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Old 10-30-2010, 05:35 PM   #15 (permalink)
vpoppv
The $500 Electric Car
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Automcdonough View Post
metros kinda suck tho. They sacrifice a lot to be lightweight and efficient.. and well in the case of an electric those sacrifices amount to nothing more than a few more miles of range.
I have a similar opinion of most Hondas, but they are a huge step up from the Metro. Newer ones are quite nice.

Since the cost of donor car is a fraction of the conversion cost it seems to make more sense to pick something based more on what you are looking for such as utility, luxury, performance. If "cheap" is most important than you'd probly be buying a Leaf.
Not surprisingly, I wholeheartedly disagree. I don't see any sacrifices. Perhaps if you could specify we could debate those, but I doubt either of us would change our opinion. I have found that, of the 33 different makes/models of cars I have owned, the Metro is hands down the winner in terms of reliability and simplicity of design. And as an electric conversion, not having to worry about what to do with the power steering pump is a huge check off of the list of things to do! But what I think the argument will boil down to, as it often does, is that most people don't just want something to go from point A to point B. I don't want a status symbol, I just want to get to work. And as for newer Hondas, I think they suffer from the same problems all new cars do today: they are bloated and over-engineered. When I am forced to drive my mother-in-law's Camry (granted, Toyota, not Honda, but the same things apply) I feel as though I am driving from the couch in my living room. You couldn't pay me enough to contemplate converting that electronic mess to electric! Not to mention how much that boat must weigh. It would be a conversion nightmare. I think an older Honda is an excellent choice for a conversion business given that they don't have the stigma that Metro's do. If you are after style/luxury/performance, then I don't think electric would be your first choice anyway. I just slap in a heating/massaging pad on the driver's seat and call it a Lexus-good to go!
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