Monday, August 25, 2008

Vehicle Snobbery

Have you ever checked out www.Priuschat.com? It's the chat room for the Prius People. (I s'pose if you're not a Prius Person, you've probably never heard of it, like me 15 minutes ago.)

Alex, aka "priusaurous," sounds like he might be quite the catch for some lucky gal.

He's from Chicago and describes himself as "22, Male, attractive. Law Student." He also boasts of his Salsa Red Prius.

Alex thinks Prius owners "need a dating/whatever program, to hook us up with other Prius owners."

In a subsequent post to clarify, he says, "... it stems from my inability to look at people with gas burning cars as attractive."

This guy's in Law (or so he claims), not Engineering... but doesn't a Prius burn gas? (Maybe a little slower than that ugly gal in the Chrysler minivan, but still...)

It's hard to disagree with Alex... people in cars are UGGGG-LEEEEEEEEE!! But I think Prius drivers are even uglier, with their noses stuck up in the air like that. Besides - 45mpg really SUCKS!

(I'm serious about the 45mpg. But not about ugly car drivers. I see beautiful people driving around in gas guzzlers. Mentally picturing Christie Brinkley driving that red Ferrari 308 in "National Lampoon Vacation" ... Also, I'm aware that transportation cyclists can rightly be accused of snobbery. We know we're better than - and better-looking than - "people with gas burning cars.")

Poor widdle Alex just can't get a date. And apparently his red Prius isn't helping, the way he thought it might. Maybe it's his dinosaur mentality - specifically "Priusaurous."

6 comments:

Clancy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Clancy said...

edited original comment

I am dismayed at the mpg's that the public gets excited about currently. They must of forgot about the unexciting cars of 1984.

1984 High MPG Cars

Anonymous said...

CBS' Long Running Sunday Morning reported on how Used Car salesman may better for the environment - and your pocketbook - than Hybrids.

If you'd like, you can visit the Boise Picayune for embedded video.

Bikeboy said...

Clancy - that's interesting. (I've always thought I recalled when 40+ mpg cars were more routine. Seems like I remember a Honda Civic that the MPG champ back in those days, with mileage very similar to the current Prius. You've confirmed that I wasn't just dreamin' it.

(Q: Is the EPA still measuring MPG the same way they did, 20 years ago? Maybe their ratings are more stringent, or "real-life," now.)

Clancy said...

I guess they have been revised as of recently. But how would you revise numbers for a 1985 car unless you had a time machine?
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ratings2008.shtml

You can go back and compare the old numbers. looks like a 10% decrease

Anonymous said...

There's a certain amount of apples and oranges at work there. New cars are safer - and thus heavier - than older cars, and they have stricter emissions standards. Still, 45mpg? My Scion gets 40mpg consistently (When I actually drive it), and at half the price.

And yes, cyclists are by far better looking than cagers.