The only Chevy I feel is worth 40k would be a low end Corvette. And I KNOW I’d get more fun out of it than a plug in hybrid car like the Volt.
I paid 34k for my current ride, with all its amenities. With the tax break, the Volt would probably cost that before I started adding things like satnav, premium audio system, backup camera, etc.
However, if I owned a Volt, I’d probably have to shovel my driveway in the winter time to get the car out(lower ground clearance), worry about someone, or something, damaging the charger for it while it stays outside year round, hope I remember to unplug the thing before I take off in the morning for work, and probably a few more things I can’t think of right now
What is your current ride?
I paid $33.5k net for my Volt, but that was a year ago (May '12) before the just announced $4-5k instant discount. So I could walk in today and insist starting the price negotiations to start at around $30k net.
My Volt has premium Bose audio, backup camera, premium polished wheels, and my favorite feature…heated leather seats (for an EV this means more range in winter if used instead of the forced air heat; for an EREV that usually translates into less gasoline usage; I averaged 42 miles in winter; no doubt this would have be mid to low thirties or lower if I had used the air heat, and my 35 mile one way commute may have become a regular EV fail!) I didn’t mind; to me the heated seats remind me of the feeling of sitting in a hot tub on a cold night. I didn’t like nor want the nav; I like smartphone apps that play through the speakers via Bluetooth.
The Volt’s air dam is what makes it lower than other cars; it does scrape easily but is a flexible but strong rubber so can’t break. Less than 6 inches of snow, you just drive through and it plows it out of the way (don’t try that with the Prius, you’ll just slide all over) More than that, grab a shovel.
The “charger” aka EVSE (really just a fancy surge protector as the actual charger is built in the car) fairly rugged and weather resistant; I run a loop of the cord through the front wheel spoke and use a padlock to lock the loop to itself when charging in public.
And you can’t drive away while plugged in, the car will go ding ding and not let you go in to any “gear”.
And you NEVER forget to plug it in at night; First order of business. Less than 5 seconds if you only charge at home. Maybe 15 seconds set up for me because I take it to work. 35 seconds x 5 days = 3 minutes a week. I definitely spent more time than that each week at the gas station with my previous cars.
2010 Mazda CX-7 GT
AWD, bose system with 9 speakers, backup camera, satnav, 6 disc CD changer, power heated leather seats(memory for 3 different drivers), a center arm rest I could drop a laptop into, and no one would see it, and I can lock it up, HID headlamps, foglights, remote start, keyless entry and start(not a push button though), steering wheel controls for the radio and satnav, bluetooth setup for phone and audio, 8 inches of ground clearance(no silly gimmick air dam to get in the way), sunroof, integrated LED turn signals in the heated side mirrors, blind spot monitoring system, auto dimming rear view mirror with HomeLink garage door openers, rear window wiper, 19 inch wheels, automatic headlamps, and auto climate control
And, I get something to play with when I use premium fuel, a 244hp/250tq turbo charged 4cyl engine with 6 speed manumatic trans.
The only Chevy you’ll ever see me driving is one that’s older than I am, and I turn 33 this coming sunday
@bscar2 - Your Mazda sounds like a solid offering; I’m looking at a CX-9 parked next to me; so a little smaller than that?
To all: I test drove a Camaro today; and as a bonus, a 2014 Cruze Diesel that literally just came in.
It was a nice reminder of a several undeniable reasons why I will never go back to a ICE propelled car.
“The only Chevy you’ll ever see me driving is one that’s older than I am, and I turn 33 this coming sunday”
I thought you sold the Chevelle! And happy birthday!
It will be a long, long, long time before we stop riding around in ICE propelled transportation. So @aventineavenue, unless you will never ride the bus, tow a boat, go off road, drive a car that you someday maybe forced to because you can’t afford $33k plus on retirement income and you will never go back to one when you already own one after 40 miles, is a little over stated. Have you ever looked under your hood ? You are still a polluter like everyone else. You just do it off sight for the first 40 miles then spew it out your exhaust there after. A Camaro or diesel is hardly representative of what you will not own one day and driving one around the block because you “work for GM” is hardly a reason for not buying another ICE car. Drive a Miata on a winding road, then make the statement. And noisy ? After 40 miles, jump on your gas to climb a steep hill or pass someone and tell me how quiet your car’s ICE motor is and that it still is not prpelling you. YOU STILL OWN ONE and you’re drinking the GM cool aid by inferring you don’t. Try a Leaf out if you want to make the statement for real. You are still ICE propelled !!!
