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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Out with the 20th century and in with the 21st. (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=211847)

http://www.youtube.com/v/XDILg-q20hA&hl=en&fs=1Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) - June 2, 2009

Parents driving away in their brand new 2010 Toyota Prius-III for the very first time.

On the same day GM declared bankruptcy, crude oil reached a 7-month high and gasoline prices spiked above $2.50 per gallon nationwide, a new vehicle was observed leaving a local Carmax dealership. This new vehicle was dissimilar to anything seen on a Wisconsin roadway in the past yet appears to represent the latest of what many consider the finest “sustainable” 21st century transportation solution available to date.

Gerdes’ receive a new 2010 Prius-III

With fuel costs rising abruptly the previous two years, the seeds were sown for my parents to purchase a much more fuel efficient vehicle. As prices reached an unimaginable $4.11 per gallon gasoline last July, the entire nation and in fact, the world was motivated to consider the same.

By late this spring, they had either read about, ridden in or driven every fuel efficient vehicle CleanMPG has had access to including the 09 Corolla XRS (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13674), 09 Prius-II, 2008 HCH-II (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15422), 2010 Honda Insight-II (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18649), 09 BMW 335d (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21337), 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22218 ) and 2009 Jetta TDI (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22074 ). All said, none seemed to match up to the features, capability and price that the upcoming 2010 Toyota Prius-III (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20725) appeared to offer.

And the 2010 Prius-III it was.

With a preliminary delivery date scheduled between mid-April and late May, their 2004 VW New Beetle was sold to a private party from Iowa. Discussions of selling their 2003 GMC Yukon ensued with many visits to Used Car pricing sites but that was more just a check as to its value than a serious attempt to remove it from their household.

The Kenosha, WI Carmax dealership associate Dan Balmes called on May 27th saying the car was in and with a day of prep, could be picked up at any time on Thursday. Although a late May delivery was in order, previous engagements moved the actual purchase date to June 1. With the new car VIN turned into the insurance company for coverage and delivery paperwork completed other than actual signatures and payment, it was time to head out and pick up the new vehicle.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Parents_in_front_of_the_Yukon_for_the_last_time.jpg Unexpected turn of events

2003 GMC Yukon and the Gerdes' together for the last time.

Literally 30-seconds before leaving home, it was decided to take the GMC Yukon instead of the Jetta TDI sitting in the drive to pick up the new car. The 03 GMC Yukon represents the epitome of an FSP (Fuel Sucking Pig) of course with an EPA rating of just 14/18 on the OLD EPA and possibly 13/16 on the new! Is it any wonder GM is in bankruptcy?

Online used vehicle pricing looked up on what seemed like a weekly basis the prior two months revealed the Yukon was worth between $9,500 and $12,065 (Trade-in Wholesale to Private Party in Good condition). If the used car appraisal came within $800 of the $11,500 that could possibly be fetched, that vehicle would be handed over as well.

As we sat down to finalize the paperwork and make payment, we asked that the Yukon be appraised. A certain checkbook was left at home as well but that is another story I would prefer not to go into ;) Anyway, the low mile Yukon appraised out at $12,000 and with a look of astonishment from my mom, my dad and myself, the answer was “take it”!

With 45-minutes before the new paperwork would be generated given the resultant trade and $840 in tax savings, Dan gave my parents the new-car walk around and interior explanation of its features.

All said, the 2010 Toyota Prius-III replaced not only a somewhat inefficient VW New Beetle but more importantly, an FSP of the worst magnitude!

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Dan_Balmes_explaining_features_and_functions.jpghttp://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Front_pic_during_features_and_functions_walkaround.jpg
Dan Balmes – Carmax Sales Associate giving the overview of the various features included
in the all-new Toyota Prius-III to its new owners, Robert and Karen Gerdes.

