My New Car :-)

My latest pride and joy... my new car. So what is it, you ask? It is a Toyota Prius... a hybrid electric car.

Many people have asked me why I bought this car... but I'm not sure there's any one reason. It fit the basic criteria I had, which was (1) not too expensive, (2) seats 4 comfortably and (3) not too embarrassing to be seen in it! On top of that, I liked the idea of new cutting-edge technology and the SULEV (super ultra low emissions) rating. After seeing one at the dealers, I spent a couple of weeks researching it on the web (how did we ever survive before the web??) before I decided to buy one. I think part of what convinced me was the passion with which other Prius owners spoke about their cars.

So, "buying" one meant putting down a $500 deposit and getting put on a waiting list. When I ordered on 2/4/2001 they estimated deliver in late May/early June. On 3/30/2001 I got a call from the dealer. He said that an Aqua Prius had been delivered for someone else who had backed out of the deal... since I was next on the waiting list for that dealership, did I want the car? Ah, YEEEEEEES! The joy was short-lived when I got a call 20 minutes later telling me that, in fact, there was one person ahead of me on the waiting list, and that they were going to get first crack at it (although Aqua had not been their color choice). Arggggggh! A while later, I got another call... the other people didn't want Aqua, so the car was mine.... for sure... absolutely. I can't believe I actually waited until after work to go pick it up.

So, I've been driving it since 3/30/2001 and I'm just in love with it. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun with a car. It has a touch-screen display that makes driving feel like playing a video game.

Here are some pictures that I've borrowed from other web sites (these are not of my car, but it is the same color as mine... Aqua Ice Opalescence.

Beautiful Aqua Ice

Drivers Side Angle

Rear Angle

Prius Glossary

... just to prove that Prius owners are quite passionate about their cars (and quite possibly have a little too much time on their hands!), here's some terms coined by folks in the Prius Online Group.

Priite - a Prius owner, better than Priusite which sounds like parasite. Some would think that we're bordering on being religious with our passion for our Prii. So some might use Prior and Prioress. (Same root word).
Primus - a fully loaded Prius
Primeditate - think of buying a Prius
A Priori - A Prius on order
Expecting - waiting for the delivery of ordered Prius
Proto-Prius - Prius just being assembled
Primee - a bought Prius before the delivery of the one ordered
Prinews - new Prii. So I guess, Prinew is singular.
Priusto! - what you shout when your baby arrives. (Presto has really the same latin root as Prius).
Priused or Priowned - not one of those privileged spanking, brand new Prius.
Priusident – a ding or big dent in your Prius.
pri-date - got the first Prius on your block

Plural Prius... the battle still rages.

Prii- plural of Prius as in focus - foci, radius - radii, etc.
Priites
Priuses

Groups of Prii/Priuses... lots of good suggestions.

A pride of Prii
A volt of priuses
A polywhirl of Priores
A "generation" of Priuses ... that would make the baby a "regen."
A "regeneration" of Priuses (while decelerating)
An "economy" of Priuses (on acceleration)
A "stealth" of Priuses (while cruising)

Sites for more information:

Check out the Toyota site at http://prius.toyota.com
This site belongs to a total Prius fanatic. He's pretty much responsible for convincing me I had to buy this car: http://john1701a.com/
There are also several online discussion groups for Prius fanatics: