Anyway, the dealership is 90 minutes away and some of the work involves co-ordinating with a body shop, so it's going to take a while and they promised me a courtesy car for the week. This is the car they gave me, the one with the EVA license plate.
They are definitely on to something using Priuses (Prii?) as courtesy cars. Yeah, I feel like a mobile billboard, but I'm in love. I'm wandering around intoning "Eva" just like Wall-E in the movie. I take people for rides. I brag at the convenience store about my loaner and how much I love it. I take perverse delight in putting $20 in gas in the tank and knowing it'll last me the whole week, including the trips back and forth to Nelson.
Our Sienna has its limitations. It has little ground clearance, and it doesn't have AWD. The Prius doesn't address either of those concerns. But it does get double the gas mileage. And it is so freaking cool! It has a power button and proximity security rather than an ignition key-switch. It has satellite radio and a direct connection for my iPod. It is dead silent. It has a back-up camera and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
Eeeevah.
This gave me a chuckle tonight! Your plural of Prius, the "mobile billboard" and Eeeeevah. Hilarious. I wonder how many sales of Prii (?) Toyota makes by letting people borrow one and fall in love?
ReplyDeleteI want an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
my neighbours have one and do nothing but rave about it as well - they are on their 5th or 6th year with it now
ReplyDeleteSooooo Jealous! And excited for you! That is very cool.
ReplyDeleteHere, I am on day 4 of the car being at the shop and there was NEVER a mention of a loaner. I suppose that would be because we're not having our car's work done at the dealership. Lesson learned.
I have to extol the virtues of AWD and lots of clearance, though, even though I'm sure I don't use them to their potential here in flat Ontario. I think I would be lost with out them...and seat warmers. Love my seat heat :-) I do agree that the silence and the superb gas mileage are very attractive. I'd probably give up the clearance for the gas mileage.
Enjoy the remainder of your time with the Prius. Do you all fit in there ok?! Or perhaps you're keeping it mosly for yourself and only sharing when necessary!
~Bonni
Bonni, don't wait for them to mention it -- it helps if you initiate and negotiate these things. I said "I live up in New Denver and have four homeschooled kids. If I get us all down here to drop off the vehicle, we have no way of getting home. [And we don't ... there is no bus line or taxi or anything that'll drive us the 90 minutes.] I'll need a loaner. Can you do that for me?" Of course I think it is more likely they'll be able to satisfy your need at the dealership.
ReplyDeleteThe Prius seats five. Ninety-eight percent of the time we have five or fewer people traveling together. If we lived in a city I think we'd make it one of our vehicles. But just getting out our long steep lane in the winter often requires an SUV type vehicle. I hate being stuck at home. And I hate the Rogers Pass in snowstorms without AWD.