LifePundit

It's a Bad Time to Drive a Prius

I've had my Prius for two years. I bought it because VW quit making a reliable car (I had two VWs die on me within about three months of each other) and because, as a bumper sticker says, "I'd rather buy green Japanese Technology than Dirty Arab Oil."

I'm voting with my dollars against funding terrorism. As much as is possible.

And I'm very happy with my Prius. It's not as zippy or as much fun as a Jetta, but it has a better work ethic. You turn it on, it goes. You don't have to call your husband or a tow truck (unlike my recent VWs). I place a high value on a car that runs. Even better if it runs quietly and on fumes -- I drive a lot.

I remember Jimmy Carter's oil shortages. When we don't control a commodity we rely on, it can get scary. So part of my reason for getting a Prius was strategic. I want to be able to go places and not need a lot of gas to do it.

But now, thanks to Obama and his addiction to automotive meddling, my car has become the symbol of everything I'm not. While I recycle and try to limit how much I impact the environment, I'm not an environmentalist. I believe in good stewardship of the earth, which could include drilling for oil in ANWR.  And I believe Al Gore is the cause of global warming, which they have yet to convince me exists.

I hope someone is coming up with something other than oil to power our vehicles so long as it isn't made out of crops grown for food.

I'm not a Democrat or a socialist. I voted for Bush twice and think he's a decent, good man who kept us safe. I would go hunting with Cheney.

I think you have the right to drive a Hummer if you want. I won't even say ugly things about whatever you might be compensating for, because honestly, all I know about you is that you drive a Hummer. That's your business. I'll cling to my guns and religion and you go right ahead and cling to your Hummer. This is a free country still -- right?

But now, my car makes a statement I'm not making. I'm not smug or liberal. So I've just ordered two bumper stickers. This took a lot of thought on my part because I don't like bumper stickers, and the ones I really want to use will get my car keyed.

So here's what I chose: The Gadsden Flag and one about the link between oil and terrorism.

Read up on this flag. Very interesting. And it has a S.C. connection.

Don't You Even Think About Lowering the Speed Limit

It's already painful to pay close to $4.00/gallon for gas. And now Senator John Warner from Virginia wants to lower the national speed limit to 55 mph. That's hitting us where it really hurts. I'm not slowing down. If I find a clear spot on the road, I'm going to move along at a nice, fast, legal pace.

How about passing a law where senators can travel on MWF and members of the House can travel TTh? If we're going to start restricting how we travel, let's start at the top.

And I said travel, not drive, because I figure they're flying as much as driving. I remember the 55 speed limit, and that's only good in a school zone. (Just kidding.)

If I'm burning up that much money to gas up my car, I should get to burn up my fuel at the rate of speed  -- and mpgs -- that I choose so long as it's safe for the road and driving conditions. If I want to save money and gas, I can drive my SUV slower, or I can drive my hybrid just about any way I want.

Driving over 70 and running the air conditioning in my Prius, I can still get close to 50 mpgs. If I turn off the air conditioning, I can get in the low 50s. Why should I be forced to crawl like a snail to save gas when I'm already saving gas?

The car has a consumption screen that shows what kind of mpgs you're getting. Everyone who makes it through their first year of driving a Prius without an accident should get an award, because that screen is a major distraction. I drive like that screen is a video game and I'm not winning unless I'm staying above the 50 mpg. line (and manufacturing "turtles," which are these little leaf-shaped things that really look like turtles and signify how much energy you're regenerating). That screen has taught me how to drive to maximize my mileage.  It's also taught me that I'm only once glance away from getting killed, so I'd better pay attention to the road.

The market is responding to high gas prices. People are dumping their SUVs as fast as they can. Senator, you don't need to change the speed limit.

You need to start drilling Here and Now.

Yes, You Want a Prius

Click on the photo to enlarge. Please notice large cat on the dashboard (Tiger) and the horse in the right rearview mirror. Probably Buddy. How I live.

I'm afraid to go to the gas station. People give me dirty looks. Fortunately, I don't have to go often. I drive a Prius.

I drive a Prius because I made the decision a year ago that (1) I didn't want to walk, which was the only alternative I had after not one but two VWs turned from cool driving machines into unrepairable junk (two cars died in three months) and I was left with nothing but a horse and a bike and (2) I don't like giving money to people who hate us.

Yes, the Prius gets incredible mileage. Most of the time I get from 52-54 mpg. If I drive fast and run the A/C or heater, I get in the high 40s. I have gotten 60 mpg for some driving segments.

