Went test driving cars today. First stop was a Toyota dealership a few miles south of us. Their website said they had a couple of 2005 Priuses in stock, but no… they had a pre-owned 2004 (whose owner had traded up to a 2005), they were expecting one from a cancelled order to arrive in a week (“if you’d like to put down a deposit”), and otherwise the delivery time was around a month. (Longer for red – 36% of the Prius deliveries are in silver, only 13% in red.)
But at least I could test drive the 2004. Very smooth, very comfortable. I was a bit tentative, in part because I wasn’t sure what would feel different, but in the end I was very pleased. The system status screen is fascinating, and the sensation of everything shutting down when you stop is… different. Dealership experience? We got a generic car salesman, no overt pressure but trying to weave a web of commitment.
From there we went down to the Subaru dealership where Merry has bought two out of her last three cars. Her regular salesman wasn’t there, but we worked with a young guy who was both an excellent salesman and a complete geek. (We spent almost as much time checking out his PSP and my Treo 650 as we did talking cars.) I was interested in the WRX, but he steered me to the new Legacy GT – the one with the 250 hp 2.5 litre turbo and a Tiptonic-style automatic with shift switches on the steering wheel. Man, that was a fast car! We drove around some nice sweeping backstreet curves and then onto I-95, where I got to check out the acceleration from 40 to 80 fast…. Unlike my tentative, experimental drive in the Prius, I got out of the Legacy with a big, silly grin all over my face. That was fun! (Thanks, Cody!)
So: two great cars, two very different experiences; about the same price. Both Car of the Year winners – the Prius in the US, the Legacy in Japan. Decisions, decisions. Anyway, there’s no rush. Maybe I should test a Mini Cooper.