Bought My First Electric Car *Updated with Pics*

[mikegg]

Just leased a Fiat 500e for 36 months and 10k miles/year. Test drove it this weekend and instantly fell in love. It's got some power, style, and it's super convenient in a city like San Francisco.

$0 drive off, $220 a month with taxes/fees included. I will also receive a $2,500 California rebate in 3-4 months in the mail.

I'll be driving on average about 26 miles per which equates to about $20/month in electricity cost.

So here's the math:

-$0 drive off
-$220/month lease
-$20/month in electricity
+$220 savings in gas/month (Honda Accord)
+$70 month($2,500 rebate divided by 36 months)
____________________
= $50 in profit + ability to drive in carpool lane(Cali perk)

That's right. I'll be make a profit of $50 by owning this car. Obviously I'm not including car insurance which would bring me back to the negative. There is no oil change. In fact, there won't be much maintenance at all.

Pictures coming tomorrow when they deliver to my house.

Edit: Pics

Another Fiat 500e parked in front charging

Leather inside and nice orange finishes.

Dealer drove the car from San Jose to San Francisco and still had 29 miles left.

Free charging near Golden Gate Bridge

 

[jpeyton]

I'd rather pay an extra $220 per month for the added space and range afforded by an Accord.

 

[Capt Caveman]

OP is a woman I hope. :biggrin:

 

[herm0016]

$10k miles/year

10 000 dollars miles/year? haha...

anyway... good luck with that thing. not much more and you can lease a volt with more miles/year and still drive on all electric most of the time, yet be able to go on a long trip.

 

[arkcom]

savings =/= profit

26 miles a day in an Accord is around $80 a month in gas. Not even close to the $220 you came up with.

 

[manimal]

OP is a woman I hope. :biggrin:

homophobe.



Its a fracking car not an extension of your soul. Jesus christ 90 percent of america is closeted self hating homosexicals.


Just suck a dick and get overyourself.


Miatas are cool. Fiat 500s are fun. We really dont care that you hate youself.

 

[arkcom]

2 star rating from car and driver

Leases also start at $452, so I don't know how you managed that.

 

[boomhower]

Not my cup of tea but not a girls car IMHO. If I didn't need the hauling capacity of a truck I'd buy a Volt in a heartbeat.

 

[mikegg]

$10k miles/year

10 000 dollars miles/year? haha...

anyway... good luck with that thing. not much more and you can lease a volt with more miles/year and still drive on all electric most of the time, yet be able to go on a long trip.

Fixed.

Volt would be MUCH more than the Fiat.

For the Volt, I'd have to pay about $4,000 at signing after taxes, registration and fees and about $300/month after taxes. That's not even close to $0 at signing and $220/month. Also, the Volt can only go 38 miles on electric. The Fiat can go 87-110 miles.

 

[Capt Caveman]

homophobe.



Its a fracking car not an extension of your soul. Jesus christ 90 percent of america is closeted self hating homosexicals.


Just suck a dick and get overyourself.


Miatas are cool. Fiat 500s are fun. We really dont care that you hate youself.

:biggrin: Somebody is butthurt.

 

[mikegg]

OP is a woman I hope. :biggrin:

Meh. It's not the most manly car out there. But it's very economical for me.

This is how the Fiat 500e EV looks like if you add the optional sports package. I didn't to save money but I do have the same color.

 

[mikegg]

savings =/= profit

26 miles a day in an Accord is around $80 a month in gas. Not even close to the $220 you came up with.

Gas in SF has been around $4.20/gallon for me. My accord gets about 20 miles/gallon or less in the city. There are a lot of hills and stop lights in SF. I'm also not factoring in weekend driving. ^_^

 

[manimal]

:biggrin: Somebody is butthurt.

sorry man. I am just sick of the childish notion that some cars are girly. Its an appliance. I am gonna build a pink Miata with a ls1 soon and and race you in your minivan.


Let me guess you drive a red mustang with truck nuts on the back right?

 

[mikegg]

2 star rating from car and driver

Leases also start at $452, so I don't know how you managed that.

There is a $999 at signing and $199/month lease deal in California + $2,500 rebate. It's a huge topic over at Slickdeals.

I did some haggling and got it down to $0 due at signing. It's a California/Oregon only deal.

 

[mikegg]

sorry man. I am just sick of the childish notion that some cars are girly. Its an appliance. I am gonna build a pink Miata with a ls1 soon and and race you in your minivan.


Let me guess you drive a red mustang with truck nuts on the back right?

Haha, it's cool. I'm not offended by him at all. I'll have some pictures tomorrow. I think it looks fantastic and not girly.