It's not as sporty and fun to drive as a Jetta, and it isn't as comfortable as a Passat, but there's something to be said for economy and reliability. As you can see from the photo, Tiger finds it quite comfortable.

It holds more than you think it would. It's comfortable. It has lots of well-thought-out features.

It has a certain cool factor. I'm surprised I survived the last year because I spent most of it not looking at the road, but at the energy consumption panel. It's like a video game where the point is to maximize your mpgs. It has trained me to drive the way the Prius likes to be driven, which is sort of like driving a bicycle. Coast downhill, build up speed for the next hill. And brake slowly.

Thank goodness it has a back-up camera, because in electric mode it doesn't make any noise. That means the pets don't move out of the way and I've driven over Tiger before.

And when I went to the feed store to pick up some bags of grain the young man who totes and fetches never appeared. I had to go looking for him. My car was in electric mode so he didn't hear me drive up. This puzzled him, so he asked me, "Is that one of them solar cars?"

One of my favorite things about the car is the SmartKey system. What that means is that if you have trouble keeping up with your key, don't worry. If it's stuck somewhere on you or in your purse, you can start your car and lock and unlock the doors without ever having to figure out exactly where you put your keys. Trouble is, you have to find your keys when you get home because our house door is not smart, though I suspect it is me who isn't smart.

When I can't find my keys, I put my purse in the Prius to see if I can start it. If it starts, I know I have my keys so I keep looking in my clothing and purse.

I bought the car because it was supposed to be reliable and economical. I paid more for the hybrid engine, but I figured I'd rather give the money to the Japanese than the people who hate us.

And yes, I think we need to drill for American oil. Go for all sources of American oil.  Now.  By the way, did you know China is exploring oil reserves between Cuba and Key West? You think they've got the technology to prevent oil spills that would devastate Florida's coral reefs?  I recently heard an updated report about this, but can't find the link. Here is a story from the St. Petersburg (FL) Times and here's one from the NY Times.

And, the obvious from Jay Leno:

Getting Over 60 mpg Can Be Fun

There's nothing more obnoxious than a person with a new car. I've put more than 11,000 miles on my Prius so I think I can talk about it without offending anyone. That is, until I tell you that I'm now getting over 60 mpg in this weather since I'm not running the A/C.

I had to buy it, after having two VWs die on me within just a few months of each other. VWs are fun to drive, but I got tired of walking.

Here's the consumption monitor on the Prius:

Yes, that says 60.3 mpg from driving 89 miles around town.

I ran over the cat in the driveway today!

I ran over the cat in the driveway this morning. We both survived. In fact, I might be worse than he is.

After all, I ran over the cat in the driveway this morning. This is the second cat I've run over in my driveway, and the second cat to survive.

Either I'm very lucky, or not very good at running over my own cats.

Today's near-squashing has a good excuse. I drive a Prius, and in electric mode it doesn't make any noise. I've almost hit the cat several times because he doesn't hear me coming, but I've seen him in the back-up camera, which I first thought was a silly feature but now am grateful to have. This morning the cat was under the car, so I didn't see him in the camera. I did hear it, however, when I rolled him over. I slammed on brakes and he ran out from under the car, shaking his head and licking his teeth as if to check to see if they were all there.

Then he started to clean himself. This is the most un-hygienic cat; he never cleans himself. So clearly I whacked him hard enough to do some brain damage. Thank God he wasn't under a wheel!

The other cat I ran over was a young cat we were trying to keep in the house. He dashed out just as I was driving out and ran under the car. I felt two bumps -- front wheel, back wheel -- and had that really sick feeling you get when you realize you just ran over your cat with your wheels. Then I saw him run off, dragging a leg.

God looks after fools and cats. He was only badly bruised. The only thing the vet could figure is that the cat must have been in a low spot (AKA hole) in our unpaved driveway, so he didn't take the full weight of the car. Plus, I was moving quickly so I didn't squash him as I might have at a lower speed. And because of his age, his bones were more flexible. He was fine the next day.

I guess I'll have to start sounding the horn before I start to drive in the morning. Won't I be popular with the neighbors? Of course, that Toyota horn sounds more like the whine of a person who doesn't really expect you to get out of the way. It's the most non-assertive horn on the planet. "I know you're going to kick sand in my face, but when you're all done insulting me, would you mind moving forward just an eensie weensie bit? The light turned green five minutes ago....."

But! At least I can breathe through both nostrils, unlike poor Venomous Kate. http://www.electricvenom.com/?p=8975