We live in Navarre, Florida, some 400+ miles from Tampa. With luck, I'll pick up our 08 #2 the week of May 19 in Tampa. (We haven't yet been assigned a color.) Can anyone, several anyones, tell me what to expect in the way of driver training. Will the salesman go through more than the basics of push this button, press this pedal and the driveway is to your left? I'd like to have some additional walk-throughs on where and what various controls are. We've had that sort of help with other brands, and Prius is so advanced for us (current cars are a wonderful 97 F250 Powerstroke and a 2002 Taurus, which ain't half bad) that I think I need a good explanation of what each gizmo is. We have a couple of small dealerships near us for maintenance, but first I have to get this new experience back home without scratches (or my wife will be most unhappy). Any portion of the excellent combined knowledge of PriusChat will be greatly appreciated.
Don't expect too much. The Prius is very simple. Put your foot on the brake, push the power button, put the car in D and go. Push the power button again when you get where you're going. Whatever the dealer tells you about B mode is probably going to be wrong....bottom line for that is just don't use it...at least not until you come here and ask what it's really for. The rest of the 'controls' are just flash and fluff to make the experience a little more enjoyable.
Thank you, Efusco, especially on B drive. I just don't want to have to be driving up I-75 with one hand on ther wheel, another hand on breakfast and the other hand holding the owner's manual. Seriously, I do think dealers should give new owners (Prius or others) a fairly complete checkout on all the knobs, bells and whistles, including the screen. No doubt I can learn that on my own, but I will be driving four 7 hours trying to dope out what this gidget is and that gadget does. And, as little effort as this dealer has put in (we purchased through a credit union buyer) he shouldn't be out all that much time and money on having the salesman spend half an hour, an hour, whatever my mind can absorb on details of operations.
When I picked up my Prius the salesman spent about an hour with me going over the entire car. He went over the entire car from rear to front showing me where all the tools, spare tire, batteries, hidden compartments, where to check the fluid levels etc. On the inside he covered all the controls on the dash and steering wheel and took me out for a 15 minute test drive to ensure that I felt comfortable and was happy with the car. He said that the dealership requires all their sales people to do this and it usually takes only about an hour to an hour and a half but builds good relations with their customers. My daughter told me that her salesman set up her bluetooth for her when she picked up her Prius.
That gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. Here's hoping the other vacation paradise has similar dealers who care about their customers. (Actually, here's hoping there are similar dealers who care about customers from other dealerships.)
There's not much to learn, but do plan to spend a half-hour sitting in the car on the dealer's lot reading the highlights in the owner's manual and practicing. You might want to review and take with you a copy of the delivery checklist (it says 2004 but there are no noticeable differences for a 2008, except that you may not get valet cards): Prius Pick-up Checklist Along with the owner's manual you should also get a Prius scheduled maintenance guide; this is a Toyota document, not a dealer document. The essence of the break-in recommendation is, don't drive like a maniac in the first 600 miles.
My dealer also offered to take me through all the bells and whistles on the car. Since I had driven one for a week as a rental I had already figured out most of the stuff but I did have her show me around the engine compartment and trunk. The owners manual is pretty good but it's a long read. Somewhere on this site there is a "Prius User Guide" that is awesome and has more pertinent info for driving the car. Hopefully someone here will find and post the link.
My saleswoman told me that I was her 1st sale, so she was very upbeat, hard-working & enthusiastic. Was it really true that I was her 'first'? Probably so -- all the auxiliary types at the dealership seemed to give her a big cheer session, once the deal was closed. As for her knowledge of the car -- well .... it was something of a "let's learn this together" type of session
I got all of "here is your car, thanks". They didn't want to spend anytime with showing me the car, probably good, I really don't think many salespeople these days really know what they are selling. Not much to really learn really, get in, put foot on brake, push Power, flip to R or D, then go. P (Park) can be used when stopped, or just push Power and the car will go into Park and turn off. Everything else is usually too complicated for most salespeople to know about, questions are better answered here in PC or the manual.
