Used Model S or New Chevy Bolt

[Hugh Mannity]

Are there CPO Model 3’s out there yet? Hmm maybe not much financial difference since you would lose out on the incentive going pre owned.

The Bolt seems like an excellent vehicle and checks many of the right boxes. Many of us though are discouraging you from ICEing for long range drives. Once you drive EV on road trips you’ll be an EV’er for life.

 

[dirkbike1]

Tough choice

One of the nicest 4 door cars ever made, regardless of how it's powered
or a Bolt?

 

[Bobasaurus]

Get the S and never look back if you like big or fast cars. My CPO has been a great car. If you need or want a compact car then maybe look elsewhere. I would NOT go GM. My two GM cars were terrible experiences. Never again.

Bobby

 

[seattlite2004]

Get the S and never look back if you like big or fast cars. My CPO has been a great car. If you need or want a compact car then maybe look elsewhere. I would NOT go GM. My two GM cars were terrible experiences. Never again.

Bobby

I thought the same way. When I was growing up...my dad and buddies dad all had GMs (Cadillac, Olds, Buick)...they all had issues. So I stuck with the dependable Japanese cars when it came to buy. When it came time to buy electric...I shopped and I couldn't pass up a pretty dang compelling deal on a Bolt even though I had my Mod 3 invite....I just could not bring myself to dropping that kinda coin on the Mod 3. After writing the check for the Bolt...I have yet to go back to the Chevy dealership. I'm thinking that the Bolt will be pretty reliable due to a large portion of the critical systems of the vehicle are from LG/LG chem...and not from AC Delco.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

I thought the same way. When I was growing up...my dad and buddies dad all had GMs (Cadillac, Olds, Buick)...they all had issues. So I stuck with the dependable Japanese cars when it came to buy. When it came time to buy electric...I shopped and I couldn't pass up a pretty dang compelling deal on a Bolt even though I had my Mod 3 invite....I just could not bring myself to dropping that kinda coin on the Mod 3. After writing the check for the Bolt...I have yet to go back to the Chevy dealership. I'm thinking that the Bolt will be pretty reliable due to a large portion of the critical systems of the vehicle are from LG/LG chem...and not from AC Delco.

yeaht that ^^ - the Bolt has a bowtie on the front but it's different than the other "crap" GM tends to put out.

 

[Bobasaurus]

yeaht that ^^ - the Bolt has a bowtie on the front but it's different than the other "crap" GM tends to put out.

Maybe. Same dealers. Same Management Style. It just easier to stick with Toyota for regular cars and Tesla for electric vehicles. GM burned my bridge and see no reason to build it back.

 

[Darren Donovan]

I own and love both my 85D and my Bolt, and am always amused at the Bolt hate and condescension I see on Tesla forums. The Bolt has no competition in the sub-$40k arena since you can't get a $35k Model 3 before the end of the year. I find the Bolt plenty of fun to drive and actually prefer it for all my around town trips since it is so easy to park, get in and out of, and has excellent visibility/sightlines. It has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as a 360 degree camera. And the A/C could make icicles form in the cabin, with remote preconditioning just like the Tesla. Got $7000 off MSRP on top of the $7500 tax credit since i was turning in a Volt lease. Dump on the Bolt all you want, but I love it. Don't care that the interior is plastic and am perfectly fine with a 6 second run to 60mph. And I don't have to worry about a crappy delivery experience or the bumper falling off in the rain.

That said, I'm still taking the S for my 100 mile daily commute. But just wanted to show the Bolt a little love here. Don't forget both GM and Tesla have hit the 200k mark so you don't want to wait forever if you want that full tax credit.

First off, I'm a Tesla fan, waiting for the M3 SR, $35,000. Have a bunch TSLA as well. That said, I agree with this post. The hate and condescension is juvenile. Both Bolt and M3 are EVs, both are helping to advance the popularity and acceptance of EVs. I find the Bolt to be a fine vehicle, mine has never been back to the dealer for anything. That's a far cry from the many posts on TMC about S, X, 3 issues needing repeated dealer, oops sorry I meant Service Center, visits.

