OT - Dichotomy Definition Demonstration
It's a Van Gogh
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 7,812
Likes: 1,335
From: Elk Grove, CA
I live in the SF Bay Area, Land of Prii, no stranger to them. They are good cars for the intended purpose. I am very glad you got one! Your ownership will dilute the jackassery of typical owners. 
Put a Riff Raff sticker in the back window to confuse the populace.
Put a Riff Raff sticker in the back window to confuse the populace.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
Put a Riff Raff sticker in the back window to confuse the populace.
OK... now that I've passed through the dark side, I understand the enemy - that doesn't mean I'm going to turn blue and start smashing backup cams on Superduties.
I bought it because of my frequent daily usage with my new work duties - this behavior is hard on diesels and the wallet. I worked out the math and the fuel alone (per month) for Stinky as a DD is the same cost as the car payment (with extended warranty rolled in), fuel, oil, air filters, insurance, and an occasional trinket for Stingy (like a cargo net in the back for my tools). The car pays for itself live, not a "down the road" return on investment thing... and the difference on maintenance? Fuhgetaboutit. So in a way, it's a "free" car... plus I save a lot of wear and tear on Da Big Stink.
OK... that's the left side of the brain talkin'. As with Stinky, there is a left and right brain argument for the vehicle: It's not a dull sedan or pickup. Stinky is not an F150. He's not even a stock F250 Superduty anymore, he is an interesting and fun vehicle to drive, plus he has very specific jobs he excels at. Except for the stock comment, all of the same can be said for Stingy. Similarities between Stingy and Stinky:
- Decel "tune" (I've had one of these on Stinky). Although this is completely against the logic of the car, there is a decel tune that is activated simply by putting the shift lever into "B" for combustion engine Braking. The electric motor and battery are the magic of the Hybrid... electric motors make great brakes when used for generating electricity, and the bake pedal activates the generation. The brake pads and shoes on a Prius could possibly last the life of the car... I dunno. Combustion braking circumvents the regenerative braking, but it would be handy on a long decent where the battery would be so full that there's nothing left to charge.
- Uniqueness. I know there are plenty of these things around, but there are plenty of Superduties around as well. The vehicle is still unique among the mundane gasser pickups, SUVs, crossovers, cars, and whatever else they slap on 4 wheels with a gas-only engine.
- Fun and comfortable. Stinky is up high, powerful, has the occasional whistle, a nice sound system, and comfortable seats. Stingy is higher than the Corolla I just sold, more powerful than a Geo Metro or VW van I once drove, the unique sound while driving is... er... nothing, and it has a nice sound system. The seats? Well... I'm OK on the one-hour drives, but the 4-hour test needs to be run. Stingy is still fun, because of the unusual drivetrain.
- Storage. Stinky has an unused back seat and an eight-foot bed, so he has room for storage. Stingy has more places for storage. She (as per the wife) is a hatchback, and has more cubbyholes than I could find on the first few days of kicking tires, test driving, and ownership. I found another one yesterday under the center console... about the size of paper fold-up maps (which I have).
Key differences (other than the obvious):
- I don't know how many of you are familiar with the CVT transmission, but I've been jonesin' to own one of these since I rented a Nissan Murano in California a few years ago. I have a CVT transmission on Piglet, the super scooter (Suzuki Burgman - 400CC), but I can't use that daily.
- "Overhead" display. I now know why Prius drivers are such a55es - it's that damn Jack Russell Terrier of a display. I change it to use the radio, and a few seconds later... it switches back to the MPG screen. I'd rather watch the cabin heating screen... so I try that instead. Seconds later, back to a glaring MPG number to guilt you into tying a helium balloon to your right foot. One of the first "mods" to the car was to find the control to make the screen stop automatically switching to the MPG screen. I really don't care what the MPGs say on a computer screen, I just know it's better than what Vixen (the Corolla) had, and Stinky has. The pump is the proof in the pudding.
- Passing a pokey with a Prius... puh-leeze. I know everybody says it has surprising spunk, but they are comparing that spunk with other 40+ MPG cars and their expectations of a hybrid. What made those cars (Geo Metro, Ford Fiesta, Suzuki Swift, etc...) work was smaller and lighter design with inky-dinky engines... so it was a real ordeal to get up to 70 MPH in those rigs. The Prius is far more powerful than those, with the electric motor kicking in to augment the torque when accelerating "hard" - like for passing. It's not as gung-ho as my 1999 Corolla was (equal to Stinky when stock), with 1.8L and a 5-speed, but I had no problem getting Stingy up to 95 MPH within a reasonably short time.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 411
Likes: 1
From: Plant City
You lose a couple of man points here Tug. (JK). I understand the idea but a tdi in a Jetta or such vehicle would have been a better choice in my opinion. A better return and a better car overall. But in the end as long as your happy it don't matter what I say. Enjoy my friend enjoy.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Puget Sound
You lose a couple of man points here Tug. (JK). I understand the idea but a tdi in a Jetta or such vehicle would have been a better choice in my opinion. A better return and a better car overall. But in the end as long as your happy it don't matter what I say. Enjoy my friend enjoy.
