March 28, 2024

I still have the Prius, but I no longer drive it. It’s now piloted by my youngest daughter, who had to give up her Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (2005) for it.

Yes, I got my daughter a Crown Vic PI for a first car. It seemed at least somewhat logical: a big, safe car that’s also cheap, as it’d been lightly wrecked by the Nacogdoches, TX Police Department and auctioned off (91,000 miles, no nonsense interior). My dad fixed it up to excellent running condition, and it looked pretty good with a blue paint job.

Daughter liked the car, sort-of, but its size intimidated her, and she wouldn’t drive it any more than to and from school (bug, or feature?). At any rate, the Ford now resides with my eldest daughter and son in law, so it’s still in the family, and they like and drive it. The Prius is in good hands, and I have a new ride I won’t be talking about because it’s so nice it’s embarrassing. It gets 21 MPG, which isn’t the 44 I got with the Prius, but I can live with it.

Youngest daughter occasionally laments the loss of acceleration, but really likes the tiny bill when refueling, which more than makes up for the lessened horsepower.

Because I know you want to know these things, that’s why.

19 thoughts on “Prius Update

  1. 21 mpg? Wow. Gas hit $3.67 here this week. I’m getting 47 mpg and am counting my blessings. I hope you at least have a short commute :-)

    (C’mon. Tell us what it is!)

  2. It’s an even trade from a mileage point of view: the Vic got about 21, so I’m not out any more gas money than before.

    I’ll just say the new ride is nice.

  3. Oh you rich folk! If I’m understanding this correctly, the youngest daughter with the least entitlement and driving experience got the nicest, newest hybrid car, while the oldest married daughter got the tank…isn’t she a little upset by that?

  4. Come on GD, whatcha drivin? You should only be embarrassed if it is a Benz or Beemer, too stereotypical for an MD.

  5. “Rich folk” and “entitlement” in the first two sentences. Hmm.

    Not that it’s any of your business, but as I bought the other daughter a car a few years ago, no, she’s not unhappy.

  6. Ouch, that was a little testy. In reality nothing about your life is our business, it’s your choice to share what you want through your blog. I don’t begrudge you your wealth, it was only meant as a playful gibe. I know a thing or two about sibling relations, and your story as it was wouldn’t go over well at all in most families I know. Older siblings have a sense of entitlement because of their age, so if anyone gets a nice car they usually feel like it should be them. Your addition explains why the situation in the blog didn’t cause any problems- this is the second car you’ve given the older daughter. Since that’s the part of your blog entry that caught my attention, it completes the story. Deciding which kids gets which car is a high quality problem- one I hope I’m fortunate enough to have some day.

  7. “Because I know you want to know these things, that’s why.”

    OK… so why did you stop in the middle of the story and don’t tell us what you got? :-)

  8. So, I’m a fan of using my imagination, and since the Doc left it open, I’m thinking reptile green Lambo, even though that doesn’t fit with the gas mileage. AKA, who cares what he got, just be happy he’s happy

  9. This house had a nice Lambo poster in the garage when I moved in, which is as close as I’ll get. I wouldn’t turn one down if it just showed up, but that’s a little flashy for me.

  10. I don’t think I could deal with 10-12 mpg. I’m more a fan of the Mini or Volkswagons, which get the speed with a good fuel economy.

  11. Low profile… that’s the name of the game, and the PI is a fine choice for a teenager-mobile.

    I like the way you roll, GD.

  12. A twin turbo Porsche??

    I switched my Volvo XC for my friends’ twin turbo a few years back. [“Sure you can take my all wheel drive to Big Bear! Stay there a few weeks.” :D] Man, that thing was fast. ;) I’m sure it got 21mpg if you’d baby it.

    I long for a Prius. Maybe later this year.

  13. Regarding that playful jab above about “you rich folk” – as a doc myself I can assure you that there are very few “rich folk” who are doctors, and doctors in general are not “rich.” My definition of “rich” for Americans at lest, is someone with networth of ~$10million or more. This definition is corroborated by several survey studies for what “rich” means in the U.S. – see also the definition of “rich” as noted in Richistan by Robert Frank, and Millionaire Next Door series by Stanley & Danko.

  14. We each have our own points of reference. I come from a family of 5 that’s never pulled over $30K/yr. I’m sure that, to the person at $10 million it would take something even greater before they would consider themselves “rich.” $50 million perhaps? I would consider $150-200K very comfortable for a family of 4 or less, and anything over $250-300K “rich.” It might not buy every desire or even a place in the Hampton’s, but presuming the most basic of fiscal responsibility, it can go well beyond excess. I don’t know whether Gruntdoc meets this or not (nor do I care)… However the post is about divvying up the family cars; whether or not he is “rich” according to any definition is irrelevant. It’s a playful jab because it’s a rich-sounding, high-quality problem. I didn’t mean for it to be taken in such an attacking manner- I certainly don’t think he’s flaunting his financial status with this post, and he’s even modest enough not to mention what his new and better car is.

  15. I drove an 84 Crown Vic through medical school and residency. Bought mine with 120,000 miles. Loved how people would clear the left lane when they saw you in the rear view mirror.

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