dhrivnak
Active Member
Sorry to hear that as our Volt has been great. So far I had to take it back twice for minor issues. Less than half the issues I had with my Tesla at the same mileage.
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Chevy Bolt - 200 mile range for $30k base price (after incentive)
- Thread starter FredTMC
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- bolt chevy Electric Vehicles review
Just to be clear, people are reserving a Model 3, not ordering one. That said, there may be many people who end up ordering one without being able to test drive it (that was certainly true for the X and to a lesser extent the S when they first came out). I don't think I'll end up putting in my order until I can test drive, even if it means I have to wait longer for the 3.
JohnSnowNW
Active Member
I will most likely fall into that category, and it won't be the first time I've done so.
I honestly don't understand why some people feel it's absolutely necessary to test drive a vehicle before they buy it...unless they have a very specific requirement. That is, I don't understand people that require a test drive at this price point.
Correct, that's why I didn't say 400,000. They will probably start accepting down payment and getting configurations before there are very many (if any) units available to test drive.
I'm always stunned by this. I mean, I'm not buying a $1000 television w/o spending some time viewing it at the store. Buying a $35-$70K car without test driving it is a setup for disappointment, but I see it all the time. Indeed, the higher the price point the MORE likely I am to want a test drive. At a $10K price point, I know it's likely to be a piece of junk (and I still want a test drive). Here's a few fun examples:
I just bought this new car and...
1. it rides a lot rougher than my last one
2. it has this weird noise
3. the seats are a lot more uncomfortable than I thought they were in my 3 minutes I spent in the showroom
4. it has a weird jerky throttle, why isn't it smoother
5. the brakes sure are sensitive
6. I hear a lot more wind noise than I thought I would
7. this panoramic windshield lets in a lot of heat
8. the pano roof lets in a lot more wind and road noise than I thought it would
9. the car is floaty and my wife gets car sick
10. there is a lot of glare from the dash on the windshield
11. I find it very distracting to use the touch screen instead of physical buttons while driving
12. autopilot isn't
13. the car is quiet on smooth roads , but way noisier than my Lexus on concrete freeways
14. I can't judge the size of the car well when parking
15. These visors are too small and I can't see when driving into the sun
16. The lower half of the windshield appears distorted
You get the idea...
Now, there are situations where I myself have done this because of some weird situation. The first was an out-of-state purchase of an M5. That one worked out OK. The second was, oddly enough, my CPO Model S (also brought in from out-of-state). I drove it away...with a nice fat drive train clunk. But hey, at that price point and CPO what could go wrong?
JohnSnowNW
Active Member
Well there really isn't an alternative to the M3, (I'm sure some people think the Bolt is...but no) so I know the specs...and there really isn't anything a test drive is going to accomplish. I did the same with a VW GTI...though I drove the competitors and ruled them out first...so I guess I technically decided through test drives...just didn't with what I eventually bought.
I typically do a lot of research on a vehicle, and have yet to have a test drive turn up anything I didn't already know...or have an issue pop up after purchase if I haven't test driven the vehicle.
Now, I suppose you could find something unique to the vehicle you're taking home...but that isn't really what I was discussing.
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
Unless Tesla can get NY State to allow more than 5 stores, (which are currently all clustered in the NY City area), I don't expect to test drive a 3 before buying it. I may not even see one in person before buying.
Bangor Bob
Member
An EV-aware coworker of mine today relayed a story of seeing 4 fellows and a Chevy Bolt at the Brewer Tesla Supercharger at lunch today. They were huddled around the charge port trying to figure out how to plug it in.
Teachable moment, no doubt. Particularly since the nearest CCS charger is 90-odd miles away. Poor guys, I hope they didn't have far to go.
Teachable moment, no doubt. Particularly since the nearest CCS charger is 90-odd miles away. Poor guys, I hope they didn't have far to go.
I'm curious where they got this idea from. Was it from a (willfully) clueless Chevy dealer, or did someone do absolutely no research on charging before buying the Bolt and just assumed they could plug into anything?
JohnSnowNW
Active Member
Well, doesn't the Bolt's on board charging map show stations it can't charge at?
That may be part of the issue.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
mtndrew1
Active Member
The Bolt does not have an on-board charging map; a factory navigation system is unavailable.
I understand your point and felt the same way when I confirmed my order for a Model X without ever seeing one in the flesh. Skip ahead a couple months after several delays and the first test Model X shows up in my area. I am not invited to test drive the Model X because I had already confirmed my order and they were only offering test drives to unconfirmed orders. I showed up any way and test drove the Model X and people at Tesla treated me great despite not being on the list. I figured out I really preferred 6 seat configuration over the 7 seat configuration during the test drive. Unfortunately due to some missed communication in general and missed timing on my part, my 7 seat Model X went into production. I lost a 5k reservation fee, but managed to get an inventory vehicle at a nice discount albeit weeks before autopilot2 hardware was announced. Moral of story, getting your options right can be more difficult than you think and it is best to test drive before confirming.
The tricky part might be if that is the difference between getting the tax discount or not. That aside, I would always test drive before confirming.
JohnSnowNW
Active Member
Yes, I forgot about that. I suppose it's GMs online map that is at issue then.
Musings of a Bolt owner:
Chevy Bolt EV: 800-mile trip in 238-mile electric car shows challenges remain
Chevy Bolt EV: 800-mile trip in 238-mile electric car shows challenges remain
flankspeed8
Member
The New York state $2,000 EV credit starts on April 1 so I doubt many Bolt's will be rolling off the lots this month.
Petra
Member
The same could be said about the Model S but had the driver ergonomics and seats not been right for both my wife and myself, then we wouldn't have bought the car. Period.
I'd strongly prefer a little time with a Model 3 before having to confirm an order (even if it's just stationary seat time) for the same reasons--some some things can't be answered by specs and reviews.
I'm unusual enough in dimensions, a lot of cars don't work, even if they should on paper. I've noticed variations in Model Ss. I sat in one at the store that the seat wouldn't go back as far as other Ss I had sat in (including my own). Though the majority of Ss I've sat in have a driver's seat that will go back a little too for for me, which is unusual.
On my old Buick, the driver's seat was great, just about perfect, but the passenger seat was never quite right. I never figured it out, but it was consistent with all Roadmasters. Every one I had ever sat in, the passenger seat just could not get into a comfortable position for me.
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