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From Porsche to Prius
Great thread! A few years ago I actually purchased my childhood dreamcar, a Porsche 911 Carrera due to some business ventures that did well. It was my first significant purchase and truly a gift to myself after all the years of grinding, saving, working, building, etc. As a car fanatic, I love the roar of the engine and attacking the roads on PCH and had aspirations of one day owning an Italian beauty many years down the line.
It's been about a year since I've begun developing, promoting and launching a Solar LED lighting product for sustainable "green" building. Sure enough, after working in trenches and learning about doing my part to build a greener environment, I'll also be looking to sell my beloved Porsche and moving into a hybrid. I simply can't argue with the effiency behind these amazing new models. I was even considering a smartcar, but my gf feared safety issues in the event of an accident. (Bear in mind, I've always owned a practical daily driver - the Camry -aka greatest car ever made! and would only drive the porsche on weekends)
Right now, i'm absolutely in love with my colleague's Camry Hybrid and would love to hear more about the highlander as reports come out. Congrats on the change as my "pipedream" goal would be to develop a performance electric vehicle able to hold its own against the modern supercars.
Just my 2 cents
Thanks for reading
Huanger
I own a Highlander hybrid and a 4 Runner.
Toyota has made a long term commitment to hybrids. However, I'm 6'2" and tried sitting in a Prius - too small, and just barely fit in the Highlander. But Schwartseneger thinks Hummers are OK if we just use biofuel?? I'm hopeful there will be more somewhat larger hybrids.
Yes, that's one of the few "complaints" that I've heard from would be Prius owners. I have a friend with exactly the same issue - he's around 6'2" and the problem with him is the headroom - his head hits against the top of the car although his leg room is perfectly fine. He very much wanted to buy a Prius, but was unable to due to the head-room issue. I'm sure that Toyota has heard about this from a bunch of potential customers so I would expect that they would be doing something in future design. For a 5'11" person the car is perfect.
By the way, I happened to sit inside all of the Hummer models during an auto show last month. I was absolutely blown away that such a humongous car is actually so small inside. The first thing that came to my mind is how the troops actually use these things - the back seat is micro small even on the H1!
- Joseph
Good for you, Joseph. Last week I traded my beautiful MINT 98 Lexus SC400 for a shiny white new Prius, package 2. I'd battled with myself over this, weighing whether I was doing more harm buying new and thereby adding another car to the planet, as opposed to keeping an older car. I was sad to say goodbye, but the Prius won out. I love it. I can't understand why there are still Prius's sitting on auto lots under $25k, when gas is inching up to $4. There is no sacrifice involved. It is a wonderful car to drive, quiet and comfortable, and I feel like a better person owning one.
By the way, I am in Phoenix, and the dealer there was saying that most of the trades are higher end luxury cars like BMWs and Lexus. A good sign, yes?
Hi Francesca,
I am so happy to hear about your trade in from a Lexus to the Prius - that was certainly a big change as well, but I truly believe that you will continue to feel wonderful about your decision and that you'll continue to enjoy the simplicity and engineering that has gone into the Prius. At this point in time I think that you did one of the best things that you could possibly do to help reduce your carbon output and move towards helping us and our planet. When I traded my Porsche in I also had thoughts about the reality that my old Porsche would still be out on the highway even though I bought my Prius. Even though both vehicles are still out there the more we move away from things not productive for our planet the more they will naturally move out of use and out of all of our lives. Your statement will stand strong for manufacturers to see that you are no longer interested in their old non-eco friendly product and therefore they'll have to change what they'll be manufacturing forcing them towards a greener product. Additionally, the amount of gas consumption that you have now significantly reduced will play an immediate benefit to the environment and to your pocketbook as well. The person who will buy your Lexus would in all probability have bought a Lexus regardless of whether yours was available or not.
I think that you may be seeing quite a few Prius vehicles at the dealer's lots because they finally have received a bunch of new shipments to meet the demand. I'm still seeing the bulk of Prius cars in and around major cities, particularly around Los Angeles. When traveling one weekend to Palm Springs I noticed that as I moved out of Los Angeles I was seeing fewer and fewer Prius cars on the road. So there's definitely still a very significant market to reach out from our major cities.
