[Isaac Zachary]

I don't know if there's another thread like this. But I thought it might be educational if we ranted a bit on why people do things that don't make sense. I'll start.

I just saw another Prius with a roof cargo box. This seems very common to see on Toyota Prii and Volvo station wagons here where I live.

Now I get that having a box for every once in a while makes sense. If you want to go camping you may not have enough space in a car like a Prius for your kids and your camping gear. Or you're single and need to move. So you slap on a cargo box or a hitch rack and go, kind of like a little Chevy Spark I saw Monday from Florida cruising along with both a huge roof box and a hitch rack with a large plastic tub on it.

But the thing is that it seems most people with a Prius, at least where I live, strap on a roof cargo box permanently. Which makes me wonder why they bought a car known for having a very good aerodynamic shape so that it gets good fuel mileage, and then ruin it with a large permanent box on the roof. Why? Is it that they didn't understand that adding a box defeats the purpose of the car's shape? Is it that they figure they drive slow enough it won't matter?

But that's another thing. Some of the fastest driver's I've seen around here are Prius drivers. Maybe it's the college culture in our town where apparently half the population are college students. Maybe they drive fast, want something they can pack all their stuff in as they go back and forth from whatever state their parents live in and here, and think they're saving money and the environment by owning a Prius.

I have had the chance to talk to a couple of these college Prius owners and have been told that they're disappointed with the fuel mileage, getting upper 30's at best. Mmm... I wonder why.