Bought one - finally

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elpwr

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 3, 2015
Messages
66
I've been lurking around here for several months wanting an EV. Finally today I purchased a 2014 spark EV, on manufactures certificate of origin, with 62 odometer miles from a Maryland dealer.

I'm currently arranging for shipping to my home here in Florida and should have it within a few days. My biggest concern about owning one in a state where they are not sold, was service. However, a local Chevrolet dealer assures me that their Volt technician can service the Spark EV and they will do any required warranty and service work.

This dealer also was able to provide a lot of information from the GM records - where the car has been since manufactured, how it was used and what service work was done. It seems many selling dealers are reluctant to divulge this info so I was lucky to find one that printed out and gave me the data on this car and a couple of others I was considering. That was all I needed to go ahead with the purchase.

I have to confess, I really wanted an E-Golf and would have purchased one if there was any indication that it could be serviced locally. But no go. Last week while in LA, I test drove both the Spark and the Golf. Naturally, the Golf is a more sophisticated and refined car. But then again, it's a lot more money.
 
This should be a lot of fun!

It's going to be more of a toy than an essential transportation device - I have other cars. And the semi rural environment where I live is not exactly where EV's work best.

I just love the smooth and silent wave of torque and the seamless power delivery of electrics. And if its appeal remains strong, I could see myself moving up to the generation of more capable EV's that are just a short time away.

Exciting times now in the automotive world.
 
elpwr said:
...

I have to confess, I really wanted an E-Golf and would have purchased one if there was any indication that it could be serviced locally. But no go. Last week while in LA, I test drove both the Spark and the Golf. Naturally, the Golf is a more sophisticated and refined car. But then again, it's a lot more money.

Do yourself a favor and click on the link at the top of the page. Visit the e-Golf forum and see what actual owners have to say about it. I was surprised to find that some things as basic as a trip odometer are poorly implemented.

As well, the eGolf actually locks the charge connector in place when charging, and there is no way to defeat that. The tales of woe around that are telling. Telling that the car was rushed to market...
 
I spent some time in the E-Golf forum and I'm aware of some of the issues with the car. I've had relatively good luck with several VW's I have owned in the past. However, I'm very much aware of their less then stellar reliability. But the lack of dealer service here in Florida was the real reason that I was kept away.

I'm not disparaging the Spark, I bought one, but it is nowhere near as nice as the Golf. I drove and carefully examined both of them on the same day. The Golf has the high-quality, carefully crafted interior of an upscale car. It feels more substantial and quiet when driving, has more features and more room. And actually looks like a real car.

Again, I am not knocking the Spark. Great value for the money, but certainly not in the same league as the E-Golf.
 
elp,

Too bad you will not be using it as "an essential transportation device" and realizing the savings this fast, fun car can provide.
Put some better tires on it, when needed, and it will leave the e-Golf behind in any performance rating!

I've had mine for over 2 months now and during that time I used my gas car once. Just last weekend I drove my old hybrid to a weekend party at a distant lake.
Plus, I haven't spent a dime on powering the Spark EV. (I live in a very EV Friendly City.)
 
Unfortunately (actually fortunately for me) I don't live in a city. And the small rural towns near me have zero public charging facilities. So I will be pretty much restricted to home charging - that's why it's going to be mostly a toy.

Any EV, with the exception of a Tesla, will have very limited practical utility for me. Nonetheless, I'm sure I'll enjoy the Spark and have some fun with it.
 
elpwr said:
Unfortunately (actually fortunately for me) I don't live in a city. And the small rural towns near me have zero public charging facilities. So I will be pretty much restricted to home charging - that's why it's going to be mostly a toy.

Any EV, with the exception of a Tesla, will have very limited practical utility for me. Nonetheless, I'm sure I'll enjoy the Spark and have some fun with it.
How far is your typical trip (total miles, not distance of farthest point)? When I lived in a rural community, most of my trips were pretty short.