- Joseph
I'm proud of you both! It's great to hear that more and more people are realizing that there isn't really much, if any, sacrafice in trying to live a more "green" lifestyle - be it compact florecent lights or driving a hybrid vehicle.
Congratulations and keep it up!
Kona
Hi Joseph & all,
I am a young man in my late 20's who had my fun driving Porsche for the last 2 years. As much as I love to keep it; I feel guilty owning and looking at it; let alone driving. Yes it's truly a gas guzzler and I have put the car on the market for the last month now. Surprisingly I've gotten very few calls from potential buyers and I'm quite disappointed now. After watching "An inconvenient truth" my whole paradigm has shifted and I am longing to buy a Prius for quite some time. Unfortunately I can't get one until I get rid of my Porsche. I wish the government would give better tax breaks for trading in a gas guzzler to buy a hybrid 
PS: If you know anyone looking for a 1999 Carrera, send 'em my way.
Longing4prius,
I commend you on your decision to move from a gas guzzler to a hybrid. It's definitely a major change, but one that I think you will appreciate even more after the fact.
I understand how difficult it is to privately sell your Porsche. In my case I actually traded mine in for the Prius. Yes, I took about a 5K loss as compared to what I could have potentially received, but I weighed all my options and thought it was still the best plan for me. I remember that I had a '77 Porsche 911 way back when and I tried to sell it privately, but had no luck. I had some calls, but after a few months of newspaper ads I finally bit the bullet and traded it in to a Porsche dealer. Have you tried any of the resources like eBay Motors, or Autotrader.com? Yes you'll have to cut your price lower than you would if you sold it locally, but for such a specialized car like a Porsche that may be the only way that you'll be able to find a buyer unless you're willing to sit on it for a while. Have you thought about seeing what your local Toyota dealership would give you for the Porsche, or perhaps if you have a Porsche dealership nearby or a high-end sports car dealer seeing what they would give you for a trade or an outright sell? Also remember that you'll get below the low appraisal value for the car on a trade in. If you go to Edmunds or Kelly you'll invariably end up trading in for even lower than the lowest "trade-in" value. Best of luck, and I'm sure that you'll be in your newer Prius sooner than you think.
- Joseph
Joseph,
Thanks for the tip & encouragement. Yes, I did take about 5k loss below KBB/NADA value to sell the Porsche. But definitely better than what the dealer was offering for the trade-in!!! All in all the sleepless nights are over. I also picked up the new '07 Prius over the weekend, and I seriously don't miss my Porsche. I am ready to take long distance wkend trips and enjoy the green environment.
Wonderful news to hear that you were able to hold steady and get near the price you were asking for your Porsche. I consider 5k below KBB to be a pretty good offer. What kind of Prius did you buy? The standard version or the Touring version? I bought the standard version as I didn't really need the higher performance suspension. I'm driving the car whenever I need to use an auto and on average I'm getting somewhere around 41-42 miles per gallon combined highway and city. Obviously this is quite a bit lower than the upper end of 60, but those estimates are never accurate. I understand that around 42 is pretty much the norm. Let us know how you do on your mileage, and congratulations on your move to the new Prius which I'm sure you'll really enjoy,
- Joseph
Joseph,
I got the 2007 Option # 6 -NW package; standard version. Didn't want to spend the extra $$$ for the touring sports edition; who needs it on a Prius anyway, well not me at least. Yeah since it's new right now, the mileage won't be up there. I am on the www.priuschat.com and have been advised to break-in the engine after a few thousand miles before I can see the high fuel efficiency results. But, it's definitely fun cruising in it; feels and sounds like a space shuttle (the quiet one); very futuristic. And did I say, I don't miss the Porsche at all?
