[OC40]

For those that are bored, you should drive your car into the ocean...

[drob23]

Originally Posted by OC40

For those that are bored, you should drive your car into the ocean...

[OC40]

Originally Posted by drob23

[cblandin]

Originally Posted by Ih8usrnms

Well M cars have always been built for the enthusiast, for people that enjoy performance oriented cars, they were never built to be "economic" cars. Part of the performance driving experience is engine noise exhaust sound handling capabilities, non of which are the characteristics of hybrids. The volt for example has a 0-60 time of 8.5+ seconds The e39 M5 is in the 4.5-5.1 range. So if you dont mind a car thats that much slower, than as i said before, you were driving a M car for all the wrong reasons. And Tesla is a whole different story because their system is different from that of Chevy. And while in 10 years there will definitely be an increase in electrical vehicles, gasoline engines are not going anywhere. Im not bashing the guy or you, but the M car owners i know would die before trading it for a hybrid.

So year or so after I got my Volt I wrote this little tale when my "car guy" buddies kept asking "How the heck did YOU end up in a Volt?". I can assure you, I am still a car guy / enthusiast (we do still have an Alpine White 97 E36 M3 in the family). Enjoy...

************************************************** **

Overview & History
So, I wrote this up to answer the ongoing questions about how I ended up buying a Chevy Volt given that my history as a “car guy” would have probably pointed to almost any other car. My last car was an ’02 BMW M5 with 400 horsepower and a 6 speed stick. Prior to that I was driving an ’05 Pontiac GTO with 400 horsepower and a 6 speed stick (see a trend?). The GTO got 15.6 mpg on average and the M5 got about 16.9 mpg. Mileage has NEVER been a huge priority for me. I also own a 67 Firebird Convertible I am SLOOOOOWLY restoring (it has a 468 cube engine – about 7.75 liters for you metric lovers – and probably gets 8 mpg).
I am not a “greenie”. I may or may not have poured oil down a hole in my backyard at some point in my life…I can neither confirm nor deny. I know how to install a Nitrous Oxide kit (OK, who doesn’t), am a social and fiscal conservative - and I would still like a Viper one day. So why did I buy one?

