Safety Features Still Optional

um, my friend just bought an 05 civic and had to pay $1800 extra for side airbags.

many other companies also offer more protection- for a price. when i was looking at saturns the extra cost of side curtains was prohibitive. in the prius, it came along with all the other stuff i was going to get anyway.

i think your argument is horse****.

 

efusco . . . I agree with you.

However, I'd like to see Toyota (and others) make important safety equipment available as indivudually selectable items, instead of bundling the safety featers with other add-ons that you may not want, just to jack up the price (and profits).

 

Sheesh, I don't depend on the government to save me. I make the choices that I want. I bought the package with the 8 airbags and VSC. If all I wanted was mpg and airbags, I could have bought another car. But I'm not made of money, so I made compromises within my budget. I don't see any conspiracy behind this, just the free market at work.

Sure, they should all weigh 3 tons for safety, come with 16 airbag (after all, what cruel parent would only buy 15?), and my insurance should also be included, so no child is left behind in the ER.

Oh, and of course someone ELSE should pay for all this.

 

Yes, it's a free country.
Yes, businesses can do what they want.
Yes, you can buy another car for less with greater safety features.
Yes, it's a free market.

Maybe I have a middle ground here so folks don't get nasty.

We all know that Toyota's building a car that doesn't make money. They'll go out of business if they did. So they're bundling things to increase returns. No problem here. IMHO they should take the Scion approach and offer most of these things as dealer installs so we could choose for ourselves -- a democracy and free market at work and in our own hands. Then the dealers would make more money, have fewer ordering and allocation headaches, and people could assume for themselves their own personal level of commitment to safety and preference for comfort.

Is the Toyota service network up to this? Imagine the additional profit they could make on a hot car in a hot market. And local markets could determine their own pricing. I think more power is in order for everyone. Toyota should send us the car with maybe 1-2 package choices and then let us decide what we want afterwards with dealer installs. In the right hands most of these things are not rocket science. They can be done for consumers who need or want them later. Excessive and immediate consumption should not be forced upon us. (I thought I was buying a green car.) Furthermore, dealers would enjoy additional cash flow as buyers came in looking for these add-ons later on. I think everyone wins this way.

Does anyone agree? I see validity in everyone's view here. Let's keep working to help spread the word about a great car and a great forum and leave it at that. I cringe when I see people go after each other so please, let's help each other figure out what's happening, understand and respect the causes, and then make an informed decision or offer support to each other when possible.

 

I don't see what all the fuss is about. The 2004-2005 AM package has all the safety features, with just the SKS added. Toyota produces a very good choice for the safety-conscious Prius shopper.

If that package is not available in some parts of the US, it's because the regional distributor didn't think it would sell well there. If they're correct in that assessment, then whose fault is that?

A la carte ordering would be nice, but it would probably increase the cost and decrease the quality of the car. Personally, I found the current arrangement to be just right.

 

For me the and for a while the safety features were the first thing. The rest followed. When I talk to people about the Prius I push the side air bags or steer them off to a car with these features. I spent too much time in the ER as a Medical Student to do anything else. More safety is better.

 

yep, that seems pretty logical to me...

 

Yes, safety. Especially with today's SUV cruise missles coming sideways at you. This is one reason I like the added amber signal size in the 06. More information for other drivers.

A curious oddity is found in package #2 which offers no additional airbags. Why have this at all? Package #3 and up has the bags and #1 has them by themselves. I couldn't imagine anyone wanting #2.

 

If you don't want personal safety equipment like airbags and seatbelts, thats fine. Things like VSC and ABS help you keep from hiting ME. I think those items should be required on ALL cars.

Like the Doc, I see the results of crashes A LOT (Law enforcement) I reseve the majority of my limited emotional sympathy for the VICTIMS (those who did not contribute to the crash). Empathy, I have an unlimited supply of.

 

the thing I think stinks is that the Prius doesn't come with all the handling of a 700 series BMW, nor the comfort level. I am hopping mad that the entry level Pruis doesn't have all of that and cost $49,000 entry level. How DARE they leave out those basic needs of mine?

Shame on them... SHAME ON THEM!!

I somehow hope that came across as absurd. I'm glad that the entry level prius is fairly basic and not the full navigation with leather. I was able to evaluate what I needed (my wife indicated that the need was for package #1), and what I wanted (which would be the Navigation system, but not leather).. and figure out that what I would be getting is the 2006, package #5. No navigation system, not even the special headlights if I recall, but yes, on bluetooth, side curtain airbags and stability control.

And, a middle ground on price. I just couldn't quite get myself to another $2500 for the navigation stuff.

And, the curtain airbags and stability control were important to me. They are not required and may deem optional for someone not wanting to spend the $2000 to get the stuff that I decided I wanted.

Yay for America having some choices left, and not all in the hands of the 9th circuit court and the ACLU. As screwed up as it would be to not have choices in picking a Prius, I bet the ACLU would take up your case. Give them a call.

 

I absolutely agree. I've been driving over 30 years and I worry about others' actions, not mine. To illustrate, a few weeks ago a lady on the interstate in front of me lost control of her car, did a 360, went back and forth through four lanes of traffic, regained control of her car, and went on her way. Thankfully I was able to stop and the other drivers behind me saw me stopping so she could do her thing. VSC would have helped there.

What would make me happy is for Toyota to put the bags and VSC together in the #1. In my market (no #4) I'm required to pay an additional $2,555 to get the VSC. Handcuffing the VSC to other luxury items is immoral.

I'm glad to see someone in law enforcement step in here. Thanks.

 

For the ultimate safety shouldn't the Government just force everyone to stay home?
No driving equals no SUVs slamming into underequipped Toyota's!

Oh wait, that's the Smart Growth movement.

 

i have to say i agree with the option that gives me the most choices.. i dont do "luxury" cars for that exact reason. they dont have options.

sure the ultimate would be a Prius for $15k with all customizable options. but they do need to limit their option paks or there would be a even greater wait time.

a "just in time, built to order" is utopia and we all know when utopia is coming. but until we get there, the more choices i can make the better.

i do agree that Toyota does tend to bunch a lot of unrelated options together. SKS shouldnt have been added to what was an all safety options pak.