And then the Leans bought a 2012 Toyota Prius V Hybrid

When Andy and I got engaged in March 2010, we both had our own vehicles. He had a single cab dodge 1500, of course with a HEMI and 9 mile per gallon mileage. I had a Nissan Xterra, which was not much better on gas. We both were very surprised when I learned I was pregnant with Clara only one month later...and as everything in our life was changing dramatically, we always kept the vehicle conversation in the foreground.

Upon moving to Missouri, and selling both our Alaskan vehicles, Andy bought a '99 Toyota Camry that had about 180,000 miles. I almost died. He just met the with owner, took it for a test drive, and bought it. It was an awesome car, the same car that got us from Scottsdale to Fort Irwin on one tank of gas! The Jeep Commander on the other hand was not such a wise investment. Andy was gone 15 hours a day while we were in Missouri, and a lot of times that included weekends. I did not want to go look at a car all by myself, especially at 8 months pregnant...and 2 months of crying and feeling sorry for myself didn't help. Finally. two days before I went to the hospital, Andy went to look at the jeep on the used car lot that was located on the military post. I told him I had researched the jeep commander, it was not what I was looking for, that he should just test drive.

He came home 10 minutes later with this jeep. "Yeah, I just wrote him a check and drove it home".

Poor Andy. He was trying so hard to provide for us, and I was very, VERY lucky that we were able to afford a second car to begin with. But, I was also beyond upset that he had bought a used vehicle, FOR A SECOND TIME, without taking it to a mechanic to get checked out. Unlike the Camry, the jeep had some electrical issues, which we learned when the head lights shut off as we were going 75 mph on the I-40. But to defend my providing husband, he did get us another car, despite the circumstances.

We drove this jeep to California, and realized quickly that we used a half of tank of gas just to get to the nearest town and back. (I don't consider Barstow a town anymore, I never stop there for fear of my life, or patience)

Long Story Short: We have been looking for a new car. It started with me looking at a mid to large size SUV with 7 seats. I wanted to be high off the ground, and I wanted space!
 I was tired of having an SUV that I didn't accomodate tall people in the back seat.

So we bought a Prius wagon when I was whining about my car not being big enough? I know, I'm getting there.

Once gas started climbing, Andy knew our search for a new car was going to need to change. We started looking at small SUVs, trying to find the best gas mileage for the best price. It was going to be our first big loan together and we both had different...ideas of comfort when it came to the vehicle. I of course wanted Bluetooth and gps navigation and even a DVD system while Andy would be happy with manual windows and locks.

As gas hit $4.29 a gallon last month, we decided to take the Camry on a trip to Orange county. It was then that I finally realized how economical it was to have a smaller car. We talked it out. We are not worrying about hitting a moose in the middle of the desert, so that alleviates one reason for wanting a large vehicle. We also do not need 4 wheel drive, as it doesn't even snow where we are. We ALSO only have one child. The plan is to have another sooner than later, so this new car will have to hold 2 car seat/booster seats.

There is still the idea of 'what if we go to Alaska next'...it was be stupid to buy a 2 wheel drive sedan car. Yet, the odds of us going to in Alaska are not ever in our favor, and there is a higher chance that we could head right back to Missouri, or even north to Fort Lewis, Washington..both places where we can get away with a smaller car that has awesome gas milage.

This is a Prius V with a DOUBLE jogging stroller in the back

And then we looked at hybrids for fun, especially Toyota since we are so happy with the Camry, and we realized that the Toyota Prius V, which is a size larger than the original prius, is the same price as the small SUVs we were looking at. We did a side by side comparison with the Prius V and the Subaru Outback(our other choice)...and the Prius V has more cargo space, is the same height off the ground, and the leg room is about the same. BUT: That Suby has AWD, where the Prius only has 2WD.

We decided to take one for a test drive, knowing that this new car sounded like it was going to be a pretty good fit for our family, we weren't sure if it was going to be a good 'fit' for our size! And honestly, Andy rides with his seat reclined SO far in every car we have ever been in. I'm not sure what his deal is. I'm only 3 inches shorter than him, and our seat preference is ridiculous! We never change how far 'back' the seat is, just how far reclined.

We left that day with a brand new 2012 Toyota Prius V. We didn't even take the car seat out of the back after the test drive. It is the fanciest car I have ever driven, with a push start ignition and a push button for park. The voice activated commands blow my mind, and you better believe we had to call our family from the car on the drive home. "We are calling you from our car!" "Um, you guys shouldn't be on the phone and drive.." "No, it's hands free! You are coming out the speakers!"...


 Small town Alaskans, we are.

Andy and I are extremely happy with our purchase. The hybrid technology is amazing, and highly beneficial for where we are. We get 44 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. With a hybrid, once you stop at a stop sign/street light, the engine switches over to a battery. This battery is charged by the engine, especially when the break is pushed. You can see how this model is outstanding for stop and go traffic in the city. The other benefit about the battery is you can run in "EV" mode, which is electric when traveling under 25 mph. Anyone ever visited a military base?   It's all about the slow speed limits!! I travel from the commissary and back entirely on battery. Granted, it's about a mile away, but it all adds up in the end.

The next fun part...is decorating the car. We realize that we almost had to give up our "Alaska cards" by purchasing this vehicle. I guess we are going to be the moderatly conservative example that says, "dude, it doesn't have a HEMI, but we can still pump more money into the economy by what we have saved in gas"...



Yet, understandably, you do not see a lot of 25 year old young parents rocking a Prius V. So we have started looking into bumper stickers. Please, send your hilarious ideas our way.