Made the decision that our mix of vehicles was out of balance. We own a BMW Z3 2-seater convertible that I drive mostly to/from work (about 60 miles a day) and a Ford F250 that we use anytime the family needs to go someplace. Evia has been trying to learn to drive the F250, but its huge, and a stick shift (as is the Z3), and bluntly, its not easy.

So… last night I committed to trade the Z3 in for a family car. Since I mostly drive highway, I looked first for a high economy car that could seat 5 for errands and perhaps some road trips to the prairie. The Toyota Prius topped the list. As a Hybrid, it also has outstanding (at least these days) city economy. I could get something that was more comfortable for the travel, but not without sacrificing fuel economy, often not by a little bit, but in half. Short form: I’ll be a Prius owner in a day or so.

Considered buying a third car, but couldn’t make sense of that. With the prairie purchase, we didn’t have the financial capability of just adding a new car like a Prius. Used Prius’s are not all that much cheaper. A non-hybrid (say something getting a decent 25 mpg (vs. 45 mpg for the Prius) wouldn’t save any fuel, it would just allow me to keep the Z3 that I loved. Basically, I couldn’t justify keeping the Z.