http://www.zazzle.com/i_drive_a_priu...16241432001881
Honestly, I think that much of life can be explained by people not doing math. I met a young lady over the summer that insisted that her Prius "cost the same as any other car. It costs the same as a Honda Civic and it costs the same as a Toyota Corolla."
I do not have any idea why she claimed that, it was absolutely absurd. At the time, Corollas started at $16,800, Civics at $18k, and Prii at $23k. I remember doing the math and determining that a Prius would break even over a Corolla at 172k, but would probably need a new battery, and the break-even point for that would be 222k, but of course, I cannot find it now.
However, you also pay more interest.