As you know, Georgie and I bought a Prius last spring, just ahead of my cross-country trip, and we still are very, very happy with our purchase. As a car, it is very effective:
* Better than 40 mph even in winter (when, apparently, the batteries aren't as effective)
* A fabulous turning radius that is easily its most unsung attribute; excellent electronics integration, both for charging multiple handhelds and for channeling both iPod and phone through the car's speakers.
* GPS, which of course isn't limited to Priuses but we do tend to think of it that way, since it's our first exposure to it.
* And the quiet satisfaction of knowing that we made a fairly responsible, pretty successful large expenditure.

But on a couple of fronts unrelated to utility — and God knows, people buy cars for reasons well beyond mere transportation — I see a couple of threats to its luster:

One: There sure are a shitload of them out there. I long ago decided that seeing another one on the road  was no big deal; now, my ever-revving brain automatically looks for a third before it registers an unusual event. But the other day in Cambridge — and I understand that location probably had an influence, FIVE other Priuses were within view, either with me in traffic or parked.

Anyone who bought to be ahead of the curve is now bumming, because that thrill is gone.

Two: Concomittantly, I noted a not-insignificant backlash of the Prius phenomenon from speakers at the just-concluded Building Energy '08. One derided the people coming up to him to report that they'd bought a Prius, as if they were expected a gold star for it. Another, while talking about trying to sell conservation to the public, said that only Priuses and solar panels have broken through public consciousness, and that's because many other measures are invisible, and people are into the cred, more than the conservation.

Notice I said the "Prius phenomenon," not the Prius, because they sure weren't dogging the car; surely, 95 percent of the attendees would be happy if everyone drove one, because — oh yeah! — they burn less gas than so many other vehicles.

I was offended at the sniff-ish attitude, because even though, yes, I am as shallow as the next American — ooh, I forgot to mention: four (!) cup holders! — I didn't buy it to impress. After considering a number of options for cross-country transport, we decided the Prius was the best choice on all the factors.

Impressing the neighbors was on the list, but well down it. And even then, behind that line item isn't vanity, it's making a statement to others that energy efficiency is worth paying for, even in a hardly zippy, kinda geeky package.