New Prius v Owner, What a car

Welcome aboard! Have to read all the post after work.

OK, read a little more... I would suggest not using EV the way you are. There is a huge loss in conversion and generally you are better off not depleting the battery. There are many posts and videos on how to increase your FE.

 

That sounds like an unpleasant experience and I hope you told this to Toyota in your survey. In my early 20s I made well above average money and experienced a similar wall of judgement. I kept looking until someone took me seriously. For financing I joined a credit union for competitive rates. I always paid 50% cash up front and financed he rest to work on my credit score.

If there is another dealer reasonably close I'd try them for service and not give the judgmental dealership any service business which is where they make a lot of money.

Glad you like the v!
W

 

It was a great read. Thanks for sharing.

 

Enjoyed reading about your purchase experience. It made me smile as it reminded me of our experience at the dealership and the test drive.

Our dealership and their sales personnel weren't up to speed on the v either. I had done a lot of research on the v so I had some knowledge about it when we test drove it. During the test drive my wife was asking me some questions when the salesman sitting in the back seat leans forward and ask what the three drive mode buttons did. The only thing he remotely knew anything about was entune.

 

In an HCH for best mileage you try to stay light on the engine so it doesn't need to use the assist. And because of the way IMA works you don't glide.

A Prius glides efficiently so ideally you pulse and glide, but in "normal" driving, the general gist is accelerate on the engine but out of the power zone then just drive it, and don't fight to keep it in EV, but do try to keep out of the power zone.

 

Meryan00 – Congratulations on the pending arrival of your new Meryan00 DNA Transferral Unit in September, and Welcome to the Prius v Hybrid Hive, Hoosier Synod, and the Fight In The War On Petrol Terrori$m, One Gallon Of Gasoline Not Used At A Time.

I invite you to click on the link in my signature to my Ten Tips To Prius Ultra High MPG Guide. The tips there about pre-operative set-up and hybrid driving technique can help you to raise your “able to get 47 with no problem today and yesterday driving highway and city” MPG-FE numbers up into the low-to-mid 50s MPG range, where I currently have my Stealth, Magnetic Gray Metallic Pv5 Petrol Warfighter running.

You may also want to check out the Prius v “Caddy In A Kimono” group at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/caddy_in-a_kimono/ where I just reported my highway driving experience and the MPG-FE performance that I logged on a recent Over-The-Road, Interstate Highway driving 1,000-mile round trip I made from Florida-To-South Carolina and return. My narrative about the FL-To-SC round trip includes some observations on what was a “Less Than Glitch Free” performance by the NAV Lady and the Toyota Entune Navigation System.

FWIW FYI: Part of my current pre-operative set-up is that I do not run my Pv5 tires at Door Post PSI, but rather run my 17” wheels w/ P215/50R17 tires “Up-Pressured” to Maximum Cold Inflation PSI (51F/50R).

Keep good notes on your up coming 2,000-mile round trip to Florida, so you can share the Point “A”-To-Point “B” & Return fuel economy performance of your Pv3 (w/ 16” wheels & P205/60R16 tires), along with your other anecdotal impressions of the long over-the-road Interstate Highway (I assume via I-65/I-24/I-75) trip to Florida and return to your Indiana home in your new, “Caddy In A Kimono.” lane:

As far as “I am 25 and my wife is a year younger than myself, we look even younger often getting mistaken for high schoolers. Because of our looks we are also normally considered to not being able to afford newer cars and especially not a $30,000 car.” I was married at 21 to my high school sweet heart, wife, who was three-years younger. We got that all the time. It was a “problem” my wife and I had to deal with for nearly two-decades. We will be celebrating our Golden 50th Wedding Anniversary in June. Alas, you will find that “getting mistaken for high schoolers” is a “Good Problem” to have.

The bottom-line on dealing with car “stealerships” is that “Money Talks & B.S. Walks,” no matter what your actual or perceived age may be.

 

Congrats and welcome to PC. Thanks for the 'super long boring post', I enjoy reading stories like this. I was 27 when I bought the Prius (my first car ever), and a few months prior to that, I had been hit on by a high school (middle school?) kid at the bus stop. Congrats on your upcoming arrival in the Fall, hope you all will enjoy the Prius for years to come.

 

Congrats on the new car despite the hassles. And thanks for sharing your story, it will help others in the same boat as you are in. When will dealers learn not to judge a book by its cover?

Even us "seasoned" folk have our own stories of dealing with Toyota dealerships. Though those seem to be more about trade values and added extras.

I am only a little over two weeks with my 2012 Prius; but learning with each day on how to get the best mileage. Driving it the way I used to drive (keeping up with the Jones - racing light to light, and the such) brings down big time (relative ) the mpg.

Doing better here in my regular driving routes, understanding traffic lights and traffic flow better to get the most from each tankful. Not just something that Prii drivers get or do, it is just that we have the readouts to tell us how to get the best of out of each gallon of gas.

Example: there is a traffic light that leads to a slight incline before a downhill run where I live. Using EV/ECO driving I can get to 35mph at the crest a short distance from the light. Speed limit is 40mph on this road. After the crest I easily reach 45mph.