Joseph,
I love your story! Good for you! I too believe that it is the first step that is ultimately the hardest - It's not so bad! Once you make the move you'll find how good you feel about makeing a possitive change in your life that can have an effect. I too love the good old muscle car rush and use to be amoung those that rationalized owning a guzzler. In our family we've traded in our SUV and spots car for a Prius and a 2005 Mercedes E320 CDI which I run on BioDiesel. The amazing thing about the BioDiesel is how easy it is to find- thier are several filling stations withing each major city. Here in LA there are two within a convienent drive. It's also fun with the BioDiesel as it smells like "somethings cook'n!" No stinky regular diesel. As for the rush of power I use to love - my CDI has AMAZING torque - It's off the line faster than most cars and I just heard that I can purchase a performance chip that will actually increase my city MPG from 24mpg to 28mpg and add 70HP with a huge bump in the foot lbs torque. The message here and in response to your post is - you really don't give anything up but rather you gain!
I hope others take the step to at least explore the opptions - I believe we can make a differce - Here's to us and all those around the world that are at least taking the first steps!!
Cheers,
BioGuy
I'm glad that you like the story BioGuy, I appreciate it. Glad to hear another story of going from fossil fuels to cleaner choices and that your BioDiesel car is serving you and your family well. I've gotten some comments from folks who feel that they could never give up their Porsche - taking out their Boxster on the open road on a beautiful day. My take on it is that it's my own personal requirement towards fixing the planet. Hopefully others will make their own sacrifices as well in a way that suits them the best. Some of our sacrifices will be more or less painful and with our human nature we won't necessarily be comfortable with change, but we'll get over it and move forward to reducing our personal damage to our planet.
Sincerely,
Joseph
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After my self-realization that the only way that we will be able to fix the planet is by our individual contributions I have decided to sell my beloved Porsche 911 automobile and move to a Toyota Prius. My whole mindset has undergone a complete change in that it is up to me and each one of us to do what we can to help fix the planet. We should all be concerned about global warming, pollution, recycling, fossil fuel consumption, the rain forest, etc., but the reality of our day-to-day existence usually limits us to choosing our particular battles. In support of my green efforts moving to the Prius was a fairly simple way to try to make a difference. Yes my Prius still uses fossil fuels, is not a 100% electric vehicle, and its non-electrical energy is not from a "friendly" source, but it is a step for me towards limiting my damaging footprint on our planet.
I have always been a fan of Porsche automobiles, in fact I've been a fan of big gas-guzzling vehicles of the past (e.g. Trans Am, Camaro, GTO, etc.), but the time has come for me to walk the talk and begin to make substantive changes in my life towards contributing to our overall welfare.
As far as the Prius is concerned I have to also admit that I do not actually miss my Porsche as much as I thought I was going to. The Prius is ultra comfortable compared to the Porsche, yes they are in completely different leagues, but as far as creature comforts, techno-geek features, practicality, and smoothness of ride it has been a most enjoyable migration. I know that for folks who are used to their big trucks, SUVs, sports cars, that you would never consider going to a hybrid. All I can say is to take one out on a test ride and you may surprise yourself. Most of us live in fairly large cities and big city driving can subconsciously wear you down when you are shifting all through your journey. I was sure that I was so used to stick shift that it wasn't a problem at all. I even construed that Porsche shifting was enjoyable. I was wrong. Going to the Prius with full automatic transmission in city driving actually gives me more physical energy since I'm not expelling as much compared to stick-shift. My goal is to move even further into non-dependence on fossil fuels, even considering the after-market Prius battery pack add-ons that give you 100 miles when using 100% electric. At present I understand these additions are still quite costly - $5000-$10,000, but these will eventually come down in price.
So my message here is that I personally would NEVER purchase another 100% gasoline only vehicle again. I urge each of you to begin your journey towards fixing our planet by initially making small substantive changes in your life. You will make a difference and you'll find yourself moving towards expanding your horizon even further towards embracing our planet in your day-to-day actions.
Update: One other note that I failed to mention. I was by no means the only person trading in their gas guzzler at the Santa Monica Toyota dealership (if you are in LA area and want the best salesperson you can find, look up Mark Ashtini at Toyota of Santa Monica - a nice person who will also give you a great deal). There also was a high-profile executive (you would know his name and business) trading in his BMW, there was another Mercedes in the lot already traded in, and there was also another Porsche trade in from the day before. Go Green!
- Joseph