Chevy Volt?

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Used Volts are hitting the market now, and my plan when I bought my Prius in 2012 was as soon as this happened, I would buy one.

But I find myself in a conundrum.
sick.gif


I found a 2011 (first model year) with a clean GM service history aside from oil changes & tire rotations with 57,000 miles for $15895. It has every option (BOSE with 30gb hard drive, built in navigation, backup camera) BUT does NOT have heated leather seats. New tires. Powertrain warranty for 100,000 miles/5 years still, and battery warranty. But thats it. GMPP would be on my dime.

I then also found a 2012 GM Certified, still under bumper to bumper warranty + 12 months, 12,000 miles certified warranty with 11,000 miles for $19,000. It has NO options BUT DOES have heated leather seats. I suppose I could add a backup camera (youtube videos on how-to) for about $300 myself.

I drive about 18-20,000 miles per year. Im a techy and I need gadgets. The volt is gadgety enough, but Im afraid i would be really happy with the 2012 with 11,000 miles but find myself losing interest because psychologically I know its stripped down. BUT Im thinking what if I buy the 2011 with 57,000 miles and if I want to upgrade to Volt 2.0 in a few years, I take a huge hit because of the high miles.

If you had to pick one, which one and why?
 
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Either

A: Keep shopping....more and more will hit the market. Or

B: Get the 2012. Good price, and since you are "techy" enjoy doing some stuff yourself. Me? I like the bottom feeder models, as there is more stuff you can do with them...unless there is a better option engine wise with a better model....
 
Get the low-miles one. Then trade it in on a Volt 2.0. Mostly I'm thinking about how much the first-year Volt would be worth at 100k miles, and what happens to its value if the battery is really degraded.
 
My aunt's boss has one, he drives it 35 miles to work and his work installed a 220 charger there and were happy to do so because they got a tax write off. He charges it on his work's dime and when it's time to leave he uses an app on his iPhone that starts the air conditioning (running off of 220 power) so the car is cold inside when he leaves (gets 110-115 degrees here). Electricity at home hasn't gone up much and for fuel he gets around 400 mpg

If you're gonna trade it in in a few years anyways get the one that's the most comfortable to you, even if it has more miles. It's a lower purchase price so the lower resale value will cancel that out
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
For under $20K I would rather have a brand new Mazda 3 , Civic or Corolla.



Yuck, gross, and never. lol
 
Our engineering Mgr. has a Volt and has some miles on it. If you have any Q's I'll be happy to ask him - he is extremely car knowledgeable.

Imo, Techy isn't suppose to be in a car - leave the techy gadgets at work or home. Good driving dynamics and decent comfort behind the wheel are paramount.
 
"For under $20K I would rather have a brand new Mazda 3 , Civic or Corolla"


From recent rentals and test drives, I'd say the good, around $17K, new cars are:
Mitsubishi Lancer, Kia Forte and Subaru Impreza (and Maybe the Sonic - I haven driven it)

The Top three are lagging these days and The Mazda3 is Biggus Buckus. If you want to risk a FORD the Focus is purportedly best in class.
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Our engineering Mgr. has a Volt and has some miles on it. If you have any Q's I'll be happy to ask him - he is extremely car knowledgeable.

Imo, Techy isn't suppose to be in a car - leave the techy gadgets at work or home. Good driving dynamics and decent comfort behind the wheel are paramount.


Arco, I can help that Im a nerd and at 34, I cant change that now!!
grin.gif


I.NEED.TECHNOLOGY....
 
With the number of miles you drive, either will have relatively "high miles" if you keep it more than a year or two. The newer model may be more desirable (or not) in the future. You may also want to consider any improvements or fixes that were incorporated into the 2012 (if any) that might make it more desirable.
 
When I bought a prius a few years back, it thought it was a bridge before volt or some other electric cars become more affordable.

But I'm not so sure anymore. When battery fails in a hybrid, you can fix it or replace easily.

I'm thinking Volt will have to be scrapped when that happens.
 
Wait a while. 2013s are your best bet. They made changes to the 2013 battery, center stack, IP readouts and have new Chevy mylink system. I would recommend a 2013 or newer Volt over the 2011 or 2012.

My dad has a 2012 Volt and my 2013 Volt lease ended in August and the difference between the 2012 and 2013 Volts were vast. Just a lot of little changes that were very nice to have on the 2013s. We have 5 Volts in my family. Most are 2013s and 2014s and they are solid cars. Probably the most trouble free car I have ever had.
 
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Id get the newer one by a longshot, though Id get a camry for $19k way before. Cant a smartphone do the GPS and music thing 10x better than a 2 year old car nav and 30gb hard drive? Isnt there probably a bluetooth backup camera to connect to your smartphone anyway? I have a bluetooth dongle in my obd2 telling me what the car is doing. Techie enough for me. My 3 year old smartphone is way better GPS than my old Garmin. A hard drive in a car seems archaic to me already...would have been good 10 years ago but now you just stream right?
 
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Volt was recently voted one of the most reliabel cars out there. Son inlaw has one, loves it, not one issue with it since new, about 18 months now. Pricey for a new one and liied miles on a charge. You need the 240 line charger at home as well to speed up the charges but a great car if you have relatively short commutes
 
I would love to have one, driving around on mostly electricity but having the gas engine as a back up would be great. I understand your love for the technology. If you want interior tech to go with it, wait for a 2013. In Michigan, I'd want heated seats as the heater is a bit to be desired on the coldest days from what I hear. If they were a 5 seater, I'd likely get one in a couple of years (used). It would be perfect for my wife as she drives a lot of short trips close to home, she'd be nearly 100% electric, but does go further at times so a 100% electric car like the Leaf would not work. Tesla would be amazing but the price is way up there out of my range.
 
20k miles in a year? Assuming 50 weeks of work, that works out to about an 80 mile round trip. It would be doable if the car can charge at both ends on 220v power so it only does the last 5 miles of the commute on gas. The Volt only gets 35 mpg on premium once the battery runs out. Not a large hit if it's 10 miles a day, but a big hit if it's running on gas for 65 of those miles.
 
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