GTP Cool Wall: 2003-2009 Toyota Prius

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2003-2009 Toyota Prius

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An enthusiast is an enthusiast no matter what they drive. Sometimes circumstances in one's live dictates they drive something that isn't a sports car or even a sporty car.
 
That is literally what 99% of all cars on the road are for.

You're misunderstanding "forgotten".

They have driven/raced cars so much for so long, that they have forgotten more about it than you have ever known, ever.
It's an expression pointing out inexperience in what the person (you) is talking about.
 
White & Nerdy
Which is when you improvise.
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Car enthusiast =/= modifying your car/driving a sporty car.

Is that simple enough for you? Or do you need the information surgically implanted into your brain?
 
Wait, let me fix that for you...

White & Nerdy
But then you forget the things that comic doesn't mention - like all the pollution involved in manufacturing a gasoline car or its motor/battery/body/nickel-plated "chrome" wheels and trim/engine oil/gearbox oil/refrigerant/coolant/carbon-fiber matrix resin/plastic/safety glass/etcetera, plus the pollution it might produce at the end of its life cycle if not responsibly disposed of. If gasoline cars go fully mainstream, and there are people trying hard to make that happen even though it'll push every last drop of coolness out of the horse-racing scene, there's a good chance some of them will end up abandoned and covered in graffiti at the end of a secluded dirt road somewhere (oh wait... that's already happened!), left to leak toxic chemicals into the ground forever. (toxic chemicals like gasoline, engine oil, refrigerant, coolant, etcetera)

And that's not even the point. The Sunfire is possibly the best example of a car being tainted by its owner base - obnoxious conservatives who think they're Mother Earth Heroes because they've given up on things like fuel economy and not standing in the hot sun all day pumping gasoline in favor of poor fuel economy, a rattly ride and the ability to rev their engines at Prius owners at the stoplight.
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Mind you, I'm not pro-hybrid. EROEI and ROI aren't realistic for most buyers who are not livery service providers or taxi operators, but the arguments against them are getting terribly cliched.

As I've said... the only hybrid owner I know personally is a racing driver who's done the 25 hours of Thunderhill. Several times. A hybrid is either good or bad based on its inherent merits, not any half-arsed generalizations made based on egregious misconceptions about hybrids by people whose only experience of them is watching them pootle silently by in traffic.

Just a month ago, I was doing donuts in a hybrid. Donuts. In a hybrid. Just this week, I was executing four-wheel drifts in a mild hybrid... a Mazda CX-5. A crossover with an automatic and regenerative braking.

Oh... the bloody horror... excuse me, I have to get the vile taste of green out of my mouth by revving my nuts off at a stoplight next to a Prius. :D
 
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White & Nerdy
Exactly. Forgotten. They're the "It doesn't have to be fun/I'm not going to mod it because it's only a daily driver/family car/temporary wheels while I finish __________" type of enthusiasts.
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Some cars really shouldn't be modded, such as early nineties compacts from GM...
 
White & Nerdy
Exactly. Forgotten. They're the "It doesn't have to be fun/I'm not going to mod it because it's only a daily driver/family car/temporary wheels while I finish __________" type of enthusiasts.
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No, we're just car enthusiasts.

It means we like all sorts of cars, rather than just a narrow band of stuff. Arguably, we're more car enthusiasts than you'll ever be. We have the ability to appreciate anything with four wheels. Or indeed three, or two, or no wheels at all. If it moves and you can operate it in order to get somewhere on land, in water, or in the sky, or in space, then chances are many of us will like that too. Hell, it doesn't even need to meet those criteria - I quite like static industrial engines that go several storeys high.

But what do I know? I'm just a Prius-loving eco-hippy.
 
Joey D
An enthusiast is an enthusiast no matter what they drive. Sometimes circumstances in one's live dictates they drive something that isn't a sports car or even a sporty car.
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Thank you! I have a minivan that was given to me. Doesn't mean I don't like a big bad muscle car.
 
Harry6784
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Prius logic.
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I know this might be a shock, but there are places in the world that are outside of America which don't burn coal with impunity. Where I do most of my driving, the power is 80-85% nuclear, wind, and hydroelectric, and the 15% that isn't from those three sources is primarily natural gas. Not that this matters, because this conveniently ignores how much of a mess the supply chain for gasoline is, but hey, don't let that get in the way of mocking those "misinformed" hippies.

White & Nerdy
Exactly. Forgotten. They're the "It doesn't have to be fun/I'm not going to mod it because it's only a daily driver/family car/temporary wheels while I finish __________" type of enthusiasts.
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I don't think you get that school and living on your own costs tens of thousands of dollars a year. Being a car enthusiast doesn't mean I have free money to piss away for the sake of affirming my masculinity.