My Volt is electric-propelled, grid-electric powered 97% of the time so far. 3% gasoline powered (and as we’ve already determined, likely less a half of a percent actually “ICE propelled”.)
The ICE in my Volt has less usefulness to me than my headlights or windshield wiper blades…think about that.
And why is it I face so much scorn for my $33k upscale car choice (with a HUGE efficiency benefit) yet for bscar2 same priced vehicle, it’s all good, just another low 20-something mpg SUV. (Note: I think he made a great vehicle choice for his lifestyle and tastes, btw)
I may off-sited my pollution, but there’s no doubt I have reduced it, and now have the option to make personal choices to take it even further. It’s called being part of the solution…
And just so you have your facts straight, if I ever need it, my Volt is currently able to easily go over 50 miles before needing to switch to the 60% imported, 24% unstable, America-hating, jihad juice.
Seems to me that it’s actually a whole lot of other folks that have been hooked on the Kool Aid FAR too long.
Actually, correction - oil imports dropped to ~40% last year…but the greater point about our dependence is still valid, we need a long term strategy to work towards getting this monkey of our backs, before the next crisis, for which the Middle East is crouching and waiting. EVs can be a part of that.
Sorry to say, but without the ICE in a Volt, you and every other hybrid owner, WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT IT. So, to say you do not now depend on a Volt’s ICE but three percent of the time, is like me saying I don’t depend on my very seldom used auto insurance. With out the insurance of the ice, like my home generator, you would not dare travel to work in an EV that cost $40k ( btw, your rebate cost me) and goes only 40 miles. You are as ICE dependent as me. The difference is, I have $33k more in the bank I will use part of to go on a cruise and hike in Yosemite this year. You will have to get your boss at the GM dealership to pay for your electricity .
Btw, the Middle East is our boogie man not born out by the world
Market. We now have a surplus of refined gas we are now shipping on the world market. The more hybrids on the market, the better off we will be pollution wise but you will pay up front to save on the back end, just like paying cash for a car saves you finance charges. We are but commodities to the auto industry.
@dagosa who wrote “( btw, your rebate cost me)”
That is so old, tired, and incorrect. It was my tax money, not yours. It’s a non-refundable credit. Educate yourself. What’s costing you are are the wars, oil company credits in the tens of billions of lost tax revenue, and the pain at the pump that every pay-check to pay-check American experiences.
And again, why would you criticize my $33k car choice (I car I greatly enjoy simply as a fun and functional vehicle) yet remain silent on bscar2’s same $33k expenditure? It wreaks of a double standard with an agenda.
“You will have to get your boss at the GM dealership…”:
I do not work for GM and you know it. You’re just a purveyor of a pocketful of tired, ignorant lies, trying to deceive the readers, and it really is wearing thin on me now.
“We now have a surplus of refined gas we are now shipping on the world market.”
For now. Unsustainable and you know it. Resources are finite. The reckoning, only a matter of time.
You must not do your own budget. What ever tax credit you get, must be made up elsewhere. Or do you just take money out if an account and not replace it…,… Yes , I pay for wars and all tax credits, which for hybrids , I am happy to do . You distort the truth and cherry pick the facts to your benefit on the issue of spending $33k for a car @Bing does not. The Volt is still a hybrid , no more, no less.
At least with every car I bought, I would point out the faults as well. Why can’t you make yourself to try out another real sports car other then GM. the Camaro is way down on the pecking order of great rwd cars. So. What’s the scoop ? I am not against the Volt per se. I am against trying to justify a purchase without perspective.
“… switch to the 60% imported, 24% unstable, America-hating, jihad juice.”
Less than 25% of US petroleum imports came from the Middle East in 2012, and all of that came from our friends Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,and Iraq. Almost 45% came from Canada and Mexico alone.
Yes, AA, the CX-7 is slightly smaller than the CX-9
I thought you sold the Chevelle! And happy birthday!
Thanks, and yes, I did sell the Chevelle a few years ago when I bought my house. Used a little bit of that money to put in central air the first summer I lived here. Best investment I’ve made so far.
A big block 427 Corvette stingray with side pipes is on my short wishlist of cars I’d love to have. Probably in red, or maybe the blue that the Chevelle was.
A 49 or 50 Mercury “Lead Sled” in black, with real/ghost flames painted on. Shave the door handles and take some of the mirachrome paint and make it look like they melted off
A 67 GT500, or a 67 Mustang done up like the 500. Shelby blue with triple white stripes with the colors flipped around inside. White interior with blue inserts or piping; white convertible top if it’s a convertible model.