 

I also enjoyed the story. I had done every bit of research I could to make sure the V was the right car for me and my situation. When I first went into a dealership it was simply to see it in person and make 100% sure it was the car I wanted. I went into the closest Toyota dealership to me. To avoid the salesperson trying to push a car on me that day I said I was planning on buying in about a month after I got together more funds for a downpayment (simple truth). She brought me over to a 2012 Prius two (haha), and I was insistent that it wasn't a Vee, eventually she realized her mistake "they look so similar". (not that similar) She clearly knew nothing about it. After looking at it and putting down seats etc I asked if I could test drive, and she said we shouldn't since I'm not ready to buy and most people want the least miles on it possible when they buy. Goes without saying that when I went to buy I went to another dealership and bought one from them. I'm 29, dress younger, and look probably early 20's. so that may have hurt me at the first dealership (although really it hurt the first salesperson). And maybe I should have lead her on and said I was planning on buying that day, but I didn't want to be misleading. At the dealership I bought from the salesperson knew a decent amount about the Vee, but I often sorta finished his sentences, and it was good to see what I had read about in person.

As far as driving in EV, while I know in most situations forcing EV is a bad idea-I wish I could force it a bit more when I'm driving in the Oakland hills and I know that even if I run it down to 2 bars I can recharge the battery by the time I descend the hill.

 

Meryan00 – I am glad my e-babblings were of value to you. “Grasshopper,” do not forget that your homework assignment for the Catgic is to take good notes on your trip to Florida and back, and report the details of how your Pv3 performed.

Recognize that my FL-To-SC-To-FL trip data is only two data points, one for a 66 MPH ECC Set Speed and one for a 70 MPH Set Speed. There is an inherent error when using the Top-Off The Fuel Tank MPG Measurement Method, because you cannot be sure of the exact level of refill on each separate fuel tank top-off. The Top-Off The Fuel Tank MPG Measurement Method is good for calculating Average MPG over multiple tank-full fill-ups.

Having said that, between the AVG MPG READINGS on the MID and the two Fuel Tank Top-Off MPG Measurement Calculations, you can probably expect that traveling at 70 MPH versus 66 MPH will cost you an ~2 MPG (4%) “Hit” on your average running fuel economy. For your upcoming IN-To-FL-To-IN 2,000 total miles Interstate trip, traveling at 70 MPH vs 66 MPH will cost you an extra 44.7 gals. - 42.8 gals. = 1.9 (~2) gallons of gas, or nominally 2 gals x $3.85 per gallon = $7.70 ~~~ $8.

I am a certified “Vasco da Gama” Navy “Far Side Of The World” Navigator, and also an old school “Rand McNally Navigation System,” paper map person. This is my first car with a GPS NAV system, and neither have I used Garmin, Magellan, TomTom GPS, and etcetera other GPS systems for navigation assistance. However, Santa and Mrs. Claus (AKA my Bride-For-Life) left a Pv5ATP under the Christmas Tree on Christmas 2011, which comes with “egg rolls, sushi…and The NAV Lady and Entune Navigation System.” Therefore, rather than Look A Gift Reindeer In The Mouth, Luddite, I, am trying to integrate use of and adjust my driving practices to using the Entune Navigation System and taking melodious direction from the sweet talking NAV Lady, and relying on her to get me from Point “A” To Point “B” To Point “C”…To Point “N” and back again safely by the “Fastest Route.”

The NAV Lady was a “Bad Girl” and behaved a bit badly on my FL-To-SC-To-FL trip. I still “Luv” her because it was not her fault. It was Toyota’s “Supra Crapolla” GPS NAV Database that is installed in my two-plus month old Prius v, which Toyota claims is the most current, latest update, which caused her to be a “Bad NAV Actor.”

As far as your “Congrats on your 50th!” wishes goes, quoting Elvis, “Thank you, thank you very much Meryan00, Ladies, and Gentlemen.” As I like to say, “The pleasure has been all mine to have been married the most perfect, beauteous, and preeminent soul mate and dream boat of a wife a man could hope to find.”

As you read in my “Caddy In A Kimono” narrative, per my wife (and me too), interior sound levels at speed are noticeable quieter, with an absence of engine noise, compared to when driving at Interstate travel speeds in the 2G and 3G sedans. The extra “luxurious” amount of cabin “creature comfort” volume, passenger room present in the “vee” is especially noticeable and welcomed on a long over-the-road trip.

My Prius v performed like a fuel-sipping pseudo-Land Yacht Of Old, which transports you to your far away, over-the-highway destination rested and refreshed with more money to spend when you arrive there because of the $4.00 Per Gallon gasoline you did not have to purchase along the way. I expect that you and your bride will have a nice and enjoyable drive down to Florida and back again. One word of advice, try to plan your travel to avoid passing through Hot ‘Lanta during one of their Drive-Time Commuter Rush Hours. The driving culture there is the pits, dog-eat-dog, zero driver courtesy, with Road-Rage-Waiting-To-Happen-And-A-Glock-In-Every-3 Or 4 Cars.

Have Fun!!!lane: