Recent content by Bilmat

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Spark was originally purchased in California and the buyer received his or her $2500 rebate check from the state, I think California will want a pro-rated amount of the money back. If I read the fine print correctly when I applied for my rebate check...

So you can eliminate the possibility of getting stranded, why don't you do it at the dealer a couple of times and see if you can replicate the problem? It seems to me that if the problem was a result of keeping your foot on the brake for an extended period of time, then powering down the car...

I had the equivalent of the Check Engine Light come on a few days ago. Took the Spark in and left it with the dealer. Received a call two hours later from the service advisor. He said that the fault code showed a failure of the actuator that controls the grill louvers. A new actuator was...

I thought I had everything done (CA rebate, HOV stickers, install Bosch 30 amp 240v charger, signed up for OnStar, etc. ), but after reading butler's post above, I realized I had forgotten to call PG&E for a tier rate change. Did so yesterday and was very impressed with the customer service rep...

I'm retired and was in a position where I could pay cash for the car. Buying instead of leasing makes it far easier to unload the car at any time should I want to. Since I will use it only for local trips, I doubt I'll put more than 3,000 miles a year on the Spark (I have an MDX that I use for...

I purchased the Bosch Power Max 30 amp 240v charger with the 18-foot cord from the pluginnow.com website. With the $500 discount, my out of pocket cost was approximately $120 with tax and shipping. I was fortunate with the installation as my breaker box is located in the garage. A local...

Left her in "L" the whole way down. When I first started driving Miss Evee, I didn't care for driving in "L", but after using it for awhile, I really like it for city driving, and for extended downhill runs. Freeway driving, I find "L" slows you down too drastically when you let off the...

Perhaps I'm not seeing a push to sell the Spark EV here in Fremont and the South Bay because it is overshadowed by the Tesla, which is built here and receives so much publicity. I often check out the local Chevy dealer ads in the Mercury News and the Spark EV seems to be conspicuously absent...

Which is evidence that its targeted buyers suffered from range anxiety. With the larger batteries available in the new S models, the car seems to be selling well, at least in Silicon Valley. More power to Tesla and every other EV manufacturer as the more that are sold or leased the faster we'll...

I think the primary reason people aren't rushing to their Chevy dealer to purchase a Spark EV is that few people know it exists. There has been no commercial advertising that I have seen, and if the rumor I have heard that there is little or no profit in the car for the General, I don't expect...

Today's (Sunday the 13th) San Jose Mercury News included a story about the opening of Tesla's new store in Palo Alto where people could test drive the Model S and look at the new Model X Crossover that, according to the paper, is expected to go on sale in 2015. No price has been set, but the...

I considered waiting for a Spark EV with DC charging capabilities until I read that the charging stations are few and between and will be coming online slowly. I also understand that they will be a not-so-cheap option and/or will boost the cost of the Spark by as much as $500. Since I didn't...

I had the opportunity to take an EV-1 on a 10 mile test drive several years ago, courtesy of the salesman who sold me a Saturn. It wasn't the most beautiful car in the world, but driving it was one of the most amazing experiences I have had in my 50 years behind the wheel. It may not have been...

I concur. I initially thought about leasing, but when I considered purchasing my 2LT at a $10,000 discount from its $27,820 MSRP price tag after the federal tax credit and the CA rebate, I decided that buying the car for $17,820 plus T&L was the way to go. When I have leased in the past the...