I’ll say it up front: Yes, we own a Prius.
But we bought it in the summer of 2007, way before gas prices took off as if attached to the space shuttle. Almost exclusively over the past 26 years, we Brunos have owned Toyotas, not the sexiest cars around but surely the most dependable.
We like to drive our cars to death --- our ’98 van has 240,000 miles on it, and our ’93 Camry (possibly the best car ever made) made it to 275,000 miles before it had to be retired. The engine was fine, but the AC was shot, the antenna was stuck in the down position, and one window had to be propped shut with a wooden shim while the other windows wouldn’t open at all. There was also a long, large broad-side dent on the driver’s side where someone at Amherst College tried to defy the laws of physics by trying to force two objects to occupy the same space at the same time. This car had lots and lots of character.
But oh, my, she was yar. It was heartbreaking to part with her this past spring, but she went to a good home where the drivers are apparently immune to the perils created by a dark green car with no air conditioning and windows that won’t open in the Virginia summers.
So now we have a Prius. Silly us: we bought it because it was a good financial move.
After months of research and calculations, we determined that the extra cost would pay for itself in about three years and in the meanwhile we’d be buying less gas on a regular basis for as long as we owned the car---- which, given our track record, will be at least ten years. Using less gas at any price seemed like the money-wise thing to do.
In truth, the costs equal out – you can pay up front or you can pay at the pump; your choice--- and that leaves the lovely fact of simply buying less gasoline. Buying less at any price is attractive, but buying less now that gas prices have almost doubled in the past year seems like a smart money move, not a political one.
We had no ulterior political motives, no desire to make a statement of any kind. And yet now I find that I am constantly explaining to friends, colleagues, casual acquaintances and even strangers in the parking lot at Ukrops that owning a Prius is not any kind of political endorsement. I am completely stunned to find myself in a political blender with fruit coming at me from both sides over a car.
It has come to my attention via news shows, radio discussions, printed articles and meeting up with various folk around town that, intentional or not, owning a Prius is considered a political statement by just about everyone but us.
People on the left pat me on the back, give me the thumbs up, congratulate me on my environmental awareness and give me approving looks that I don’t really want or deserve. They assume a political motivation that doesn’t exist.
People on the right arch a sarcastic eyebrow and ask in voices laden with pity, “So you bought a Prius, eh?” The implication is that I have somehow been hoodwinked, swindled, or otherwise caught in some devilish trap designed to make a fool of me. They also assume a political influence that doesn’t exist.
So I smile, usually, and shrug off both compliments and complaints after I explain that we really do get 50 miles per gallon in our lovely light green Prius. It’s also roomy with an excellent air conditioner, MP3/CD player, and the requisite cup holders. Oh, and it has the necessary power to merge safely onto the interstate.
What more does a person need, I ask you.
Nothing, except maybe a carload of patience to handle the fruitcakes who want to make a political mountain out of a Toyota.
I’ll work on that, I promise, right after I make up my mind about who to vote for this November, and I can guarantee that decision won’t be based on what car the candidate drives.
K.K. Bruno lives, votes, and drives in Williamsburg and is the author of Mischiefs and Miseries: a novel of Jamestown 1607. She has decided to vote for John McCain. www.kkbruno.com
Published August 16, 2008 The Virginia Gazette