My wife won't even get into the new Prius

My wife won't even get into the new Prius. When I spoke with her months ago about my enthusiasm for my experience riding in my brothers "04 Prius when on a visit to Seattle to see him for three days, she had strong objections, the technology was too advanced, the car too small, few people would ever buy one, only those motivated by idiotic reasoning would ever buy one, etc.

My arguments that the leading quality builder of automobiles had taken its time to create this system, tested in Japan, and it was into a further version from the original fell on totally deaf ears. I contended that, as fuel prices continued to rise, that the economics of a hybrid made plenty of sense. The lowest cost vehicle in America point made no headway either.

I ordered one several months later anyway, since the F series truck I bought new was extracting a considerable amount out of my wallet for fuel, and while I needed it 20% of the time for work related reasons, 80% of my needs the Prius would fill quite well. And the track record of new vehicles maintained properly has been a much better value over the years than any used vehicle purchase for me.

Five days here and she has not once wanted to check it out, look at it or take a ride in it.

Now, here is the decision point, do I try to sell her on taking it out and showing her some of these nice features, or just continue to let things stay as they are?

One part of me is quite relieved she has no interest in it since she drives the way she always has, one foot on a brake or throttle, either hard acceleration or braking. The brakes on the F series truck I bought new in '97 have never needed replacement, even after 110,000 miles. She grinds brake pads out after 20,000 miles or slightly less. And she has always hated my driving style of avoiding potholes, craters, etc. in the road. She plows the middle of the lane, regardless of all obstacles, busting steel belts on tires, ruining front end alignment, (the record was ruining a new front end alignment in one day). She pops curbs hard enough sometimes when parking to lift up the rear of the car! On long family vacation drives there is no ability to nap as she drives since the ride has always had the motion of a carnival roller coaster, with bumps, jars, rocking and sudden deceleration and acceleration. Needless to say, any smaller car had become a rattletrap in short order when she has driven it in the past.

Maybe I should be happy she has no interest in it, since I grind my teeth when she thinks she needs to use the truck. The chip learns a particular driving style in it, and she manages to reset it in one 20 mile trip and drop the fuel economy 20 to 30 percent.

What would you do?

 

You make an excellent point there, logical reasoning made no dent in her thinking, so I should abandon that altogether.

Does she drive the way I describe? One more quick tale, I bought a fleet resale Crown Victoria five years ago, she swore she wouldn't ride in it because it was red. Well, no such luck, in short order it became her full time car until her father died and left her that Town Car.

I did a short trip in the Crown Victoria after she had it for a few months, touched the brakes at the next intersection of the neighborhood and heard the most gosh awful grinding imaginable, the rivets were well into the rotors!

When I got home, I gently asked her, did the car make noise now? Oh, I meant to tell you about that. Dear, how long has it made such a noise asked I. Oh, it had a noise then it went away and then was much worse.

She wore out the warning tab on the brake pads, when it was gone then, quiet again until the rivet went into the rotor.

Friends remember with great clarity riding in a car with her, one can relate all the details of her hitting a broken piece of roadway so hard it bust the car tire belt (they become quite unbalanced when that happens). I do not recall a single detail of that trip, dispite being present. Too many other similar events have crowded it out.

 

"I think some sort of poll is in order here"

Indeed, I was tempted, but did not know how to word it or even what question to ask.

How about some of these:

Is the spouse right in that a Prius is too much technology to buy one?

Should I be happy she has no interest whatsoever in the new Prius and leave it at that?

Is it downright idiotic to point out that the Prius has more legroom than the F series crew cab we have?

 

"I vote that you drop the subject wth the car, hide the spare fob, and use HER car when you need to go somewhere ..."

She has the cold stare if I ask about:

1. Moving her car out of the way (I'LL DO IT! she says)
2. Getting into her car to extract some item we need (no, she doesn't trust me to do that either)
3. Driving her car is out of the question, unless she has taken the truck and left me with no other choice. (the Prius has arrived now, so before there was no choice) Of course I filled her land barge up fully, and I asked her to fill the truck up. She put in a 1/4 tank and left the receipt for the 20.00 expense on the dash.

I really had thoughts that she would try the new Prius out, and I could go buy the white one on the lot at the dealer I got the other one from. At a certain point, why buy so much fuel to go around town in when for a little more you can be driving a fun car?

She suggested I sell it when I got it.

No way, the Prius has restored the joy of driving for me. It has a great feel for the road, has comfortable seats and more legroom than the truck, and about the same headroom. The electronics suite is wonderful, I am just learning to use it all.

I think I'll get those flowers someone suggested.

Been married 24 years.

 

"hrm... who pays for the repairs? if you have her pay for her own damage maybe she'll do less"

No dice. She was brought up with her mothers free spending ways, what my late beloved father in law called "never another day".

Come to think of it, that "never another day" attitude could apply to those who are utterly unconcerned about where we are headed as a nation where fossil fuels consumption is not a major concern. We are headed for a day of reckoning. Plumbing the depths of the earth for more oil only makes short term sense but taxing fossil fuels more would engage market forces to make product substitution occur before the worldwide demand pushes up fossil fuel prices anyway.