I simply fell in love with Toyota as a company based on my last car (still have it!) - a 1994 Corolla 5-speed which had 1 or 2 minor repairs in 273,000 miles. The exhaust system and clutch are even still original, and I had one brake job in that time. Add to that that I hate waste of any kind in general and that the Prius is bigger AND more economical (on gas) than the '94 Corolla - I ordered one without even seeing one close-up.

Replaced my poor, beloved 2005 with a 2007 when a tree fell on it.