Quoted: Get in an accident in a small car and get back to us

my roommate got t-boned by a ford f-250 and he is fine.  oh yeah, he drives a prius.  and for the crap about the A/C and the summer in FL...that is bullshit.  it works fine.

Quoted: I'd rather have a small car rather than a hybrid.  As posted in the "gay" car thread, my sister, then my dad owned a 1990 Ford Festiva.  Bought it for $1,500, bone stock, no A/C, manual windows/locks, etc. That little car had a 64 hp engine, a 5 speed transmission, and had weighed 1500 pounds or so.  That sucker was good on gas(about 40-45 mpg, which could probably be real-world Prius mileage)  and very quick for a car its size.

Your comparison is so strained it is embarrassing.

No matter how you want to, you can't compate a 16 year old barebones, compact, with a brand new Midsize loaded vehicle.  Especially while disingeniously reducing real world mileages.

How quick was it anyway?  How does it smell?  Some people may want to drive cars that are a bit nicer than basic transportation.

Compare a Prius to a moderately apportioned  new Camry for a much better comparison.

Quoted: Hybrids are also a joke, there under powered, most are tiny, sometimes like in high heat there no more efficient than standard cars, the electric part doesn't run on highways, the Batteries are EXPENSIVE, and where out, and the cars themselves are much more expensive than normal cars to, and it just doesn't balance itself out, the example of comparing the Neon to the Prious was good, also as was mentioned the standard cars are often discounted, or have a special deals, Hybrids are another thing that was created to appease the environmentalist whackos....

While the rest of your points are pretty much dead on (at a glance) you are WAY OFF on this paragraph.

Underpowered?  I wouldn't consider 0-60 in ten seconds to be a musclecar, but it is certainly acceptable and more than adequete for daily driving.

Tiny?  Is the Camry tiny?  The Prius is the same size.

No more efficient in hot weather?  Hot climates are the BEST climes for the Toyota system.  The A/C will be constantly run in any car you drive, unless you are like the folks that like to drive stripped down 16 year old pieces of shit with manual everything, no A/C, and funkeriffic upholstery.
At least the electric system will allow your climate control to run while the engine is off.  Colder weather will reduce the efficiency some.  The HSD system is designed to keep the engine warm for emissions reasons, even at the cost of efficiency.

Battery prices are cheaper than most other critical systems on any car to replace. Sub $2000 mark is typical at this point, and the prices are going down.  Warranties are 150,000 miles, and are expected to have a useful life of >200,000 miles.  Prius taxis are exceeding this mark already.

At $20-$26k new, MANY conventional midsized cars are also MORE expensive than a typical Prius.  I have priced out Civics, Stratuses, Corolla's, etc... and found that almost any car, with the appointments that the Prius offers standard are approaching the 20k mark, if not exceeding it.  My best alternative was a 2004 used Stratus ES. --  V-6 has slightly better performance, a tad bigger, $12,000 price tag, 25 MPG, hit or miss mechanicals, and goes good in winter.  I went with the Prius because at $2.05/gallon or greater, the gas savings will make up the difference with my best guess variables.  Silly Neon example notwithstanding.

No environmental whacko here.  No use for those retread communists...

As it usually is in Hybrid Bash fests, facts are sporadic, truck folks love thier trucks, everyone loves THEIR car, and think it makes the BEST sense, and someone has a relative that drives an ancient econobox that actually has a negative cost of ownership...



ETA:  The Prius has no Transmission to replace, unlike any other car that may or may not require a 2.5 - 3.5 k rebuild anywhere from 15k - 180k miles on the clock.  That alone will most likely outweigh the concerns over the battery.  The car can still run with a bad battery anyway just with reduced mileage.

Quoted: Quoted: Get in an accident in a small car and get back to us my roommate got t-boned by a ford f-250 and he is fine.  oh yeah, he drives a prius.  and for the crap about the A/C and the summer in FL...that is bullshit.  it works fine.

Not a question of whether it works or not, the issue is some of the hybrids have to run  the gas engine when the A/C is on.  The Prius isn't one of them, but there are others.  If you have to run the gas engine 5+ months out of the year, you do not have a hybrid car during that time.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Get in an accident in a small car and get back to us my roommate got t-boned by a ford f-250 and he is fine.  oh yeah, he drives a prius.  and for the crap about the A/C and the summer in FL...that is bullshit.  it works fine. Not a question of whether it works or not, the issue is some of the hybrids have to run  the gas engine when the A/C is on.  The Prius isn't one of them, but there are others.  If you have to run the gas engine 5+ months out of the year, you do not have a hybrid car during that time.

Actually, in the case of the civic hybrid, the A/C compressor and fan will simply stop working while the engine is off.  You still have a hybrid, but you don't have A/C.

Pretty big difference.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Get in an accident in a small car and get back to us my roommate got t-boned by a ford f-250 and he is fine.  oh yeah, he drives a prius.  and for the crap about the A/C and the summer in FL...that is bullshit.  it works fine. Not a question of whether it works or not, the issue is some of the hybrids have to run  the gas engine when the A/C is on.  The Prius isn't one of them, but there are others.  If you have to run the gas engine 5+ months out of the year, you do not have a hybrid car during that time. Actually, in the case of the civic hybrid, the A/C compressor and fan will simply stop working while the engine is off.  You still have a hybrid, but you don't have A/C. Pretty big difference.

You don't want to do that in the South in the Summer.  If the gas engine has to run in order for you to be able to breath, you do not have a hybrid, you have a gas powered car.  Yeah, I know, regenerative braking gives you some boost via the electric motor; it's marginal at best.  A hybrid would be better when the electric part can truly run the car, as in a slightly cooler climate.  Then, in winter, I suppose it may not put out enough heat: I really don't know about that.

So, it's a big difference, as you say, but only if you don't run the A/C.  That's not an option, especially with such an expense.  One might as well drive the 16 year old manual clunker.

BTW, an example of the hybrid that runs the engine for the AC is a FOrd Escape.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I know the Prius has electric air, and some other may, as well.  But not all do.