"The Volt" May BE SCRAPPED!- NEVER BUILT!!

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I saw that Volt is a 4 seater; I also saw that it has a 6" longer wheelbase than my COMPACT Tempo. The classifications in the U.S. are categorized by interior volume and so far all I've seen is a value for cargo volume.

I must admit, that sounds pretty much like the stuff I have been reading about the size of the car. Maybe only 4 people can seat, but they are calculating actual volume of area within the car. I suspect the car might be a little taller than it may first appear to be. (only guessing) - I know if I had three young kids that I might be one of the few that would use that middle seat-belt in the back seat of my Cobalt, but honestly I don't think most of these new small cars can really fit 5 full size adults in them without mashing there guts out to the max.

I have read more complaints about The Volt's Price $$ than any other single negative factor, and Chevy has yet to tell us the official price to my knowledge, all I ever read is where some engineer is reported as saying the price should be around $40,0000. This may be what kills the car if they can not find a way of competing better with the Prius and others like it. I realize we have a crowd that will likely buy the car just because it is a high tech American built one, and plenty that might buy it because they see it as being green and better for the environment. However, how many customers will this be? Don't they really have to compete with the Prius? I mean, gosh, 400,000 cars a year is a high amount to be competing against! That $20,000 gap alone could buy a lot of fuel. And nobody knows what the Plug-in Prius might sell as well. And again, many people want a car that seats 5 people instead of 4. I fear GM might of miscalculated on just how many customers want cars that can legally carry 5 people, as it seems to come up not only here, but on other forum sites as well.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

...and somehow you lived to tell about it.

You said it bud! I'll say this, of the three cars the Escort GT was actually the fastest. I once drove the Escort GT somewhere near 115MPH- I was not positive of speed because the speedometer stopped at 85 and I had the needle clear past that point and pointing straight down at the floor. Heck I may of hit 120, I had no way of knowing. Yeah, I was pretty young then, and I was extremely lucky I did not wreck the car or get a ticket on the Michigan interstate.

I had one Fiero GT that was the best car I ever drove around corners, and for it's time it was fairly fast... I think 0 to 60 was 8.3 seconds.... funny, my little Cobalt XFE has a 0 to 60 time of 8.0 seconds in 2nd gear, and this is my "econo-box". The regular 4 banger Fiero was under powered and had plenty of CHEVETTE PARTS built into it's steering and other places.... The pop-up headlights often would not work and I would drive around with one eyeball open and one stuck shut. Shesh all 3 of those cars had serious problems, such as the escort's computer burned up after 65,000 miles and I was broke as hell and tried everything I could to get it working again, but due to personal problems I ended up selling the car for SCRAP! The only positive things I can say is the Fiero GT was awesome around curves, and the Escort GT was very fast, it surprised even the cop that clocked me at 87 in a 55 too (my last ticket).

Oh! I almost forgot the 1977 CHEVETTE I had purchased used for $500! Man that had to be by far the worst quality car I had ever even been inside of, let alone owning it! As I recall the floorboard had rusted all the way through so I could look down through the cracks in the metal and actually see the blacktop of the road underneath me! Also it had what appeared to of been serious BLOOD stains on the driver's seat, it's body was bent, burned out brakes ever 8,000 miles, and got maybe 19MPG. That is one car I prefer to forget I ever owned. I traded it for a motorcycle with a cracked frame!

[cfg83]

Frank -

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I saw that Volt is a 4 seater; I also saw that it has a 6" longer wheelbase than my COMPACT Tempo. The classifications in the U.S. are categorized by interior volume and so far all I've seen is a value for cargo volume.

This makes sense, because the Volt uses the central trunk for the (T Configuration) battery pack, just like the EV1 :



CarloSW2

[cfg83]

Frank -

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

...and somehow you lived to tell about it.

Ha ha, my Dad had an 87 Escort GT too. It converted him from a Chevy man to a Ford man (ZX2 right now). One problem with both Fords is the (IMO) as-it-aged ratchety manual tranny. The Escort GT suffered the CPU overheat-die-off. It went maybe 3 times on the GT, once on the freeway.

CarloSW2

[Frank Lee]

I told a cop once that my car couldn't even go as fast as he said it was going.

Didn't work.

Hate those stupid 85 mph speedos. I can wrap the Tempo speedo well off the end of the scale... but what does it mean? Guesstimate puts it at 100.

Re: Chevette: don't blame the car because it had already been through hell and back by the time you got it.

Carlos:

CPU burnout must have been an Escort thing- none of my or my family's Fords have gone through a single CPU. However, I've had one or two ignition modules go on Tempos; they were a known weak spot.

Pa's got a ZX2 huh? And you have hills... he should be getting about 100 mpg right?

Volt tunnel: ahhhh, thanks, that explains the lack of a rear bench.

[Christ]

Frank -

You have to tell them that and then be able (and ready) to prove it.

