[Ormond]

I am struggling with the decision to trade in my Mercedes on the Prius.

• Will I miss driving a prestige brand? :?
  Will I be shunned by my peers? :?
  Will I lose the preferential treatment by valets?
  Will I miss the V8 power, power seats and sunroof?
  Will Green Pride erase my doubts and concerns?

Really, my main concern is safety. I believe the E-class does a bit better in the crash tests. The interior room is about the same. I may wait for the 2006 models.

 

[BOXOUTBM]

I traded in my Range Rover for my Prius and have feel it was my best vehicle decision to date. I have a #6 package and opted not to get the Dealer installed leather. I didn't think it needed it, which it does not. As far as being shunned by Friends, Valet, etc. That has not happened to me. The car is a status symbol and has recieved quite a bit of press by celebrities such as Cameron Diaz and Leonardo Dicaprio owning them. I was worried that I would miss the comfort of driving a "Luxury" vehicle, but the Prius has more gadgets and toys that even some of your higher end import cars do not carry and for a 1/4 of the price. Plus it is nice to go to the gas staion (on rare occaisions) and see the "Luxury" car owners having to fill up their cars with premium at $3.00 per gallon, where I fill up with 87 and drive away with a full tank of gas for a bit over twenty dollars, knowing I woun't see that gas station for awhile.

 

[Sanny]

I am struggling with the decision to trade in my Mercedes on the Prius.

• Will I miss driving a prestige brand? :?
  Will I be shunned by my peers? :?
  Will I lose the preferential treatment by valets?
  Will I miss the V8 power, power seats and sunroof?
  Will Green Pride erase my doubts and concerns?

.

If those items are really important to you, then maybe Prius isn't for you. It's a quirky little car, valet guys probably won't know how to drive it, let alone give you special treatment, there's not the power of a V8, and it doesn't come with power seats and sunroof. You know yourself best.

 

[Seven7]

I had some of the same questions you have when I was pondering whether or not to take the dive into the Hybrid world.

I had mostly driven Supras and Celicas since I had been able to afford my own vehicles. There's quite a show when you are in a Supra. It gets a lot of head-turns as there were a miniscule amount on the roads and to see one was rare. Especially the other one I had being in showroom condition ant 12 years old.

I was telling people I wanted to buy a Prius and they laughed at it's 70something horses... all while they are sitting in 300HP Twin Turbos and what not...

Though even with owning the less "cool" looking 2001 body Prius I get more headturns than in the Supra and people ask me more about it than when I was in the Supra. It was mostly kids and now it is people from 16 - 80 that want to know more about the Hybrids.

After the first week or so of driving, I didn't miss the lack of power and accessories (targa top, 5-speed, 235HP, power everything, leather)... because I was in a Prius.

...and in a Prius I will stay.


But like he just said, if you have that many reservations you can look at what happened to me and it might change your view on the car, or simply put the Prius just might not be for you.

...thought if you do decide to slide into a Prius, I'm sure you won't be let down.

 

[Tideland Prius]

I am struggling with the decision to trade in my Mercedes on the Prius.

• Will I miss driving a prestige brand? :?
  Will I be shunned by my peers? :?
  Will I lose the preferential treatment by valets?
  Will I miss the V8 power, power seats and sunroof?
  Will Green Pride erase my doubts and concerns?

Really, my main concern is safety. I believe the E-class does a bit better in the crash tests. The interior room is about the same. I may wait for the 2006 models.

1) Depends who your 'peers' are. Frankly, they should embrace it. If they're stubborn and downplay it, well who gets the last laugh? you do because you're paying for regular and getting 2 or even 3x the mileage they are

2) Probably not assuming they know how to drive the Prius :lol:

3) That's for you to decide. It's a personal thing.

4) Again, a personal thing. Frankly, I have no regrets getting a Prius. Most of my friends have Corollas and Matrix-es with the occasional TSX. For me, it's much cooler than their cars and for the two with the TSXs, well, let's just say they're not happy with the gas price

 

[paul16451]

Heh...the Prius is a LOT more prestigious than you might think. Cost alone won't determine that. I haven't met a single person yet who wasn't impressed with my vehicle, and they are gaining popularity among celebrities.

I don't see how you could be shunned by your peers for driving one. It's a very smart business decision, after all...environmentally friendly, tax deductible, gas-efficient in times of high energy crisis, and a lot of cool technology to boot!