We find the Spark EV using only home charging to to be sufficient for over 90% of our car trips, public charging gets us another 5%, with the remaining trips involving dogs, kayaks, bicycles, etc. In the year we have owned the Spark, we have taken only 2 trip where the distance would have made it inconvenient with the Spark.

Only time will tell, but if you are like us, you will end up using the Spark WAY more often than you expected too.

Chocula
 
Yep. It's entirely possible the Spark will get more use than I anticipate. I usually make around 5 trips to "town" a week. It's usually a 25-30 mile round trip that should be easy to do. I have several other cars I enjoy driving also but the Spark will definitely get some use

Spark is on the transport truck this morning for delivery here in Central FL in a couple of days. Looking forward to it!
 
elpwr wrote:
Unfortunately (actually fortunately for me) I don't live in a city. And the small rural towns near me have zero public charging facilities. So I will be pretty much restricted to home charging - that's why it's going to be mostly a toy.

Any EV, with the exception of a Tesla, will have very limited practical utility for me. Nonetheless, I'm sure I'll enjoy the Spark and have some fun with it.

How far is your typical trip (total miles, not distance of farthest point)? When I lived in a rural community, most of my trips were pretty short.

We find the Spark EV using only home charging to to be sufficient for over 90% of our car trips, public charging gets us another 5%, with the remaining trips involving dogs, kayaks, bicycles, etc. In the year we have owned the Spark, we have taken only 2 trip where the distance would have made it inconvenient with the Spark.

elpwr,
I, too, live in a rural area. The roads are perfect for regenerative braking and coasting. I only have about a five mile drive to work and arrive at work with a full charge. I charge only at home because of lack of chargers in town. There is an L2 at a local bank, but I'm not going to hang out in their parking lot waiting for my car to charge when I could be home. I kept my 2001 Honda Accord for awhile thinking I was going to have to use it from time to time, and the Spark was going to be my fun car. After having to jump-start the Accord twice for lack of use, it was time to let it go and I sold it. It was too good of a car in too good of shape to just let sit.

Like Chocula, the Spark is our main car.

Sounds like you have some other cars you like a lot. You might want to have some trickle-chargers handy to keep their batteries in good shape because you'll probably be driving the Spark more than you anticipate.
 
elpwr said:
I spent some time in the E-Golf forum and I'm aware of some of the issues with the car. I've had relatively good luck with several VW's I have owned in the past. However, I'm very much aware of their less then stellar reliability. But the lack of dealer service here in Florida was the real reason that I was kept away.

I'm not disparaging the Spark, I bought one, but it is nowhere near as nice as the Golf. I drove and carefully examined both of them on the same day. The Golf has the high-quality, carefully crafted interior of an upscale car. It feels more substantial and quiet when driving, has more features and more room. And actually looks like a real car.

Again, I am not knocking the Spark. Great value for the money, but certainly not in the same league as the E-Golf.

No reason to knock the golf. My wife has a 2012 golf tdi and I have taken a close look at the e-golf - both research and a long test drive. We love the drive and comfort of the golf. It is much more comfortable to drive. And safer than the spark - I have had a major crash in the golf and those crush zones do protect the occupants - my 80 year old mom was in the driver seat and my wife and daughter were in the back... I consider the spark to be "safe enough" - but it is a smaller car and doesn't score as highly on IIHS crash testing when compared to the e-golf (or the soul ev) . My wife drives a golf tdi now - for her - the familiarity of the platform will lend itself to increased safety in driving.

I have also looked at the kia soul ev. But the thing that keeps me "in" on the Spark EV is the thermal management of the battery pack and the cost.

I am leasing and total cost of lease for spark ev is $5500 or so with $500 towards a bosch charger. The e-golf premium - which I would want for the heat pump is currently looking like $10-12k total lease cost. kia soul ev is in the same ballpark.

