My family car was costing me several hundred dollars in repairs every month.  I started to have less and less money each month and I was falling behind on my bills.  It was time to get a new car. We have a Yukon XL.  We had been on many road trips in it and it was great for driving on dirt roads in several National Forests.  The car would get 12 mpg on the freeway.  Gas prices had just hit $2.50 per gallon. 

At the time we were driving about 1,500 miles each month.  At 12mpg we needed to buy 125 gallons of gasoline each month on top of our repair bills.  Our fuel cost was $312.50 per month.  I did the math and that same 1500 miles each month driven in a new 50mpg Prius (admittedly a car I wanted for economy as well as all the gadgets), we would only need 30 gallons, costing us $75.00 a month for gasoline.  That would save us $237.50 per month.  That was enough to pay for full cover insurance, a hundred dollars on the car note each month, and we would not have any more repair bills.  We purchased the Prius.

Since then, gas has gone way up, and it is now above $3.50 per gallon.  During 2007 we moved to a new home.  I now drive about 25,000 miles a year for commuting and vacations, or 2083 miles a month.  In a Standard Prius that would be 41 gallons in fuel, or $145.83 per month, vs. our Yukon that would have cost us $607.63 per month in gas, or a savings of $461.80.  Driving my Prius instead of driving the Yukon is saving us enough in fuel cost each month to pay for the entire Prius car note, its insurance, license renewal fees, inspections, and the gas to drive it.

Long story, short…It is like someone gave me a brand new car for free and we did not have to give up our original car

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I am not suggesting anyone go out and spend thousands of dollars to buy a new car just to save gas money.  What I am saying is, it is time for you to sit down and do the math for your situation.  A new car even with payments, might bring your budget back in line.

I hope this advice helps someone out there.

Tips to improve your gas mileage in a Prius.

1. Look at your tires.  They come from the dealer filled to 32psi.  Now look at what it says on the side of your tire.  It says you can safely fill them to 44psi.  I an not suggesting you do it, but my tires are filled to 42psi all around and I have been driving that way for two years.  I went from 44mpg to 50 mpg with just that change. 
2. Your first 2,000 miles or so is a break in period for your Prius.  Once all the bearings and motor parts loosen up a little bit, you will see another improvement in you gas mileage.
3. Gliding.  Most cars dump there momentum in the form of waste heat in the break pads during braking.  Hybrids at least recapture some of that energy and put it back into a battery for you to use later.  Next time you drive your Prius and it is safe to do so, when your going between 20 and 30mph, take your foot completely off the accelerator.  Notice on the energy screen that the arrows show energy being put back in the battery while you are coasting.  Now ever so slightly press on the accelerator again and see all of the energy arrows disappear. You may even feel the car coast more freely.  After a while you will be able to do this without looking at the screen at all.  What is happening is that you are gliding.  No energy is being recaptured at this time and you can glide for a long time, traffic permitting.  You Must be Responsible for Your Safety and the Safety of Everyone Around You.  Don’t incite road rage just to save a few cents.  I use this mostly when I am driving up to a red light before I finally, safely, appropriately, apply the brakes.  The reason this works is because you lose energy due to friction losses on its way into the battery and again you lose more energy due to friction losses using that energy to propel the car.  By not loosing momentum you are more energy efficient and you might be able to glide long enough for the light to turn green again so you don’t have to stop. 
4. Use the EV button to move the car short distances, such as moving it from the driveway into the garage for the night.  Why start the car for a few seconds if you don’t need to.  North American Prius do not have an EV button but all the programming is still in the car.  It is believed that Toyota had to leave this button off because in some situations it might cause the engine to run cold and increase it’s emissions for a moment, still cleaner then a regular 50mpg car, until the engine warms up again.  So because of our laws they had to leave it off.  Thousands of Prius owners have added the button.  A button Made by Toyota, Tested by Toyota, Sold by Toyota, to work with your Prius.  However, they can’t legally “let” you have it in your car.  Should they ever try to void your warranty, they would have to prove that a button they made for their own car was the cause of your warranty issue and then they may get sued for making the button in the first place.  Truth is they made a great car, and EV is a great feature when used correctly, but their hands are tied legally by our crazy laws.  So here is the deal as I see it...They don’t void warranties for the Prius with the EV buttons, and we keep buying their cars.  They start to come after consumers who install Toyota’s own product, designed for Toyota's own car, that is installed in thousands of Prius around the world by them, and they will lose many, many loyal customers. 

More later…