For instance, your car might actually have an OEM rated top speed of 73 MPH. If you were pulled over for going 75MPH, even if it was in the 25, and you can cite a source where some governing body says that your car won't exceed 73MPH, you can actually get off the ticket completely.

Regarding the Escort GT - I had my share of problems with my GT... none so serious as the ones you guys refer to, but I bought the car for $100 in need of a clutch. I put the clutch in, over a period of 5 days in the rain (in my driveway, since the barn was loaded with everyone else's crap...).

After that, and working out some Gremlins, it ran fine. The fastest speed I was recorded at in that car was some 125 MPH (88.5 Escort GT bone stock on the highway). I got a ticket in that car for some 97MPH in the 65, then another one for like 113 MPH in a 35, which I fought and it was dropped. Shortly thereafter, a friend of mine bought and turbo'd a '94 Civic Si Hatchback, so I did the same to my (significantly more heavy) Escort GT's 1.9HO. Despite lacking any type of tuning skills, having the crappiest fabrication skills possible at the time, and using strictly junkyard parts to build the turbo kit, I ended up with a formidably fast (albeit not reliable) Escort. I could pull a Corvette off the exit ramps until I got partway through 4th gear, where I ran out of power.

Eventually, the clutch decided to heat up and lock, so no amount of effort on the clutch pedal would release it. I drove the car like that for a couple days, left it parked in my driveway in 2nd gear, and it rolled (spinning the now almost blown engine backwards) down the hill into my neighbor's truck, which left my car with only about 3/4 of it's original size. I promptly bought a 1988 Civic LX and never had a Ford since then. Not for any particular reason, other than the need hasn't arisen when the deal is there, or the deal isn't there at the same time as the need.

As with any car, my prerequisite for auto-shopping is that the price have no more than 3 characters in it, unless it's "F.R.E.E."

[cfg83]

Frank -

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I told a cop once that my car couldn't even go as fast as he said it was going.

Didn't work.

Hate those stupid 85 mph speedos. I can wrap the Tempo speedo well off the end of the scale... but what does it mean? Guesstimate puts it at 100.

Re: Chevette: don't blame the car because it had already been through hell and back by the time you got it.

Carlos:

CPU burnout must have been an Escort thing- none of my or my family's Fords have gone through a single CPU. However, I've had one or two ignition modules go on Tempos; they were a known weak spot.

Pa's got a ZX2 huh? And you have hills... he should be getting about 100 mpg right?

101 MPG ... on a warm day ... with a breeze ... Downhill only.

The CPU was too close to something hot in the engine (the exhaust?!?!?!). Ford later did a recall that added shielding to insulate the CPU from the heat. This must be what happened to Jammer. I'm not complaining. Every car has a unique issue. I'm actually more grumpy that my Dad didn't take advantage of the recall when it was announced.

CarloSW2

[Frank Lee]

Christ:

^Yup!

I wouldn't mind some cars other than Fords but I think these Tempos know I have a soft spot (between the ears) and they follow me home.

I'd love to have a CRX but for one thing, they just don't exist here (onesy twosy here and there maybe) and two, the ones that are here have had many busy little teenage hands meddling all over them- I don't want the aftermath of that!!! Or they are all rotted out- even worse than Tempos.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by cfg83

As theunchosen said, going big in the rear creates useful trunk space. You can make the argument that the Honda CRX was a prime example of that, a 2-seater with gobs of trunk space.

Huh? The CRX is most definitely not a fat-butted car. It has a definite taper from the doors back. And, being a hatchback, it doesn't really even have a trunk - unless you count the under-floor spare tire space as such.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

Originally Posted by tjts1

The Volt interior looks tiny, especially the back seat head room.

Yes, and the seats are old-school-FAT!

Despite assurances from people like Chelsea Sexton, I'm very concerned that the very conservative execution of the Volt will be it's undoing. It uses an engine that is at least 2X too big for the job it is needed for -- it is exactly the same engine that will be used in the ICE-only Cruze; which is a nearly identically sized car.

Doing this almost completely negates the efficiency that is gained by being a serial hybrid!

The (much) heavier 1.4L engine has to be dragged around all the time by the electric drive motor, and so reduces the battery's range, and the battery has to be bigger than it otherwise would be -- so it's own weight is increased, which in turn decreases the range...

Almost nothing in the basic chassis stands out as helping the car be more efficient: they are using bog-standard steel with no innovation to increase strength while saving weight, as far as I know. Add to this the "FAT" seats, etc., and you get a fairly big and heavy car that has a small interior.

They have taken a decently aerodynamic car, removed the transmission -- and replaced it with a large battery and an electric motor. So, they end up with a slightly more efficient car that is a lot heavier. The cost and weight savings of the transmission is swamped by the increased cost and weight of the battery and electric motor and all the control systems...