The Prius and me

When the economic crisis start getting really fierce in the last quarter of 2008, was around the same time the lease was ending on my Infiniti FX a.k.a luxury gas-guzzler. Don’t get me wrong; I sincerely enjoyed driving that car. Still, I felt guilty for riding around in a car that required so much gasoline. At the height of the gas increases I was spending over $70 to fill up my gas tank, every 7-14 days. The Infiniti is esthetically cutting edge, luxuriously designed and technologically efficient. But the Prius features many of the same technological designs as the Infiniti, like back up camera, smart key, and GPS. All the more reason to go with a gas saver because driving the Infiniti made me feel in my own way, I was contributing to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…

It was now a definite, my next car would have to be a hybrid. My friends who owned Prius’s were all in love with their cars. People really raved about it. But when I saw the movie “Who Killed The Electric Car”, I wanted my electric car. I felt I had been cheated out of something very special that could have help save the environment. It was astounding to see how blatantly corrupt the car companies and the gasoline companies are. It’s clear they’re in bed together, which is why electric cars were taken off the road and destroyed.

Back to what is, and that is that the hybrid is the next best thing to riding a bike on going on foot. By the end of 2008 the dealership was calling me on a regular basis, wanting to know did I still want to purchase. Mind you, months earlier when I went in to put my name on the waiting list I was number 35 on the list. What had changed? Well first, there was the economic melt down of Wall Street and the economy and in addition to that, gas prices had plummeted. I zoomed to the top of the list of those waiting to get a Prius and therefore I was in the position to negotiate, which I took full advantage of.

When I picked my car up, I was in for a pleasant surprise; the dealer had filled the gas tank. So the first time I had to fill my car up, three weeks later, I gave the attendant my debit card and when the pump registered the grand total of $12.00, I was blown over. Twelve dollars?! “Hey I can pay that with cash straight from my wallet”! This was going to be nice. Half a year later and I am still enjoying my Prius. I gas up one and a half times a month. The car is able to fit in smaller parking spaces and it doesn’t use much gas. Though have you noticed? prices are steadily creeping up. I went from paying an average of $15.00 to fill up to now it’s over $28.00. Still it’s a far cry from the $70.00 madness of filling up the Infiniti.

I would recommend a Prius to anyone. It’s a great car and I have become a true believer and adorning fan like most Prius owners. Maybe one of these days I’ll be living a life where I can travel primarily by bicycle. In the meantime, I love my Prius.