Is it worth buying an extensive and expensive option package on a new
Toyota Prius, if the only thing of interest to us is the side curtain
airbag? 

Assume that we always have rear and front passengers fasten lap and
shoulder seat belts.

We are willing to live with realistic risk, but do not want to miss
out on a major advance in car safety.

Mike Drainie

I'm disappointed to see no responses, since I have the same question.
Did you decide, one way or the other?

To annerism-ga,

We were buying a Toyota Prius and the only option was a package of
options that cost over $4000.00 Canadian. There were items in the
package that I actually did not want (JBL fancy-shmancy sound system
and some other things that made the whole driving experience more
complicated). Nonetheless we reluctantly ordered the package.

When the car arrived (after 9 week wait) we went to pick it up and
were very dissapointed in the colour. We had ordered green and the car
was grey. Our first impression of the offending colour was confirmed
by our sales-lady when she suggested we drive it into a service bay
where it would look green under the flourescent lights! We really
didn't want that car.

As it happened however, they had managed to snaggle a blue Prius
without the package, and they said we could take that one instead.
This would give us a simpler car without the side air bags and a
saving of $4000.00. Talk about a moral-ethical dilemma. Nonetheless I
hadn't read anything that convinced me the airbags were essential so
we took the blue one.

My impression is that airbags really shine in an accident where an
occupant is not properly belted in. They would protect against
secondary internal collisions. If a car were to hit my car in the
side, I doubt if an airbag would do much. Maybe someone will correct
this impression, but for now that's all I can say. I'd be interested
in what you decide. By the way we are very happy with the Prius, apart
from it getting 60 MPG (American).