I have meant to add a quick note mentioning that my Prius turns out not to have been crappy after all. It did not need a new hybrid battery or anything else exceptionally pricey, just a new 12-V battery. It was still a painful episode, but the mechanic said my car was in decent shape overall, and so I am in-like with it again. But I think I might be in love with the 2009 Honda Fit. The wise decision is probably to keep the Prius for awhile longer. But I’m only gonna live once, and I’d like to drive more cars in my lifetime as opposed to less; I’m itching for a change. Alas, I had a much more insightful meditation on automobiles in my head over the past week, but this is all I’m putting up here for now.