Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > Fossil Fuel Free
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 09-02-2016, 02:27 PM   #71 (permalink)
home of the odd vehicles
 
rmay635703's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere in WI
Posts: 3,891

Silver - '10 Chevy Cobalt XFE
Thanks: 506
Thanked 868 Times in 654 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Charlie View Post
But a brand new Fit was only $15k, so which one was the right buy? Not an electric.
A brand new 2013 chevy volt premium with 76 miles was $17,500 for me, I still think it was the right buy

  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 09-02-2016, 03:08 PM   #72 (permalink)
Cyborg ECU
 
California98Civic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Coastal Southern California
Posts: 6,299

Black and Green - '98 Honda Civic DX Coupe
Team Honda
90 day: 66.42 mpg (US)

Black and Red - '00 Nashbar Custom built eBike
90 day: 3671.43 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,373
Thanked 2,174 Times in 1,470 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by rmay635703 View Post
A brand new 2013 chevy volt premium with 76 miles was $17,500 for me, I still think it was the right buy
Do you know a guide you like on what to look out for when buying a used Volt? You know a lot about EVs, from what I have seen, and now I see you own a Volt. Even a few years old Volts are too expensive for us unless I go for high miles and reasonable repairs needed. I am willing to consider that, but I have to know more about what to look out for. Any advice?
__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.



  Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2016, 04:11 PM   #73 (permalink)
home of the odd vehicles
 
rmay635703's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere in WI
Posts: 3,891

Silver - '10 Chevy Cobalt XFE
Thanks: 506
Thanked 868 Times in 654 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by California98Civic View Post
Do you know a guide you like on what to look out for when buying a used Volt? You know a lot about EVs, from what I have seen, and now I see you own a Volt. Even a few years old Volts are too expensive for us unless I go for high miles and reasonable repairs needed. I am willing to consider that, but I have to know more about what to look out for. Any advice?
Thank you,

I don't know of any guides but in general any new car if it has been in a collision and repaired is on its way to the junkyard.

That said the Gen I Volt is GM's most reliable car and is more reliable than the Nissans Leaf or the TSLA.

So...

1. Don't buy a volt with accident history, if you do buy one that had an accident you have to accept a $2000-$4000 looming potential cost since the modules are designed to disallow normal OBDII tools to work and the dealer charges lots of money to do absolutely nothing but clear a code.

2. When buying a high mile volt, insist on the battery being fully charged before you get there, drive it dead and drive it like you 0WN it.
(a volt with issues will have them show up nearly instantly if someone tried shenanigans)

3. Most volts will easily go 300,000 miles without any real repairs, some require a main bearing and others require the front end bearings (like all FWD GM cars)
but Sparky, the 330,000+ mile volt only recently had to have the front bearings done, not bad.

Generally repairs on a Volt are very few and far between, sort of like a Prius but in all honesty better.

Next, on a volt anything but the OEM tire will cause range loss (except maybe the 2nd gen Ecopia) many dealers like to shove on some ****e, call em out on it. The OEMs are just fine but keep them aired up and accept poor winter performance (if you use them that way) Keep your pressure low on the OEMs and expect front tire blowouts.

There is also a preventative maintenance kit (a modified coolant sensor) for volts with the structural updates to prevent a false failure because of a $5 part.

It is offered by a guy on the volt forum and I recommend it if you have a volt with the wonderful update.

A Volt is pretty much a charge and drive car, oil changes every few years and not much else for hundreds of thousands of miles is normal/

I myself am looking for a high mile volt to give my father, but the right combination of options (and distance from me) hasn't happened.

Ah well, good luck
  Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to rmay635703 For This Useful Post:
California98Civic (09-02-2016), niky (09-04-2016), pletby (09-04-2016)
Old 09-02-2016, 07:23 PM   #74 (permalink)
Cyborg ECU
 
California98Civic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Coastal Southern California
Posts: 6,299

Black and Green - '98 Honda Civic DX Coupe
Team Honda
90 day: 66.42 mpg (US)

Black and Red - '00 Nashbar Custom built eBike
90 day: 3671.43 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,373
Thanked 2,174 Times in 1,470 Posts
Cool. You could start a useful thread on that theme, with this post as the central kernel. One last question (apologies to the OP)... I see three forums devoted to the Volt. It seems gm-volt.com is the best developed. Is that the forum you mean?

For the OP: The Volt is the way out of range anxiety!
__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.



  Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2016, 02:43 PM   #75 (permalink)
Human Environmentalist
 
redpoint5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 12,819

Acura TSX - '06 Acura TSX
90 day: 24.19 mpg (US)

Lafawnda - CBR600 - '01 Honda CBR600 F4i
90 day: 47.32 mpg (US)

Big Yeller - Dodge/Cummins - '98 Dodge Ram 2500 base
90 day: 21.82 mpg (US)

Chevy ZR-2 - '03 Chevrolet S10 ZR2
90 day: 17.14 mpg (US)

Model Y - '24 Tesla Y LR AWD

Pacifica Hybrid - '21 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
90 day: 43.3 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,327
Thanked 4,480 Times in 3,445 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf View Post
I surely wouldn't buy an EV (say a Leaf) that had only a 70 mile range, because many of my trips are more than 70 miles...