I think preferential treatment by valets depends on the kind of person you are, not the car you drive. If you continue to tip them well, who are they to complain? Plus, if you're the first to drive one up to them, they'll probably thank you for giving them the opportunity to learn how to drive one.

The rest of it only you can answer. Why not try renting one for a day to see how it runs in terms of power, and to make sure the seats are comfy for you?

 

[Hep]

I want to eat in a more healthful way. Will I miss pizza beer and icecream?

Of course I will. I will enjoy spinach, red wine, and yogurt, but not as much, but I will be healthier, live longer, and be a good example to my children.

Go green.

 

[evander]

Well said, Hep. My environmentally concerned, politically involved daughter seems quietly proud of my purchase. She also enjoys borrowing my car when she comes home.

 

[Astrowoman]

I think Toyota should hire Kermit do do a Prius song, "It's Easy Being Green"

 

[MGBGT]

The safety question is tricky to address:
the E-class probably has one of the best safety ratings out there, but the Prius is no slouch, it also has great crash test ratings. Of course it is a smaller car than the e-class, BUT, when you really think about it, what matters more is not the mass of your own vehicle, but the mass of the 'other' vehicle.
In my mind, an important factor is HOW YOU DRIVE. In a car like the E-class, with lots of V8 power, I would probably drive faster and - let's be honest - in a more risky way. The Prius oozes calm, and since becoming a convert I have started driving in a much more relaxed and less agressive way.
I think that alone is the greatest safety feature of the Prius.
Just food for thoughts.

 

[DanMan32]

Scissors cut Paper,
Paper covers Rock,
Rock crushes Scissors,
Camry totals Saturn with just a scratch.

 

[Sanny]

No kidding... I used to drive a Buick (it was early 80s, and it was a 78 Regal). Regal vs. Corolla: Regal dented, Corolla looked like it was attacked by can opener! Yowza!! What a great car that Buick was.... sigh. I couldn't afford the gas for it now!

 

[Rich D.]

I thought that a fender bending was absorbing energy that would otherwise be transmitted to the driver 8)

Wasn't it Mercedes that start this with its "crumple zone"?

 

[richard schumacher]

Can you go green? Of course. But the Prius isn't for everyone.

If you do buy one, after two weeks you won't want to let a valet drive it.

 

[evander]

Regarding Rich D.'s comment, my salesman specifically showed me inside the trunk the construction which allowed for an accordian-like absorption of force should an accident occur--all to protect the passenger. I'm still not sure why so much damage would have to follow, but apparently it's not unexpected.

 

[Ormond]

I was really mostly kidding with my post, except for the safety issues. I wouldn't want a valet to park any car of mine. I would miss the luxury and the power. I didn't hear from the salesperson yesterday, maybe she read my post.

I could use the good karma. I will let you know if I go green!

 

[DanMan32]

Regarding Rich D.'s comment, my salesman specifically showed me inside the trunk the construction which allowed for an accordian-like absorption of force should an accident occur--all to protect the passenger. I'm still not sure why so much damage would have to follow, but apparently it's not unexpected.

The absorption of force is exactly what did my Saturn in. Otherwise, it looked and drove perfectly fine.

 

[Scott]

Re: Can I Go Green

I switched to my 2005 Prius from a 1999 M-B E55 AMG (the 350 HP, a/k/a 15 MPG, V-8 version). And after 6 months, the only features I notice that are missing from the Prius are (1) the heated seats, and (2) the every-6-month speeding tickets. At least here in the SF bay area, I've only heard positive comments for switching.

Oh, and if being noticed is important, consider that way more people are asking parking lot questions about the Prius than ever happened with the Benz.

Take the plunge...you won't regret it.

 

[Astrowoman]

Regarding Rich D.'s comment, my salesman specifically showed me inside the trunk the construction which allowed for an accordian-like absorption of force should an accident occur--all to protect the passenger. I'm still not sure why so much damage would have to follow, but apparently it's not unexpected.

In a collision the kinetic energy of the cars which plow into each other have to get "used" somehow (note to Toyota, can you charge the battery this way? :shock: ). It usually gets used breaking things. The idea of crumple zones is basically to use the energy bending the metal in a controlled way. If you just made it like a big spring that didn't get "smushed" the spring would just spring back and either propel the car forward in an uncontrolled way and/or shove the other car... Now, if you could find a way for it to do that very, very slowly without permanently deforming the vehicle, you might have something!