Chris,
I'll throw in my opinions about the Leaf. I have a first-gen 2011 that I
bought new.
1. Be wary of a first-gen Leaf: 2011-2012. The range is dismal. I'm in
Seattle, and for cold winter driving (25F) with the heat and defrost on,
the range is about 30 miles last winter. Hard to tell if that's enough
for you or not. At your 500 miles/month, that's 22 per day, but of
course it depends on how long your "long" trips are. And range is
probably worse in Vermont than Seattle.
2. I find the seats horribly uncomfortable. For short trips it doesn't
matter. After 15 minutes, my back aches, and I don't think I could bear
a trip over 40 minutes (but I've never done that).
3. The center console is pretty, but confusing to use. They focused on
making things look uniform and symmetrical. To this day (8 years later),
I still get confused which button turns on the A/C versus change the fan
speed or turn on the radio. They all look identical. I nearly got in an
accident once when trying to turn on the defrost - the windshield was
beginning to get foggy and I tried to turn on the defrost but turned on
just the fan, which promptly blew moist air on the windshield and
instantly made it opaque.
4. Back seats have no toe space. The battery box bulges up into the
space under the front seats. Not a big deal for short trips.
5. On the positive side, the car has functioned very well and I've only
needed service for tires and brakes.
6. The back, with the rear seats folded down has a fair amount of space,
typical for many hatchbacks. You can get small of amounts of lumber in
there, probably with the hatch open. You would need to measure it to see
if it accommodates the space of your dog crate and lumber dimensions.
Potentially, you could also put the dog crate on the back seat. Depends
on the size of the crate.
7. Used 2013 Leafs don't cost too much - as low as $6K on carfax in LA
area.
https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/1N4AZ0CP3DC403290
8. In spite of my complaints, I am delighted to be an early adopter of
the Leaf !
Peri
------ Original Message ------
From: "Chris Richard via EV" <[email protected]>
To: "'Electric Vehicle Discussion List'" <[email protected]>
Cc: "Chris Richard" <[email protected]>
Sent: 21-Aug-19 12:42:25 PM
Subject: [EVDL] Considering buying a used EV. Suggestions requested.
All:
First, let me explain that I'm not an active contributor to this list and may
inadvertently be raising questions that have been discussed before. I looked in
message footers to see how I might search the archive and found nothing. So, if
this has been explicated before, I apologize and request a pointer to where I
might find the earlier comments.
Here's my question:
I am nearing the lease termination date on my second Fiat 500e. This time, I'm
considering buying either a used 500e or some other EV.
The leases are fine, but I'd rather not pay another big deposit and end up with
no equity in another three years.
Of course, the big questions are range and battery life. My two cars have done
fine on range through the six years I've leased them. I typically put 500 miles
or so a month on them, and expect to return this second car at around 15,000
miles, which was the same usage for my last one. That's about typical of the
cars I see offered for sale at around $8,000 without Fiat's absurd residual
prices.
What happens to range beyond three years and beyond 15,000 miles is a mystery.
I'm in California. I may possibly relocate to Vermont in the next few years.
It's my understanding that California law mandates a 10 year/150,000-mile
warranty on ev batteries, but I'll bet there are plenty of loopholes. I'd like
to know about that, about options and questions to ask on extended warranties,
on the merits of buying from a dealer vs. a private party, etc.
Finally, as much as I've liked the 500e, I'm not wedded to it. It would be nice
to be able to carry lumber home or to have less fear that my dog, who is so
afraid of cars that he can only travel in a crate, might get seriously hurt or
killed if somebody rear-ends me. So I'd like more room, but have never been
that impressed with the other EVs available in my price range.
Any suggestions appreciated, and again, sorry if this has already been explored
on this list.
CR
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