Toyota’s third generation, 2010 Prius-III

With room for five and an EPA fuel economy rating of 51 city/48 highway, the Prius-III is capable of not only meeting the needs of the average consumer today but will meet the needs of tomorrow with only the push of its included “start” button :)

http://www.youtube.com/v/Tq4nrmnqY9o&hl=en&fs=1
2010 Toyota Prius-III - Harmony

Congrats to the whole Gerdes family!

wonderful story, wayne!

Many happy miles!

:woot: space

That is great. No more FSP's in the Gerdes family.

Hi Jud:

___The wife still owns that *@_&*%$ @_* +_*(!@&)^$#&) Acura MDX :ccry:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

That red looks pretty sharp!

Hi Jud:

___The wife still owns that *@_&*%$ @_* +_*(!@&)^$#&) Acura MDX :ccry:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I thought at one point she was going to get a Prius.

Hi Jud:

___She will probably do so someday :rolleyes:

___I tried to convince her to pick up a brand new HCH-II with NAVI for $20,300 two months ago but she balked for some reason???

___My mom has called a few times today about how to adjust the A/C, how to get out of ACC mode and back into Ready (whatever Toyota calls ACC mode???) and how to increase the brightness of the HSI/Energy/Consumption and System displays.

___She has been pulling 58.5 mpg all-day long. Not bad for a rookie with no guidance while still at Placard and in 50 degree temps ;)

___She is having a problem with her EPS however as there is a grinding noise whenever she turns a corner so Carmax is getting it back on Monday to look it over :(

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Now, Wayne, who's the boss in your family?? :D

Hi Guys:

I have to add my two cents. It has been a real experience for me the last 48 hours. Wayne was telling it like it is about driving all these hybrids. The Prius was the one that won out, althought all had good points or bad points.

On with the story. It's good for a laugh.

The car was in last Wednesday, but we wanted Wayne to be with us when we went to pick it up. The new electric technology was a bit intimidating to start out. We took the Yukon out as a last minute thought -- just for the heck of it. We were surprised at the price they gave us for the car considering the Prius Connect deal attached. We have been thinking about getting rid of the Yukon for awhile, but back and forth on what to do. The Yukon was a 2003 with 11,500 miles on it. As you can tell, we didn't drive it much. Do we really need to keep an huge ornament in our garage that costs us insurance and horrendous depreciation? It was also a FSP (fuel sucking pig). On the other hand, it did come in handy when a second vechile was needed. When we transferred all the stuff from the Yukon, we were amazed at how much stuff there was in that car. Maybe that was why it got such bad mileage. Ha-Ha! Bye Bye Yukon.

Wayne drove his dad and myself out to Carmax in the Yukon, and as soon as we got there, it dawned on me that I had left my checkbook at home. A senior moment that I'll probably never live down. Dan Balmes was a very pleasant fellow to deal with, and he showed us a lot about the Prius before we drove away. I wanted to have Wayne drive it out of the dealer's shop, but he insisted I had to do it sometime. You can tell how slow I was driving. That doorway sure did look narrow from the seat of the shiney new Prius.

Anyway, I parked it and had Wayne drive it up the road to Famous Dave's for a Bar B Q! dinner (and a stiff drink for his dad). The I94/Hwy50 interchange is a nightmare -- and especially in that brand new and unfamiliar car. Wayne could do it this time. We had our dinner and off we went for my first real clinic with Wayne. Of course, we drove a bit slower than dad and I wanted to -- but we learned a lot in the process. When we got home, we watched the handy DVD that came with the instruction booklet and learned even more good stuff about the new baby. I watched the DVD a second time after Wayne left before I went to bed -- just to pick up a little more info that I didn't quite get the first time through.

One good nights sleep and off to the races this morning with the new Prius.

