Posted by guest blogger Greengirl

In January, Roadyguy wrote about my new ride and posted pics of my very cheesy “Oh, what a feeling, Toyota!” moment. Two months later, I’m still love my Prius but I’m not in love with my new found popularity.

At first, my friends and family were simply relieved that I got my 1992 Mercury Sable off the road and out of their driveways. Any car was better than the death trap I was driving.

“Hey, didja know that your windshield crack is growing?”

“Ew. I so don’t want your nasty car to rust on mine.”

“Seriously, I think you’re leaking.”

However, after a kick of the tires and quick spin around the block, even my dad was impressed by the Prius.

“It doesn’t feel small like our old Toyota Celica, but the ride is not as smooth as my Sable.” (Yes, Greengirl’s dad is on his THIRD Sable.)

For several weeks, my friends called me an eco-yuppie and sent me links to the South Park episode “Smug Alert!” Now, my friends — even ones with perfectly reliable vehicles — just call for rides.

“I got a craving for Thai food. Wanna come pick me up?”

“You get better mileage. Let’s take your car.”

“A girls weekend in Chicago sounds super fun! You can drive the Prius!”

Um, last time I checked, there wasn’t a chauffeur’s cap in my glove box. Even if you were Al Gore, you’re not saving the earth by making me drive 10 miles out of the way for your lazy butt.

Has anyone else experienced instant popularity the instant you bought a new car? Are hybrid owners, with their cleaner emissions and slightly better mileage (see below), somehow ethically obligated to drive? More importantly, what is the best way to turn a ride-mooching friend into a ride-sharing friend?

Giving credit where credit is due:

Intelligent and inherently skeptical of all things transportation, Roadguy readers were right to question the efficiency of hybrids.

Last week, USA Today reported that hybrid cars don’t save as much fuel as originally promised. Under new government fuel-economy ratings, mileage of all makes and models took a hit. Unfortunately, the Prius saw the largest decline: 48 mpg in the city under the ‘08 testing procedure, from a 60 mpg rating under the current system.

Oh. What. A. Feeling.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 at 6:46 am and is filed under Scenes and stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.