What do you tell the Prius inquirers?

Same as you...best car I have ever owned. Many people ask me, almost daily "How much mpg are you getting this week?" They ask, so I tell...and typically they don't like my answer "Oh, my average is about 48." That's pretty much when they lower their head and walk away cursing their own car under their breath.

 

I've only been approached a few times and it always goes something like this:

Him: That's a Hybrid car, right?
Me: Yep.
Him: How do you like it?
Me: Love it! (even though I really just "like it").
Him: So what kind of mileage do you really get?
Me: About 45-50 depending on the weather and how I'm driving but a lot of people do better.

Then they usually go on about how they have been thinking about checking them out because they are sick of gas prices and their Ford Taurus (or whatever) only gets low 20's blah blah blah. I tell them it's a great car and would recommend it but it's not necessarily for everybody and they should go take a test drive since it's free.

 

1. It's a gasoline powered car.
2. It gets very good mileage, in the range of 4.5 l/100 km or 63 MPG Imperial or 52 MPG US.
3. The "electric portion" of the hybrid system allows the gasoline engine to be operated very efficiently, which is why the mileage is so high.
4. You drive it just like any other car. If you "take steps", you can extend the mileage more than you can if you take those steps with other cars.
5. The high voltage is very well isolated from anyone who works on the car. If you try hard enough, I'm sure you could figure out some way to electrocute yourself, but it would be much easier to do so at a duplex receptacle in your home.
6. It accelerates better than many cars when passing etc. It's got a slight delay when taking off at lights etc. It's not a problem for me.
7. It is only "slow" if I drive it that way, and sometimes I do so because the car has taught me how wasteful I can be if I drive like so many others do.
8. It is a car. It's hard on the environment. It's just less hard on the environment than most other cars.

 

> What do you tell the Prius inquirers?

I tell them to hold out for an electric car.

 

Hey abq_sfr - I'm also in your town! I've just gotten on the wait list. I expect it will be a few months before the one I want gets in, but I'm not in a great hurry and I'm pretty specific about colors and package.

 

Just the basics, then I give them the small card below...

Unlike years ago, they now readily understand the passion that comes with owning a hybrid and recognize the desire to share info with others.







.

 

I tell them I have one regret....I wish I'd gotten it sooner!!

Sometimes I sigh and say this tank isn't doing too well, I only have 54 mpg (or whatever) and which point they usually say, "MILES per gallon??????"

 

I offer a copy of the spreadsheet that tracks my fuel economy (>50 mpg for 30k miles). I then suggest they wait for the 2010 PHEV with more interior space and a stronger, lighter carbon fiber body.

 

Most ask what does it run on,they think it plugs in or they ask what kind of gas does it use.
Then I give the standard rundown add I love my Prius then ask if they want my salesman's card.
He gives me a free tank of gas for each sale.

 

John?

You always have the nicest well thought out placards.



ZC1

 

When I'm sitting in the car and they ask me if it's "roomy," I get out of the vehicle and stand up to my full 6 foot, 6 inch height. I figure that a picture is worth a thousand words!

 

Answers to the most common questions I've had so far:

1) no it doesn't plug in
2) 49 mpg, but it's still breaking in
3) it's plenty fast for me
3) it's bigger than it looks/it's as roomy as your (insert car they drive here)
4) the battery is warranteed for 150,000 miles
5) I LOVE my Prius
6) Wished I had bought one a long time ago

 

"No. You don't have to plug it in."

 

A friend asked how I liked the car after a week of ownership, I told him, "If I had TWICE the money this car cost and could repurchase anything I wanted, I'd buy ....errrr...
Two Prii.

ZC1

 

I tell 'em all of the usual plus a mid-sixties summer MPG on average,
give them a website flyer, and then sort of apologize for the fact
that they're flying off dealer lots and are the subject of a certain
amount of gouging and reactive buying so they might have trouble
actually finding one right now. But that if/when they do, the
car also comes with a strong and enthusiastic community behind it
at no extra charge.
.
_H*

 

I got an offer on mine yesterday in a restaurant parking lot. He wanted to buy it and asked "how much?" I replied with " how much money do you have?"