Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

I'd like to spend between $5,000 - $7,000 (preferably at the bottom end of that range).

I've been looking at the Nissan Leaf.

A few questions:
1) what year would you recommend? (I've been looking at 2014 - 2016)

2) How many miles would you be good with? (I've been looking around 20,000-30,000)

3) I drive about 8 miles to work and back every day. How many miles should I expect to get out of this vehicle before having to pay a large-ish amount of money for maintenance?

4) How much does insurance usually run on these types of cars?

Knowing many on here have made this type of purchase, I welcome your thoughts and experiences as I hopefully make a 5-10 year purchase.

I don't know if you can even find then now, but I would buy an old 2000 or so Geo Metro 2 dr. hatch.

I bought a new 3-banger/5-speed that got like 45++ mpg running 60 mph on the Hwy all day long.

I also bought new a 1987 Chevy Sprint ER corn-popper commuter car that got like 50+ mpg running like 70 mph for years and years!! Little bugger weighed like 1500 pounds!

It handled like a, "SK-8 Board"!! I loved it!!

I would buy a new one today if I could...

IMHO, you are going to find out that the battery pack will kill the deal IF you keep it long enough?

pdq67

In your price range, the Leaf is the only one widely available.

FWIW, electrics thus far are running more miles with lower maintenance costs.

Back from the dead.

Have any gas or diesel hybrids been sold such that the ICE ran a gen. to power the electric side and when the electric side peters out, kicks over to run the vehicle??

If so, what cars?

pdq67

pdq67 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 7:00 pm Back from the dead.

Have any gas or diesel hybrids been sold such that the ICE ran a gen. to power the electric side and when the electric side peters out, kicks over to run the vehicle??

If so, what cars?

pdq67

I have a Ford Escape hybrid 4X4 bought it well used a few years ago only because it’s a second vehicle so I don’t have to run around in my gas guzzler pickup and it didn’t have to go through the pain in the butt emissions testing

Wouldn’t have picked it up if it wasn’t a 4x4 because I was looking for something like an old 4x4 Honda CR-V

Just a cheap beater that’s good in the snow. Paid $1500 for it. It’s loaded, leather heated seats, power everything , fantastic factory Bose stereo, and it had brand new nobby winter tires on it.

It’s got a 2.2 litre atchison cycle engine so it’s pretty good on the gas when running on the ice.

It’s a 2005 , got a pile of miles on it..the battery isn’t much good anymore but I’m not spending a penny changing it. I drive it hard and it’s getting tired now. It was one owner ,,they paid like $45,000.00 for it new!!

That’s crazy...and I got it for $1500 because it need some minor work. I would never have bought this thing new...

I bought a Volt I like it a lot

pdq67 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 7:00 pm Back from the dead.

Have any gas or diesel hybrids been sold such that the ICE ran a gen. to power the electric side and when the electric side peters out, kicks over to run the vehicle??

If so, what cars?
pdq67

BMW I3 with range extender I think.

In other words all this crap is just pie-in-the-sky!

Seems to me that a little car that had an ICE/Hybrid power-train that got like 50 to 60 mpg would be great if it was MASSED PRODUCED like my Geo Metro was back in 2000.

What do they do?? Just make enough of them so that when the Gov. sub's stop, they quit making them??

And Like I said earlier, my 1987 Chevy Sprint ER was a hoot!! 50+ mpg running 70 mph on the Hwy all day long. I would buy a new one today if I could, it was that good of a little car!!

1500 lb, 1,000 cc, 3-banger, 5-speed, 2-dr hatch!!

pdq67

liqu wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 3:14 pm I bought a Volt I like it a lot

I second the Volt. I've got a '13. I can get 40+ out of the battery and in gas/hybrid mode I get around 40-42 mpg staying around the speed limits. The nice thing is it's an excellent highway car. You don't have to plug it in ever. Last year I made a scamper from NC to NM in two days. Try that with a Tesla!

gruntguru wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:46 pm

BMW I3 with range extender I think.
[/quote]

The BMW i3 REX is only a generator. it will only charge. It has no ICE driveline.

miniv8 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 5:11 pm

gruntguru wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:46 pm BMW I3 with range extender I think.

The BMW i3 REX is only a generator. it will only charge. It has no ICE driveline.

That doesn't mean it won't drive the car.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/11 ... ss-alleged

The lawsuit highlights the difference to the Volt which has a larger aux engine recharging the battery.

One of the key design criteria for the Volt, in fact, was that performance had to be identical whether the car was running entirely on its battery or with the engine switched on once the battery had depleted.

gruntguru wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:00 pm

miniv8 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 5:11 pm

gruntguru wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:46 pm BMW I3 with range extender I think.

The BMW i3 REX is only a generator. it will only charge. It has no ICE driveline.

That doesn't mean it won't drive the car.

It charges as you drive, yes.

Kevin Johnson wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:13 pm https://www.greencarreports.com/news/11 ... ss-alleged

The lawsuit highlights the difference to the Volt which has a larger aux engine recharging the battery.

In many senses that seems a very frivolous lawsuit. If the car did not have the REX option, it would have stopped completely once the battery depleted. Reading further however, it seems BMW had to program the rex to not cut-in until the battery dropped to 10% - in order to qualify for California BEV status and "gold credits". BMW could have used a bigger ICE to avoid the problem (like the Volt) but that would compromise the basic design.

Perhaps an alarm warning the driver of impending power loss (as with many EV's)? Better still would be a manual over-ride option so the driver can initiate rex charging before the battery drops to 10% - might need to be negotiated with California though?

California rationale. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/10 ... ine-limits