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New hybrid/electric car advice
02-25-2017, 10:37 PM
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#1
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 717
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New hybrid/electric car advice
I am thinking buying a new car this year for city use, preferably below $40-50K, maybe SUV (if mpg is good) and would be nice either electric or hybrid that is capable to drive on electricity only for say 20-30 mil.
Any real work advice out there?
PS: Do they still give tax credit for those ^ ?
Thx
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02-26-2017, 02:14 AM
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#2
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,021
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Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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02-26-2017, 05:37 AM
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#3
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Midwest
Posts: 1,787
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No numbers, but do know a guy who bought a used Leaf and is very happy. He sometimes takes his brother with him to the local mall and gets a free charge while he eats lunch there (his new hobby). Says it is like getting a free fill up with each meal.
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02-26-2017, 06:09 AM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Huntsville, AL/Helen, GA
Posts: 6,002
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The manufacturers are kind of disguising the hybrids now, and there are far many more models on the retail market than you realize.
Toyota and Lexus have sold more than anyone so far. But the Ford system is also very good.
This is one of those market segments where you'd have to carefully analyze, block them out by price and go drive'em. I prefer a real hybrid vs. a plug in as you can actually go somewhere in them without fear. And they're now pretty driver friendly.
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02-26-2017, 06:57 AM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Conroe, Texas
Posts: 18,593
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If I actually wanted a hybrid, and was going to give up my legacy cars, I would look at the new Chevy Volt (back seat room is not that great though)..
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*********Go Astros!*********
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02-26-2017, 07:03 AM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,000
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aja8888
If I actually wanted a hybrid, and was going to give up my legacy cars, I would look at the new Chevy Volt (back seat room is not that great though)..
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+1
When I was looking to replace my 2004 Chevy in late 2015 I considered a Volt. Really like the concept of the hybrid but the back seat room was too skimpy to be practical for adults.
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Numbers is hard
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02-26-2017, 07:04 AM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 5,775
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We bought a 2016 Toyota Camry XLE hybrid last year. Love it! Mostly in EV mode for our driving around town now. But has good power for freeway on trips. I think I fill the tank once a month or two. Gas expense went way down in retirement!
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Teach a Man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.
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02-26-2017, 08:01 AM
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#8
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,148
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We have an '07 Toyota Camry Hybrid and a '12 Toyota Prius, we've been thrilled with both. We've looked at and may buy a plugin hybrid, but there's a better than even chance we'll jump straight to an EV (Tesla Model 3?). There are several with enough range, around 200 miles or more, to satisfy our needs. But we'll still have one conventional hybrid to make longer trips easy. Even when/if chargers become more readily available, having to wait to recharge will be an issue for us - even superchargers take time.
I guess to the OP, the technology is plenty mature with many (but not all) automakers, no need to hesitate. Just a matter of choosing something that fits your needs and budget.
Tax credits are starting to run out, I think the EV credits start to phase out in two years. And state credits vary from state to state. So you have to pick a vehicle and research available credits where you are.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml
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No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57
Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
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02-26-2017, 08:22 AM
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#9
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: San Diego
Posts: 709
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We've had a Ford Fusion for almost four years* now. It's a big sedan and you wouldn't really know that it's a hybrid. We looked at the Volt, but the back seat is tiny. My parents like their Lexuses. My dad has the sedan and my mom just got her second CT hybrid.
*My husband parked it under a eucalyptus which did what eucalyptuses do, so most of the body is only two years old. At least no one was in the car at the time.
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02-26-2017, 09:17 AM
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#10
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,962
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My wife likes her '07 Prius, but for me the seats get tiresome after about 75 miles. The hatch and fold-down rear seats are is great features, though. Love the HID headlights, too.
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02-26-2017, 10:05 AM
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#11
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ormond Beach
Posts: 1,407
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wanaberetiree
I am thinking buying a new car this year for city use, preferably below $40-50K, maybe SUV (if mpg is good) and would be nice either electric or hybrid that is capable to drive on electricity only for say 20-30 mil.
PS: Do they still give tax credit for those ^ ?
Thx
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City use only? Can you live with a sub-$10k, 2 year old off-lease Nissan Leaf with less than 24k miles on it? Tons of them available around here for that price. Here's one local used car dealer's inventory (no junk add-on fees), you could buy one and have it shipped for less than $1k and still come out ahead.
http://www.bmvwcars.com/inventory.as...00&ordby=price
No way would I buy a new electric car if all I needed was 20-30 miles a day. These things are dirt-cheap used because no one wants them with cheap gas and range limits.
