I am shocked on at least a weakly basis of peoples misconceptions about the Prius. They range from "how much does that fancy hydrogen fuel cost" to "Ya know, on the highway that won't get any better mileage than my full size pickup truck" and, of course, the ever popular "You're gonna have to replace the battery in that thing in a year and it's gonna cost $10000". What is the weirdest misconception you've heard recently? It's gotten to the point that when somebody repeats one of these to me I no longer try and argue with them. I just smile and say "It's the best car I've ever owned and I love getting 50+ MPG". I then offer to give them a ride.
lol I still get asked "Where is the plug for my car and how long does it take to charge?" or "How do you get up those big hills?" I especially like the "I will not buy any first generation item." Then I tell them the Prius have been made for the public since 1997 and get "Well, I still don't trust it." "I won't buy anything from a company that stole their technology from Ford."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tadashi\";p=\"83106)</div> This must be in reference to assembly lines. Brad
"What do you do when it rains?" :Wth: I guess 'electric' cars (much like the Wicked Witch of the West) don't like to get wet. The last time somone asked me this I told them that I just made sure to wear rubber insulated boots and gloves when it's raining or when going through a car wash. Then watched the internal gears grinding until they figured out that I was yanking their chain. :roll:
A smart nice person friend of a brother gave me the “hill†and “battery replacement†talking points. “I’d never buy one of those cars . . . you will have to replace the battery every five years and I hear they cost over $5,000 each time.†After I told him about the 10 year, 150,000 mile warranty on the battery here in California, he said, “oh, that must have been for the people who bought those cars in other states.†-morons really don’t understand what they say, do they. He then went on to ask me the same, “but how do you get up mountains and big hills.†I pretended to throw him a bone by saying, “well . . .yea . . . that sometimes can be a problem . . . if I’m not too impatient . . . I’ll wait for a passing lane . . . . . . . and then zip around all the slow traffic.†My brother had to vouch that the Prius really does have that kind of power, because there was no way I was going to let that doof drive it.
Most common. 1. There's a waiting list. "How long did you have to wait?" I went to the dealer, test drove it and bought it. Just like any other car. They have them. 2. How much did you pay? (meaning over sticker) I paid MSRP. You can't really dicker down due to the demand and shortage of supply, but you don't have to pay $1000-$3000 over. 3. Comparisons to the Honda Civic. (gas mileage, size etc.) I think this relates to the original classic Prius 2001-03. I tell them it's a midsize car, bigger than my 1996 Saturn, better than my Saturn and I paid about the same as the Saturn I bought 10 years ago. 4. Then there's the "pay for itself" argument. Like we're supposed to get a "free car". No...it doesn't cost any more than a "comparable" car. AND you get a tax rebate of $2000 in 2005. But it goes down to $500 in 2006 and nothing in 2007. If you're planning on buying a comparable car anyway...choosing a Prius is smart for the high mpg, low emissions and the tax credit. 5. It has no power, can't keep up on the freeway, can't do over 70, can't pull hills, doesn't have any room, etc. 6. How much does it cost to replace the battery? How long does the battery last? What's the point of paying extra for a car when you have to pay $10,000 to replaced the battery in a few years? 7. My brother says I bought the 'golf cart' car.
Many positive and appreciative comments, but today a new one: "My dad says many of the hybrids are dying on the highway!" I went to the Toyota dealer to pick up my vehicle after a 5k service. The cashier told me "the keys are in the center console." I told her there are no "keys" and the service manager confirmed there are no keys, just a Bluetooth fob.
