My husband and I recently went through a hybrid Camry buying attempt that turned bad. But to me, that was almost just as well because I lean Prius and he leans Camry. I only want to consider the regular Prius, either a three, four, or five. His objections to the Prius are that it's under-powered (says he's concerned about me being able to get out of a tight spot on the highway), it's smaller and has fewer airbags therefore not as likely to fare well in a collision, especially since other vehicles are likely to be heavier, and that the Camry is more spacious and comfy. He's also been giving one of his male co-workers heck for years for that guy's Prius. And my husband has sworn never to be caught dead driving one. When I show interest in a Prius he huffs about wanting to someday get the kind of car HE wants. I'm afraid to ask since I'm fixated on getting terrific gas mileage on my commute in the face of uncertain fuel prices, and satisfying my geeky urges as well. Any ideas on how to deal with him psychologically? Do some of his points have merit, or is he just trying to save face at work? Do I dare ask what kind of car HE wants? He's already got a restoration Ford truck project that's been sitting untouched in the garage for a decade, a recent RAV4 for a commuter, and a farm truck as a backup. What can he be thinking? We're not made of money. Sorry for the ramblings--getting over a flu and I'm brain-fried.
Hmm 9 airbags and a 5 star crash safety rating (driver) is not good enough for him? Sounds like he needs to check his ego and let you get the car YOU want. If he cant' handle it tell him to kick rocks or pick a tool box and work on his resto project.
Like F8L points out ... they don't get much safer than the Prius. In fact the SUV / Truck heights actually make vehicles more prone to roll-over (and accompanying injuries-deaths) according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Just keep on him. I finally got "she-who-must-be-obeyed" to agree to at least go down with me to test drive the Prius v. Unfortunately the Carson dealership manager was too tied up today ... what with the past holiday. But ... we're getting closer!
Isn't the dealer getting a new Camry Hybrid for you? Due to an extremely-unlikely lottery-kind-of-odds stroke of bad luck, that first Camry Hybrid you received had that 1-in-100,000 bad inverter. I would guess the new Camry Hybrid the dealer is going to get for you will be pretty darn close to perfect-- Considering your dealer did not want a repeat of your bad experience (and the costs involved), I'm willing to bet they will put in the extra effort to make sure the new one you are getting will be trouble-free. I would stick with the Camry Hybrid (if you are still getting that car). Once your husband gets a chance to drive a Camry Hybrid and finds that he likes the car more than he dislikes it, then there's your chance to sway him on hybrid technology.
The arguments against are not rational, so I'll guess he opposes the image/stereotype/brand. I suspect he agreed to the HyCam because it looks like the non-hybrid version. If you are willing to compromise and agree to a stealth hybrid, Honda and Ford make hybrids too. Actually so do Hyundai and GM, but I cannot recommend those brands. Your case might be aided by tracking down prior CIA director James Woolsey's interviews where he explains his Prius ownership arguments. One right wing buddy to another. Or, he can buy you a Lexus CTh: Prius under the hood, Mazda3 on the outside, and Lexus on the inside
It sounds like your current garage are vehicles of his choice, not yours. It would be fair if you get to choose at least 1 car out of 4. It also sounds like he's just trying to skew any random Prius fact in hopes of not getting it. If you're afraid to ask because he'll "huff" about it, then there's definitely something wrong with that. I'm sorry, but reading your post, your hubby sounds really childish. If I were you, I would point that out before resorting to any swaying.
Actually, you do have other options... If he is going to play the "man's man" card... You can point him over to the Chevy Volt. The only drawbacks with the Volt is going to be the higher price, the possible need for dedicated charger if you don't want to use the plugin charger that comes with the car. You will be saving gas, relative to other vehicles, since it is running on mostly electric and gas only when you need the battery recharged. The only thing he is 'right' about is the Prius Acceleration isn't as "nice" as some of the other cars, but beyond that, short of actually testing the survivability of a crash and using extreme conditions to do it... Some of his concerns are a little unfounded in my opinion. If he wants a heavier car, he can look at say the Prius v, or the Highlander Hybrid, although to be honest, as people mentioned, the SUVs use up a lot of gas because they are heavier, they are also not well balanced and can be flipped. The Volt, while I am no fan of it, doesn't look like a Prius, and to be honest, better than the Leaf as it has a fall back. But once you get him hooked on any of these cars, I would needle him on the fact that the cars he wants, are no more or better in safety or as nice on fuel, but hey, they make great money sinks.