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02-26-2017, 10:23 AM
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#12
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Dutchess County
Posts: 1,599
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AllDone
*My husband parked it under a eucalyptus which did what eucalyptuses do, so most of the body is only two years old. At least no one was in the car at the time.
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What do eucalyptuses do to cars?
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02-26-2017, 11:06 AM
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#13
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,050
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Here's a link with Federal and CA credits.
https://driveclean.ca.gov/pev/Costs/Vehicles.php
I'm in CA and purchased a used 2015 Prius Plug-in last year. It had the green HOV sticker (out of stock now) already assigned to the car so I can drive in the carpool lane alone until Jan 2019. This helps as I use it everyday for work and saves me about 30 minutes per day, sometimes more.
The car I replaced was a 2006 Nissan getting about 20 mpg in stop and go traffic. Without charging the Prius, I average 50 - 52 mpg in stop and go traffic. I might be able to get 54 - 55 mpg but I have to gun the car at times due to lane changes.
It works fine for my personal needs at this time, not my ideal fun car, but it serves a purpose. I think my RE will be aligned with the HOV sticker expiration as I value it more than the gas savings. YMMV
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02-26-2017, 11:08 AM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,148
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GTFan
No way would I buy a new electric car if all I needed was 20-30 miles a day. These things are dirt-cheap used because no one wants them with cheap gas and range limits.
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Though sales of EV's, Plug-Ins & Hybrids have recently hit a wall, they've been growing by leaps and bounds over the past 5 years. "No one wants them" may be a little strong, but used cars are always a better value for all cars, ICE models included.
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57
Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
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02-27-2017, 04:26 PM
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#15
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Pasadena CA
Posts: 3,339
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Make sure to drive a Ford Focus Electric FFE. We had one and loved it, a bit of a cheap Tesla for the driving feel but limited to 75-80 miles. We replaced it with a Ford Fusion Energi, a plug in hybrid. Only get 25 miles on electric but about 7k mi of 10k mi have been electric but we no longer have any range concerns. A used Leaf or FFE is a good way to go but if you have any range concerns then a plug in hybrid is a good idea, they really just work and I don't look for charging stations anymore, just charge at home. In any case you will want a 240v charging system.
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T.S. Eliot:
Old men ought to be explorers
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02-27-2017, 04:54 PM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kerrville,Tx
Posts: 3,361
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
+1
When I was looking to replace my 2004 Chevy in late 2015 I considered a Volt. Really like the concept of the hybrid but the back seat room was too skimpy to be practical for adults.
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The Chevy malibu has a hybrid also gets about 49 mpg, I don't know about the electric only driving range. But the back seats have more leg room. (The Volt is a Cruise in disguise in that the seats etc are the same, and in the Cruse, if you put the front seats all the way back, the back seats are only for kids in car seats. ) The Malibu hybrid runs about 30k.
It has a smaller battery so the range is about 5 mi. (basically it sounds like electric in parking lots etc)
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02-27-2017, 05:26 PM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,760
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Just_Steve
What do eucalyptuses do to cars?
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And what would have happened to anyone inside the vehicle?
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02-27-2017, 05:29 PM
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#18
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,366
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Chevy Bolt is all electric, if it's available in your area. BMW i3 would fit as well. Tesla Model 3 should be nice, but will be difficult to get for a few years as they work through existing reservations.
The Nissan Leaf would be a good value pick if you buy it used.
An all electric car won't have the problems a gas car would have with short trips and possibly infrequent use. DW's Mini quickly builds up carbon deposits if it doesn't get out on the freeway often enough. We hope to replace it with a Tesla Model 3.
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02-27-2017, 05:30 PM
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#19
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,366
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Just_Steve
What do eucalyptuses do to cars?
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The branches like to fall off, especially if there's a car under them.
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02-27-2017, 07:38 PM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
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I saw several 2013 Leafs with less than 30K miles offered locally for less than $7K. Very tempted to get one just to drive to grocery stores or to the library, if I do not still have 3 cars that I do not want to get rid of.
There has to be something about the propulsion battery that makes the car depreciates that fast.
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