from what i've read and heard. The battery should last 19 years. it should last around 500k miles if driven within the "lifespan" of the car... er.. battery. ( within 19 years ) Engine is supposed to last 500k miles, if not more. Buy the car. Drive it for a few years, give it to your kid. Kid pays a grand or so to get a new battery. Bam! new car
One of my dad's colleagues doesn't like the Prius. My hood was up and he's like "there's the engine, there's the motor. Easy" I'm like.. good for you. "That's a small engine" "It's the same size as yours", I replied (He has an Echo) Then he goes "No, I have a 1.8 litre" :roll: "Who told you that?" "The guy at AirCare" "You prefer to believe the guy at AirCare than me?!?!" Then he walked away.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"83238)</div> It's not just the same size; it's the same engine. I get the plug-in question regularly, and an occasional "how is it going uphill." But the most amazing piece of misinformation - because of its source - came a few days ago in an email from Chicago Sun-Time auto writer Dan Jedlicka (I had commented on an omission in his reply to a question about the Prius): "Emergency workers don't want to go near a hybrid after the few that have been in bad accidents." This is a repeat of an AP story of about a year ago that was immediately corrected (due to the total lack of evidence that emergency workers had any issues at all with hybrids) and subsequently withdrawn. An auto writer in a major city should know better than to repeat it.
I often get the question about hills from aquaintances who know that I live on top of a long hill. It takes them better than our 4cyl. Nissan pickup. They are pretty surprised when I tell them, "No problem!"
I get the "Where do you plug it in?" question a LOT. I also had trouble when I had to convince an old-timer that it uses the same type of fuel as his car. Same guy kept asking me "How far can it go, and what if there isn't an electrical socket when you get there?". I thought it was amusing, but I really COULDN'T get him to beleive that the Prius is what it is.... Yoda
Yesterday I was asked if it ran on gas and solar. Then they asked if I really got 56 MPG and I admitted that it didn't. More like 58 MPG.
I imagine there must have been similar weird misconceptions when the following automotive gadgets were introduced: 1. The self-starter (No more hand crank) 2. The automatic transmission 3. Disk brakes 4. Transistorized radios 5. Transistorized ignition 6. Fuel injection I think you have to accept there are a lot of borderline-scary boobs out there. For the most part, if somebody genuinely wants to know about my Prius, I pop the hood and explain the facts. If the individual is one of those common deranged folks who still believe the earth is Flat, I give a comment that rhymes with "duck shoe" and walk away. I don't have time to deal with idiots. You also have to accept that there are a lot of "authoritative" folks and web sites who claim to be "experts" when they obviously are making it up as they go along. Everybody is entitled to an Opinion, even if their Opinion smells like their sphincter. Jay
I don't get too many of those specific misconceptions, but I get a lot of "does it **really** work?," "don't you need to do something weird to it to get it to work?," and "I don't know, it's just kinda weird. I don't know if I can trust it." But what's annoying is that when I tell them that I get about 45-49 mpg city, 51-55 mpg highway and a combined lifetime of 48.2 mpg they tell me that their Civic, Accord, Camry, 10 year old Corolla, Ford Ranger, Nissan pickup and second cousin's ex-boyfriend's aunt's friend's father in law's Chevette gets just as good mileage. Yeah, RIGHT!! - Bill
the one i hear the most is that Priuses dont have any range. that they need to be filled up too often... and i agree!! gotta go to the gas station 2 sometimes THREE times a month!!
I have a solar disc on the back of my car (see Album) mounted on the windshield wiper. I used to have a laminated "Solar Power" bumper sticker hanging from the license plate. One afternoon as the little leage team who had been playing across the street began coming back to their cars, one of the kids, about 12 or so, looked excitedly at my solar disc then at the bumper sticker. He must have known there was something unique about the Prius, and he finally (thought) he got it: "Dad!! this car is solar powered, WOW!!" Having a solar powered parking light is a modest use of the sun compared to this kid's imagined technolooically advanced Solar Prius...but, hey, can you imagine a plug in Prius with flexible solar panels covering the upper surfaces to keep the batteries charged? Not too far into the future, I'd say.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman\";p=\"83267)</div> The standard line against anything in a car that a person doesn't have in their own car: "Well, it's just one more thing to break." The battery worries fall into this category.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob Allen\";p=\"83322)</div> We're getting PV panels installed this summer that will take care of most of our electricity needs. Maybe I'll order an extra panel--it's just a matter of time before the good people at CoastalTech jury rig a PV charger. Gives a whole new meaning to the term "sun roof."