I look at the kia soul ev because it has bigger battery pack - but what good is it without thermal management in colder or hotter weather? AAA did a test that showed EVs without thermal management lost more than half their range in cold weather and 30% in hot weather - we get mornings in the 20s and 30s here in the winter... AAA article is here :

http://newsroom.aaa.com/2014/03/extreme-temperatures-affect-electric-vehicle-driving-range-aaa-says/

The other thing that needs to be mentioned is that the infotainment and the bluetooth hands free on my wife's golf absolutely sucks. And I don't see the improvements in the current golf making much progress. I cannot believe it - but VW doesn't seem to have used any noise cancellation at all - I can't hear her going down the highway unless she is yelling.
they need to subcontract this work out to plantronics.... She has had alot of trouble pairing as well - although this is better since she changed phones. For a nice car - this is a big black mark... Reviews of the 2015 golf models are not kind to the vw in this area and this is supposed to be upgraded in 2016 - but if it is the same bunch of engineers who made that piece of crap - I really don't know what to expect... The spark is much better in terms of displays, etc. Particularly EV related power display and management info.

Where e-golf wins...
- fit and finish on the VW gives you Audi quality. Assembly is in Wolfsburg Germany - so this is German (versus Mexican).
- handling (oh and you can get Koni or bilstein shocks aftermarket too. and if you want better wheels - plenty on craigslist...)
- safety with higher crash tests
- Storage capacity
- Comfort - much better seating with good adjustable lumbar support, etc.
- Larger with room for five & more storage capacity...
- 7.2. KW charger (only 3.3. on spark ev).
- DC fast charger is standard (optional on spark ev).


Where the Spark EV wins...
- Drivetrain - 7.2 seconds versus 11 seconds 0-60 accelleration
- Fun...
- Thermal Management of Battery - liquid heating and cooling (plugged in and driving)
- Infotainment
- Display of Electrical info and driving aids.
- VW has poor smartphone app whereas chevy is much better to monitor charging, etc.
- Easier to park in city driving.
- Cost of ownership - half the cost of the e-golf.
- Free charger thrown in with Bosch discount.
 
I fully agree with every one of the points you've made in the comparison.

I don't want to sound snobbish, but my other vehicles are premium high-end cars and I've become accustomed to the high quality materials and craftsmanship they offer. The eGolf comes close to matching the feel of premium cars while the Spark simply does not.

No doubt though, that the Spark offers lots of EV goodness for a relatively modest price.
 
Congratulations! welcome to the BEV lifestyle! It took me a few months to arrange for free charging and limit my trips but it is so worth it. The car will pay for itself in 5.95 years calculating money saved that would be spent on fuel for the ICE vehicles I own. Sold my 95 Acura NSX-T and plan to buy another rental income or a flip with the money. Didn't need a 3rd car for my one butt! The Spark acceleration is close to my NSX of course the EV doesn't handle as well with the high side wall eco tires. The Spark IMO is a good BEV learning platform, I can't wait until the new Tesla or BOLT becomes available. The free charge sites will be dried up by then I'm guessing. Forget the style and have fun!
Stephen

elpwr said:
I fully agree with every one of the points you've made in the comparison.

I don't want to sound snobbish, but my other vehicles are premium high-end cars and I've become accustomed to the high quality materials and craftsmanship they offer. The eGolf comes close to matching the feel of premium cars while the Spark simply does not.

No doubt though, that the Spark offers lots of EV goodness for a relatively modest price.
 
Spark's here!

And you're right, Stephen. It's going to be fun and I'll soon forget the quirky looks. It honestly doesn't feel all that fast to me. But then I'm accustomed to 380hp in my Lexus LS and 510hp in my Jaguar XF Supercharged. Unfortunately I'm also accustomed to them guzzling lots of premium gas! It will be nice to curb that somewhat.

It has the salmon colored flip down cover below the circular charge port. Doesn't this indicate it has the dc charge option installed? The dealer said it didn't have it.

Remember, I never saw this car until it came off of the transport truck this morning. First time I've purchased a car sight unseen. Saw pictures but they don't always tell the whole story - and didn't in this instance, either.
 
elpwr,
It seems that you are a DCFC member. You have the SAE Combo DCFC or CCS (Combined Charging System)
3377859.thumb
It is not just for looks, dealer might just be ignoint!

elpwr said:
Spark's here!