It'll look girly in Texas or the South where everyone drives a truck but not in California.

 

[mikegg]

I'd rather pay an extra $220 per month for the added space and range afforded by an Accord.

The accord will also be there. Not going to sell it. I also have an Acura RSX manual.

The Fiat is my daily commute and errands car. The Accord is for long trips with the family or friends. The RSX is my "leave me alone" car.

 

[Elixer]

Meh. It's not the most manly car out there. But it's very economical for me.

This is how the Fiat 500e EV looks like if you add the optional sports package. I didn't to save money but I do have the same color.

Wait, are these the same cars that are being flipped over ?

 

[mikegg]

Wait, are these the same cars that are being flipped over ?

Nope. That's a Smart Car. http://www.smartusa.com/

The Fiat Electric weighs 1,100 pounds more than a smart car and about the same as a 4 dr Civic. You can flip the Fiat EV over but you'd need a lot more people to do so.

 

[werepossum]

Just leased a Fiat 500e for 36 months and 10k miles/year. Test drove it this weekend and instantly fell in love. It's got some power, style, and it's super convenient in a city like San Francisco.

$0 drive off, $220 a month with taxes/fees included. I will also receive a $2,500 California rebate in 3-4 months in the mail.

I'll be driving on average about 26 miles per which equates to about $20/month in electricity cost.

So here's the math:

-$0 drive off
-$220/month lease
-$20/month in electricity
+$220 savings in gas/month (Honda Accord)
+$70 month($2,500 rebate divided by 36 months)
____________________
= $50 in profit + ability to drive in carpool lane(Cali perk)

That's right. I'll be make a profit of $50 by owning this car. Obviously I'm not including car insurance which would bring me back to the negative. There is no oil change. In fact, there won't be much maintenance at all.

Pictures coming tomorrow when they deliver to my house.

Holy crap, that's cheap. How much range?

OP is a woman I hope. :biggrin:

Well, he is now. :biggrin:

I tried like hell to buy a '55 Fiat 500. (I think '55 - the one with fabric canopy over top & back.) Stick in a tube frame, make it a front 4-banger or V6, throw in a couple bucket seats and some fat tires, that's my kind of ride. I like small cars and don't care if they are perceived as girly. Unfortunately the owner always refused, saying one day he'd make a "stump jumper" out of it. Finally he had a heart attack and his son sold it for scrap, $25. I'm still grieving thirty-five years later.

 

[mmntech]

I actually like the Fiat 500, but I'd get the Abarth and not the EV version.

They have a range of about 87mi, which would probably get cut in half come the dead of winter. Fine as a city car but utterly useless to me.

 

[tweakmonkey]

Awesome pick up. There is a reason I'm seeing tons of these here -- they're great little cars.

I borrowed my friend's 500 Abarth this weekend and I had more thumbs-ups and compliments than almost any car I've driven including Ferraris/Porsches.

Forget the haters - this one has a WHITE sticker (not green like a Volt) and it's WAY more fun to drive and 100x prettier than a Volt. Driving in California you'll get 80-100 miles range even in the winter.

 

[jaedaliu]

I actually like the Fiat 500, but I'd get the Abarth and not the EV version.

They have a range of about 87mi, which would probably get cut in half come the dead of winter. Fine as a city car but utterly useless to me.

He's in San Francisco. They have a rainy season, but no real winter. Range anxiety won't be an issue for him.

 

[LTC8K6]

Marchionne said about the Fiat 500E electric hatchback: ”I hope you don’t buy it because every time I sell one it costs me $14,000.” He then added, “I’m honest enough to tell you that.”

San Francisco? C&D found the braking to be poor, with heavy fade, so be careful on those hills. :biggrin:

 

[tweakmonkey]

San Francisco? C&D found the braking to be poor, with heavy fade, so be careful on those hills. :biggrin:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-fiat-500e-ev-first-drive-review

Was there another review where they said this? Considering the SF speed limits are like 30 MPH on most those hills and the car has regenerative braking as well I'm sure it'll be fine for him. It's a different story if you're on a race track. I test drove one and thought the brakes were fine.. the only thing I didn't like about the 500e is it clearly felt a lot heavier than the Abarth.

 

[Pulsar]

sorry man. I am just sick of the childish notion that some cars are girly. Its an appliance. I am gonna build a pink Miata with a ls1 soon and and race you in your minivan.


Let me guess you drive a red mustang with truck nuts on the back right?

You don't put truck nuts on a car. They have car nuts that don't require a trailer hitch.

I only know this because I screwed some to a buddy's mailbox recently.....