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> Electric vehicles are a tough sell now though. The Bolt EV costs $36,620, the Prius $23,475. You could split the difference -- buy a Chevy Volt for $34,095 (

> Electric vehicles are a tough sell now though. The Bolt EV costs $36,620, the Prius $23,475. You could split the difference -- buy a Chevy Volt for $34,095 ($26,595 after Fed Tax Credit). Drive electric up to 50+ miles per charge, but still get 42mpg when driving on gasoline, with over 420 miles of total range per fueling. > In general people buying electric vehicles in 2017 are buying them for non-economic reasons. They lose money. Hybrids are likely the best bang for your buck. I'd argue plug-in hybrids are where the real sweet spot is. It's only an extra $3k over the Prius, to get ~90% of your driving miles via zero-emission electricity, but still have full gasoline available for any long-distance trips. I think that's a really compelling argument. It's really easy to save more than just $3k on fuel alone, after a couple of years with that car. Regular hybrids are cheaper up front, but are wasteful. They cheap out on tiny batteries that are way too weak to take full advantage of the vehicle's technology. Stick a wall-chargeable 10-20 kWh battery into a hybrid, and you get the best of everything in one vehicle.

davexunit 9y ago
Hybrids are cool, but now you have to maintain an electric and gasoline engine. I'm in the market for a new car and when comparing the prices of a new Chevy Volt vs. a new Chevy Bolt, it's not a huge price difference to go all electric and greatly reduce moving parts.
- icantdrive55 9y ago
  I'm looking too. Don't like what I'm seeing. We're at a weird time. I basically want a 80's Toyota, but they all got really fancy. I understand federal emmission standards. It just seems like certain manufactures "blew up the body", while charging more, and making them really complicated. The average consumer has no idea just how complicated new vechicles have become. I see these customers sipping free Starbuck's coffee, and mineral water in lush dealership waiting rooms. And if you go out back, you see the hourly rate of $240 hr. I have bought all my vechicles forever. I've only been to a dealership when buying new. I'm honestly getting scared. I despise giving people money for stuff I could do, if given the right information. The last Non-Closer Salesman I saw said even the average mechanic is not working on newer cars; it's all dealership work. I brought along a blue-book and this Petaluma Dealership(one guy owns all the local dealerships) wouldn't budge on prices that were averaging 4-7 grand over BB. Then he said everyone is financing. To any Salesman out there, if I guy walk in with $20,000; you sell him a used vechicle. Now--the economy in the Bay Area is booming, maybe that's the reason I walked out? There's a need for a simple vechicle, that doesn't need to be brought to the dealer in order to fix. Toyota--got a bit big, and prices were high.(low milage Toyotas are hard to find. I'm just leary of buying a hybrid. I went to automotive school, but never learned how to work on them. I'm still considering a Prius though. There's enough of them around I can source parts from.) Honda--prices were high. Ford--liked the F-150, but the person I'm buying for couldn't get in comfortablely. They blew it up too much. Cooper--make in Germany by a division of BMW. Parts are high, along with service. KIA--I just don't know. I heard they are getting better? I refuse, on moral grounds, to spend more than $25,000 out the door on a used car' with less than 40k miles. I'm thinking about a classic car, with a satellite GPS theft system. At least I won't loose money, and can work on the vechicle.

davexunit 9y ago

Hybrids are cool, but now you have to maintain an electric and gasoline engine. I'm in the market for a new car and when comparing the prices of a new Chevy Volt vs. a new Chevy Bolt, it's not a huge price difference to go all electric and greatly reduce moving parts.

icantdrive55 9y ago
I'm looking too. Don't like what I'm seeing. We're at a weird time. I basically want a 80's Toyota, but they all got really fancy. I understand federal emmission standards. It just seems like certain manufactures "blew up the body", while charging more, and making them really complicated. The average consumer has no idea just how complicated new vechicles have become. I see these customers sipping free Starbuck's coffee, and mineral water in lush dealership waiting rooms. And if you go out back, you see the hourly rate of $240 hr. I have bought all my vechicles forever. I've only been to a dealership when buying new. I'm honestly getting scared. I despise giving people money for stuff I could do, if given the right information. The last Non-Closer Salesman I saw said even the average mechanic is not working on newer cars; it's all dealership work. I brought along a blue-book and this Petaluma Dealership(one guy owns all the local dealerships) wouldn't budge on prices that were averaging 4-7 grand over BB. Then he said everyone is financing. To any Salesman out there, if I guy walk in with $20,000; you sell him a used vechicle. Now--the economy in the Bay Area is booming, maybe that's the reason I walked out? There's a need for a simple vechicle, that doesn't need to be brought to the dealer in order to fix. Toyota--got a bit big, and prices were high.(low milage Toyotas are hard to find. I'm just leary of buying a hybrid. I went to automotive school, but never learned how to work on them. I'm still considering a Prius though. There's enough of them around I can source parts from.) Honda--prices were high. Ford--liked the F-150, but the person I'm buying for couldn't get in comfortablely. They blew it up too much. Cooper--make in Germany by a division of BMW. Parts are high, along with service. KIA--I just don't know. I heard they are getting better? I refuse, on moral grounds, to spend more than $25,000 out the door on a used car' with less than 40k miles. I'm thinking about a classic car, with a satellite GPS theft system. At least I won't loose money, and can work on the vechicle.