I’m sure you guys have heard by now that Toyota is recalling over 400,000 of their new Priuses worldwide. Add to this the recent Honda recalls, and it’s suddenly the darkest hours for the Japanese automotive industry.
Berkeley will definitely be affected the most by this news. On the first day alone, I counted over 36 Priuses. It was very scary. I never imagined so many of the same car congregated in such a small space.
It also bothered me, because I just felt that people were buying Priuses without researching other alternatives. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Priuses. I’ve driven one and it’s a very comfortable, albeit tame, car. But that’s just what it set out to be.
What bothered me was that I was under the impression that people were not researching about what they were buying. There ARE other alternatives. Seeing 36 Priuses in a one-mile span just screamed bandwagoning to me.
I feel that now is a good time in wake of the recalls to propose some other alternatives. There are other hybrid vehicles, produced by Honda, Nissan, Lexus, Ford, Chevy, and much more to come in the near future.
Given the size of the Prius, what about compact sedans and hatchbacks such as the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and the Nissan Versa, to name a few? These cars get close to 40 mpg and are much more versatile and interesting to drive.
I guess what I’m trying to say is…be unique! This goes for lots of other consumer goods, and it’s not limited to just that. Don’t buy something because everyone else is getting it. Don’t do something because it’s the “in” thing to do. Analyze whether it fits you and do some research. In the end, you’ll still be on the road while everyone else is at the auto shop.
Click here to see if your vehicle was one of the millions recalled by Toyota. I would also check the Honda models that were recalled as well.
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