All, I finally traded in my 2000 Celica and got a 2006 Prius. I got a black package 3 with floor mats and wheel locks. I got it from Millennium Toyota in Hempstead NY. The sale guy said that they have 16 in stock. I got $7,000 for my Celica (with 87k miles) trade-in value and $700 off Prius MSRP. I was going to keep my Celica for 4 more years. What pushed me over was the combination of $3,150 tax credit and HOV access. I commute on the LIE everyday and HOV access means 30mins saving per day. My insurance (Geico) for the new Prius is actually lower than the Celica. I did the math on keeping Celica vs. Prius and in 5 years, Prius will cost about $2-3k more. I am getting a new bigger car with warrenty, not to mention SKS, Back-up Camera, Climate control, ABS, MP3 player with AUX input and Side Curtain air bags (safer car according to crash tests). The rear view is so much better than my Celica To me it was worth $2-3k and it is also a good insurance against future higher gas prices. I am going to get pictures and make my own signatures etc.. and become more comfortable in here :lol:
Thanks. Late to the HSD party but not really. I learned about HSD inside out when it came out (Q4 2003) and I really think it is what/how a car should function. It goes opposite of traditional conventional thinking and car design. When you really think of it, it naturally make sense. Why should going faster on the highwy get more mpg than slower city driving? Why should the ICE be on when the car isn't moving? Regen braking only make sense.... Why waste that energy? Anyway, I participated in online battles with John1701a against anti-hybrid mindset in Edmunds forum. I learned much more about HSD, IMA and many different type of people styles and their motivations. Those were the good times