 

[Bobasaurus]

First off, I'm a Tesla fan, waiting for the M3 SR, $35,000. Have a bunch TSLA as well. That said, I agree with this post. The hate and condescension is juvenile. Both Bolt and M3 are EVs, both are helping to advance the popularity and acceptance of EVs. I find the Bolt to be a fine vehicle, mine has never been back to the dealer for anything. That's a far cry from the many posts on TMC about S, X, 3 issues needing repeated dealer, oops sorry I meant Service Center, visits.

Bolt love on a Tesla forum. And calling us juvenile. Funny.

 

[Zorg]

If OP really wants an EV and the SR 3, how about buying a used Leaf for under $10k to wait the $35k 3 out? If all you need is to drive around town in an EV, the Leaf could be enough. The car is hideous and the batteries don't last, but they resell for next to nothing. The trick is to find one whose battery hasn't been abused. The depreciation over the next year woudn't be much either.

 

[brkaus]

If OP really wants an EV and the SR 3, how about buying a used Leaf for under $10k to wait the $35k 3 out? If all you need is to drive around town in an EV, the Leaf could be enough. The car is hideous and the batteries don't last, but they resell for next to nothing. The trick is to find one whose battery hasn't been abused. The depreciation over the next year woudn't be much either.

This is my plan for our kids first car in two years.

 

[Darren Donovan]

Bolt love on a Tesla forum. And calling us juvenile. Funny.

While I like Corvettes, I don't hate on other sports cars. I appreciate all sports cars, each is different and has pros and cons. Guess I'm just an ICE sports "car guy". Same with EVs, just because I'm driving a Bolt doesn't mean I "hate" the M3. In fact if the $35,000 M3 was available, I'd be driving that. Guess I'm just an "EV guy". I outgrew the hate between Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge vs..... real quick, and never even developed any hatred for other brands' EV or PHEV.

 

[harry]

We've had Model S's ever since there were any (three VINS under 200), and we bought a Bolt rather than wait for the chimera of the "$35,000 Model 3". Remember the 40KWh Model S? How long were those offered? We paid $32,000 net for the Bolt Premier version with CCS charging, we're getting 250 miles per charge and we got it NOW. We find it a perfectly nice little car, and we've made 700 mile trips with no charging delays. I don't understand the attempts to frighten people away with false narratives about charging infrastructure. We can drive 800 miles in any direction and not be beyond CHAdeMO/CCS combo stations. I'm sure that someone can find a route that is beyond the fast charging range, but until a year or so ago that was also true of the Model S. It's just not a problem.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

We've had Model S's ever since there were any (three VINS under 200), and we bought a Bolt rather than wait for the chimera of the "$35,000 Model 3". Remember the 40KWh Model S? How long were those offered? We paid $32,000 net for the Bolt Premier version with CCS charging, we're getting 250 miles per charge and we got it NOW. We find it a perfectly nice little car, and we've made 700 mile trips with no charging delays. I don't understand the attempts to frighten people away with false narratives about charging infrastructure. We can drive 800 miles in any direction and not be beyond CHAdeMO/CCS combo stations. I'm sure that someone can find a route that is beyond the fast charging range, but until a year or so ago that was also true of the Model S. It's just not a problem.

OP lives in Fort Worth, has probably looked at the map on PlugShare and seen the holes, and the 1s.

Telling people who live in a different place, whose driving destinations and frequencies you don't know, who can look at a map and see where all the chargers are that it's not a problem because it's not a problem for you is similarly demonstrating a lack of empathy.

 

[brkaus]

We've had Model S's ever since there were any (three VINS under 200), and we bought a Bolt rather than wait for the chimera of the "$35,000 Model 3". Remember the 40KWh Model S? How long were those offered? We paid $32,000 net for the Bolt Premier version with CCS charging, we're getting 250 miles per charge and we got it NOW. We find it a perfectly nice little car, and we've made 700 mile trips with no charging delays. I don't understand the attempts to frighten people away with false narratives about charging infrastructure. We can drive 800 miles in any direction and not be beyond CHAdeMO/CCS combo stations. I'm sure that someone can find a route that is beyond the fast charging range, but until a year or so ago that was also true of the Model S. It's just not a problem.

