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Used Volts
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:35 am
by Bob
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/4506427036.html
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ctd/4505355917.html
I happened to see these in my craigslist browsing. It looks like the prices are headed in the right direction on used Volts. The white one is clearly a better value, but seeing a price below $15k is encouraging, even considering the high mileage.
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 5:02 pm
by kevm14
Jesus, I wonder if I can hold out for one of these to replace Jamie's Malibu. Actually, I can't. Not enough room. We won't do a minivan but the Volt is actually smaller than her Malibu. Damn.
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:42 am
by Bob
After seeing that white one, it looks like the tables have turned on my Prius vs Volt financial comparison. I am glad I didn't buy a new Volt since their values seem to be dropping quickly. On the other hand, I could now move from the Prius to the Volt and come out ahead. The one major turn off for me with the Volt is the rear seat space. It is very lacking thanks to their overly conservative, large battery pack.
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 11:44 am
by Bob
http://insideevs.com/perfect-storm-used-chevy-volts/
Interesting article here. It turns out the dealer mentioned in the article is in NC, not far from Charlotte. I'm not sure how I would feel about buying a Volt with a battery that hasn't been cycled at all in 3 or 4 years, but I guess it would probably be okay since the ICE does a little bit of charging and discharging.
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 12:27 pm
by kevm14
Wow. Yet another CLASSIC example of the unintended side effects of gov't regulation:
Jason Edwards: Listen, fleet vehicles are often mismanaged. The fleet owners have taken advantage of government and state incentives. The operators are often reimbursed for the gas they buy, but not the electricity in their home for plugging in, so they just drive them. I have specialized in these mid-high mileage Volts that with one read of the lifetime mileage indicates the pattern I am looking for.
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As an EREV driver, I could not fathom that there could be entire fleets of mismanaged EREVs. The high mileage drops the price, and the lack of battery usage makes it the perfect storm for the savvy EV buyer.
On the Prius battery longevity thing, I still think it's important to remember there is a big difference between a gas hybrid and something that shifts pretty far in the EV direction as the Volt is. The Prius doesn't need to store that much energy to do its hybrid job. That said, I suspect even after 100k of heavy EV use, the Volt is still pretty viable as an EV. Maybe 80% of its capacity? More?
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 12:32 pm
by kevm14
unlike ICE vehicles, in the Volt, the engine is not constantly under the stress of having to propel a drive train. when the engine does couple into the drive train it tends to be at points requiring less torque (the engine never engages into the drive train at speeds below 25 mph).
I don't think that is right. The ICE in the Volt actually spends the vast majority of its online time at WOT, governed by the MG essentially. I'm not sure that's a bad thing but I don't think it's accurate to say the engine typically outputs little torque.
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 7:22 pm
by kevm14
Some more good points:
An interesting anecdote to come back and post about is the gentlemen dissecting a Volt’s battery, and his comments in that video about the engine and generator components currently having a used market not far away from $1,000-2,000.
There are “timing belt” and “fuel pump” cars, where a total used engine swap is cheaper than all the parts that address those specific two failure.
So, maybe the Volt is inexpensive, either way
Also, for a Volt driven primarily on gas, the battery would sit at the bottom SoC level (20%) where it would go up slightly from regen, and back to 20% or so in EV mode. So even in a "gas only" usage it's not technically 100% gas.
We just bought one of the fleet Volts yesterday (100K all-gas miles)! We were in need of a 3rd car soon, and this worked out perfectly. I’m glad to be giving it a 2nd life as an EV.
How much are these? Are they like $15k?
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 7:24 pm
by kevm14
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:21 pm
by Bob
Speaking of the Volt, here is an interesting comparison to the range extended i3:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/109 ... s-compared
Re: Used Volts
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:28 pm
by Bob
That does make me feel better about buying any used Volt, regardless of previous use.