Intelligent Key - Push button Start...

I love it so much i found myself trying to start my wife's 2000 odyssey pushing an imaginary button on the dash

 

It is great, but you quickly take it for granted until you fumble for your keys when you drive another car.

 

I really appreciate not having to fish around in my pockets to unlock/lock or start the car! Of course if it was an option when I bought the car I probably wouldn't have take it but now that I know... I would.

 

I love it as well. I had a loaner car a couple weeks ago and let me tell you....using an actual key is for the birds.

 

I agree with the sentiments expressed above. When I get into the Sienna, I've gone ahead and pushed the dash and wondered what was wrong.

It is a matter of convenience, and I like not having to dig keys (or even a key fob) out of my pockets. I also like receiving the warning if I walk away with the car still in Ready mode (on) or if I try to lock the car and have left the keys inside.

I would pay extra for it, but I can't tell you how much I'd pay.

 

As someone who worked with vehicle safety systems, I would prefer an immobilizer w/ key. It just makes it 1 or 2 minutes longer for a professional car thief to steal your car.

However, key fob at least is good enough for "simple" car thiefs...except for smashed window and broken sat nav .

 

I've added the highlighting above to help get right to my question: You'd prefer an immobilizer with a key to an immobilizer with a smart key? I don't know much of anything about the stealing of cars, so I didn't think there would be any difference between the two, as the chip in the key fob should be just like the chip in the key. I think the smart key system just adds the convenience of being able to leave the key in your pocket. Of course, not knowing anything about how car thieves operate, I could be completely wrong in my thinking on this. (And it would help to know the real answer!)

 

Ouch! $3,000 more just for the smart key? There has to be more involved than just the SKS.

 

I know our cars are the least stolen according to insurance. Also, the demand for "second hand" parts are very little in the prius market (amazing, even bested Corollas big time). With the smart key, they would need to still spend 1 or 2 minutes finding wires to trip to fully steal a car.

After thinking about it, yes you're right. If they got your smart key frequency already, they already disabled the alarm on the car, thus not attracting any more attention from the public.

 

Since I never take my keys out now, I never lose, er, "misplace" them anymore. That in itself is worth having the push button

 

it's something you can live without until you've had it. then, it's hard to think about not having it. when the gen III came out, you had two get a pkg 4 to get 3 door sks instead of drivers door only. and i was agonizing over having to spend the extra money, but i really wanted the 3. the hatch comes in really handy, imo.

 

As a corrections officer I hear the inmates talking all the time. One of their favorite sayings is "it's only a brick away".

 

I like to keep a lot of keys on my keychain so I find the push to start very handy. I now don't have to take off all my extra keys to avoid damaging the ignition!

 

I can't find any info on Prius Titanium package, but I find it hard to imagine that it comes without push button start. What car are we talking about? What is FFH? Ooooooh Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Then I'll just share that I maxed out my 2012 Prius v wagon with the Advanced Tech Package and I plan to enjoy all the gadget features for at least 10 years. So I guess my advice is to buy as much car as you can afford and enjoy the vehicle you buy.

 

Amen to that! My GF is "Key challenged", losing some key - car, work, home, or mailbox - seemingly weekly. If we get married, I'm definitely making sure she has a car with keyless ignition and the fob sewn into her purse.

 

Why do people use acronyms like FFH?? I figured it out from a few posts above. I work in the semiconductor industry and the job is full of acronyms. Many industries are. When talking to people in the same field they work great. When talking to others they do not go over well. It is odd to tell people you drive a FFH or a BFT. Big Ford Truck. Because people will not know what to you are talking about.