Try San Antonio area... cannot get anywhere. Yet anyway.

 

[ucmndd]

We've had Model S's ever since there were any (three VINS under 200), and we bought a Bolt rather than wait for the chimera of the "$35,000 Model 3". Remember the 40KWh Model S? How long were those offered? We paid $32,000 net for the Bolt Premier version with CCS charging, we're getting 250 miles per charge and we got it NOW. We find it a perfectly nice little car, and we've made 700 mile trips with no charging delays. I don't understand the attempts to frighten people away with false narratives about charging infrastructure. We can drive 800 miles in any direction and not be beyond CHAdeMO/CCS combo stations. I'm sure that someone can find a route that is beyond the fast charging range, but until a year or so ago that was also true of the Model S. It's just not a problem.

CHAdeMO/CCS charging stations in Texas:

Tesla Superchargers in Texas:

Which network do you think does a better job at facilitating long distance travel? This is Texas, second most populous state in the nation. It’s not like I’m posting pictures of North Dakota here.

The Bolt is a perfectly fine car for someone in a city or with an ICE for the road trips. But suggesting long distance travel is “just not a problem” and accusing those of pointing it out as peddling a false narrative is disingenuous.

 

[Don85D]

I thought that Texas is the land of the pickup truck. I would get an EV that suits your needs today and start building your solar array home infrastructure so that you are ready for an EV pickup truck.

Running an EV on sunshine is what makes them special to me. It just happened that we bought a Model S to replace our ICE vehicle and to invest in an EV future for our grandkids.

There are many ways to justify the EV that you want and running on sunshine is the easiest.

BTW we kept an ICE for winter use so the OP's scenario is valid, in my opinion.

 

[EVortex]

I think most people weigh their options at the time of making a decision and then go with what fits best. I wanted a Model S in 2014, but ended up with a Mercdes B-Class Electric Drive with a Tesla drive train and 92 miles of range. It was not a Tesla, but provided many of the things I liked about the Tesla at less than $50k. I sold it earlier this year for $15k and it had 57k miles on it. Finally ended up in a new Model S. The time was right in 2014 for the Mercedes and the time was finally right for the the Model S earlier this year. The B-Class Electric Drive was a temporary thing for Mercedes to pass clean air standards, but it was a nice (albeit ugly) car while it lasted. I am glad I bought them both, but I must admit the S is the best car I have ever owned and is a pleasure to drive every day.

 

[buggaby]

Both Bolt and M3 are EVs, both are helping to advance the popularity and acceptance of EVs.

Agreed! But people like their teams. (Go Cowboys! or something.)

how about buying a used Leaf for under $10k to wait the $35k 3 out?

Had thought of this. Guess without much research I assumed I'd only get 40 miles out of one, which I think would be a hindrance. Might be easier to by a $5k ICE-bucket. Would need to test drive a few to see, I suppose.

There are many ways to justify the EV that you want and running on sunshine is the easiest.

The closest way we have right now to running off sunshine is to pay extra for "100% renewable" electricity - at least that's why our power company says.

 

[Greengolfer]

When someone posts that there aren't any charging delays in a Bolt, they are not being totally candid. Last year a gentleman took a Bolt and a 60kwh Model S on an identical trip. Drove the same speeds, in the same tempurature range, and charged when each car got down to about 20 miles of range before preceeding to his destination (adjusted for where chargers are located). Because the Bolt could only access level 3 charging capabilities, it took him 1 hour and six minutes longer to complete the trip in the Bolt. That would be the very definition of a charging delay. The bolt is a very good car for what it does. What it doesn't do, is travel extended distances without delays.

 

[derekmw]

I have a lot of gripes about the finish quality of the interior of my Model S. But the Bolt in my opinion paled in comparison to the fit and finish and quality feel of the interior. My wife sat in it and instantly said there's no way she's driving the Bolt. lol. It felt like a used cheap Hyundai sonata.