Spark EV

[bro1999]

I had been toying around with the idea of picking up a used Model S, but after a good deal of research, I found that a used S was still just too much at the moment. Realistically, if I were to own a Tesla in the future, it will be a Model 3...perhaps sometime in 2020.

So I decided I will just wait for the Bolt to come out. But that won't be until probably December at the earliest....what to do until then? I have a '12 Volt (wife takes in M-F..argh) and a (yuck) '16 Cruze lease I have been driving around since my C-Max Energi lease ended this March. I was thinking I would just drive around the Cruze until the Bolt arrived.

Then that little compliance BEV GM offers in CA, OR, and MD (at least for a little while longer) caught my attention, as ridiculously cheap lease deals were being offered.

After some back and forth with a couple of dealerships (someday I hope this practice goes like the dinosaurs), I managed to lock down a $150/month lease for 36 months on a $27,135 '16 Spark EV 2LT. After factoring in the $2,300 MD tax credit, overall monthly comes down to $86 a month! Would have been even cheaper, but MD taxes the entire sale price on a lease (booo), not just the lease payments like most other states.

Obviously it's no Tesla, but this little thing is definitely a blast to drive around. Much more pickup than my Volt, that's for sure....go-cart on steroids is how I would describe the Spark EV driving experience.

As a commuter car, you can't really beat the price of a Spark EV, as GM is almost giving them away. Just thought I'd share my 2 cents.

 

[gene]

Here in California I see a lot of Spak EV's. At least 3 of them live within two blocks of my house.

 

[vinnie97]

argh, 82 miles.

 

[Tex EV]

A 2014 Spark EV was my weekday commuter before I bought my Roadster. Still have it and will likely list it for sale over the summer, but yes it is definitely a great value. Probably the most fun you can have in an EV for less than $20K after incentives. I regularly got over 100 miles of range (5+ miles/kWh) with a light foot on the highway. Has a CCS quick charge port for the rare days I have to drive across the city multiple times. For being a small car, it's surprisingly practical.

 

[bro1999]

So I've put about 250 miles on my Spark EV so far. Definitely fun to drive, though the stock tires are pretty sucky as far as grip goes. I've read many Spark EV owners have replaced the stock tires with more performance-oriented tires with much improved handling.

Compared to my 2012 Volt, the Spark has more pickup from a stop, but I can really tell a difference from around 10-60 mph....seems the Spark's acceleration doesn't taper off like the Volt does.