Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/09/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Of course the Prius is the standard issue car in the Silicon Valley and especially in Palo Alto :-) The big problem is that the battery is rated for 7 years only and a replacement would be around $5000-$6000? The battery may and probably will last longer than 7 years, but that's an additional cost. Otherwise, I'd jump on it too. On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 11:23 AM, Herbert Kanner <kanner at acm.org> wrote: > I'm surprised that no one mentioned the Prius. I think an older Prius might > fall into the desired price range, though I haven't checked. > > In the past, I've had quite a number of sporty cars, starting with a > Porsche 365 (or is it 356) rag top, then a Fiat Spider (Spyder?), a > Volkswagen Cabriolet, and a Volkswagen Cabrio. > > When it was time to retire the Cabrio, I was torn between things like a > Miata or a Mini Cooper, and at the other extreme, a Prius. What finally > decided me was a trial run in a friend's Prius. There is a particular exit > ramp on a freeway that is marked 25mph which I regularly took comfortably > at > about 38mph. I once tried it in my wife's Camry, and it was damn > uncomfortable. A friend let me drive his Prius on the same exit ramp at the > same speed, and it was quite happy. That decided me; I liked the idea of > 40+ > miles per gallon. > > Having had the Prius now for two years, I find it one of the most driveable > cars I've ever owned. It is also the first car of mine without a stick > shift. I've never liked automatic transmissions; didn't want an automaton > deciding what gear to put me in. But the Prius, which they (incorrectly) > claim has a constantly variable transmission, gives such a smooth > acceleration that it is an absolute pleasure to drive. To explain: it > behaves like a constantly variable transmission. The engine runs at the > optimum rpm for the amount of power requested. That latter is a direct > function of the position of the accelerator pedal. > > Herb > > > > So imagine you have a budget of $12K-$17K for a used car, probably around >> 2004-2007 vintage. >> >> Imagine a quick, responsive, air in your hair driving experience of a >> Mazda >> Miata, taking confident turns on the Route One highway along the coast. >> Your >> trust Leica and XPan in the truck with a carbon fiber tripod. >> >> It may not do so well in Death Valley? Or may be the dusty desert of the >> Southwest? >> >> Then imagine a reliable, carry everything and anything Toyota Rav4. Small >> for a SUV and drive like a car, and it's a Toyota, it will last another 10 >> years, easily. >> >> What would you choose? >> >> -- >> // richard <http://www.imagecraft.com/> >> // icc blog: <http://imagecraft.com/blog/> >> // richard's personal photo blog: <http://www.5pmlight.com> >> [ For technical support on ImageCraft products, please include all >> previous >> replies in your msgs. ] >> >> ______________________________**_________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See >> http://leica-users.org/**mailman/listinfo/lug<http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug>for >> more information >> > > -- > Herbert Kanner > kanner at acm.org > 650-326-8204 > > Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, > for they are subtle and will pee > on your computer! > > > ______________________________**_________________ > Leica Users Group. > See > http://leica-users.org/**mailman/listinfo/lug<http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug>for > more information > -- // richard <http://www.imagecraft.com/> // icc blog: <http://imagecraft.com/blog/> // richard's personal photo blog: <http://www.5pmlight.com> [ For technical support on ImageCraft products, please include all previous replies in your msgs. ]