 Purchase was purely a economic decision for me without much emotion.Extensive economic analysis with detailed spreadsheets yielded the Prius II as the most economic choice for my 70 mile daily commute consisting of 60% city 40% highway.Factored in were resale values which indicate lower depreciation thanreported for Gen 3, significant improvements in reliability over 2010 model and long term increase in gasoline price at 10% / year.Also in consideration was the 10 year battery performance check done by Consumer Reports which indicated the NiMH battery showed no measurable degradation in 10 years and 200K. I think newer Li battery technology will take several years to mature and match