Last Updated: Mon. 7/12/2004

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Hello, I'm Paul and I am probably one of the youngest (and the most "foreign") Prius enthusiasts.  Currently, I am 17, but I have been aware (and obsessed) with the car since I was around 14.  I found out about it through the Clean Car Campaign; they announced the coming of the Prius to the US and I was extremely excited.  In fact, I even have Prius brochures from Toyota for each model year that the Prius was sold.  I say I'm the most foreign because I was born in Russia and moved to the US at the end of 1996.  I talked about the car occasionally to my parents, who dismissed it a "zaporozets" (a small two-seater Russian car that had its engine in the trunk).  In August of 2002, my dad started talking about trading in our 1999 Nissan Altima for another car.  At this point, I went on the offensive.  Armed with the 2002 model brochure and a passion for the fact that the car was not that puny, I talked day and night about the beauty of the car and how great it was.  At the end of November of that year, my parents went out to buy the new car.  Before they left, I made them promise one thing - that they test drive the Prius (that was all).  I was pleasantly surprised by a phone call a few hours later, learning that my parents were getting a new 2003 Prius and that our friends (who were at our house at the time) should drive to the dealership to meet my parents and see the car.

The car has been great. Our fuel economy has been around 46 mpg.  Though not very exciting, considering the fact that we live in New Jersey, I attribute this to the fact that we live in a very hilly environment.  I received my permit on April 22 of this year, and got to "officially" drive this baby for just one day; my mom moved to California the next weekend, and the car had to leave the next day.  It was very good while it lasted.  At the end of 2003, we got inside a 2004 Prius during the "Start Now" tour at a local Whole Foods store.  It was, however, bittersweet.  We had gotten a car just a year before for $23,000, and an equally-priced 2004 model is radically different.  With the move to CA imminent, my dad decided that it was time to trade-in his 2001 Nissan Sentra while it was still worth money.  We made rounds around numerous dealerships, and on June 9^th, my dad became the owner of a 2004 Prius.

The LiveJournal you see below contains my recent thoughts and impressions with this new (and old as well) Prius.  Feel free to leave comments!  In addition, I have some photos, taken this past winter, of my mom's Prius ('03).  Soon I'm hoping I can put some pics of my dad's Prius and also some videos, so check back occasionally for new stuff!  Plus, keep in mind that the LiveJournal updates on its own schedule, which is basically continuously, so you can see new posts right away. 

Thanks for looking  :)
 

LiveJournal:

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