Afraid to Admit I made a mistake with Misty Grey

I just spent a bundle on the car of my dreams and I'm not at all thrilled.

Why? I, like a lot of you, never got to look at Gen III before purchasing. I love the way it drives. What I REALLY don't like is the interior color. The misty grey is SO light that every ounce of dirt shows up. I have had the car for 4 days and can already see scuff marks.

With only 105 miles on the car I am already wondering how much I'd lose to sell it. What's even sadder is that I have NO idea how to tell my husband.

What would you do if you knew you were going to own a car for several years and within 24 hours after purchasing it you knew you had made a mistake?

I'd tell everyone how much I loved it

I don't know how many cars you've owned, sometimes you need to experience a lot inorder to know what you like best. I simply don't like light gray interiors. Said I'd never own one, but in 2007 I bought a Camry Hybrid with the light gray interior. Didn't like it from day one but I had to get it in a small window of opportunity to qualify for a State tax credit. Everytime I got in the car I told myself I'm saving money. When the three years were up (ownership time for the Federal tax Credits) I traded it. This 2010 Prius has a lot of colors I like but I told my dealer it had to have Bisque. I just like brown for leather. I don't mind Charcoal too bad but just prefer brown. I knew I would not keep the Camry long (although that is as long as I have ever owned a car) but I plan to drive the wheels off the Prius so I'm waiting to get exactly what I want (Blizzard White w/ Bisque Model V w/ Nav)

I wouldn't take a loss just because of interior color. Live with it a while and the "edge" of being dissapointed will wear off. If not sell it (don't trade it as the depreciation on trade value will really dissapoint you). But if you just can't stand it then Steve has already sold his on this forun. Lost about $1500 I think.

Then again, I just noticed you have the sun roof. You may actually be able to sell without a loss especially if you deal with someone that simply can't find one or is having to pay a premium.

Instead of taking a loss on the vehicle, have you thought about taking it to an upholstery shop and have them install a darker shade of leather? In addition, I'm sure that it will be better quality as well. I did this several years ago on a car that came with cloth Interior. I believe that it cost me about $900 to do the whole interior. Just a thought to consider!

Scott

Hi dsviv,

I'm sorry to hear this.

I just ordered a Prius III with light (called "aqua" here) interior myself, because the standard grey interior looked quite boring to me.

You mean this interior color right?

Is the dirt problem really that bad? Would you care to upload a few pictures maybe?

Take care,

Maarten

I've never owned leather before (out of 9 or so cars). The lighter color made sense to me from the "heat" factor of owning leather b/c I kept hearing about how hot leather gets. BTW, the mats are black, so at least those won't show dirt.

If you've read any of my other posts you would know that I'm about as anal as it gets about my car interior. I'm the fool that drove around with towels covering the car mats for 8 years to avoid dirt. I'm not a nut, really, I promise. I just can't stand dirt & clutter in my car.

Same here, and I'm a man. I get annoyed when my girlfriend puts her feet on the dashboard and leaves all kinds of dirt on the dark, wine-colored dashboard of my current car (Fiesta)... ;-)

The "aqua" interior in the 2010 Prius here in Europe doesn't use any leather though. The seats are not leather, and the rest is the same material as with the dark grey color I believe.

Misty Grey means leather is used in the interior (apart from the steering wheel)?

Why not just keep a bottle of grease cleaner or simple fabric/leather cleaner in the back with a rag? That may clean up 75% of it instantly. Just takes more thought. Personally, being 28 years old, I'd chalk it up to "love the car, wish I got dark gray" and leave it at that. You're NOT going to notice the interior much after a month. If you do and you're really that picky, then either 1. clean it yourself 2. get it cleaned professionally 3. Pay $900 to put on new leather color 4. be more careful with how you treat your car so you don't get dirt on the seats. 5. Take a loss and sell it back if you have that money to waste.

Yes, almost the entire interior is a light grey, with the exception of the darker grey interior plastic accents. The steering wheel & seats are in light grey leather. The rest is lisght grey fabric, carpet like material & plastic. I will send a few pictures this afternoon.

It bothers me more to have a dark color and know there is potential for dirt to be there and the dark color is masking it. If something is dirty, I prefer to see it and remove the dirt.

Misty Grey is the same colour as Aqua. When you order a Prius Executive with Aqua Interior in The Netherlands (like I did) you will get the leather seats, otherwise you will get velours (cloth) seats. If I'm not mistaken the cheapest version of the Prius can only be ordered with a grey interior, and then the seats are made of normal cloth (not velours). Bisque isn't available at all.

Just out of curiosity what color is your car?
G

I suggest living with it. Don't focus on the color as a problem or it will be a problem. If you take a positive view, you may come to like it. At the least it won't be a big issue. As suggested above, carry cleaner and use it as necessary. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small problem unless you allow it to become big. Hand in there.

Tom

I also hate to see a dirty, cluttered car (only one in my family similarly afflicted!), but love to see it clean! I like the suggestion of focusing on the "love to see it clean" part and carrying around a bottle of cleaner. A couple of minutes a day should allow you to stay on top of the smudges and renew that "it's clean!" feeling.

A truly clean light colored interior is definitely satisfying. With dark colors, you just know that the dirt is there. (< that sound very dirt-a-phobic, doesn't it!).

Otherwise, if you're going to sell it, your window of opportunity may be closing. The 2010s are still in demand but with Toyota cranking up production and the economy still poor, the new cars will start to be more available and supply will catch up. I'm guessing that you have until fall to maximize your selling price.

Good luck!

This is very very easy to do. Change the seats covers. They are only slip covers. They come right off the frame and new ones can be put right back in their place. If you want the dark grey interior go to any local aftermarket store and have them order it.

It takes about 4 days in total. You also get choices from the after maket store that Toyota doesn't offer. This is not a big deal. My wife and i did it on our Highlander just after we bought it and I'm considering doing it this year on my 2005 Prius with 118,000 miles on the clock. My bisque cloth interior is really 'well used after 118,000 miles without much special care.

Contradicting statements. You're nuts. Live with it. We all are

And you should be able to recoup much of your cost selling the old leather to someone with a Prius II or III.

The PC wealth of knowledge is astounding. I forgot to mention that the exterior is silver metallic.

I love everyone's advice about carrying cleaning products. GREAT idea. I will TRY to have a more positive outlook.

I too made a mistake (settling) for misty gray because the rest of the car was what I wanted. I am in the process of looking for seat covers to replace this awful misty gray interior. The one problem I see is the door panels and other places where the misty gray has been installed. Everything looks dirty and I know it isn't.

Not sure if I saw this in the thread - did you get the Teflon treatment? If not - it's (spray can) sold over the counter at many stores, either auto or probably Walmart etc. Really works protecting fabric interiors, esp spils and dirt. May not retard stains, but sure makes it easy to clean. And, may get differing views here. I have had leather for 12 past years so haven't used Teflon spray for a while - just googled - still available:

Teflon® fabric protector is the leader in durable water repellency and stain & soil protection for apparel, accessories, upholstery, bedding, commercial and technical fabrics. Teflon® fabric protector products provide durable, long lasting protection against oil and water-based stains, dust and dry soil, which helps fabrics look newer longer and are easy to care for. All of this, without impacting the look, touch, feel, color or breathability of the fabric.
Many brands and retailers offer products with Teflon® fabric protector. Look for the Teflon® brand hangtag or logo when you shop.

PS - also, Detailers probably offer this service.