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Now a 2017 Volt Owner

Discussion in 'Chevrolet Volt' started by FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 21, 2016.

  1. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    The 2001 Prius finally displayed the Triangle of Death...but was still drivable. So as planned response, I sold it to Carmax that day. Got $500 for it...even with the Triangle clearly described, visible, and not minimized as minor. The 2001 was a great car for 15 years and worth every cent.

    But now I have a big problem. My commitment to sustainability is now tested by Toyota's lack of commitment to having any EV or PHEV available at all. How disappointing. Since I buy cars for a long time (see above) I went with what I see as the best PHEV available....the 2017 Volt. I'm about to see if GM has made a reliable PHEV or not. Time will tell. In the meantime, I have been pleasantly surprised with the Volt engineering and build quality.

    I'm still a Prius Driver. There is a 2010 in the garage as well and it is a great car. So is what I find interesting about both vehicles:

    MAJOR POINTS:
    1) Driving by the gas station for most of the month is why I bought a Prius. It is good at that. Driving by the gas station for most of the year is why I bought the Volt. I cannot do that unless the EV only range is over 55 miles. The Volt does that. It is really wonderful to look at displayed gas prices as I drive by and realize those are no longer my concern! (Note to Toyota. This "Oh what a feeling" of EV drive is a one way street. Once folks discover this advantage, they will not give it up. Please wake up from the FCV dead end.)
    2) The Prius interior volume is excellent. The Volt is significantly smaller in the interior. Saying the Volt seats five is a marketing point, not really the case.
    3) The Prius is proven to be excellent in reliability. The Volt has yet to show it is at the same level.

    MINOR POINTS:
    1) All my Prii (2001, 2007, 2010) had various annoying rattles at times. Nothing like that has shown up in the Volt so far.
    2) I do not like the On-Star big brother capabilities installed on on Volts. In the owners manual, you read that some power utilities have the capability of using On-Star to cancel the charging of the Volt if the utilities need to. Huh? How does a Volt owner charging from their own solar panels avoid big brother aborting their charging as by-catch?
     
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  2. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    For some perspective...

    Prius Prime is just 3 months away and it will be rolled out worldwide all at once. Toyota is also planning a production of 60,000 the first year. How is that lacking? To add to that, all but the ECO model of Prius now uses lithium batteries. That most definitely is a commitment to advancing plug-in opportunities. It's a major effort to reduce cost and improve production. Want more? Look at the CHAdeMO option being offered in Japan. It bumps the current recharge rate from 2.2 to 6.6 kWh. Knowing that, there's simply no way to say they are working toward that sustainability. How about this too? We'll be getting a vapor-injected heat-pump for winter cabin-warming. It will offer a top-industry efficiency for EV travel.

    There clearly is commitment. The advancements being delivered are undeniable. Sorry, but your disappointment doesn't add up. You wanted a Volt. We've known that for a long time. We can thank you for contributing toward the effort to improve personal travel, but we cannot accept the claim of lack of commitment though.

    Enjoy your new plug-in.
     
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  3. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I believe that realistic 4-seat ratings have been abolished by product liability lawsuits, unless there is some actual mechanical blockage in the middle preventing someone from sitting there.

    If it is possible to wedge 3 of the smallest available adult or teenage humans in the rear seat, then product liability issues demand that the miniature center position still has a seatbelt. My last Ford (1980s) was realistically labeled as a 4-seater, and lacked the rear center belt. But some partying teenagers still stuffed a third passenger in there, had a crash, and the unbelted girl in the center was fatally launched through the windshield. Lawsuit. Presto, all future production had a fifth seatbelt.
     
  4. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    Hey FPD, you bought a great car. Enjoy it in good health. :D
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats fpd! please keep us posted. judging by other volt owners, i don't think you'll be disappointed. what you see is what you get. care to share any financials with us? all the best!(y)
     
  6. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    We just went over 1k miles in ours, around 800 or so electric. We don't use a drop in day to day use.

    I will be installing our 240v line tomorrow and was pleased to learn the stock evse would handle it at 12a.

    What color did you get?
     
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  7. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    Oh yeah. Under $34k. I'll take the tax credit next year. What I have found out over the years is very simply, the less I visit the dealers, the better the deal I get. So here is how I know I got the best deal possible for the local area.