Now for the trials and tribulations of a novice Prius driver. Some of you may find this interesting, and humorous, especially considering us seniors who aren't used to this new technology. I drove into Kenosha this morning for an appointment with my sister and immediately noticed I could not see the display panel very well at all. I thought it was from the sun, perhaps a bad reflection overshadowing the display. I could see the large numbers showing the mph, but could barely see the rest of the display. I couldn't see the ECO bar very well where it tells you when you're on electric and when you're on gas. My sister couldn't see it either, so I didn't think it was just me. I adjusted the dial on the dash for the dashboard lights, but it didn't seem to help. That was a bit disconcerting. The other thing I noticed was that there seemed to be a sandy grinding noise when turning the wheel around corners and into parking lots. I've heard a similar noise with our VW Bug due to the sand used on the streets in winter getting up into the brakes. Its not winter and there is no sand on the street, so something else is scratching away at it -- sounds like it is coming from the steering column. I had to take it to Carmax this morning to deliver the title for the Yukon and the key fob, so was able to get some quick advice. The dashboard light turned out to be a simple fix. It seems that there is a notch that you must get past when turning the dashboard light dial/wheel. Apparently, I was not pushing it hard enough to get it over that notch. Our older generation has a lighter touch due to a bit of aging. Problem fixed -- thank God. Second thoughts for a while there -- what did I get myself into. The sandy scratching in the steering wheel though will require a return appointment next week to investigate that problem. The repair tech who looked at it picked it up right away when she turned the wheel too, so it isn't just another senior moment for me. Dad thinks it is probably something to do with salt water corrosion from the ocean crossing in the boat. We'll see next week.

OK -- onward and upward. Sis and I went to lunch and got to try out the touch lock on the door handle. No more looking for the key fob to lock the car. Just touch the door handle and it locks. Same thing coming back. Just touch the door handle and it unlocks. Reach in and hit the door open button to unlock the other doors. Nice! Did I forget to mention how the smart key stays in my purse. No more hunting for the key. The car starts with the key still in my zippered purse. I have several friends that could use this one. Nice!

We discovered the bluetooth phone system. REALLY NICE! It isn't programmed yet with my contact list, but at least I got a taste of it with Wayne's initial setup. Wayne or my computer genious grandson, Dylan, will have to help me with the rest of it. I punched in the buttons on my phone to dial Wayne to tell him about the visit to the dealer -- and there he was on my radio. I closed up the phone and put it down. The hands free phone is great. Wayne explained to me how the buttons worked on the steering wheel and now everything is kopasetic. What a great tool. Yeh! I've found something I really love about the car. Dad always get upset with me because I never answer my phone ----- until I stop the car. Do you know what it is like to rummage around into a zippered purse to find a cell phone. NOT! Things are looking up. This car is growing on me. It's going to be just swell.

Until --

I went to my physical therapy, happy as a clam about my new car working out so well. NOT! I get into the car and am ready to head home. The car won't start. OH NO! I have to call Wayne again. What is it -- number six or seven times today? It turns out that the start button needs a little more pressure or a little longer pressure. When you touch it lightly, it only turns on the auxiliary for the radio, etc. My daughter cracked up on that one. Mom -- don't you turn the key to auxiliary first and then passed to start the car. Right! The gear shift lever takes such a light touch -- why not everything else. The gear shift lever really does take a light touch -- Nice!

Oh well! Now that I have given Wayne and his sister, Kim, a good chuckle for the day, I think I'll do much better on my next adventure out with the Prius. Dad and I took it for a drive to the bank and everything went just fine. I showed him all the new tricks I learned and just got that weird look from him -- like he thinks I'm going into Alzheimers. Oh well! Someday when you're all old and gray and married for almost 50 years, you'll know what I mean. Ha-Ha!

I know I'm going to love this car. I would recommend it to anyone. Note: a little instruction may be required for seniors. Ha-Ha!

Thank you Wayne for helping me in the decision process -- and the tutoring (chuckle, chuckle).

LadySpirit

Mrs. Gerdes,

I do mostly highway drving on my Honda Insight - the only thing that can go farther on a gallon on the interstate, but only got 47mpg when I started. :o

The display says 60.8 so far at about 65 miles driven. It has been gaining all day as I learned to drive the Prius.

Congratulations and well done!!! :D:thumbs_up: