I'm now a proud Prius owner

After spending the night debating the merits of purchasing the Honda Insight, Jude and I decided to go to the Toyota dealership just down the street from the Honda dealership and look again at the Prius. The last time we'd checked Prius prices was back in mid-2008. At that time they were carrying a premium (some might say exorbitant) price, a price we weren't ready to pay. This time around it was far different; not only where there models on the lot to choose from but they were willing and eager to deal. That's why I now own one.

It took us three hours from test drive to final purchase, but the time seemed to fly by, and we were treated quite well. What sealed the deal for us was the lower interest rate (less than 5% from the same bank Honda was supposedly using) as well as the drop in price of the Prius from where it was just nine months ago. Simply put, the Toyota dealership negotiated, the Honda dealership would not. And so we pulled the trigger on the Prius. I drove back to the Honda dealership in my shiny red Prius and got my Insight deposit refunded.

The Prius has one key feature that is missing in the 2010 Honda Insight; interior room and comfort. The Prius is far roomier than the Insight, and it's far more comfortable to drive or ride in, both in the front as well as the back. While Jude and I give the nod towards the Insight's exterior styling, it was the overall quality and utility of the Prius that won us over. And to be honest, the Prius' styling is more than adequate. It may cost a little more for the Prius but you get a lot more with the 2009 Prius than you do with the 2010 Insight.

On the way home with my shiny red Prius I managed to average 41 MPH in stop-and-go traffic, including my lead-foot ways. I guess I need to learn a few hypermiling tricks to boost that even higher. I haven't seen 40 MPH since I owned my first Honda, a silver 1978 CVCC Civic. I would average 45 MPG driving around the Atlanta metro area. I replaced it four years and 120,000 miles later with another Honda Civic, then traded that Civic in on a Nissan Axxess in 1989.

Once again my photos are posted on Flickr.