The Wrangler was purchased because in the early 1990s the government told us there was no Global Warming. Plus gas was cheap and free flowing. And I lived in Colorado, an area of the country where several feet of snow in a few hours is common.

The bad economy caused me to take a job in D.C. Now I can repent for my gas guzzling ways.

There is another side-effect of the Cash for Clunkers program: decrease in road rage. SUV owners tend to be aggressive. Hybrid owners tend to be more relaxed. The constant blue-green LED lights on my Honda Insight that tell me to be more "green" are actually reducing my road rage.

Hey the program worked for people like me. I traded in my 17MPG (real world 11MPG) Jeep Wrangler in for a 43MPG Honda Insight.

Better gas mile and it is safer (Wranglers have a tendency to roll). My insurance even went down $200/year.

And the best bonus....I live in D.C. which has no taxes on hybrid vehicles.

The government killed my other vehicle. But many will benefit from its death.

I had this kind of experience with a Toyota dealership. And you know what I did? I popped my clunker into 4WD and drove over the divider between the Toyota dealer and the Honda dealer. The Honda dealer liked my style and gave me an additional $3000 off the sticker of a Insight EX. I almost made the mistake of buying a Prius just because the popular media sites say it is better than the Insight. I am so glad I ignored their advice. I put $2000 down in addition to my clunker trade-in and drove away only owing $13000.

Thanks Toyota. Your greedy dealers saved me from paying a high car payment.

Hell has no fury like the scorn of a clunker shopper.

Lorena,

One of the things that attracted me to the Insight is that it drives like a car (in its class). I can hear the engine and I get feedback from the steering and brakes. Keep in mind that this is a $20,000 car (although you should be able to get even the EX like I got for significantly lower). So it is not going to be as refined as say a $28,000 car. This is not a midsized car like the Prius. It is a compact hatchback and you should judge it against other cars in its class (the Fit or the Yaris for example). People that complain about the Insight's ride and steering are probably coming from owning $40,000 cars and SUVs.

When I was driving it, it reminded me of the Honda CRX, the original accordion style hatchback. That was a very fun car to drive and so is the Insight.

I really like the blue and green glow on the dash that provides feedback to let you know how "green" you are driving. The auto-stop of the engine was a little disturbing for the first few drives. But it kind of grew on me and makes me feel more connected to the car.

Don't get me wrong by my other comments. The Prius is a fine choice for the right person. To me, I just felt disconnected in the car. I drove both and like both. But when it came down to it, I just felt like the Insight was a better choice and combination of quality and cost. Plus I like driving it.

My problem with the Prius people has nothing to do with the car itself. The dealerships think there car is made of gold and flowers come flying out its tailpipe. And where I live every other person on the block has a Prius. And every Prius owner buys the same color and same options. The neighbors joke and call themselves "the Pod people". It is actually a trendy status symbol in D.C. to own a Prius. So if "status" is part of buying decision, then maybe the Prius might be better.

I compare it to the Mac versus PC argument. There is just enough things different about the Insight to make it very "Mac" like.

And contrary to what others have said, the Insight is not for "poor" people (poor people are not getting financed right now). It is targeted at people that most likely can afford a $40,000 SUV but have decided to be less wasteful in their daily lives.

So remember when driving the Insight, compare it to other compacts, not mid-sized cars like the Prius.

I would disagree that the Prius is a better value and better looking. Also the comment about being a car for people that can't afford anything better is just flat out wrong. I make $160,000/year but still bought an Insight instead of the Prius. If I wanted more room or luxury I would buy the Lexus version of the Prius. The Insight just appeals to a different crowd.

Not everyone wants to be one of the Prius People. We should all be happy that there is variety.

This whole Prius versus Insight comparison is just wrong. The people looking at the Insight are actually comparing compact cars like the FIT or the Mini. If you want to compare the Prius to another car, compare it to to the Fusion since both are technically midsize cars.

John:

You don't seem to address the higher cost of the Prius. The Prius is just wastefully spending. The Insight will catch on to cost conscious people like me. The free money for everyone days are gone. It is time to start saying "maybe I don't need things like a $3000 solar roof upgrade package."

Overspending will be the downfall of Western Civilization.

Maybe the Japanese have it correct. We are in a recession. The Insight is a better bargain right now and for many (I am one) the Insight strikes the right combination of savings and practicallity. Remember we Americans have a history of splurging on luxury items that really are not practical. I was guilty of that myself having bought many $40,000+ SUVs.

This is a time for responsible spending.

I actually purchased an Insight over the Prius this weekend. Why? Because the Prius has too much tech and is VERY OVER PRICED. The dealerships do not stock any of the base $23,000 models in stock but only the $32,000. And really? $32,000 for an economy car (don't even try to call it a midsize since it really is just an econo box). Plus I thought the Insight looks better and more like a car than the Prius.

I live in D.C. where every other car is a Prius or a Mini. And really I wanted something different. The build and ride is respectable for the cost. The dealership took $3,000 off the sticker ($21,900) for my EX. With my $4500 CARS rebate and $2000 down (plus no taxes on hybrids for DC), I walked away paying $13,000 for this car. The Toyota dealerships were all full of themselves and wanted sticker or even above sticker in some cases.

Sure it gets less mileage than the Prius. But since I drive less than 1,000 miles a year (only live and work 2 miles apart), I don't care. To me I chose a cheaper bottom line than fancy gadgets that will just break over time, important since I keep my cars almost 10 years.

And the impression that no one is buying this is false. There was a line to test drive the Insights last weekend. And this was one of the largest dealerships in the country.

Sorry, Toyota, I just did not like your car for the price you want to sell it. Your dealerships had the choice to drop the price to earn my business but they failed.

In hindsight, I am glad I did not become one of the Prius "Pod People" that litter the roads of D.C.

I also feel less like one of the pod peope

I think you mean it is not SIP. It is definitely VOIP. The fact that it travels over a proprietary network does not mean that it does not use IP networking. Remember Internet actually means between networks. What you meant was the Public Internet which is more appropriately called the World Wide Web.

VOIP is a blanket term for a few Voice over data network standards. Most "phone" lines are actually VOIP these days (including long distance) and terminate at the PSTN at the very last leg of the call.

There is absolutely no reason Comcast DV could not provide a SIP or H.323 client into their network. Even Skype is on the verge of allowing this and their network is not SIP based.

I went to school at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Why is that these guys can build the most accurate atomic clock but no clock at the University actually is set to the correct time?