New Car!

"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k)
01/21/2020 at 13:29 • Filed to: None

I posted last week about the crazy money Chevy was throwing at the Bolt.

Well, I put my money where my mouth is and ended up in a fully loaded Bolt this weekend -

We were originally working towards a lower trim. The local advertised rates were $0 drive-off and $199/month for the base LT but we wanted the comfort and driver confidence 1&2 packages that add a lot of the safety gizmos. After a lot of back and forth came to $0 drive-off and $232 a month for a red car with those packages…only to then be told that another customer had put a deposit down on that car so it was no longer available.

And these things were truly flying off the lots – inventory at all the local dealers were dwindling by the day. My guy didn’t have any others coming in, so I told him I’m going to have to go with the competition to get the car I want. It wasn’t a negotiation tactic on my part but it sure worked out that way. He came back and offered the same $232 a month on this fully loaded premier model (not my 1 st color choice, but whatever) if I pay the 1 st month’s lease fee at signing (all other registration and fees still covered/baked in to price). Sounded like a damn good deal to me.

The car has some nice features I wasn’t going to get on the lower trim that are super nice to have too – mainly the upgraded Bose stereo and a very comprehensive 360 camera system. Our 1.5 year-old loves it too and keeps pointing at it shouting “New Car!” wanting to go for a ride.

Now the trusty ZHP that has been doing DD duty the last few months can go back in the garage, and I’ll be able to keep freshening it back up (lately haven’t had time to get it on stands and start working on anything as I always needed to have it ready to drive to work the next day).

DISCUSSION (21)

phenotyp > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 13:36

Nice!

I see a few Bolts around. Haven’t driven one yet. But I was a proponent of the Volt, and thought that the Bolt could do a great job getting people into an electric car.

CB > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 13:42

Looks awesome! Congrats!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > phenotyp
01/21/2020 at 13:43

Yeah super bummed they canned the Volt. I have a sneaking suspicion something similar is going to happen to the Bolt too once federal rebates fully dry up, which would be a shame. Quit stopping and starting over again and keep improving on the name you’ve built for yourself! It’s like they have zero confidence in what they’ve done so far. The Volt was a GREAT car. The Bolt is very good too…just keep it up, dammit.

I was eyeing off-lease Volts to buy outright, but when these Bolt deals came through it was a no brainer. Better packaging, less cramped passenger compartment, and all the range I could ever need from this car while being pure EV. Also not as much to worry about with Volt being discontinued and Chevy dealers apparently being very inept at working with these, especially as they get older and no lo nger part of their line-up.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 13:47

Congrats!

phenotyp > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 13:59

That’s how I felt about the i3.

It’s a crap car, super-expensive, and is pretty much a toy.

And it’s a carbon-fiber chassis. Getting in and out is ideal. I’ve bought 7.5 gallons of gas in 2.5 years. the packaging and materials are AMAZING.

It’s kind of a crapshoot. But I absolutely get why it’s good.

AlfaCorse > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 14:09

Nice, can’t go wrong with that!

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 14:10

Nice we test drove one of those and really liked it. Dealership was TOTALLY inept or we might have ended up with it.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 14:16

Congrats! I'm excited to hear your review of it. I've been eyeing used Bolt prices, and oddly enough, they seem to be going up.

Chariotoflove > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 15:08

Wonderful. I’ve found that I like having the 360 camera for parking and tight spaces. Not sure how needed it is on a small car, but it’s a good thing to have.

Ash78, voting early and often > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 15:16

Wow, nice! If I understand correctly, the dealer keeps the Federal rebate and passes the savings along to you via the lease rate, correct?

That saves a lot of headaches and waiting another year or more for your rebate money :)

I’m keeping a close eye on EVs for my next car, but pretty sure I’ll go with ICE (for probably the last time ever) since it may end up being the family roadtrip car. But for a daily commute, you can’t beat EV.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 15:26

I talked to my wife about trading in my car for a Bolt. She is so against getting a lease and she can’t get past that. Even tho it would cost a lot less than my car, even if my 122,000 mile bmw doesn’t have any major problems in the next 3 years.

facw > Ash78, voting early and often
01/21/2020 at 15:32

The leasing company (whether that’s the dealer or someone else) owns the car, and so is entitled to the rebate, lowering the leasing cost. There has been a big issue with people leasing the cars filing for claims as if they bought it, essentially double-claiming the credit, but the IRS is cracking down on that and plans to send out some big bills over the next year to people who were paid despite being ineligible.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > phenotyp
01/21/2020 at 15:34

A coworker had a i3 lease, went to lunch in it a couple of times - was shocked how easily it could fit 4 fully grown men.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Ash78, voting early and often
01/21/2020 at 15:39

Yes - correct. That’s another reason leases are so attractive. None of the headache of waiting for your tax credit, or applying for state rebates (which are “first come first serve” while funding lasts). You just sign some paperwork letting the dealer/manufacturer apply for those funds and keep it.

Even my wife was commenting this weekend after driving the new car how much she missed it (since we turned in our Spark EV a few months ago) - it really is effortless and smooth. For runaround and commuting it is amazing. I love my E46 for weekend drives, but I get very little pleasure out of it in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic. Compared to the Subaru - I think we’d both rather drive the Bolt any day of the week.

It’s a good time to be alive, lots of great EVs are going to hit the market soon. Pretty sure we’ve already bought out last fully ICE vehicle at this point (other than old project cars that I’ll swap in and out for fun).

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Chariotoflove
01/21/2020 at 15:40

Yeah it’s not a necessity on such a small car, but it sure is handy. And for the wife, who isn’t the most confident parallel parker it’s a huge plus.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > BaconSandwich is tasty.
01/21/2020 at 15:41

Yeah I’ve been watching them too - honestly I don’t think it’s worth it given what you can get a new one for, assuming you can make it work budget-wise. But if you can find a good used deal I suppose it’s not a huge risk with the battery warranty and simple drivetrain.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > MiniGTI - now with XJ6
01/21/2020 at 15:44

Oh geez, tell me about it. I’ve found one good salesperson and I’m sticking with him (leased both my Chevy EVs through him so far). Other dealers I was talking with kept giving me crap like “I can’t quote you an exact price - just come in and we’ll see what we can do”. Never giving in to that runaround crap.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 17:03

Up here in Canada there aren't many used ones, and the prices tend to be a lot higher. There's "only" a $5k federal tax rebate, compared to the $7.5k USD plus state rebates. If I were in the US, it'd be a lot more tempting to buy new.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/21/2020 at 19:35

Right. I just wanted a price after the test drive and she kept us waiting standing in front of the office for over half an hour.

pip bip - choose Corrour > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
01/22/2020 at 03:48

not sold here

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > MiniGTI - now with XJ6
01/22/2020 at 11:29

LOL, I really don’t understand their strategies. Do they not want to sell a car? Isn’t that how they supposedly make a living?