Today around Los Altos I saw a plug-in hybrid Prius parked outside. It had some flyers posted on the windows touting 100 MPG. The owner saw us looking at his car and he desperately wanted to give us a flyer. Maybe he gets a commission.

According to the driver, converting your Prius to PHEV costs approximately $10,000 and it can be done by somebody in San Francisco. He also added that within Toyota recently stated that converting to PHEV does not void your entire warranty. I have not verified the validity of those claims.

CalCars is a California website with PHEV information.

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: Neighborhood Joints, Episode DV0304

IRON BARLEY
5510 Virginia Ave
St. Louis, MO 63111
Tel: (314) 351-4500
Website: www.ironbarley.com

THE VILLAGE CAFE
1001 W Grace St
Richmond, VA 23220
Tel: (804) 353-8204
Website: http://villagecafeonline.com/

THEE PITS AGAIN
5558 W. Bell Rd
Glendale, AZ 85308
Tel: (602) 996-7488
Website: www.theepittsagain.com

DADDYPOPS
232 S York Rd
Hatboro, PA 19040
Tel: (215) 675-9717

Food Network Description:

Guy Fieri searches out some neighborhood favs including the St. Louis tavern cranking out authentic international dishes like home made German spaetzle; the Virginia café where calzones are a taste of New York; BBQ at what looks like a New Jersey diner, in Arizona; and the Philadelphia area diner that’s so local the regulars have their own coffee cups to help wash down the scrapple.

See Food Network for recipes and more details.

Before I bought the Prius I test drove a Scion xB. Scion uses no-haggle pricing. I got quotes for a bare-bones no add-ons vehicles at a few dealers. The were all consistent at around $19,200. Give or take a $100 dollars because I lost my note sheet.

However, the internet guy at Sunnyvale Toyota asked me if I had a color preference. I said “anything but white.” To counter my hatred of white cars, he offered to sell me a white Scion xB for $300 off because he was overstocked on white Scion xB’s. That would have been ~$18,900.

Therefore, if you aren’t picky about color and you think a dealership may have too many of an unpopular colored car (white), you may be able to get a discount.