The Tri-Five Bel Airs are nice, but seems like everyone has one. On those, I see a bright blue(like my Chevelle’s color) and dark gray two-tone paint job
And what enthusiast wouldn’t want a General Lee?
@dagosa who wrote “What ever tax credit you get, must be made up elsewhere”
No, this is simply not true, and is you who is not understanding how federal tax policy and the federal budget works.
In 2012 I was a taxpayer with a federal tax liability much greater than $7500 total. So the government knew the source of my credit, it was from my taxes already deducted. I received a discount on my taxes of $7500 based on criteria I met. In the planned budget, that money was never allocated for anything but to be returned to an EV buyer; so it doesn’t need to be “made up” by you or anyone else.
Think of the fed as a business, a service provider of the product of government, which includes common defense, public welfare, infrastructure, etc. We are the customers, each paying a variable amount for this product based on a variety of personal and/or business criteria.
So I get a discount for this service fee last year, because I was a preferred customer for my commitment to buy an EV, in line with goals for energy independence and oil use reduction.But the oil companies are also getting billions in discounts for such things as oil exploration costs. How does this benefit society? I mean it doesn’t even lower gas prices for the masses. What it does do it allow these companies to keep billions more in profits, a lot going in the pockets of the one percenters.
Mine and even oil company tax credits and deductions were budgeted for as non- tax receipts.
But now think about the two recent wars. Their were neither budgeted nor “paid for” by any kind of tax or revenue planning. They were simply deficit spending - a giant federal “credit card” if you will. We haven’t really paid for them yet, future generation will have to figure it out…but we are paying a price now, for the burden in trying to budget, get revenue, manage this debt, and our standing in the world as a result (think about the credit downgrade for example) Ok, going to try to go back on topic now - The Volt!
@dagosa who wrote “I am not against the Volt per se. I am against trying to justify a purchase without perspective.”
Exactly. And this is why taking a test drive of the Volt is key, preferably a 24-hr one so a person can “live” with car; take it home, charge up overnight, commute to work, go shopping or out to eat, maybe try out a public charging station, etc. Drive super-efficiently, or push the vehicle to its performance and/or environmental limits. The thing is, it fricken delivers almost whatever you want in a vehicle! Last night, after topping off to a full charge, I raced with motorcycles on back roads, passing cars with them. It was an amazing experience in the silent yet fast and high torque Volt. I couldn’t do what I did in most other vehicles, due to the noise, acceleration, and/or handling limits. Oh, and I used an excessive 3 kWh to go just over 10 miles. Besides making a huge racket, no doubt the Camaro V6 would made a huge racket trying to keep up with the cycles, and with it’s accelerator lag, alway feel like its dropping a bit behind at first in a way the Volt did not. And the Camaro would have used an entire gallon of gas in those 10 miles (34 kWh of energy, or 10 times more!)
So the point is, it’s just like you saying “Yosimite is great!”; it may be true, but the real way to find out is to go there for a few days and actually experience it.
@dagosa who wrote “Why can’t you make yourself to try out another real sports car other then GM. the Camaro is way down on the pecking order of great rwd cars. So. What’s the scoop ?”
I anticipated this response, such as, “oh why didn’t you compare the Volt to a real sports car?”
Here are the three reasons I chose the Camaro LT2 V6 to compare to the Volt:
- same curb weight (3700 lbs)
- same torque rating (373 Volt vs 378 Camaro)
- similar net price, similarly equipped (~$30k, though a V8 performance Camaro will run you ~$10k more)
Of course the Camaro wins in hp (306 vs 149), Sport handling and corning, and raw 0-60 acceleration (~6.4 vs ~8.5) which was only really evident in the 50-75 mph range.
The Volt won off the line, and pretty much any driving scenerio under 50 mph. Also, the Volt won in term of ride quality (some have described this as being like a “baby caddy”. And finally the Volt wins in terms of power train and transmission refinement (the Volt’s really just running one-motor in hard acceleration driving, vs the Camaro’s touch, jumpy 6-speed automatic)
So I could call it a draw, except for the fact that the Volt is at least 5 times more efficient/cheaper to operate than the Camaro…and even more so when you push it.
And yes, of course I’m friendly with the local Chevy dealer, as one of their most supportive Volt customers they are hugely supportive of the Volt, and treat me very nicely. So it made it easy to arrange this on my day off (from my non-GM job haha:)
I wonder how a V6 auto Mustang would compare (does Ford even make that??)
There’s no denying the Camaro looks cooler, but as far as actual performance, comfort, price, and practicality, there’s really no other reason to choose it (the V6 version anyhow) over a Volt. Well maybe that Plum Blue color 