I drive a Corolla because it was already paid for, low mileage, and my parents were willing to hand it down to me. There is zero logic to buying a different car at this point.
 
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Damnit! The Cadillac Cimmaron came out as less cool than the Prius... I wanted to have the most uncool car in the world...

Can't deny that the Cadillac is less cool, though.
 
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The type of car you drive has NOTHING to do with your car preference, in the same way that the jersey you wear has nothing to do with which soccer team you support. It's like wearing a Chelsea jersey when your a MU fan just because the Chelsea jersey fit you better and you found it cheaper. There are plenty of practical, efficient SPORTY enthusiast cars out there for the same price or less than that of a Prius.
 
Noob616
I know this might be a shock, but there are places in the world that are outside of America which don't burn coal with impunity. Where I do most of my driving, the power is 80-85% nuclear, wind, and hydroelectric, and the 15% that isn't from those three sources is primarily natural gas. Not that this matters, because this conveniently ignores how much of a mess the supply chain for gasoline is, but hey, don't let that get in the way of mocking those "misinformed" hippies.
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And inside. Washington state is 90% hydroelectric, with the remainder being natural gas and nuclear. And we have a large amount of wind farms built as well, now that I think about it.
 
Roger the Horse
Damnit! The Cadillac Cimmaron came out as less cool than the Prius... I wanted to have the most uncool car in the world...

Can't deny that the Cadillac is less cool, though.
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For what it's worth, I used to own a Ford Escort ZX2. Go look at where it ended up on the wall. :lol:
 
Azuremen
And inside. Washington state is 90% hydroelectric, with the remainder being natural gas and nuclear. And we have a large amount of wind farms built as well, now that I think about it.
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If the Prius was made out of electricity, that would be perfect then wouldn't it? Unfortunately you can't build a Prius with windmill power. Toyota themselves admit that the production of its lightweight Prius requires more energy and emits more carbon dioxide than the production of its gas-only models. I suggest some people read up a bit on the facts about Hybrid car production instead of whatever Al Gore says. Here's a start:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/sc...r-production-waste-offset-hybrid-benefits.htm
 
Harry6784
If the Prius was made out of electricity, that would be perfect then wouldn't it? Unfortunately you can't build a Prius with windmill power. Toyota themselves admit that the production of its lightweight Prius requires more energy and emits more carbon dioxide than the production of its gas-only models. I suggest some people read up a bit on the facts about Hybrid car production instead of whatever Al Gore says. Here's a start:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/sc...r-production-waste-offset-hybrid-benefits.htm
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News flash, most of us here talking about the Prius are completely aware of all this. Most of us hate Al Gore as well and see him for what he is, a politician. Your poor attempts to play libtard card are just coming across as you seeing what you want to see.

If you actually understand the point of the comic you posted, you'd realize it isn't talking about the production energy at all, but rather the emissions foot print of simply changing the point of combustion from the vehicle to a coal/oil electric plant. But given it took you more than a few posts to grasp the indirect Sunbird reference, along with your amusement over pointlessly destroying something paired with the Smile Per Gallon bit, I'm not certain we can count on that from you. I suggest you read up a bit on perspective instead of just banging your fists on your chest and playing the man card.
 
I wouldn't buy a hybrid, at least not today, but I do like this car. I like the name, it's cool looking(yeah, I get it, whatever), cockpit looks like Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I hear the thing is "Toyota" reliable. Bottom line: It has the looks(again, personal taste), reliability & fuel economy. If they made the regular gas engine model, I'd even consider buying one. Had I been able to vote, I'd have voted this car "cool".
 
Azuremen
If you actually understand the point of the comic you posted, you'd realize it isn't talking about the production energy at all, but rather the emissions foot print of simply changing the point of combustion from the vehicle to a coal/oil electric plant. But given it took you more than a few posts to grasp the indirect Sunbird reference, along with your amusement over pointlessly destroying something paired with the Smile Per Gallon bit, I'm not certain we can count on that from you. I suggest you read up a bit on perspective instead of just banging your fists on your chest and playing the man card.
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So somehow me failing to recognize a poorly constructed sarcastic comment over the internet, my amusement over the destruction of an car (that was over 200,000 miles, not in running condition and was going to be scrapped anyways) and my choice to to sacrifice gas mileage for a better driving experience detracts from my intelligence? I don't think I'm the one playing the "man card" mate :)
 
Harry6784
So somehow me failing to recognize a poorly constructed sarcastic comment over the internet, my amusement over the destruction of an car (that was over 200,000 miles, not in running condition and was going to be scrapped anyways) and my choice to to sacrifice gas mileage for a better driving experience detracts from my intelligence? I don't think I'm the one playing the "man card" mate :)
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The only Man card I'm playing is the "I'm tired of your tripe" card.
 
