I'm decided but not the Mrs yet.

Tell her my wife in north Virginia will not use the other car now.
Of course, I gave my wife the Prius so it is "her" car.

Re: Item 3. Toyota did much R&D to make a very reliable vehicle. This feature is on its way to standard use in many future gaso cars, so might as well get used to clean air at traffic lights.

(we are going on 36 yrs. - Prius is our favorite car by far - she started with a Vega).

 

Did I miss, is there just "one car"?

I think there is a way to minimize the "screen", might want to talk to sales person.

My wife was not crazy that I got the 2010 Prius, she likes her 2009 Corolla, but with prices in Chicago at $4.00 and some 100 mile trips to visit mom and our grand kids, she is using it almost more than I am ...

Good luck !

*(by the way... though I love my Prius, wife comes 1st, there are other cars out there..).

 

She asks excellent questions.

Two ways to interpret the question:

1) From a lubrication point of view, not enough oil drains out during the light to make each start/stop a problem. It is still the FIRST start of the day that causes most wear.

2) From a starter point of view: The High Voltage battery has plenty of power to spin a big Motor/Generator to start the engine, perhaps 10 times as powerful as most starter motors. Once started, MG1 recharges the HV Battery

1.3 kW starter for a Saturnhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B004L5YTXO?tag=priuschatcom-20 is 18 kW so it has no trouble with the Prius engine.
The Clean Green Car Company ::: New Zealand's Hybrid Car Specialists

 

1) Good
2) Is she one who talks on her cellphone while driving though? Or does she sometimes expect to take calls while driving?
3) http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ion/29467-possible-increased-engine-wear.html

 

There is no conventional starter motor like on a "regular" car. In fact, it also doesn't have any belts nor an alternator. Instead of a small starter, it uses the MUCH larger hybrid electric system to spin up the gas engine which in terms of effort/strain is child's play in comparison.

 

Or if you really want to be evil...

https://www.google.com/search?q=pri....,cf.osb&fp=bfbad756b3e0f08f&biw=1334&bih=765

Google search on 'How does prius engine work'...

 

Maybe she needs to drive it more. Maybe rent one for a weekend. There's something unique about driving a Prius which I find very peaceful, which is the way it silently glides on electricity when you gently start up. The transition between electric and gas is very smooth, so much so that you feel is as a vibration more than as a sound. Everything else is just a car.

 

Find the *real* reasons she is hesitant about the Prius; the excuses are a distraction.

Techno-phobe ? Afraid of getting stuck or not knowing what to do ?
Cost ?
Image ?

 

LOL good thing you cleared that up! I love reading the stuff on DYAC.

Tell her to keep asking questions. I think one of the biggest hurdles to change is knowledge of the change taking place. The fact that she's open minded to it, is a positive. I get a feeling that if you get the Prius, she might be driving it more than you and you'll get stuck with the other car

 

Big Steve, the car is very solid, she will want to drive it . Did take my wife a year to really warm up to it..

Keep us informed how it all goes...

 

Yea... When I first read that... I was going... "Oh... This will not end well..."

And thanks for clarifying. I suspect that your earlier discussions, trying to mention the Bluetooth Cellphone calling would be sort of pointless or a non-point given earlier statement where she was worried about safety with the nav screen, I figured she is the type that probably wouldn't care nor find it a 'plus' about the nav system allowing you to receive calls through bluetooth.

Right now, I can't think of any other good way to truly win her over other than spending a day driving with her with it, doing a small comparison with the tanks. Take your fully gassed car you will be replacing, and show her how much gas you would be using for one trip, or point out that, then take the same trip and show her how much gas the Prius uses on the same trip.

But obviously, you don't want to push it too hard, just let her see the practical side. If she still says no or not turning around... Back down. To be honest, if you feel the way you do with your wife, even though you may feel it is silly or foolish on her side, if she still won't agree, I think later on, she will decide maybe you were right. Either case, you did your due diligence and if she were to not agree, you can always look to the other possibilities with the Prius Plug-in or the other hybrids coming up.

 

i just wanted to toss in a little tid bit about the starting process of the engine.

it has more like 30x the power of a normal starter motor. traditional motors have a hard time because starters only rotate to about 800 rpm or so.. while the engine never idles that low.... it's like a gimpy jump start and therefore all that stress adds up.

the prius electric motors are designed to go from (approximate numbers here) 15mph in reverse to about 30mph going forward... all 1 gear ratio. (since the whole car is 1 gear ratio... of sorts).

starting and stopping in a prius is probably healthier for an engine than destructive. first.. it spins up the motor with no fuel added... this gets everything lubricated and ready to go.. then after a few good spins (it's figuring out the perfect starting time).... it will start to add fuel. at this time the engine is already spinning at it's native speed if not a little faster... then the engine gets to relax while the electric motors take all the force and let the engine warm up.... when it goes to shut down, the car will cut the fuel, rotate it into a prime position.. and let it sit there till needed.

so.. starting and stopping in a prius is good for the engine. it's like cleaning a floor before you walking on it every time... (my odd comparison)... in a traditional car, you'll probably have fuel left in the cylinders if you were to simply cut the ignition.. which would eventually destroy the seals and such. (not a problem with the prius)

the only weak point seems to be the battery system.. mainly the 12v... it needs to be replaced at least every 5 years. (some say more but they are geeks that keep track... i'm referring to a normal abusive owner who doesn't have a clue and doesn't want to accidentally get stuck.) the hybrid battery should last at Least 150k miles. most have gone past that. it all depends on how much you utilize the vehicle. sitting for 6 months is bad for any vehicle... being used 8 hours a day destroys any vehicle. either say.. the system will probably out last any traditional transmission...

 

I am a new owner of a Prius 11 & believe me I was really hesitant about owning a Prius due to the techno factor. I though did 4 months of research on vehicles. At the Toyota dealership my salesman had me sit in the Prius & went over everything in the car so I felt much more comfortable about the Prius. This was a great learning experience for me but I didn't walk out with one. A few more weeks of research & I took my DH to the Toyota dealer to have him sit in the Corolla & the Prius. Being 6'6" tall he looked like a Sardine in the Corolla, but when he sat in the Prius I was suprised to find that he fit very well & wasn't cramped. We test drove the Prius & that was it. A week later I was driving home with my new car. Now my DH & I compete to see who has the best MPG when we go out. I have no packages in the car at all which I love. I read maps & hate GPS, I hate my cellphone so don't need Bluetooth & I have no idea what a MP3 player is. I don't have that "keeping in the lane" thing that would drive me nuts.
Please take your wife to the dealer & put her in one. Let the sales person teach her about the car & get used to it. It is still a learning curve for myself & can't wait to learn more. Just put my 1st fill in at 501 miles with 2 pips left.