Stockholm Syndrome: shopping for cars

RIP, beloved 06 Prius! :(I bumped up against my own inanity yesterday while shopping for a new car.  It's not a good feeling at all, that peering into my own BS, but I am supposing that in the end, it's good for me.  I dangled for a few hours in a dilemma of my own making, unhappy about the two options I could see (though naturally Joe could see many more than I).  And fretted.

And realized how susceptible I am to Stockholm Syndrome.

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It's a crappy picture, but makes a point

I had to pull over to take this photo with my phone - which explains its crappiness. I was delighted by the symmetry: an average of 49.2 miles per gallon, and 492 miles to that particular tank-full of gas. By the time I filled up later that day, I had driven 500+ miles since my last visit to the gas station.

The good news, I suppose, is that
I have really improved my gas mileage in the Prius. I learned some tips from Rochelle and Steve on how to go farther on less -- essentially the tips boil down to: drive like a granny, be willing to be annoying. I am obsessed with the power meter, and coast wherever possible, give it only as much gas it required to run off the battery.

More good news is that compared to a "regular" car that gets something like 20 miles to the gallon, over the 500 miles I drove I emitted far less carbon dioxide. Thanks to the carbon footprint calculator on terrapass.com, I know that rather than 500 pounds of CO2, my driving released "only" 208 into the atmosphere.

But it's pretty hard to feel great about 208 pounds of CO2 or 500 miles in just a week and a half. :(

Clearly something needs to change!