Whoo Hoo! There’s a bright red sporty-looking Prius-C at our house! That’s the good news. The bad news is that the P.T. Cruiser is gone. And, once again, we live the lesson that life is full of trade-offs.
You’d think that after twelve years and 255,000+ miles we’d be more than ready to say “goodbye” to the Cruiser, but that is just not the case. If Chrysler were still making them, we would have updated in an Oysterville Nano-second. Even though the A/C had failed over a year ago, and even though we were curtailing long trips because of uncertainties about reliability, we both loved the Cruiser.
It had many more pluses than minuses. It got better than average gas mileage (28 to 32 MPG). It was roomy enough for Nyel’s long legs, even in the back seat. It had a manual transmission which we both prefer. (Our Prius salesman actually speculated that the manual transmission might be the reason for our high mileage, the average before serious trouble being 100 to 150 thousand miles.) It had an electrical outlet in the back cargo space so we could plug in our portable frig on road trips. And it was cute. We both liked its retro look.
But, the bottom line was that we were beginning to seriously curtail our travel plans. We even felt less comfortable heading out for shorter jaunts to Portland or Seattle. Not a good thing. So, we decided that if we couldn’t replace our heart’s desire, we could at least ‘go green.’ We did our homework, examined the trade-offs, and chose the Prius.
The jury is still out as to the satisfaction quotient. The biggest difference, of course, is the automatic transmission (which everyone says we will love.) With 116 years of driving between the two of us and all of that for both of us with manual transmissions, we are skeptical. Also, the back seat feels a tad cramped to me and all of the seats are a bit hard on my back. I’m hoping that the bright crazy-quilted pillow given to me a few weeks ago by my friend Ruth will solve most of the comfort problem.
There is one more trade-off that I like and Nyel already hates. The speedometer is in full view of the passengers which means that my frequent query (especially around the curves) “How fast are you going?” will no longer be necessary. Enough said.
As far as the Cuteness Factor is concerned – we are both more than pleased. And it probably goes without saying that I am planning our first trip ‘as we speak.’ But I’d be willing to bet that this car won’t come up to the Cruiser’s record on mileage. I do believe it was one of a kind.
So cute! Welcome to the club.
Wow looks like our nissan versa. Same color RED!
Nice Sydney, Steve didn’t really want a red car when we bought mine, but it grows on you. We looked at a Prius, but ended up with the Nissan Versa.
Red was definitely our choice. We had a red Chrysler before the Cruiser but it wasn’t as gorgeous a red as this Prius.
Congratulations on the hybrid! Dave and Frank love their Honda Civic hybrids and it WILL free you up to take longer trips. I know what you mean about your Cruiser because my Neon is basically the same car and I get pretty good mileage, too. I don’t know how the Prius dashboard looks, but if it is like the Honda hybrids you can monitor how much gas you’re using at any moment. It makes you tend to back off on the accelerator. Dave and I have competitions to see who can get the best gas mileage. Fifty plus miles will make you smile so don’t forget to put it in neutral going down hills. You will be rewarded!
S: As you know, I’ve had a Prius since 2008; before Jack came onto the scene and behind the wheel. No complaints at all. Prior to this car, a Volvo and a BMW. Seems that both were often in the shop. Now that Phoebe, our Prius, is out of pre-school, and ready for kindergarten, we are wondering if we should start considering a new car. Ford has a spiffy little greenie/hybrid as does Honda….For now, we will keep praising Phoebe for her reliability. Can’t wait to see your new little one! Little Miss Riding Hood!
You probably wont learn to love the automatic transmission but will learn to live with it.
I miss my “little truck” even 18 months after getting my more spiffy and loaded car. Nothing really beats the feel of a manual when driving.
I am going to have to drive by and see the new one so I will know when I pass you on the road.
I think you’re right, Sandy. The automatic transmission is probably a good tradeoff given our various recent leg/knee problems, but I don’t think either of us will ever love it!
I love our 5-year old Prius, Pearl (she’s white). You may learn to love the automatic in the inevitable I-5 stop-and-go traffic on your way to Portland or Seattle. That and knee surgery made it an easy transition for me. And it works just fine up and down the peninsula, too.
Enjoy your new mileage figures — we are well over 42 mpg.
I think you’ll learn to love automatic transmission next time you’re negotiating the hills of Seattle. Plus, I’m a lot less tired at the end of a long day of driving. Happy Prius!
Hmm. Maybe… but having learned to drive on the hills of San Francisco, I have serious doubts. Right now, though, I’m more concerned about going through the windshield when I think “clutch/shift” and I stomp on the brake pedal instead! Hard to teach this old duck a new way to quack!
Well the Cruiser is now in my hands and will be given a second life as a RV toad! It appears that you took very good care of it and we hope to get many more miles out of it even though many of them will not be under it’s own power.
We are so happy to hear of the Cruiser’s new life as an RV Toad. We’ll keep an eye out for her in our travels. She will love all your adventures – we did a lot of exploring the blue roads together and we know she is ready for more!