systems to switch
between power plants.

Sure.  I was amazed at the number of people that paniced when gas hit
$3.00 a gallon this year.  They were literally standing in line at the
Toyota and Honda dealerships begging for soemone to take deposit money
and be put on the waiting list.

Try driving the car.  On my Volvo the HID lights provide excellent low
beam lighting for in-town driving.  On the road high beams do not put
out nearly as much light as a standard halogen system.  Consequently
objects down the road are dimly lit at best.   And HID lights have a
very sharp lighting cutoff that makes driving in hilly country a
challenge - the road ahead will suddenly disappears into darkness.

There is the possibility that the rumor is true about states taxing
hybrid vehicles. I think it would be foolish for governments to
"punish" people who are taking initative to reduce emissions and fuel
consumption. If you take care of your car, it shoudl be cost effective.
RH

The halogen lamps in the Prius are well designed, but if nighttime vision
is important to you, then get the HIDs. On that particular car, they are
also a well-designed unit and give better performance than the halogen
lamps. The "target of thieves" comment applies primarily to people who buy
cars made by Nissan.

<<I am thinking about buying a Prius. I know that it doesn't pencil out
dollarwise, but it would be nice to be able to use the carpool lane (I
am in CA).>>

Since using the carpool lane is your only stated requirement, all you
need is a small motorcycle or a large scooter - cost is about $3k -
$6k. They will give even better mileage than a Prius.

John Cowart