Chevy Volt

[ga0358]

With gas prices continuously rising at the DROP of a hat (now it's the possibility of hurricane damage on the rigs in the gulf) the thought has crossed my mind (shiver) that a Chevy Volt may be in my future as my commute is 32 miles one way. BUT the PRICE on this thing is crazy...STARTING at $40,000 but with INCREDIBLE mpg, 60-100 mpg, which MAY pay back some of that initial lay-out. All the reviews I see from owners are 5 stars and people RAVE about them

I'm right at 24 mpg in my LS right now. Averaging $50.00 per fill-up, which is do-able, but forecasters are saying maybe $5.00 by year's end, which will bump it up to $80-$85 per WEEK!! The Volt suddenly begins to appear to be a more LUCRATIVE mode of transportation and more AFFORDABLE, but it would really break my heart to have to trade my Camaro in, but it would just MAKE SENSE ya know?? What do y'all think?? If gas keeps rising, is an electric vehicle in your future??

[h2oplay]

Not till technology with storage improves, that car costs GM way more than the 40k to produce, rumored to be over 100k, I wouldn't want to be stuck with it when GM drops it...... Gas in the US is still a bargain, there's always public transportation.

[Nameless]

There are other options.

I picked up my 2005 Saturn used for $7,500 and get 36-37 MPG (base model, 14 inch wheels) highway and I'm very happy with that. Hybrid what?

[colingordon]

Get the VW Pasat you get 800 miles on one tank of clean disel gas

[Flashpoint135]

Careful with the cost payback. MPG is high, but you have to pay for the electricity too. Look at the time it takes to get to a full charge on the battery. Remember you won't be able to charge it at work either, so once you've used up your battery on the 30+ miles to work you will be running on gas all the way home.

No way an electric vehicle is in my future. Might be right for some people, mostly very short trip people, but not me.

[meissen]

As much as it pains me to say it because I love the Chevy Volt for what it is, I think a better alternative would be the Cruze Eco. The only way I can see the Volt being worth it is if you have a charging station where you work so that you can charge at home, drive on electric to your office, then charge it up while at work, and drive home on electric.

I'm in the same boat as you, though. You can lease a Chevy Volt for $350 a month or you can buy them for bargains... there's some good incentives on the Volt right now and don't forget the government tax rebates you get for buying a Volt.

I've been eyeing the Volt for awhile now... My commute is 35-40 miles each way and since I work at GM World Headquarters, we have charging stations in the parking structures for Volt owners to use. Makes the idea of owning a Volt much more appealing.

PS - Shameless GM pride - Chevy Volt > Nissan Leaf.

[1BADLS3]

The Volt is an interesting car for a lot of reasons. IMO the payoff isn't really worth it, not considering the high entry cost, and also opportunity cost if you're stuck with the car as the technology gets better.

There are a lot of very attractive options for getting better mileage. One of the most economical ways is to buy something like mentioned above--a used 'commuter' vehicle that will pull well over 30mpg. They're cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, and cheap on gas.

If you want a nicer rig, I'd look into a small diesel, like a VW golf/Jetta. Those regularly get over 50mpg and that little 2.0L diesel motor has proven itself time and time again.

I honestly can't understand why anyone would buy a hybrid...but that's just IMO.

[MikeSVX]

Get a used motorcycle. Hell of a lot cheaper and if you get something like a Honda Shadow, you'll get about 50mpg. I've got a Yamaha V-star. Its a fairly big bike with a 1100cc engine and I'm getting 38 to 40mpg. My old bike was a Suzuki Gladius which had the same engine as their SV650 (V-twin 650) and I adveraged between 50 and 55mpg on it.

The motorcycle has become a daily driver for me here in SD. I can pretty much ride it year round, and California allows you to split lanes if traffics bad and use the car pool lanes. It makes my 30 each way trip both faster and cheaper. I got the Yamaha because I wanted something a little more comfortable for longer trips, like to Vegas and Oakland.

The girlfriend has a Sonic 1.4L Turbo and adverages 33mpg with about a 50/50 mix of city and highway driving. And I hear the Desiel VW's get insane mileage. I had an instructer in school (back in the 90's) that had an 80 something Rabbit desiel that he claimed got 60mpg. I can't see the new ones getting less then that.

[toesuf94]

Keep your Camaro...get a used 4-banger to commute in like Nameless did. Hell, find a used Honda or the aforementioned Saturn and convert it to CNG gas or propane. The Volt is a great car, but if you run the figures, you will never recoup that investment versus what you will 'save' in gas.

[Mishimoto]

My friend has a late 90's TDI Passat with leather, stick, chipped, and over 200,000 miles on it and gets 55-60 mpg out of it. If diesel isn't your thing, I'd go with 2 wheels like mentioned above.

[PonyMan]

When technology makes it possible to get 300 miles off a full charge and it takes less than eight hours to recharge..."I am in", and so will the majority of the world’s population!! I am sure I will see this happen in my lifetime.....hold on to gas engine cars boys & girls; you can show your great grandchildren!!

[huggercamaro21]

We have a Volt. If you are just wanting something that gets good mpg, then it might not be for you. But if you want something that gets tons of attention, has an unreal driving experience, and will get you 70-100 mpg on your work commute, then you will want to look into it. Also, our electric bill hasn't made any observable difference.

[Grabber]

The G/F and I are trading in her Stang and are trying to get a Volt.

I think they are very cool cars, with loads of options for what they are, and it's perfect for my Significant Other. Ideally, if you have a 240V setup somewhere, it will only take 4-5 hours for a full charge, whereas a 110V will take 8-10 hours, etc. She lives 18 miles from work, so ideally, she can make it to and from work without using gas. Even if she had to use gas, it would be very minimal and the 9 Gallon tank would last a very long time.

As far as the Rebates, you can only get back the amount you owe the Federal Government (I.E. you owe them $5,500 in taxes, so even though the rebate states $7,500, that is only the max dollar amount you will receive) So, you will receive $5,500. In the state of IL, you get 10% of the total MSRP of the vehicle, which is pretty much guaranteed, provide you fill out all of the forms correctly, etc.

Hope we are able to get one. They are sweet rides for sure!

[radz28]

I really like the idea, but I'd like to see how much the electric bill offsets savings... I think I'd lean diesel, but I can certainly appreciate other aspects of the Volt. That's a lotta' money though...