Prius Owner Now!!

Despite my prior posts indicating hybrids were not a "good" buy, my wife (and I) now own a 2009 Toyota Prius. How it happened?

1. My wife's vehicle, a Corolla, had 98K miles on it. Because of it got better mileage than my SUV, it was our primary vehicle. Unfortunately, it was not very comfortable. Power locks – nope, Power Windows – nope, cruise control – nope, comfortable ride – nope. While it was perfectly fine for tooling around town, trips over 1 hour were not fun. Furthermore, it lacked some safety features I wanted to protect my wife (and someday a child).
   
2. My wife's daily commute is, and will be, relatively long. We knew we wanted a vehicle with good mileage, but large enough to be baby friendly should we be blessed. Originally, I expected we would get a small wagon (Matrix), or a mid-size sedan (Accord/Camry).
   
3. Although my wife liked the Accord, she hated the Matrix (and so did I). The Matrix was loud, had an awful ride, and had horrible visibility. Since we were at the Toyota dealer, we decided to test drive the Prius. Simply put, she fell in love and I knew it.
   
4. Financially, it was not a "great" decision, but it was not as bad as I thought. Although not apples to apples, we were looking at the slightly larger, faster (4cyl) Accord v. the smaller (but large enough), more Prius. In terms of sticker price, the Prius was about $5K more expensive than the Accord. Luckily, we were able to make up some of it. The Prius had a $1,000 rebate and the dealer was willing to negotiate. In addition, Connecticut does not impose a sales tax on the Prius. Ultimately, I figure we spent an extra $3,000 for the Prius.
   
5. What did we get for our $3,000?
   
   1. My wife prefers Toyotas to Hondas. Her happiness is an important consideration.
      
   2. If gas prices are in the $2.00 range, we expect to save $600 per year. If they go to $4 again, we would save approximate $1,200.
      
   3. We feel the Prius is big "enough" for our needs. With a hatchback, we feel she could easily carry a child in a carseat and any necessary accessories like a stroller.
      
   4. I am a Texan and think big. For once, I get to be an eco-nerd.