The manufacturers aren't charging extra: if anything, they seem to make less profit on electrics (normal for any new product). That 'extra' they charge is simply the cost of the batteries. Make cheaper batteries, you get cheaper electric cars - or you can put more batteries in to get more range for the same price.
Well if you wouldn't buy the car than nobody would.

...and you again have pointed out that price is the main factor preventing EV adoption.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rmay635703 View Post
A used Think City EV (100 mile city range) is about $4000 on up

I don't think price is a good argument, unless everybody only buys a new car.
I don't think your example car is a good argument. Cars are only introduced to the market new. No manufacturer builds used cars, so they have to appeal to new car buyers first. The Think City doesn't appeal to people, and the company went out of business.

Think about it, are there more Leafs or Teslas on the road? Do you think price has anything to do with it?

Price is the #1 factor affecting EV adoption. You think the Leaf wouldn't sell any better if it could be bought new for $5,000? If the price is greater than the perceived benefits, then there is great anxiety about owning something that cannot be afforded, or is a poor investment.

Ability to charge is factor #2. If you can't charge it, then your anxiety about owning it is so great that you won't buy it.

Range might be a distant #3 factor that causes anxiety preventing people from purchasing.

If manufacturers work on #1 and #2, then more EVs will be sold.
__________________
Gas and Electric Vehicle Cost of Ownership Calculator







Give me absolute safety, or give me death!
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2016, 01:34 AM   #76 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Earth
Posts: 5,209
Thanks: 225
Thanked 811 Times in 594 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5 View Post
Price is the #1 factor affecting EV adoption. You think the Leaf wouldn't sell any better if it could be bought new for $5,000?
Sure, and they'd sell even more if they were given away in a box of cereal :-) (Like digital watches: the first ones were a status symbols costing many hundreds of 1970s dollars. Couple of decades later I got one in a cereal box.) But the reality is that the Leaf and other non-Tesla EVs are priced comparably to other new cars, so if new car buyers are choosing not to buy them, it must be for reasons other than price.

Now those reasons might be limited range, or a limited choice of models, or just (as with Harleys and a lot of diesel pickups) the desire to drive a 'macho' vehicle that makes lots of noise and stink :-)
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-06-2016, 09:27 AM   #77 (permalink)
Rat Racer
 
Fat Charlie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Route 16
Posts: 4,150

Al the Third, year four - '13 Honda Fit Base
Team Honda
90 day: 42.9 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,784
Thanked 1,922 Times in 1,246 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by rmay635703 View Post
A brand new 2013 chevy volt premium with 76 miles was $17,500 for me, I still think it was the right buy
I'd have been all over a Volt hatchback. Can't put the dog in the trunk.
__________________

Quote:
Originally Posted by sheepdog44 View Post
Transmission type Efficiency
Manual neutral engine off.100% @MPG <----- Fun Fact.
Manual 1:1 gear ratio .......98%
CVT belt ............................88%
Automatic .........................86%

  Reply With Quote
Old 09-06-2016, 02:21 PM   #78 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Earth
Posts: 5,209
Thanks: 225
Thanked 811 Times in 594 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Charlie View Post
I'd have been all over a Volt hatchback.
I thought the Volt is a hatchback. Haven't seen one up close, but from pictures and seeing a few on the road, it certainly looks like one.

If it's not, there goes any chance of my ever buying one. As you say, can't put the dogs - or bike, skis, bulky objects, &c - in a trunk :-( Well, unless you drive a '59 Chevy, of course.
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-06-2016, 03:39 PM   #79 (permalink)
Rat Racer
 
Fat Charlie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Route 16
Posts: 4,150

Al the Third, year four - '13 Honda Fit Base
Team Honda
90 day: 42.9 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,784
Thanked 1,922 Times in 1,246 Posts
It's a fake hatchback. 5 doors, yes, and the the trunk is part of the cabin, but...

__________________

Quote:
Originally Posted by sheepdog44 View Post
Transmission type Efficiency
Manual neutral engine off.100% @MPG <----- Fun Fact.
Manual 1:1 gear ratio .......98%
CVT belt ............................88%
Automatic .........................86%

  Reply With Quote
Old 09-06-2016, 03:48 PM   #80 (permalink)
Cyborg ECU
 
California98Civic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Coastal Southern California
Posts: 6,299

Black and Green - '98 Honda Civic DX Coupe
Team Honda
90 day: 66.42 mpg (US)

Black and Red - '00 Nashbar Custom built eBike
90 day: 3671.43 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,373
Thanked 2,174 Times in 1,470 Posts
FWIW, the new Volt only has 10.6 sq ft cargo area. The leaf has 24, the Model s has 31... heck the spark has 9.6... so this is not one of the coolest features of this car.

__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.



  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread






Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com