A New Prius and a Lifetime of Vehicles
Today, my wife and I bought a 2017 Toyota Prius. It replaces our old 2001 Prius, which we donated to a local high school auto shop before moving to Panama in August 2024.
As I logged the new car into the spreadsheet where I track all my vehicles (yes, I’m that person), I realized something surprising: this is the first car I’ve bought since 2006, when I picked up a white 2002 Chevy Malibu. Coincidentally, this Prius is white too.
Since I got my driver’s license in 1969, I’ve owned—or had long-term use of—41 cars, trucks, and motorcycles. With this latest addition, the total I’ve spent on vehicles has officially crossed $100,000. That works out to about $2,500 per vehicle, though like most averages, that number doesn’t really tell the whole story.
The last five vehicles alone cost over $70,000. Once you subtract nine company cars and long-term loaners, that means the remaining 27 vehicles set me back just $30,300—an average of a little over $1,100 each. Safe to say, I bought a lot of cheap cars in the ’70s and ’80s.
To put it in perspective:
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Between 1969 and 1979, I bought 21 vehicles.
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In the 1980s, I added 12 more—six cars and six motorcycles.
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The 1990s? Just one car and one motorcycle.
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Since 2000, I’ve only picked up three cars and a 15-passenger van.
What changed? Somewhere in the late ’80s, I became increasingly obsessed with bicycle riding and racing. That shift gradually replaced my interest in cars—and it shows in the numbers.
Now, with our new Prius parked in front of the house, I’m reflecting not just on the car itself, but on the whole journey—decades of vehicles, roads, and shifting passions. Funny how something as simple as a new car can open the door to a little time travel.
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The essay above was edited by ChatGPT. AI also added the Headline at the top ofthe text.
The essay below is the original.
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Today my wife and I bought a 2017 Toyota Prius. It replaces the 2001 Prius we donated to a local auto shop class when we left for Panama in August of 2024.
When I added the car to the spreadsheet of motor vehicles I keep, I realized this is the first car bought since 2006 when I bought a 2002 Chevy Malibu. Also white.
In the years since I got my drivers license in 1969 I have owned or had long-term use of 41 cars, trucks and motorcycles. Buying this Prius finally pushed the total I spent on vehicles over $100,000. That's an average price of $2,500 per vehicle, but as with most averages, the number is meaningless.
The last five vehicles cost just over $70,000. Removing the nine company cars and long-term loaners, that means the other 27 cars cost $30,300 or just over $1,100 on average. I bought a lot of very cheap cars in the 1970s and 1980s.
In fact, I bought 21 vehicles between 1969 and 1979. I bought 12 between 1980 and 1989: six cars and six motorcycles. I bought just one car and one motorcycle in the 1990s. Then three cars and a 15-passenger van in this century.
The difference in my buying habits was my growing obsession with bicycle riding and racing beginning in the late 1980s.