And you're right, Stephen. It's going to be fun and I'll soon forget the quirky looks. It honestly doesn't feel all that fast to me. But then I'm accustomed to 380hp in my Lexus LS and 510hp in my Jaguar XF Supercharged. Unfortunately I'm also accustomed to them guzzling lots of premium gas! It will be nice to curb that somewhat.

It has the salmon colored flip down cover below the circular charge port. Doesn't this indicate it has the dc charge option installed? The dealer said it didn't have it.

Remember, I never saw this car until it came off of the transport truck this morning. First time I've purchased a car sight unseen. Saw pictures but they don't always tell the whole story - and didn't in this instance, either.
 
That's awesome it has the $750 DCFC option and hopefully you didn't pay for it!
You definitely want that option for the future. All new BEV's will have some version of DCFC.
Plus the resale value will be better.

Just goes to show, you can't believe a thing car salesmen say.

Congrats, and welcome to the future !
 
elpwr,

I know what you mean about he car "feeling" slow, with my NSX torque coming on after high RPM then sling shooting me forward the feel is different, but trust me at a light as the cars behind you shrink in your dust there is no comparison to an average family sedan. The smooth even torque of this car is misleading, no one without 350+ horsepower can keep up with you. :mrgreen:
elpwr said:
Spark's here!

And you're right, Stephen. It's going to be fun and I'll soon forget the quirky looks. It honestly doesn't feel all that fast to me. But then I'm accustomed to 380hp in my Lexus LS and 510hp in my Jaguar XF Supercharged. Unfortunately I'm also accustomed to them guzzling lots of premium gas! It will be nice to curb that somewhat.

It has the salmon colored flip down cover below the circular charge port. Doesn't this indicate it has the dc charge option installed? The dealer said it didn't have it.

Remember, I never saw this car until it came off of the transport truck this morning. First time I've purchased a car sight unseen. Saw pictures but they don't always tell the whole story - and didn't in this instance, either.
 
NORTON said:
That's awesome it has the $750 DCFC option and hopefully you didn't pay for it!
You definitely want that option for the future. All new BEV's will have some version of DCFC.
Plus the resale value will be better.

Just goes to show, you can't believe a thing car salesmen say.

Congrats, and welcome to the future !



The "suprise" installed DC charge option helps make up for the "suprise" paint gouges in the rocker panel and small dent in the back door. Another couple of things the dealer didn't tell me about. They certainly weren't there in the pictures posted on his website - but the transport operator had them marked on his condition report when he picked it up.

When I really pressed the dealer he admitted that they were "probably there". Any wonder why car dealers are the least trusted profession in the country?
 
Sorry to hear about the bodywork issues.

When I walked into the Chevy dealer, I had extremely low expectations. I think that helped quite a bit with the process. They sold me a car with an easily identifiable software bug that required a trip back to get the update.

I'm curious about Tesla's sales model that turns the awful car buying experience upside down. (Plus they update software remotely.)
 
You're right. Keeping your expectations low is the key.

I love cars, I currently have four and trade them fairly frequently. But I absolutely detest the car buying experience. Spark EV's are not sold in Florida so I had no choice but to buy this car site unseen and have it transported here - something I have said I would never do. Sure enough, there were some issues. None of the bodywork flaws are major and I can take care of them with a little time, effort and at minimal cost. But I shouldn't have to.

I was concerned about getting a car that still had the available income tax credit. I actually started a thread here about that issue. I'm fairly certain the one I have purchased will still have the credit available. It has never been titled, is still on manufactures certificate of origin, and has 52 miles on it. It was a GM corporate car, used at the GM training facility in Atlanta before being sold at auto auction and bought by the dealer.

In order to sell the car outside of a compliance state, the dealer must market and sell the car as used. So my bill of sale indicates a used car but all the other paperwork shows it is a new 2014 Spark EV.

Considering that I bought the car over $10,000 off MSRP, and hopefully I can get the $7500 tax credit, it will turn out to be a bargain. The aggravation and expense of some minor bodywork will be well worth it.
 
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