My wife won't even get into the new Prius

[Robert Taylor]

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?

[TonyPSchaefer]

Just my two cents:
First of all, do not under any circumstances attempt to rationalize her thinking or use logic in your interactions. It's a trap and you can only lose in those situations. nothing good can come of it.

Secondly, if she drives the way you have described, you should hide your Prius. Take both fobs for yourself and leave none for her.

In time, the need will arrise in which she will have to ride in the car. I find it just too impractical to think that she would be able to avoid it forever. I wouldn't make a big deal of it. Though I would insist on driving. :-)

[hdrygas]

My wife has yet to drive the Prius. I think she may be a bit intimidated by it. She is a good driver, if a bit overly cautious for my taste. She rarely has driven the cars I drive. She likes the comfort of driving her car. We will get backed in to a corner at some point and she will drive it and do fine. We now have three cars in the drive. One reason I kept my old car was to have a spare when one car is in the shop, and also to drive in bad weather and of course on forest service and dirt roads. I love my Prius but it is not well designed for logging roads. I have been on a few with my 4wd Explorer when I wondered what I was doing even with the higher ground clearance and 4wd.

[Robert Taylor]

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.

[jimofdg]

What a wonderful person your wife must be!

Clearly there is more to a person's total quality than how they behave in a car. All of us who have survived childhood are very glad of that fact. And no one should love their spouse more than they love their Prius. But you are being severely tested.

So, as a couple, I suggest that you both try to lower your total cost of auto ownership by each going for a "refresher" driving lesson. Much cheaper than counseling, and an impartial third party may be of some help here, for the benefit of everyone, both inside and outside the car.

[tag]

I think some sort of poll is in order here.

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

I vote for Hide The Prius.

[Robert Taylor]

"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?

[DaveinOlyWA]

well i for one think your wife is a very caring and understanding person...

also her sense of preservation has kicked in and that explains why she will not drive your Prius. she probably knows you would kill her if she damaged it.

[pkjohna]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tag\";p=\"64175)</div>

I think some sort of poll is in order here.  [/b]

I could have sworn you said "pill" instead of "poll" until I read the subsequent posts!

It doesn't sound like a passenger car really a good match for your wife -- perhaps something along the lines of a dune buggy might be in order. And visually inspect those brakes at least once a month.

By all means, keep the Prius keys out of sight!