WHAT'S IT GONNA TAKE TO GET YOU INTO THIS VEHICLE TODAY?

It's been a year since I got my super-fantastic car. I think good cars must be like good spouses, because I love my car more today, than the day I brought her home! I have never been so in love with a non-living object in my entire life. I've already posted about WHAT I love about driving my Prius, but I don't think I told the story of HOW I got my Prius.

The year was 2002 and I was surfing the web, checking out my usual "how to save the planet" sites, when I came across the Toyota Prius. Well after reading all I could about hybrids and electric cars, and prototypes for all kinds of funky vehicles, I knew that the Prius was the car for me. Even after my convincing arguments for why we really, really, needed this cool hybridized car, Jeff was not impressed. Instead he took me to a Jeep dealership and bought a Wrangler. The Wrangler was cool, we had some fun times. We also had to rebuild the transmission, tow a utility trailer to Costco just to get the groceries home, and make the kids climb over the front passenger seat once it wouldn't slide forward anymore. Obviously we'd made a little mistake when we got this Wrangler as our everyday driver. But, like the smartie pants that he is, Jeff learned his lesson, and we traded the thing in on a new car for me... I drove home in a 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited! That's right, this time was going to be different because the Unlimited model gave us an extra 18 inches of room! True, this time was different, because we got the thing lifted, got bigger wheels and tires, and a whole new suspension. Didn't take long to realize I couldn't get into the lifted Jeep without a step-stool, so we invested in some rock rails (that's off road speak for running boards). I don't know how many thousands of dollars we put into that Jeep in the two years we owned it, but I do know this... nothing we did to it made it easier to drive, shop, carpool, or use it as my everyday car!

I didn't give up on my Prius dreams. I must have finally worn Jeff down because in June 2007, he put the Wrangler Unlimited up for sale and told me if I still wanted a Prius, we could get one. Cue Hallelujah music. It wasn't as easy as just going to a dealership and picking one out, they were in short supply a year ago, and they were selling for sticker price, no room for negotiations. But they were much easier to get a year ago than they are today! And we didn't pay a $6000 upcharge for a used one like people are doing now! I love my car for so many reasons, but the fact that I could sell it today at a year old and actually make a profit just adds to my satisfaction!