Could really use some input for my parents from owners

75 years old here. On my third Prius. Just purchased a 2010 IV with leather seats and Nav. Good cars, can't beat them. 2005 had 85,000 miles with no trouble.

 

Welcome to the forum! Hope to hear more from you and your Prius experience. With your recent purchase, you can update your user vehicle to a 2010 from the 2005.

 

we're don't know if OP's parents will be using the back seat.






and wouldn't really want to envision it.

 

I don't think it has as much to do with age as it does with attitude. My husband is well under 60. The first time he drove our son's Prius (to get Latte's three blocks away from his mother's house), he ended up walking the Latte's home because "it wouldn't start." After our Latte's, we walked back to pick up the Prius. It started just fine. I don't think he remembered to put his foot squarely on the brake before starting. (He said he did but I'm thinking it wasn't hard enough and he just felt intimidated.)

Now I have a 2011. He has yet to drive our new car though he ended up being quite successful driving our son's Prius when his car was in the repair shop for a few days while our son's Prius was on an extended visit.

I'd say anyone can drive a Prius but must get over the intimidation of the new technology. Hubby is an artist type and refuses to carry a cell phone. Uses one program on the computer (UPS shipping) for business and that is it. Still, I don't think he'd have any problems driving the new car after a brief refresher. There is only a few things different than a regular car.

 

well said. you definately have to want to drive one. it's not enough to want good mileage or whatever.

 

You don't mention that the majority of the posts in the thread above refuted the problem of handling at highway speeds. In fact, Prius was just given a top safety rating, perfect for one's older parents!
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...rius-hybrid-earns-top-nhtsa-safety-score.html

 

Have you driven both on long highway trips?

I have and my experience is exactly the reverse.

 

i have a neighbor down the street who does not have cable because he thinks it's a passing fad. course, he's 99.

 

What took you so long to get onto PriusChat. Welcome!

 

You just have to take the parents to their local Toyota dealer for a test drive. Specifically, have sales show them the technology, features, how to start/stop the engine. They've got to have time to sit in the car to explore the seats, compartments, cargo and more. Don't let sales rush them.

Regardless whether or not the car is in supply or demand, it's a car definitely worth exploring, if not having.

Welcome to PriusChat. Explore all the treads for more information, good and not so good, about Prius.

P.S. the brake rumor is bunk. There is no brake issue.

 

I don't have cable either, refuse to carry a phone if not at work, and I think fax machines are devil spawn.

*Understanding* tech is interesting; using it is more a question of whether one is the kind of monkey that likes to push buttons.

 

This is my first post on this forum and have enjoyed reading all the various posts especially this one about us young folks that are near 70 and/or over 70. Here is my experience as a near 70 year old in purchasing a Prius. A little over two weeks ago before the unfortunate Japan earthquake, my wife decided she wanted to get rid of her 2004 Lexus Rx330 and find a car with better gas mileage, since we are getting tired of being jerked around with the continual changes in gas prices.
First we test drove the new Lexus CT-200H. No good deal there (only allowed trade $16Koff sticker, which was already 1K over MSRP). Although we have never driven a Prius or hybrid, I suggested we take a look at the 2010 Prius (no 2011s around). Bottom line we were impressed with the drivability of this car. It looks small on the outside but is very roomy on the inside. There are differences that you will have to get use to when compared to the traditional car. (IMO) Bottom line we got a reasonable deal and picked up the Prius IV, which had the solar power/sunroof and drove away into the sunset.
Unfortunately my wife of over 40 years is computer illiterate, seldom use a computer, cell phone, etc. Me on the other hand love state of the art electronic gadgets, computers etc . I love the electronic stuff on this car, but it does take some time to acquaint someone with the changes compared to the traditional car. Trying to learn the Nav, bluetooth, eco, PWR, XM radio, XM traffic, Safety Connect, and understanding all of the items that can be displayed on the instrument panel and what they mean may take some time to understand. I am still reading the manuals (over 600 pages - operator manual and 300 page for Navigation system) making sure I understand everything. But that is the fun part at least for me. So far my wife has only driven the car a few miles. She has been driving my car (Honda CRV), which is find since I like all the bells and whistles on the Prius. Bottom line for us older folks who are not into the electronic world like our younger folks (I grew up using a "slide rule" not a calculator) (lol), I think if you buy the Prius Il you will not have all the Nav and other gadgets that one with the solar roof package, which will require much less learning effort and less reading. I love the "push start and stop" even though I still look for my keys to start the Prius. These are just my thoughts. The key as others have stated is to have them go out and test drive one and hope they will have a salesman/woman who will be able to explain everything to them with the understanding that some of us "older" folks are not from the Geek squad and need for them to be patient with us as we try to grasp all of this new generation technology.
Hope this helps
Regards,
Carl, driving my wife's new Prius and loving it.

 

Carl, welcome to the forum!

 

Carl, congrats on your new Prius and welcome to PriusChat. Hope to see you around. As a near oldster, I agree with everything you said; right on dude! My advice to you...don't view your electronics and dash like an Odyssey pong game. (I couldn't resist since remember when Oyssey was modern) lol...

 

Well, my husband IS a car guy. I traded his BMW 3 series for my Prius and gave him the X5 he insisted I needed. (We do need a 4WD for when it snows. We live down a long driveway and our 2 wheelers can be snowed in for days upon days.)

Still, I check the tire pressure and make sure his clock, etc. is set for the right time. "Have you checked the oil lately? Your front tire looks low..." I'm the daughter of an engineer. He is the son of an artist. (I can also fix washing machines and computers, FWIW.)

 

If one is uncomfortable with all the techie stuff in the display, simply turn it off. Then it's just a car that gets good mileage that you get with your key still in your pocket and a button or two to push.

 

Dubs, I can see we would make great friends :thumb:

My DH is very handy, though, and he fixes the washing machines... but we are both engineer-types.

 

Thanks for the welcome to the Prius forums. This forum is amazing with the number of posts each day, with a wealth of help for newbies and oldie persons alike. Just the short time I have been here I have learned an awful lot that I could never get out of those manuals.

SDW, I must say the 2010 CRV EXL that I had (?) is a very good car. With regular gas we get 24 - 32 MPG. I guess it would average out about 26.9875 mpg using my "slide rule". The CRV dash has some digital display but nothing like the Prius so it should not be to difficult initially to understand without the manuals. The CRV will sit higher and you can get drivers side power seats whereas the Prius does not. The CRV and Prius are both excellent cars Even Consumer Reports agrees with me. I have concluded that the Prius for us Senior Citizens is the lazy man's car since we no longer have to reach in our pockets and use a key to start the car. The times you must get in and out of the car will be less since you don't have to pump as much gas. That could be bad for us getting up in age since we need all the exercise we can get. It all boils down to if their primary purpose is to save as much gas as possible, the Prius should fit the bill. The costs for each should run about the same with similar accessories. However, from what I have seen around these part the Prius is rapidly becoming an extinct car faster than the CRV. That means less bargaining power.

Regards,
Carl