Toyota Prius

1. Dear Mom and Dad,
As you both know, global warming is looming upon us and gas prices are rising. And that's not it; according to NPR, "gas prices climb as summer driving season nears" (2006). Mom, I know you listen to NPR a lot on your way to work. Summer is on its way, and everyone will be paying more for gas. Gas prices rise during the summer because more kids - teenagers like me - are out of school and joy-riding during all the free time they have, families are traveling thousands of miles in cars and airplanes to go on vacation, it's no wonder gas prices would be much higher than they are during the winter months.
I propose a very simple solution to this: a Toyota Prius. If you visit the Toyota website, and check out all the Prius options, you'll find that it gets an average gas mileage of 46 miles per gallon! I think that's amazing. With my Nissan, right now, I get somewhere between 25 and 28 mpg - it costs me $30 to fill up my tank completely. But with a Prius, it would probably only cost me half of that! Let's put it into perspective:
With my Nissan, $30 per week on gas means $120 per month (assuming 4 weeks in a month) and $1,440 each year on just gas. Now, for a nineteen-year-old, that's a lot of money! However. with a Prius, sayit only costs me $15 per week, $60 per month, and ultimately $720 each year. That's a savings of over $700 - I'll save 50% on gas.
In my opinion, it's totally worth it.

II.
Dear Becky,
I'm sorry, but we are not going to get you a Toyota Prius. We understand that you are spending nearly $1,500 on gas every year. But your car only cost $3,000 when we bought it and it will surely last you another 5 years if you treat it well. During those 5 years, you will spend $7,500 on gas, roughly. We understand that it's a lot of money. But Hybrid cars are new vehicles. They are new technology. It is difficult to find one more than a few years old. That being said, a brand new Toyota Prius costs as much as $22,000 (www.toyota.com). It's really not worth it, in terms of money. You will graduate in 3 years, and if you decide you want to go out and spend twenty grand on a new Hybrid, you can do that. In the mean time, just stick to your Nissan.

III.
Mom and Dad,
I understand that you feel it is not worth it. But it really is! Yes, it's true that my Nissan - with 136, 000 miles on it - will probably only last another 5 years. But, if you buy the brand new Toyota Prius - with 0 miles on it - it will last for 15 or 20 years. If we bought a new Nissan for three grand every five years for the next fifteen years and spent $22,000 on gas during those 15 years, that's a total of $31,000 spend over the course of 15 years. I think it evens out.
If you agree to buy this Toyota Prius, I will save my money and agree to chip in $6,000 and you can pay the rest. How does that sound?