    I sent an e-mail to all six Volt dealers in the extended area. It said the following:
    1) I am buying the lowest price new Volt offered from the dealer giving the lowest price. Color and options are immaterial. Only lowest price wins.
    2) It is a cash deal. The check can be a personal check or cashier check if desired.
    3) There is no trade in.
    4) You must provide the final number to be written on the check. That is what I will show up with.
    5) Please request any information from me necessary to determine the final price.

    A number of dealers responded requesting I come in so they could "talk" about a good deal. I responded in every case with the following response. "I am showing up at one, and only one dealer with a check. You make your decision for me to come to you by giving me the lowest final price."

    A couple did contact me asking whether I was a veteran for the military discount (did not result in the lowest price). The winning dealer called to get my transferred license plate number to calculate tag fees.

    There were six responses covering quite a range. I have no doubt I got a deal vastly better than if I had shown up without the check written. If I felt I could get a better deal by driving farther, I would have repeated the same process over an extended driving area. I did do a lot better than what Truecar was claiming.
     
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  8. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    White. A very desirable color in FL.

    A couple of days ago I got the NEMA 14-50 outlet installed and the Clipper Creek 20 Amp charger. Four hours vs 12 hours is a big improvement.

    No, I needed a PHEV, not a Volt. Toyota just flat has zero offerings now when the decision needed to be made. If a Prime had been available, it would have been a very serious contender. GM still has quite a lot of reliability reputation to make up to get to Toyota reliability reputations and that counts in my book. No matter how you spin it, Toyota made explicit decisions to temporarily abandon the PHEV market that forced my decision. The Prime is probably going to be a great vehicle...but I can only buy what is available.
     
    #8 FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 21, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 21, 2016
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  9. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    I can imagine. There are days we cannot reach full but it hasn't impacted the next day (i.e. needing gas). But she especially likes the idea that she can get a couple bars while home heating dinner before going to karate or our daughter's guitar lesson for example.

    I also told her we can't move to the EV plan until we are able to fully charge while electricity is obscenely low.
     
  10. wirelessjava

    wirelessjava Member

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    What were the off

    What were the offers on the Volt???

    What is the final that won it ?
     
  11. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    The range was 35712 to 33816.
     
  12. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    You did good. Mine was 33.6k with GM supplier discount out the door.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    fpd, is 34k before ttl etc, then you get another 7.5k off taxes?
     
  14. Sabby

    Sabby Active Member

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    Enjoy the new car. Sounds like you made a good choice for you and made a good deal. I can't imagine waiting a few months for the Prime since it is not a real competitor with only a 22 mile range. I don't think Toyota gets it.

    We currently own a 2013 Chevy Equinox, a 2015 Prius that replaced a 2011 Prius and a BMW. Both the Chevy and the Toyotas have been perfect since delivery. Can't say the same for the BMW.

    Some people on this site are Toyota fans only and look down on GM products. I believe they are dead wrong. Enjoy the drive.
     
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  15. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    The 34k was the number on the check to the dealer including every charge. I have to get the tax credit on my own.
     
  16. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow, that seems really low. what is the net, just for the car and delivery charge? you're whetting my appetite.:p
     
  18. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    Here is everything on the sales sheet:
    Vehicle Price: $34,615
    Dealer Savings: -$2,338
    Rebate: -$1,385
    Sales Tax: $2034.63
    Tag: $183
    Tire/Battery/MVWEA: $6.50
    Dealer Service Fee: $699.95

    Please note this is what was negotiated completely before I set foot in the dealer. It took about 10 years of car buying to realize the price only goes down to get you to the dealer and only goes up once you are inside the dealer. So the trick is locking in the dealer price BEFORE arriving.

    PS. For those that do not know how dealers really work. The Blue book and other new car price sources give "dealer costs" for cars that make it sound like dealers are making very little profit. What you are not told is every so often dealers get "bonus" cars that cost the dealer nothing. So those "off the cost sheet" cars are sold for all profit. I found this out via overhearing a bank loan officer relating how the loans for purchasing cars from a car maker required the collateral (the cars bought) to be matched by identified bank collateral VINs. However, these VINS were one less than the number of car VINs delivered to the dealer in the purchased shipment. The bank loan was for X-1 cars purchased. Clever. Only the bank and dealer knows the actual cost flow numbers.
     
    #18 FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 23, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2016
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  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that's an amazing price. so the car itself is about 31k, then you get 7500 back, netting out to $23,500. incredible!(y)

    what is a dealer service fee?
     
  20. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    Dealer Service fee is usually what is called delivery charge.