[SyZyGy]

I'm 15 years old and I usually drive a Lancer Evolution 8. I dont know if I would loose interest in the prius after a week of purchase. I like the idea of the car and great gas mileage, but how well does the car keep up with everyday traffic? I'm all for the hybrid Prius, but I dont know if it will be practical for me?

 

[Brian]

SyZyGy,
I started looking into the Prius when I was 15. I really liked it, checked it all out, lurked around the boards, talk to the dealers, ect. Now, I am 16, and have a '04 Silver BC. It is a great car. It will do much more than keep up with traffic. The power of the car is the least thing you should worry about.
As far as holding your interest, your on your own.

-Brian

 

[hyperion]

You will excite the interest of every car owner you encounter. Learn "how it works"

 

[LouieNet]

If you have the means, rent one from your Toyota dealer for a few days to get the feel of it. Don't get to caught up into the energy and consumption screens; they're like a video game.

Louie

 

[Victor]

I'm 15 years old and I usually drive a Lancer Evolution 8.

15? How old do you have to be to get a driving licence in the States? In the UK you have to be 18.

 

[hyperion]

Victor, the requirements vary by State. I believe the youngest is 15 for a highly restrictive learners permit, 16 for an extremely restrictive drivers license. Usually, you can't drive until you can be insured and this has been exxxxxtremly restrictive.

 

[SkipHuffman]

I'm 15 years old and I usually drive a Lancer Evolution 8. I dont know if I would loose interest in the prius after a week of purchase. I like the idea of the car and great gas mileage, but how well does the car keep up with everyday traffic? I'm all for the hybrid Prius, but I dont know if it will be practical for me?[/quote

I am going to disagree with the majority on this board.

No, you should not have a Prius for your first car. Or any other new car for that matter. Look for something about five years old with about 50,000 miles on it. Toyota or Honda preferably.

Three reasons.

New drivers, especially teenagers, are very likely to damage their first car. Fender benders, scratches, and kicked doors are all cheaper and easier to fix on a 1999 Civic than a 2004 Prius. New drivers also use their cars pretty hard. You are going to lose more at trade in time on a new car than an late model used.

The Prius is also a LOUSY choice for a first car. Your first car is where you really learn the driving habits that will stick with you for the rest of your life, and the habits you will learn with a Prius are just a little different than a typical car. If you start with a Prius, your instincts are going to be a little off for other cars, you are going to expect the insturments to be in a different place, you are going to expect the brakes to be grabby, you are going to expect the car to end just past the edge of the windshield, you will not think to warm up a car on a cold day, your concept of how gears are used will be off. Just a lot of things are different for Prius. You should learn the common set first, then branch into the odd like the Prius.

Lastly, no new driver should have a distracting, pretty toy like the multi function screen in a car. You need to have your eyes on the road in front of you, your mirrors, and your speedometer. As a new driver, you need to concentrate on the basics.

Wait until you go to college before you get the Prius. Hit you parents up for a graduation gift after you prove how well you can take care of a 2000 Corolla.

 

[melgish]

Your first car is where you really learn the driving habits that will stick with you for the rest of your life, and the habits you will learn with a Prius are just a little different than a typical car. If you start with a Prius, your instincts are going to be a little off for other cars

While I agree that the first car should be 'accidentable' I think this may be a declining issue. It's reasonable to assume that more hybrids will be available when it's time to replace the first car, and that the dashboard of the future will be as different from the prius as the prius is from the norm today.

Can you say HUD?

 

[Jim Biggs]

How old do you have to be to get a driving licence?

I got my license when I was 14. That was the earliest age when I used to live in AR.
Jim Biggs

 

[Tideland Prius]

The youngest in Canada is age 14 in Alberta... I don't know about the new driver accident rates though

 

[SyZyGy]

Yeah, Im 15 and live in the US. I have my driving permit and will soon have my licence when I turn 16. Well I meant that I wont be driving the Prius everyday. My dad and I will probably switch off everyday. Yes, I have driven a car with a HUD (heads up display). Its not too distracting.
Well, the evo is a new car.

 

[flare]

would you rather have a new driver driving an agressive car or a tamer car?

i think with the prius.. there's always that guilt in the back of your head whenever you step too hard on the gas pedal and the mpg starts dropping. Why wait until college? You could be saving 3600$ by the time you get to college and PLUS you would already be enjoying yourself for 3 years.

Also.. the arguement that teenagers are more likely to damage their first car... it totally depends on the teen. I myself am one and I have driven for 2.5 years and I have never ever gotten any ticket and I have never been pulled over.

When you have a car like a Prius, i think you'd be less likely to go racing on large stretches of highway

 

[SyZyGy]

I think I'd rather drive a Prius because I would be more succectible follow the traffic laws. I'd also be at a less risk of an accident because I wouldn't be tempted to drive so quickly and recklessy.

 

[hyperion]

You do know these things cost $22,000 (plus or minus) Put the dough into your college fund and get yourself a "model A"

 

[KURT]

15

If you can afford it, get it, you'll like it.

I'm 48 and finally treated myself to my FIRST new car, the 04 Prius. 15??!! I yi yi yi yi.

 

[wombatua]

The 'game' of trying to get the best fuel efficiency's made me a slightly slower driver and somewhat more likely to observe speed limits. There's always the chance that a younger driver looking to save gas might be more likely to not drive like there's a fire two states away in a Prius...

 

[SyZyGy]

Hitch

Yea. I think I'd be better off with a Prius. By the way, how well does the trailor hitch work with single axle trailor that has a jetski or dirtbike onboard?
Jordan Z

 

[Daniel]

To answer your original question: The Prius keeps up with traffic just fine. During my first months of ownership I was always first off the line at a stoplight, and way ahead of everyone else. This car has torque like nobody's business. If you drag race a Porsche or a Corvette, you'll lose, but in real traffic you can go as fast as you like, and accelerate faster than the majority of cars on the road. With the thrill of the new car past, I now have to exercise real restraint to avoid those fast take-offs (which are bad for mpg).

That said, I agree with the poster who suggested you get a reliable used car instead. It'll cost less to buy and less to insure and less to fix those fender-benders; and the savings can go into your college fund.

And please drive responsibly. The life you save may be mine.

 

[SkipHuffman]

Re: Hitch

Yea. I think I'd be better off with a Prius. By the way, how well does the trailor hitch work with single axle trailor that has a jetski or dirtbike onboard?
Jordan Z

Sorry, no trailering on the Prius. Just not built for it.

You can get a hitch reciever so that you can put a bike rack or something similar on it, but no tralers.

 

[SyZyGy]

Hitch

Thanks for the info on the hitch. Now I know not to go looking for them.