Harry6784
If the Prius was made out of electricity, that would be perfect then wouldn't it? Unfortunately you can't build a Prius with windmill power. Toyota themselves admit that the production of its lightweight Prius requires more energy and emits more carbon dioxide than the production of its gas-only models. I suggest some people read up a bit on the facts about Hybrid car production instead of whatever Al Gore says. Here's a start:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/sc...r-production-waste-offset-hybrid-benefits.htm
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I suggest you read your own link. Very first page:

But do the environmental impacts of hybrid vehicle production outweigh the long-term benefits of driving a cleaner running automobile? That answer is a resounding "no." If you drive both a conventional and hybrid car for 160,000 miles (257,495 kilometers), the conventional vehicle requires far more energy to operate and emits far more greenhouse gases over its lifetime, significantly canceling out any imbalance during the production stage [source: Burnham et al].
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As I've said before. Money doesn't lie. Follow the paper trail. Over the 200,000 to 300,000 miles you can keep a modern car on the road, a hybrid costs less money to own.

Money tells you how much manufacturing energy went into your car and the fuel you use. Ergo: Money equals energy equals emissions.

Of course, electricity for a power plant can come from renewable resources. Gasoline does not.

Still doesn't mean much for consumers who don't drive far enough to achieve ROI before they rade in in ten years. But guess what? If you're buying a Prius, the high resale value means you won't take as big of a hit on trade-in as you would on a gasoline car... which also suffers big secondhand residual hits every time gas prices spike. :D

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It's still not a cool car. But let's keep things in perspective, ey? :dopey:
 
I think you can make any car last as long as you want with the right care.
 
Slashfan
I think you can make any car last as long as you want with the right care.
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Depends I know people who have had crappy cars that took care of them but they still fell apart.
 
Slashfan
I think you can make any car last as long as you want with the right care.
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The longer you keep two cars on the road, the more the ecological/economical balance swings to the one with better fuel economy.

At 25 mpg, you are spending $10k (roughly) on gasoline over 100,000 miles. If you drive mostly in traffic, you can double that.
 
That's true, but that's besides the point I was trying to make.

Badasp5.0
Depends I know people who have had crappy cars that took care of them but they still fell apart.
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I know a guy with a EFI Bronco that has 330k on it and it's 99% original minus a junkyard ECU I put in it. And then there's our truck with 665k on it (the frame, not the body).

Maybe it's all based on weather conditions it's exposed to over the years.
 
Noob616
I don't think you get that school and living on your own costs tens of thousands of dollars a year. Being a car enthusiast doesn't mean I have free money to piss away for the sake of affirming my masculinity.

I drive a Corolla because it was already paid for, low mileage, and my parents were willing to hand it down to me. There is zero logic to buying a different car at this point.
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Like I keep saying. The insurance on this car is less than a day's wages, and the gas mileage, while admittedly not as good as a 4-cyl, isn't really that bad.

Funnily enough mine was a hand-me-down as well (though I had funds available for something else, I decided to keep the Sunbird instead), but if you're buying one, a perfect example of a 1993 SE coupe like mine is maybe $1,550 American. Since it's not really a collector car, most of them aren't really perfect, so will be somewhat less. It's really very cheap in all respects, but it's a close enough approximation of the fun I'm looking for that I'm not bothered by its imperfections.

If I was getting handed a Corolla instead, I probably would have kept looking and perhaps eventually made the incredibly bad decision of buying a used hot rod on Craigslist.

Another strange contradiction from the search: I found a 500hp coupe utility (can't remember if it was an El Camino or Ranchero) within budget, but it was the interior that made it a no-sell. I'm sorry, but even I have my standards, and dog barf yellow velour (or at least that's what it looked like in the grainy photo, as I recall... might have been brown and another material though) is well below them.
 
White & Nerdy
Like I keep saying. The insurance on this car is less than a day's wages, and the gas mileage, while admittedly not as good as a 4-cyl, isn't really that bad.
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It's almost like Alaska and living in a different province of Canada than your car is registered to are entirely different things.... The insurance on an automatic Corolla is over 2 grand a year for me, I don't even want to think about anything more sporty. I make 600 bucks a month. I'm not going to piss half of that away on car insurance. I understand where you're coming from, that a true car enthusiast would make the best of their situation, but the problem is with taxes, insurance, gas prices, tuition, and rent, it makes absolutely zero sense for me to do anything but run the cheapest car I can.
 
Like I said, I like the way it drives and its imperfections don't cause me much of a problem. It's cheap (free in this case), insurance companies won't look twice, gas mileage is good enough, decent potential for modification, and it's quite distinct from the typical 4-cyl import most people get as their first car these days.

It does indeed have a litany of faults, but it feels a lot faster than it is, and when you're inside one, the sound when accelerating is worth turning off the radio to hear.
 
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