I looked hard at the TDI - very hard. I really wanted one and had been shopping for 2006s, but I couldn't get past the maintenance issues. My last DD just needed oil, fuel, wheels, and brake parts between 99K and 200K miles. I protest replacing timing belts every 60K miles and the reputation of the expense of maintenance/repairs. I have a big white project diesel already... I am unwilling to have a DD behave like that. I did serious research into the Prii as they surpass the 100K/10 year battery warranty. Nothing to report here, except the batteries are still going. When they finally do start to go out, the aftermarket has already jumped in... so the notorious $5k battery replacement at 100K miles is not going to materialize.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 4,006
Likes: 1
From: AL, Reform
to each his own, and you are the only one who knows what you need.
but for me i have drive smaller cars and trucks, all it takes is 1 wreck to show you how bad a car looks after a small bump. i have been on both side in the lager car we did better than the guy who seat broke off the floor and jettisoned his back hack over 500' away. but when in the small car it almost killed me, and my back and neck will never be right again, and we where only going 35mph and my truck was a mangled twisted wreck, the only part of the truck that was not bent bad was the PS door and it would only open when pried. i know it cost more to drive my 250 but my back hurting all the time no money can fix. just my 0.02
but for me i have drive smaller cars and trucks, all it takes is 1 wreck to show you how bad a car looks after a small bump. i have been on both side in the lager car we did better than the guy who seat broke off the floor and jettisoned his back hack over 500' away. but when in the small car it almost killed me, and my back and neck will never be right again, and we where only going 35mph and my truck was a mangled twisted wreck, the only part of the truck that was not bent bad was the PS door and it would only open when pried. i know it cost more to drive my 250 but my back hurting all the time no money can fix. just my 0.02
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Molon Labe
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,272
Likes: 1
From: Alaska
I think you made a good decision based on it's intended use.
I've been circling the economy car market like a confused buzzard looking for something to fit my needs. (40+ mpg's & little to no maintenance)
I too have done some TDI research & agree that they do require more attention than I'm willing to give. I'll prob end up with a Honda Civic or even a gas Golf.
Props for "coming out of the garage"
We will still love & accept you like family.
I've been circling the economy car market like a confused buzzard looking for something to fit my needs. (40+ mpg's & little to no maintenance)
I too have done some TDI research & agree that they do require more attention than I'm willing to give. I'll prob end up with a Honda Civic or even a gas Golf.
Props for "coming out of the garage"
We will still love & accept you like family.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Puget Sound
That cracks me up.
One other thing I forgot to reiterate about the TDI... my duties includes short runs of 5-10 minutes (all weather), and this is murder on a diesel. The hybrid is the most forgiving of such torture. If they had a diesel hybrid in the U.S., I haven't found it yet... but that would be the monster of mileage. Imagine a 7.3L Superduty with a 150 HP electric motor for Hybrid operation... that would give us close to 25 MPG in traffic. The highway mileage would take a dump, because of the added weight.
Power is crazy cheap where I live (the lowest in the nation), so an electric car would be ideal - except for the need for intense air conditioning in the summer (up to 108 F), heat in the winter (down to 20 below zero F), and a realistic range of 200 miles on a charge while heating/cooling. That blew the Leaf away... as well as everything else that's affordable. I qualify that because of the Tesla. I wonder if the Prius can be modified for plug-in use (extended range on battery).
As for economical cars that have function and reliability, I was looking at the Ford Focus ZX5 (then I could use my AE), but it weighs in under 40 MPG. There's the Ford Fiesta: You've heard of a coffee can? This is a coffin can. My '99 Toyota Corolla (paid $5000 in 2007) peaked out at 42 MPG when I went easy on it, but got 38 MPG with my "digital driving" (throttle floored or off when not speed-maintaining). It's really tough to beat the Corolla for all-around cost of ownership.
One other thing I forgot to reiterate about the TDI... my duties includes short runs of 5-10 minutes (all weather), and this is murder on a diesel. The hybrid is the most forgiving of such torture. If they had a diesel hybrid in the U.S., I haven't found it yet... but that would be the monster of mileage. Imagine a 7.3L Superduty with a 150 HP electric motor for Hybrid operation... that would give us close to 25 MPG in traffic. The highway mileage would take a dump, because of the added weight.
Power is crazy cheap where I live (the lowest in the nation), so an electric car would be ideal - except for the need for intense air conditioning in the summer (up to 108 F), heat in the winter (down to 20 below zero F), and a realistic range of 200 miles on a charge while heating/cooling. That blew the Leaf away... as well as everything else that's affordable. I qualify that because of the Tesla. I wonder if the Prius can be modified for plug-in use (extended range on battery).
As for economical cars that have function and reliability, I was looking at the Ford Focus ZX5 (then I could use my AE), but it weighs in under 40 MPG. There's the Ford Fiesta: You've heard of a coffee can? This is a coffin can. My '99 Toyota Corolla (paid $5000 in 2007) peaked out at 42 MPG when I went easy on it, but got 38 MPG with my "digital driving" (throttle floored or off when not speed-maintaining). It's really tough to beat the Corolla for all-around cost of ownership.
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,250
Likes: 42
agreed.
looked at them years ago, but the family has grown since so it is not even an option anymore.
hopefully it treats you well, and you update us on any mods:
Pimping out the Prius to show "I'm not gay!" | PriusChat
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,250
Likes: 42
9 ECHO 1
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 12,467
Likes: 58
From: Missouri
Rich you actually like the CVT? I have heard nothing but bad things about it.
Also, why the prius? There are other options out there that get equal or better fuel millage, and some are American.
My issue with the Prius is not that its a bad car, its not. But it is not what the media and Toyota pretend it is.
Also, why the prius? There are other options out there that get equal or better fuel millage, and some are American.
My issue with the Prius is not that its a bad car, its not. But it is not what the media and Toyota pretend it is.