Fraser, I have had hundreds of cars. I have been "renting" the Prius for a few months [meaning 10x or so] and have decided to buy one. When I went on my first "rental" I sat in the car and wondered how the hell to get the thing started. Of course, I did not read the BIG placard they had on the dashboard for newbies like me [Hey, I'm a lawyer, I don't need to read directions.] So I sat in the car for about three minutes wondering how to make it move once I did the easy and obvious part, which was sticking the key fob into the slot. Once you figure out how to start the car, and work the funky lever on the dash, the "shift knob" so to speak, the Prius is like any other car. The Prius is like any new car in terms of driving. Give yourself plenty of time on the road to learn about its size, handling and how it moves. IMHO the Prius is super easy to drive, it turns well, accelerates great, and it is one of the finest running cars I have ever driven [and I have owned Mercedes, BMW, Audi, sports cars, SUVs, etc.] Just take your time, stay in the slow lane on the highway, read the manual over a cup of coffee [in a few sessions over time] and read the posts on this forum. This Forum is probably a lot better than anything a dealer might tell you. For example, with this car it's apparently possible to forget to turn the engine off because when stopped it is on battery power and you can't tell the engine is running. While most people would not make that mistake, a PriusChat member said he left his Prius on FOR TWO DAYS. I doubt that tip about not forgetting to turn the car off would be anywhere in a manual or dealer instruction, probably because most people think "Who the hell would forget to turn off the car." So slow down and take a few months to learn about the car.
The problem with having the salesperson give new owners an introduction is that most sales people are clueless. We had a very nice one, but I sat in the car and showed him things. I knew more about the Prius than he did, just from reading PriusChat. Tom
Thanks for all the input. I think I have learned a great deal from Prius Chat, including pushing the OFF button. So I guess if I just turn it on, start off slowly and get from Tampa back home in under 8 hours without scratching wife's car, I'll be ahead of the game. I still am going to be tempted to bring along a bookstand so I can prop the manual up on the dash and read the details as I negotiate through Gainesville.
When I picked up my TCH, the salesman pointed out a few items. As someone said: "This is the POWER switch, Reverse is here, the exit is over there, don't let the door hit you as you leave." Also, my dealer offered a "New Owner's Training Session". Thsi was, naturally, geared for the conventional (a.k.a. "obsolete") car models (Standard engines, etc.). There were four (4) of us hybrid buyers -- 3 Prius and 1 TCH. I knew more about the "care and feeding" of the Prius / TCH than the presenters due to PC. (Thanks!) On things to look for: Everything the others have said plus one BIG caveat: The guess gauge. Unless you want to become a member of the "Look How Stupid I Am Because I Ran Out of Fuel Club" ; Be sure to fill up when / before it gets too low. The real Prius owners can elaborate on this if needed. Just half-way kidding, there must be valid reasons for purposefully running out of fuel (life Bob Wilson's testing), but it seems to be an epidemic here in PC.
JHSmith, thank you for the note on guess gauge. I learned not to let the tank dip too low with my Powerstroke, and that habit continues. Regardless of how much gas is in the tank at the dealer, I will head for the nearest station and add what is needed. I figure I often become a member of the "Look How Stupid I Am Because (fiill in the blank) Club"; no sense in spending an additional set of dues.
Yep! and they do, it's all in the owners handbook, it is a correspondence course but you don't need to return any reports, exams, papers or projects. Get enough from the salesman (who likely knows less than you do) to get home then sit down with a coffee, a biscuit and the handbook for an hour or 2. Read the handbook and priuschat each night until you have it all locked in. do not overfill the Prius when you do.
I won't overfill the tank. I already have made up my mind to fill only until the click, unless I know that the tank is low and I can only add a small amount. My problem with reading the manual (thanks for the coffee suggestion, all, but I may drink two cups of decaf a month -- will diet non-caffienated Coke work?) is that I am going to return home right after picking it up (well, after an overnight stop with our granddaughter and her parents). So I won't have time to read it in detail. That's why I'd like as full a disclosure from the dealer as possible. Of course, if it turns out I know more than the salesman, I can always break it off. I just want them to earn their money.
No, sorry, it has to be strong black full caffeine coffee. Believe me it's a dry read so you need the caffeine to stay awake. You will get enough to drive home from the dealer, it's not that different an pretty intuitive.
You haven't been around our granddaughter. Her low speed is buzsaw quality. I'll get enough energy being around her to handle all-nght driving, 'twere needed. Plus read the driest automotive tome.
For me, the big differences with the Prius were the SKS and the different shifter - instead of PRNDL you have a separate button for Park and the shifter has R(everse) D(rive) N(eutral) and B (engine braking). To start the car, make sure your foot is on the brake when you press the power button. If your foot is not on the brake, you have to press the power button twice. Things like turning headlights on and off and using windshield wipers were the same as my old car so no mysteries there. In the comfort/ambiance area, the controls for the stereo and A/C are through the MFD so it's worthwhile to play with them a little before you leave the dealer.
Thanks, ny biker. Those controls like stereo and A/C are things I would like to have explained to me one-on-one. And where the seat adustment levers are located, and how you pop the hatch and filler door, and how you lock and unlock everything. Everyone here has a lot of experience in the cockpit, which is why PC is a good resource. But I have never actually sat inside a Prius and have only seen two up close and personal. So I want to be sure I have a decent feel for what's happening once I drive off the lot.