I think Prius acceleration is just fine when "power" mode is engaged. I think OP's husband is too caught up in the image and is not prioritizing based on real safety, reliability, and savings.
Who will drive this car? If the Rav4 is his daily driver, is this not your daily driver? Why would he choose your car? (I drive a 45 MPG Prius for my work, my wife drives a company provided and maintained 18 MPG Xterra. We are both happy with that) The Prius has all the acceleration an adult could ever need, just not as much as a boy could want. I have owned cars with too little power, a new Prius has twice the HP that my Mazda GLC had. I have never lived in Omaha, but rumor has it there are no mountains to accelerate up there. My wife wanted me to get a Hybrid and I did not think a Prius could hold my stuff. The salesman gave us a test drive over night so I could load all my stuff. We got 42 MPG on the test drive and I was sold. Renting a Prius for a weekend may well answer any rational concerns he may have.
While all the points made already are valid and excellent, they are intellectual and rational..they will not sway someone who is emotional and and basing their decision on likes. Probably the best thing is to try it for a weekend or compromise and choose the options and colors on the camry
Don't buy the argument that he wants to buy something he wants. There are two vehicles in your family that appears to be what he wanted. It's your turn, unless he's willing to give up his trucks? Safety? How is an old truck safer to drive? How is the RAV4 less emasculating than a Pruis? If you're the main driver, you chose. Don't give in - get what you want this time around.:rockon:
Ralleia, It seems to me that you want the fuel economy of the Prius, and he wants the looks and comfort of a nice sedan. I'm not going to get into the argument of "who deserves to get what", because I know nothing of your personal relationship within your home. Anyway, if I were you I would sit tight for a few months and wait for the 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid. It has nearly the same fuel economy as the Prius, and looks like something James Bond would drive. I actually wish I would have held out a little more before buying my Prius, but I got a sweet deal on a 2011 leftover. I attached a few links for you to check out. Just in case your wondering about the Ford hybrid system, they licensed 20 or so patents from Toyota to make it. It is essentially the same hybrid system as in the Camry, with a Ford engine instead of a Toyota one. 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid packs 47 mpg, dashing good looks Ford Unveils New 2013 Fusion Hybrid (lithium-ion, 47 MPG) and Plug-In Fusion Energi (100+ MPGe) : TreeHugger 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid - CNET Reviews DailyTech - Ford's 2013 Fusion Hybrid Clobbers the Competition, Delivers 47 MPG City/44 MPG Highway 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid Gets Best-in-Class 47/44 MPG: 2012 Detroit Auto Show | AutoGuide.com News
50+ mpg, 'nuff said. Plenty of folks drive Prii in cities with NASCAR style combat traffic such as Atlanta, LA, NYC. I've been through Omaha and not to diss, but the traffic just ain't the same. And i've got a '68 Ford F-100 in the garage too that's 95% restored. Good Luck!
Based on what he's told his co-worker, he's obviously a Prius hater.... So of course I'd tell him "we're getting a Prius".
Agreed. Despite not producing more power, Power Mode makes the car feel like it has more power and is much more fun to drive.
Reverse psychology of course. Tell him that he is the man of the house and we will get whatever he wants and you will be happy with whatever choice he makes.
The way I see it, the husband is going to do the spreadsheet arguement with regards to the acceleation. What I have seen with the Prius is that the acceleration of the car is only limited by the cars in front of him. Heel from my own drive to work today, I was more hampered by the people in front of me and that was trying to accelerate onto the freeway than it was my desire to get up to top speed. Now the other thing i see with regards to the husband and why he insists on what the wants with regards to her car is probably a few things. One, he may be the one who has to drive it for long trips and she may be only using it as a commuter, so in this case, he would technically be caught dead driving the car he has beeen ridiculing. Two, if he is going to be doing the lions are of the long distance driving, he might as well have a say in the kind of sedan type car he is driving, so in this case, he will say he has a say in it. This is my theory into the whole thing.
