sTeeve
Well-known member
Stumbled upon an ad (Michigan) for a "used" 2014 Spark EV on Autotrader.com.
"2LT, CBT option (DC Fast Charge), 125 miles, never titled, qualifies for tax credits. MSRP = $28k. Sale price = $17,900".
I bought it. Had it shipped to my home in Ga., USA. Its paperwork showed that it had been bought from a Chevy dealer in Ca. by a Chevy dealer in MI and shipped to MI.
Titled it, registered it, tagged it. Georgia's DMV had no trouble with the paperwork; my local Chevy dealer will service it (they had a 1LT Spark EV on their used car lot for nearly 2 yrs before they ended up buying it for a dealership runabout).
With the tax credits, shipping, TAVT, etc., my cost ends up being under $9k.
Have had the car for only a few days but damn is it a hoot to drive! It's a bit unstable under hard acceleration, but I figure a tire/suspension upgrade should settle it down.
Still pinching myself that this really happened. Great car, too bad it's not available in all 50 states. The software is a bit wonky compared to my 2013 Leaf SL, and the Spark EV is not nearly as refined as the Leaf, but a better comparison would be the i-MiEV, and the Spark EV is way more fun to drive than the (sedated) Mitsu.
Bad news: it won't charge from its DC fast charge port. So my local Chevy dealer has it now. They've diagnosed a defective charge port, so the replacement part is being shipped from Indiana (?). Should be ready by this evening (05/22).
To say that I'm stoked would be an understatement. I'm a member of the EV Club of the South, and we're all geeking out on this. Already had two offers to buy it. (I have to keep it for a year before I sell it or I lose the tax credits...not that I'm going to sell it, though, because it's just too much fun to drive!).
-Bob K.
Update 02/19/16: I couldn't remember if I had updated the status of this car, so here it is: the car went into the shop May 20, 2015 for repair of a non-functioning DC fast charge unit. 82 days later, it was repaired and has been perfect ever since.
Yes, you read that right: 82 days in the shop.
At around Day 30, I began to self-educate about Georgia's Lemon Law; seeing as how the car now qualified for buy-back or replacement according to the stipulations of the law, I contacted Georgia's Consumer Protection Division and filed the proper forms. As you can guess, this takes time. Papers have to be filed, letters written, documents gathered, signatures accrued, yada yada yada.
I had decided that I wanted to keep the car, however, so that eliminated the Georgia Lemon Law process for me, according to Consumer Protection Division. They did say, however, that I could pursue a settlement with GM with a private attorney.
One of my EV Club buds recommended an attorney with whom he had worked on a settlement for his Volt, so I engaged her services. She advised me that this case was a "slam dunk" and it would just be a matter of negotiating with GM to get the best settlement. She would take $2500 from it.
GM's first offer was dick. We countered, and their second offer...wait for it...was more than my initial counter-offer! Plus, they agreed to extend the bumper-bumper warranty another 48 mo.! (To add more comedy, their second offer included a warranty for a ICE vehicle..."...repair of head gasket, valve train, blahblahblah...").
All told, this car cost me ~$4300.
I'm still pinching myself...
p.s. Oh, and my electricity utility gave me $500 rebate for purchase of 2 EVSEs. [pinch]
"2LT, CBT option (DC Fast Charge), 125 miles, never titled, qualifies for tax credits. MSRP = $28k. Sale price = $17,900".
I bought it. Had it shipped to my home in Ga., USA. Its paperwork showed that it had been bought from a Chevy dealer in Ca. by a Chevy dealer in MI and shipped to MI.
Titled it, registered it, tagged it. Georgia's DMV had no trouble with the paperwork; my local Chevy dealer will service it (they had a 1LT Spark EV on their used car lot for nearly 2 yrs before they ended up buying it for a dealership runabout).
With the tax credits, shipping, TAVT, etc., my cost ends up being under $9k.
Have had the car for only a few days but damn is it a hoot to drive! It's a bit unstable under hard acceleration, but I figure a tire/suspension upgrade should settle it down.
Still pinching myself that this really happened. Great car, too bad it's not available in all 50 states. The software is a bit wonky compared to my 2013 Leaf SL, and the Spark EV is not nearly as refined as the Leaf, but a better comparison would be the i-MiEV, and the Spark EV is way more fun to drive than the (sedated) Mitsu.
Bad news: it won't charge from its DC fast charge port. So my local Chevy dealer has it now. They've diagnosed a defective charge port, so the replacement part is being shipped from Indiana (?). Should be ready by this evening (05/22).
To say that I'm stoked would be an understatement. I'm a member of the EV Club of the South, and we're all geeking out on this. Already had two offers to buy it. (I have to keep it for a year before I sell it or I lose the tax credits...not that I'm going to sell it, though, because it's just too much fun to drive!).
-Bob K.
Update 02/19/16: I couldn't remember if I had updated the status of this car, so here it is: the car went into the shop May 20, 2015 for repair of a non-functioning DC fast charge unit. 82 days later, it was repaired and has been perfect ever since.
Yes, you read that right: 82 days in the shop.
At around Day 30, I began to self-educate about Georgia's Lemon Law; seeing as how the car now qualified for buy-back or replacement according to the stipulations of the law, I contacted Georgia's Consumer Protection Division and filed the proper forms. As you can guess, this takes time. Papers have to be filed, letters written, documents gathered, signatures accrued, yada yada yada.
I had decided that I wanted to keep the car, however, so that eliminated the Georgia Lemon Law process for me, according to Consumer Protection Division. They did say, however, that I could pursue a settlement with GM with a private attorney.
One of my EV Club buds recommended an attorney with whom he had worked on a settlement for his Volt, so I engaged her services. She advised me that this case was a "slam dunk" and it would just be a matter of negotiating with GM to get the best settlement. She would take $2500 from it.
GM's first offer was dick. We countered, and their second offer...wait for it...was more than my initial counter-offer! Plus, they agreed to extend the bumper-bumper warranty another 48 mo.! (To add more comedy, their second offer included a warranty for a ICE vehicle..."...repair of head gasket, valve train, blahblahblah...").
All told, this car cost me ~$4300.
I'm still pinching myself...
p.s. Oh, and my electricity utility gave me $500 rebate for purchase of 2 EVSEs. [pinch]
