Could really use some input for my parents from owners

After reading this thread I have to sit back and laugh. The prius is not a computer, you don't have to program it, there is no mouse, ect ect. It is a car with a push button instead of keys, you put it in D to go forward and R for reverse. I do not see how age really plays a role in deciding if a person should get this car. My parents (father in his 70's and Mother knocking on 70's door) was just looking into buying a new car and I tried to talk them into getting one, my mother was sold but my father is stuck in his union "Be American Buy American" so that was never going to happen. One note on the Nav, since you said they drive a lot, always on the go, you may think of the Nav as piece of mind that you don't have to worry about them on a trip lost asking for directions in a bad part of town. I personally like the Nav and being built in it is stylish and not on the windshield for every theif to see. As for his age being a factor, I never even considered that... It is a car that gets good gas mileage.

 

Thats the Gen II Prius...we're talking about the Gen III Prius. Anyways, I am one of those people who complains about high speed stability in my Gen II Prius. Its not unsafe...its just not steady feeling.

The Prius is a perfectly safe and drivable car for buyers in any age group.

 

although, most of the u/a problems involved older drivers...

 

Here's a Gen III thread on the same issue.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/64878-any-wandering-highway.html

I didn't say it's unsafe. Point is the Prius will not be as stable as , say, a Camry at highway speeds on rutted roads, windy areas etc.

 

I have driven numerous cars that will follow grooves in the road especially if the grooves are deep enough. A lot of the tracking in grooves has to do with the width of the tire on the car.

 

Sigh... as a non-Prius owner resident troll, you have just so much experience.

 

CNET review concurs.

2010 Toyota Prius Review - Watch CNET's Video Review
While driving on city streets, we noticed the new Prius still had the wobbly feeling in turns from which its predecessor suffered. On the freeway, the Prius wanders in its lane as wind buffets it around. The steering feels solid, making it easy to control, but
it doesn't have that stable road feeling offered by similar midsize cars.

 

My mother is 69, almost 70, and I would have no problem putting her into a Prius. She is active, like the OP's parents, and would do well in a Prius. She's currently driving a Buick LaCrosse, with Buick's version of the SKS, and has no problem with the change from a key to a button.

 

Odd. In gusty crosswinds, my Prius ranks between my old Accord Hatchback (almost equally well streamlined but much smaller cross-section) and my Subaru wagon (same cross-section but terrible aerodynamics).

 

Pay no attention to the small, hairy thing under the bridge.

There's no handling problems at highway speeds on a normal Prius (eg wheels properly balanced and aligned), and the brakes can (very rarely) be a bit grabby when the car is first turned on - but being able to stop too easily isn't usually considered much of of a problem.


As far as the ageism going on here, I think that most people are taking a conservative approach for sdw's parents; we have no idea how willing and able they are to learn new and different things. I know I recently passed up on a free smartphone because I didn't want to spend the time learning a different OS, even though I'm 1. less than half their age, and 2. a huge nerd that usually loves learning that sort of thing. I expect that as I get older, I'll probably have that feeling more often, where I have less and less desire to intricately learn a new system, and stick to a more familiar one. (How many here have given up on programming your VCR, errr, DVD, uhmmm, Blu-Ray player's clock, because you don't care?)

That said, I think a car without the Nav system will work just fine for them. It has a gas pedal to make it go faster, and a brake pedal to make it go slower It is worthwhile to make sure they get a few pointers, like making sure the car is off, and what the beeps sound like if it's on and you close the door or try to lock it. And they should learn the shifting mechanisms, as B isn't on other cars, and they might not be used to holding N to shift to neutral. Also, the car won't turn off while moving unless they hold the power button. Those small differences won't be a problem, as long as they're willing to learn. However, they might not want to have to learn something different (just like me!), so it's worth letting them try it out along with other cars to see what they like. Ultimately, it's up to them, not us.

 

I'm approaching 80, and I too have a problem with the new English language. "Like dude, when are you going to get with it?"

Like = said
Like = thought
Like = responded
Like = felt

And the list goes on. I expect the next edition of the dictionary will have a page dedicated to the word "like".

 

Conversation I heard yesterday . . . . "And he was like, 'Seriously?,' and I'm like, 'Yeah,' and he's like, 'No way,' and I'm like..."

 

I am amused by the political correct stance over aging. As a group older people are less flexible in thought, less amenable to change, and slower in reflexes. Also true that wiithin any group there is a wide range. The only reasonable answer IMO is not jump to conclusions either way, but watch as they take their test drive and be available to answer questions and point out differences.

 

Prius drive like normal car to me.

Many elderly people in Cambodia drove Gen II Prius, and they loving it. It is slow start, not very fast in speed, digital speed gauge, take little gasoline (you know so many elderly concern about all kind of expenses, they love to save on everything), and drive like a normal car (any other tech stuffs, they seem to never really touch on any button). I have helped so many of them, with many signs show on the display, they accidentally touch a button while driving, other than that they seem to be driving the prius just fine.

 

My father who is also in his 70's bought a 2010 about 15 months ago and he loves the car. Rating his technological expertise is a bit tough - he is a physicist and on very complex things he is great, but not so on a lot of the day to day stuff - I often get calls from him asking how to use things like on-demand and connecting to wi-fi. My guess is that your folks will be just fine. As an FYI - he did not get the nav so he does not have the touch screen to deal with.

 

All of these things are true...but are those differences so distinct that driving a "Prius" is going to be dangerous for anyone over 55-60 as one poster incredibly asserted we've heard "horror stories" about? Hardly. I think its more that certain people here like to build the Prius up to be some unique machine that is so different from other cars that anybody who doesn't care for it just doesn't understand it. This is an opportunity to make themselves feel better about themselves at the expense of those who are in a different demographic than them.

In reality...the Prius is just a car. Its not even a remarkable car, its just basic transportation with some additional technologies and blinking lights. When you buy a basic one...it doesn't even really have that much additional user interfacing technology than an "ordinary" car.

Its not a Ferrari...its a Prius.

To the OP: your parents will be perfectly safe...the question is whether or not they will like it. Its an okay car...its not a great car to drive...they may want a better car...who knows.

 

Who cares about the keyless system. Just tell them it works like any other remote and have them use the buttons on it!

Really I think this is a non issue.

 

Dang it! So that is why I got such bad gas mileage before I bought the Prius. No one told me I had to shut the cars OFF!

 

I say rent a Prius for a day or two (or let them test drive one). You don't have to be very technologically savvy to drive a Prius. There are of course some fancy things in a Prius (touch screens!), but they will get used to it within a few days.