GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars - View Single Post - Why I bought a Prius - Another Perspective, Invitation to read, comment, debate

PriusGuy04 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-12-2006, 10:14 AM

I copied this from another board as it was a good topic "enjoy".

Why I bought a Prius – Another Perspective

This is an essay of sorts. I have come to realize that my reasons for buying a Hybrid are somewhat more complex than the media cares to report. The ******* folks are a diverse, and smart group. I will be interested to see your perspective on this.

I have found that a fair amount of people (friends, co-workers, perfect strangers) on finding out that I own a Prius, feel it quite important to inform me how ignorant I am to have bought one, as they are not cost effective. I ask where they got this information, and the typical response was that the read or heard about it in the news.

Here are my impressions of how the media views Prius drivers (this is not based on any sort of quantitative study):
- Prius (or any Hybrid drivers) are a group of eco-friendly folks.
- They are either very bad at accounting, or are so blinded by their green vision that they will spend any amount of extra money to make a statement.

The media impression may or may not be accurate. Perhaps I am an anomaly. For what it’s worth, here are the reasons for my Prius purchase. The % is how much the criteria factored into (influenced) ones decision.

100% Enviromentaly friendly Republican
10% Good for the environment (i.e. self imposed tax)
10% Wanted smaller car for ease of driving & parking (vs. an SUV)
10% Chance that it would save money (if gas prices stayed high)
10% Just a **** cool looking car
10% Cool Gadgets/Technology (endless entertainment while driving)
50% Insurance against situation where the bad guys successfully disrupt the oil supply enough to cause worldwide buying panic, thus creating a true gas shortage (i.e. not just high prices, but the unavailability of gasoline.)

I have not seen the last item (bad guys/gas shortage) discussed on ******** or on any other hybrid bulletin boards. Perhaps it’s my early years in northern Michigan that influence this. When a big bad winter storm comes along, everybody goes and fills up as gas can’t be pumped without power. You develop a healthy fear of not having enough gas.

I keep 10 gallons of gas in my shed out back. This will keep my Prius going for 3-4 weeks.

I know it’s only a matter of time before the bad guys succeed in creating a gas shortage. This will be bad for us all, and will truly rattle our confidence. I have invested in my insurance against this scenario. On seeing the news of the refinery attacks on TV, I won’t be one of the people who panic and race up to the nearest gas station. It’s hard to put a price on sleeping soundly at night, but a $3000 premium for a car with a 10+ year lifespan (= $25/month) is worth it to me.

So, the next time a friend or co-worker makes it a point to inform you of your ignorance in buying a hybrid, run this little scenario by them. Chances are that they will either 1) go into denial (that it could never happen), or 2) start to look nervous, as they ponder how much gas is in their tank at the moment.

I was motivated to write this because it’s important that we all realize this probable threat. Our governments do their best, but there is only so much they can do to protect our infrastructure. We can all help out be being better prepared. Buying a hybrid one way to help. Storing hundreds of gallons of fuel in your back yard might help, but that could also be hazardous.

This is just my two cents worth. Thanks for taking time to read it, and I look forward to seeing your thoughts.

-------* Seattle Washington

This was an intresting post, It sums up alot of things that all hybrid owners get or feel..
What do you think?