I took Lulu on a date today. I know - you are saying what the heck is Harry doing looking at another car. He just bought a Ford Truck - sold a Toyota Truck - bought a Dodge 600 Convertible - and bought a Honda Van in the last two years. Besides - he doesn't drive to work - Lulu works from home - and they are flying to Hawaii - Australia - New Zealand - this month.
Lulu's Vison Tour starts in two weeks. She could use a nice new car to visit all those libraries this year. Excuses - excuses. I think Harry just likes the sweet smell of wet paint.
We test drove a 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid
The new Third Generation Prius Hybrid is one sweet satchel of technology. Simple - it has two motors - one electric - one gasoline. There is a switch on the dash that allows you to select one or the other or both at once. I have always wanted a real electric car and this is close. You press the electric button and for about 12 miles - it will run just on batteries. After that the gas engine kicks in to recharge the battery. For a bonus kick in the pants - you can use both engines at once for 135 HP - a super jolt in this little car. At 50 MPG x 14 gallons = 700 mile range. When the put the brakes on - they even generate electricity.
Yes - the Prius gets 51 MPG - does better in stop and go traffic than on the highway - that's different. I admit you never buy a $30,000 car to save on gasoline. If you drive 10,000 miles in a year - pay $3 a gallon and get 20 miles per gallon - you only pay $1500 a year for fuel anyway. So if you double that MPG with a Prius - you save like $750 a year. The yearly gasoline savings never adds up to pay the premium for buying a hybrid. So enough on the economy reasoning - and the "save the planet" baloney.
This car has a lot of other neat features. One I like best is the "solar sun roof." While the car is sitting there in the hot Florida sun - the solar panel runs a little fan that sucks the hot air out of the car - keeping it cooler - notice - I did not say cold. This would be a great feature here in Tallahassee. Also - on the remote control - there is a button to press to turn the air conditioner on - it will run off the car battery making the car cooler before you get in.
The car has a special CVT tranny (continuously variable transmission). Simply - it does not shift. The transmission is belt driven like a motor scooter varying the torque. It makes for smoother and quieter driving.
The dash board is state of the art. Different data is projected onto the dash by holography - it reminds one of piloting a fighter jet with heads up controls. Information is project only when you need it.
It has a built-in GPS with many other features included - like a rear view camera for backing up - with a nice big color screen. You can answer your cell phone calls wirelessly - also play your ipod music wirelessly.
This Prius also has a conventional sunroof for that wind in the hair driving that Lulu loves.
The sticker price of this car is $32,000. The salesman had come down to $30,000 - way far away from the $27,000 I offered.
After paying $13,500 for a 3 year old Honda Van - $4000 for a 25 year old Dodge Convertible - and $4500 for a Ford 4x4 - it is really hard to convince myself that the answer is a $30,000 compact - just because it gets 51 MPG. I need another car like a need another hole in my butt.
"I have more cars than I will ever need - and less cars that I will always want."
