How often have you heard someone say “Well, I need room to haul stuff…” when contemplating a new car purchase? This mythical “stuff” becomes the rationalization for buying an SUV or station wagon with enough room to haul around large objects. People poo-poo the Prius or similar sized cars as not having enough room for people, “stuff”, pets, etc. The only solution to this “stuff” problem is clearly to get a larger vehicle!

Yeah, right. In the year I’ve had a Prius, here are some of the bigger things I’ve put in it:

• A 7.2 cubic foot chest freezer – still in its box (pictured above)
• My 60-pound dog, who has lots of space in the way back, leaving room for people (or children in car seats) in the back seat
• My bike, without removing the front tire
• 5 grown adult women and all their softball gear
• A keg, 10 cases of beer, and a load of wedding stuff
• 8 full bags of compost from said wedding
• Office furniture

That’s quite a lot of “stuff”, and I didn’t even need an SUV for it. Heck, Kathy and I even slept in the back of the Prius when we were camping over Memorial Day weekend when it was cold and wet in our tent.

So, really, do we need large cars for that once a year Home Depot purchase, or does it make more sense to get a car that fits our daily needs and just hit up a friend with a truck for those occasions when we need to move something really big?

Tagged as driving, Prius, sustainability + Categorized as Ideas & Theories, Getting around, Ideas & Theories, Saving the world