Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Its Not Easy Being Green

Its Not Easy Being Green...that was a slogan from Sesame Street, a song sung by Kermit the Frog. Remember Kermit? Remember that song? It was true for Kermit back then and it is true today for me. Its not easy being green; it takes effort, with a capital "E".

I bought a used Prius last weekend. I found one at a great price. When I told my family members I had bought a Toyota, they were agog. I could just about hear their eyeballs popping and their jaws dropping over the cell phone airwaves. "You bought WHAT? A Toyota? Are you kidding?" Yes, all that bad press about runaway vehicles, accelerators sticking, and no brake override - I have heard it all. I have read all about it, and I bought a Prius anyway. While there are a few real automobile problems out there, I think that Toyota has been given a bad rap. News organizations over-dramatize things in order to drum up business. Any story is a good story, especially a sensational headline news story, as long as it attracts viewers.

Is there a serious problem with the accelerator sticking in the Lexus ES that killed four people in a runaway vehicle? Yes, definitely. Does Toyota have a similar accelerator system in the Camry and Corolla? Yes. But, this accelerator system is NOT even used in the Prius. And, the SAME accelerator system is also used in some AMERICAN cars, because car "manufacturers" (I use the term loosely here) buy their parts from the same parts manufacturer that Toyota does. But, of course, this information has either not been disseminated by the news media, or is a footnote at best.

I feel comfortable with my purchase and with Toyota's explanations, which are available on its website at Toyota.com.

PS. I just noticed that this column on "Being Green" is dated March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. How lucky is that?

1 comment:

  1. Hooray for you----congrats on the Prius (I hope to own one someday when kids are older) and being so green!

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