75,000 2010 Prius orders...my philosophical quandry

[fdjizm]

Originally Posted by MLL67RSSS

Anti-technology? Nothing of the sort. That's how a base V6 Camaro makes 304 HP and gets 29MPG.

It's pretty simple actually. Roughly four times more computers and sensors means four times the chances of failure, and possibly four times the number of dealer visits before an intermittant electronic problem can finally be properly diagnosed and fixed. All for a car that has the carbon footprint of a H2 and about the same MPG as a simple Jetta diesel. But you are entitled to your own opinion of course.

and you to yours sir, the sales speak for them selves, it's a popular little car and i cant knock it. i dont like it dont find it nice or cool but you cant argue with the numbers and this is the car business, if it sells it SELLS. props to the prius like any other car doing well in this industry no matter what people think.

[Rogue Leader]

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

Some people just don't care what they drive. But that's not who buys a Prius.

The Prius makes a statement. To me it says "I'm a smug douchebag who really doesn't do his research" but to the people that buy them it says "I'm saving the planet". Hybrids that look normal do not sell as well as hybrids that look like hybrids. People want to show off that they're being green. The South Park episode about hybrid smug was spot on.

The Prius is a fad that will pass one day, hopefully sooner rather than later.

This is so true! There are other Hybrids out there that don't move like the prius because they don't scream "IM GREEN" Its the trendy cool thing to do right now.

Thats the general public's feeling, that and that cars are just appliances, where we get the "what do you need all that horsepower for?" arguement.

PS the wost of this is even now with Gas prices down, you can sell a used Prius or Insight for almost what you paid for it, and in fact some dealers get OVER original MSRP for USED cars!

[BigRigMike]

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

Some people just don't care what they drive. But that's not who buys a Prius.

The Prius makes a statement. To me it says "I'm a smug douchebag who really doesn't do his research" but to the people that buy them it says "I'm saving the planet". Hybrids that look normal do not sell as well as hybrids that look like hybrids. People want to show off that they're being green. The South Park episode about hybrid smug was spot on.

The Prius is a fad that will pass one day, hopefully sooner rather than later.

So if everyone that owns a Prius is smug does that mean every Camaro owner has a mullet? Or do stereotypes only work one way?

[Tanner]

Buy a Prius and stop global warming. LOL Some people actually believe this BS. It's no more than a natural environmental change cycling from warmer to colder that's been happening since the begining of time. I remember in the 70's they were screaming Global Cooling. They said it was brought on by the CFC's in aerosol cans. We got rid of many aerosols and replaced them with pumps. Now we have global warming. I say bring back the CFC's in aerosols.LOL Maybe it will average out. I bet some people would actually believe that. By the way, the polar caps on Mars are also melting. I haven't seen any Hummers driving around there. Do we really think that we as human beings are more powerful than the sun?

[Justin]

He didn't say they were smug, he said that the Prius makes a statement. The Camaro makes a statement too. To those of us that want one, it says a lot about performance, history, and passion. To many that don't want one, it says "Oh, look. There's some d-bag in a pointless gas-guzzler from a horrible company that shouldn't even be allowed to make cars, because they're not Toyota."

Either way, it makes different statements to different people, and THAT was his point. He wasn't stereotyping, he was saying that it makes a bold statement, and the whole "people want to show off that they're being green" bit is really very true. There are TONS of articles about that. People buy the Prius because it's ugly as sin, and very obviously a hybrid.

[MrIcky]

Originally Posted by BigRigMike

So if everyone that owns a Prius is smug does that mean every Camaro owner has a mullet? Or do stereotypes only work one way?

I'm not big on the stereotypes- but yes I believe in this case some stereotyping fits. The reason for this is that Prius outsell other hybrids by a substantial amount specifically because they look like hybrids. So the conclusion is that people are buying Priuses because they want to do their part to 'save the Earth' (edit: AND they want people to know it). I'm not sure if that makes them smug-but the path from point a to point b is pretty straight in this case. Meanwhile, hairstyles inspired by MacGyver come and go.

[Rallysport]

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

Some people just don't care what they drive. But that's not who buys a Prius.

