30 mpg gas guzzlers

EDITOR: I enjoyed Staff Writer Guy Kovner's justification of the American auto industry ("Better to buy new?" Monday). It will indeed be a happy day when new cars reach a fuel efficient 35.5 mpg by 2016. He assumes that the public will jump on the bandwagon and trade in their 20 mpg gas guzzlers for cars that average at least 30 mpg, but he paid little attention to pricey hybrids. He wrote, "Exchanging a 20 mpg vehicle for a 30 mpg model will save the owner $1,000 a year, according to the council's report."

My wife and I bought a Toyota Prius seven years ago and have driven 27,254 miles in it. Our "expensive Prius" cost about $25,000 or about the same as the cheapest of the 11 Ford Mustang models. From the day we drove out the door, we averaged 42-45 mpg.

At 42 mpg, we have purchased 649 gallons of gas in that time. If we had averaged 30 mpg, we would have bought 908 gallons and paid $1,000 more. Whenever I see another Prius owner at the gas station, I ask, "How do you like your Prius?" In 53 inquiries, only one person has said, "I like it." The other 51 have responded, "We love it."

DON KIRKPATRICK

Mendocino