Ben's Refurbished Mitsubishi Miev
 

Oh my, what have I done now?

Two days ago, I got a "hot-lead" on a Mitsubishi Miev Electric Car up on an on-line auction. There were a few odd little things about the auction that seemed to indicate that the car was actually BRAND-NEW off the dealer's lot!

The preliminary bidding was also extremely low, indicating that few people were interested in the vehicle. Not only that, but there were actually TWO 2012 Mitsubishi Mievs for sale!

So, I decided to bid on one.

Do I have money for one? Um, er, no, not really. I have a little money, but I can't go blowing it on electric car auctions! I have to do things like pay the mortgage and buy food. Hmm. Guess I'll have to start shopping at Aldi more.

Long story short, I was the winning bid, but the seller also set a really high "minimum" (Which was $30,000 - the full retail price of a brand new car!!!!) And on that auction site, the seller can simply not accept your "winning bid" or they can counter offer. As in "Hey Ben, how would you like to pay DOUBLE for the car what you just bid for it in the auction?" And I'm all "Hell NO, man!"

Ok - the only conversation that went like that was in my mind, but that's the way it felt. In reality, it was a computer generated e-mail that said "Would you like to accept the seller's new minimum offer?" And there wasn't any "Hell No!" checkbox to respond with, just a "Retain original bid" option.

This went back and forth like this at least SIX times over two days! Finally, today, I got the official word that I was the winning bidder, and at my actual winning bid price no less!

The car is in North Carolina, and I'm in Wisconsin, so I either need to talk to a trucker, or I possibly feel a road trip in my near future.

So, Ben, how DID you get such a good deal on a 2012 Miev? I'm glad you asked! Do the words PRIMARY DAMAGE: WATER/FLOOD mean anything to you?

That could mean anything from "This vehicle was at the bottom of a lake." to "It rained really hard, and we'd rather have the insurance company deal with it.

There was also a recent event you might recall - SuperStorm Sandy. There was literally a "flood" of flooded vehicles on the market after that. This vehicle is in NC, NOT New York or New Jersey, so it may have some water damage, but not what those poor vehicles in NY took.

SO :o The vehicle appears to be in perfect cosmetic condition (other than missing the two front hub caps), but WHO KNOWS the condition of the motor controller, charger, computers, battery pack, etc, etc.

Please don't ask how much I'm paying for it. If it is possible to fix the car and get it to run, I paid WAY TOO LITTLE. If it's not worth anything but selling parts off of, I paid WAY TOO MUCH! :p

I guess as long as (worst case scenario) I can strip it for parts to sell and make my money back on it, it's just one new adventure!

The title will allow for repair and legal use of the vehicle after an inspection (assuming it's repairable.)

The car is "Raspberry" color and has ten miles on it, the keys are in it.

I still have to figure out payment, transporation, and my time-frame for removing the vehicle. Here's a pair of photos to tease you with.

http://300mpg.org/wp-content/uploads...atermarked.jpg
http://300mpg.org/wp-content/uploads...atermarked.jpg

Also, my wife hasn't killed me... yet. But I think she likes the color! :thumbup:

PS: It is the base model in case you were wondering. Although there was little difference between the two trim levels. These cars are the Geo Metro of the EV world - they are not known for luxury. However, the listed value on the vehicle was slightly higher than a complete stock car, so it may have the upgraded radio, cold-weather package, or some such similar upgraded option.

I'm also NOT counting on the 120V AC adapter cord being included.

Well i hope you have good luck with the car, but SC, NC, VA all got him too with the storm, some areas just as bad as NY so i hope this car wasn't floating in a parking lot

I live about 50 miles from the NC line Ben. Where is the car located?
Clayton?

regards
Mech

Yeah, I know this whole thing is just kinda a big gamble. It would be really cool to actually get the car running!

A friend of mine is a car dealer who can at least get access to all that technical data. Who knows, maybe with that we have a shot! :thumbup:

The car is in Dunn, NC (south of Raleigh)

I'll probably spend a good hunk of tomorrow figuring out payment and looking at shippers vs. a tow dolly, etc, etc.

-Ben

Sub. Scribed.

Ben,

My brother owns a raspberry i MiEV, and my father owns a black one. It is rear wheel drive, so you may need a reliable way to lock the steering wheel. The wheel track is fairly narrow - a tow truck with the pivoting knuckles that cradle the wheels are too wide to fit without likely damaging the car. There are cradles that work, I'm sure.

If you are missing the charger, the newest one they are shipping with the car is switchable between 8A and 12A (or maybe 14A?), which is a very good thing. The 2013 car my Dad has has the 8A only model.

If you have not already, you will want to sign up on the i MiEV forum:

http://myimiev.com/forum/index.php

I'm a member there; standing in for both my brother and my father. :)

Ben: was thinking about this a bit last night. What to do when electronic devices get wet...

Common wisdom says:

1) don't try to turn it on yet...

2) instead, put it in a big bag of uncooked rice for several days :D

Hoping this all goes well!

Seriously though: I'd be thinking about finding an enclosed place to put it where you could run dehumidifiers for a good while. But what do I know - I'm sure there are experts out there on how to deal with flooded cars.

Get a few cans of deox-it and several damp rid kits... As others have said don't try to power anything up yet...

OK, I'm thinking that if there is any water left inside, you don't want it freezing. So I think the prudent thing would be to have it shipped to me, I'm in Los Angeles were it is warm and dry. I'd just, you know, look at it, here in the garage. Until you think it's warm enough to work on in your driveway. Yeah, just look...
Good find and have fun.
-mort

I like the rice idea.

I was thinking about parking it and running a fan and heater in it continuously for some amount of time.

The guy who tipped me off to the sale is a MiEV forum member. He told me about it. I hadn't signed up yet, but planned to.