The Prius makes a statement. To me it says "I'm a smug douchebag who really doesn't do his research" but to the people that buy them it says "I'm saving the planet". Hybrids that look normal do not sell as well as hybrids that look like hybrids. People want to show off that they're being green. The South Park episode about hybrid smug was spot on.

The Prius is a fad that will pass one day, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Uhhh...What he said! +1000.

[fdjizm]

Originally Posted by MrIcky

I'm not big on the stereotypes- but yes I believe in this case some stereotyping fits. The reason for this is that Prius outsell other hybrids by a substantial amount specifically because they look like hybrids. So the conclusion is that people are buying Priuses because they want to do their part to 'save the Earth' (edit: AND they want people to know it). I'm not sure if that makes them smug-but the path from point a to point b is pretty straight in this case. Meanwhile, hairstyles inspired by MacGyver come and go.

so they are smug because they want people to know something or to get attention, funny because i see almost everyone on this board talking about all the attention they are getting and feeling like celebrities in their new camaros as others say they can't wait to get the same attention and one guy causing an accident, but they arent smug like you say are they?

[MLL67RSSS]

Originally Posted by BigRigMike

So if everyone that owns a Prius is smug does that mean every Camaro owner has a mullet? Or do stereotypes only work one way?

Now that you mention it I have yet to meet a Prius owner that wasn't at least a little smug. I myself just think they're just a little midguided and not aware of the true facts, but their intentions are good. Admittedly I myself have never been, and never ever will be considered "mainstream". Even in highschool if the trend was to do one thing I would most likely do just the opposite just to assert my independence. So that may help explain my views.

[BigRigMike]

I guess my problem stems from the fact that where i used to live i was very close to a town that was known to have many Camaro's with mismatched body panels and some did have the bumber sticker "Ass, Gas, or Grass nobody rides for free" or "Ain't Skeered". So therefore when i mentioned that i had a Camaro many people thought i was trashy so it works both ways. Most were astonished that my Camaro was all one color.

[UCF w00t]

Originally Posted by BigRigMike

So if everyone that owns a Prius is smug does that mean every Camaro owner has a mullet? Or do stereotypes only work one way?

I'm not saying that *everyone* that drives a prius is smug but a large portion are.

And the mullet stereotype isn't quite the same. The smugness is the reason people buy Priuses while you can't say a mullet causes people to buy Camaros. If you want to make a comparison stereotype about Camaro buyers it would have to be that they're universally awesome which is pretty much true across the board.


No, really I'd say that buyers of the Camaro SS are more worried about the driving experience than they are about being practical and environmentally friendly. Shoot, even if you said that all Camaro buyers were gun toting redneck bible thumpers it would be more accurate than the mullet reference. Even most rednecks have realized that mullets went out of style long ago.

[MrIcky]

Originally Posted by Rallysport

Uhhh...What he said! +1000.

I just did some research and found out the millionth Prius was sold in May of 2008. IMHO that rules out fad.

[Design1stCode2nd]

Most car buyers want an appliance. Something the runs every day, needs little maintenance and does what it was made to do, go from point A-B quietly. It’s why there are so many Camry’s, Corrola’s, Civic’s and Accords on the road.

You can take the Prius thing a couple of ways, yes they are bought to some degree because people know it’s a Prius (and that form is very aerodynamic). The badge and form can be seen as being “Green” or environmentally conscious; or even patriotic in using less Arab oil.

Is it really any different from those who want to buy a Muscle car because it looks mean or aggressive? The car you drive is an extension of your personality just like your clothes. If you buy a bland, mundane car it just shows you don’t really care about driving (and most people don’t). If you drive a hopped up Escalade with 22” chrome rims then you...well I don’t know what you are trying to say other than “Look at me I’m a tool” but you are expressing your personality.

I for one hope they sell tons of Volts, Priuii, and Insights. The more there are the less gas will cost and the more there will be for me to burn.

[Rallysport]

Originally Posted by MrIcky

I just did some research and found out the millionth Prius was sold in May of 2008. IMHO that rules out fad.

I didn't know that a fad had a "number" attached to it......