The Facts

1. The Numbers Everyone Wants to Know – Let me get this out of the way right now. After 16000 miles I've used just under 60 gallons of gas. My total "fuel
bill (electricity and gas) is probably $35/month over a 1000 miles.
2. How it Works – Basically the Volt has an electric motor, decent sized battery AND a gas engine. You charge it up at night or whenever, drive anywhere from 30 to 50 miles on battery power alone as an ELECTRIC vehicle, and then you either re-charge it OR the gas engine switches on (seamlessly) and acts as a generator providing electricity to the electric motor (it is still “electric” in this mode although the gas motor assists on the freeway). The gas tank hold about 9 gallons of gas and when running the gas engine powered generator the car gets about 35 mpg.
3. Range – 30 to 50 miles on the battery plus another 315 miles on gas. Just like a traditional gas powered car, how you drive it can affect your battery range (i.e. “mileage”) and so can the weather. Colder weather uses more juice for heating and you’ll get less range. Higher freeway speeds can also result in less range. In real life is seems like folks are getting mid to high 30’s out of the battery on a regular basis. My commute happens to be 38 miles round trip…
4. Electricity Cost vs Gas Cost – We are pretty lucky here in Texas as we have “cheap” electricity compared to many parts of the country. I am paying under 8.0 cents a kilowatt hour (regardless of the time of day). It costs about $1.00 for me to charge the Volt and get 30 to 50 miles out of that charge. A really good economy car might get 35 or 40 miles per gallon. If we assume 40 mpg and gas costs $3.00/gallon – that is a savings of over $2. If you drive an M5…well that’s more like $7.
5. Charge Time – The Volt will charge up on a regular 110v outlet and it takes about 10 hours. You can buy a 240 volt charger, have it wired by an electrician, and charge in about 4 hours. The chargers are overpriced at $500-$1000 depending on model, features, etc. but you might qualify for a discount in your area…YMMV. In the Dallas area we DO qualify for a cheaper 240V charger (again, courtesy of all of us tax payers).
6. Other Cost Benefits – If the engine runs less (and it will) then oil changes are much less frequent…could be every couple of years. Since the brakes use regenerative braking, they can also last much longer (I would imagine 100K miles easy).
7. What does it cost? – Sticker price is $40K for a base model or $45K fully loaded (add a bit more for special paint colors) - note: prices dropped $5K in 2014. Realistically, you can get a few grand off that price like with any other new car. If you buy one, the government (aka all of us) gives you a $7500 tax credit back at the end of the year assuming you pay at least $7500 in taxes to begin with. A lot of folks lease as there are some pretty sweet lease deals from GM. I happened to lease (something I normally wouldn’t do), because there were some sweet lease deals.
8. Downsides / Realities? – I am VERY picky about cars and they all have faults. Heck, in my book they usually have a LOT of faults (people tell me I need to “let it go”). The Volt is no different, here is my “short” list:
a. Size - It only seats 4 as the battery takes up the center of the rear seat. It is about the size of Ford Focus, Chevy Cruz, etc. It is OK, but not as roomy as competitors at this price point.
b. Raw Performance – The 0-60 and ¼ mile times for the Volt are nothing to write home about (typical of most small cars), and coming from my previous cars it is much slower. However, it has all of its available torque (the thing that pushes you back into the seat) available from 0 rpm – essentially as soon as you hit the go pedal.
c. Cost to Luxury Ratio – The Volt has a lot of features when loaded (i.e. leather, navigation, rear view camera, parking sensors, etc.), but there is still a little too much road noise, and too many hard plastics. You are paying for this new technology by sacrificing in some other areas. Despite what some owners think, this is no BMW or Audi in terms of drive, material quality or ride. Conversely, some people describe it as an “electric Chevy Cruze” but it is a lot more than that with its entirely different drive-train, lower center of gravity, different interior, etc, etc.
d. Handling – The car’s suspension is geared toward luxury, not sport. For some not an issue, but I would like something more sporty….and the low rolling resistance tires aren’t helping. It actually handles well because the weight is low, but becasue the suspension is a bit soft, it isn't as fun pushing it as I would like.
e. A beauty it ain’t – OK, the Volt is not unattractive, but it’s not beauty queen either. The whole look is a little too contrived…and a little too “me too - I’m a super efficient car like a Prius!” Still, it has some “interest” and I like cars with interest.
f. Battery Range Variability – Just like a regular gas powered car, range can be impacted based on a variety of things, but the variability on an electric car can be much greater. As an example, some folks are eclipsing 50 miles on a charge under ideal circumstances (no A/C or heat, lower speeds, etc.). Other times folks have actually seen under 30 in the dead of winter. This variability would ideally be tightened up a bit. I got about 35-37 miles of range in 100+ degree July, but now I routinely see 43 miles of range in late September and early October.
g. Outward Visibility – Forward a-pillars are too large and rear quarter visibility isn’t great. I paid extra for the front/rear parking sensors and backup camera for this reason.

The Emotion and Softer Benefits

1. And now for Something Completely Different – As mentioned above, I am coming from an ’02 BMW M5 – a car often described as the “best sports sedan in the world” when it came out. A car still considered by BMW fans (like me) to be one of the best BMWs ever made. While I bought it 8 years old with 47K miles on it, it was an expensive car when new at $75K! So, where do I go from there? Anything similar brand new was either way too expensive or didn’t excite me – or both. I considered a used M3 of the current generation, but almost looked at it as a lateral move….meh. I’ve done the American muscle bit with a GTO and Trans AM. I considered a new Mustang (the 5.0 of course), but really wanted a 4 door. Used Porsche Boxter or Caymen – too impractical and the ride is almost too sporty in a daily driver (yeah, yeah, sue me…I’m getting old). I started looking at Volts because I thought it might be “cool” to save on gas. I continued looking at Volts when I realized this car was groundbreaking. It had most of the benefits of an electric car (quiet motoring, seamless acceleration, reduced gas usage, etc.), while eliminating the worries about recharge time and range. The latter had me completely dismissing anything like a Nissan Leaf or the new electric Focus. If I run out of battery…so what…the gas engine kicks in automatically and I keep on truckin’. One test drive and I knew (sadly for a muscle car guy like me) this was the short term (10-20 years) future of electric cars…and electric cars in general are definitely the future. The “Car Guy” in me likes the Volt because this game changer is cool. It is AMAZING how many folks on the Volt forums traded in something with serious muscle for a Volt (i.e. M5, Camaro SS, 556 hp CTS-V, BMW M3s!). A fellow CAR guy buddy had an E39 M5 at the same time I did. He sold his and snagged a CTS-V (556 Hp second gen). At the time, he considered a Volt and in retrospect kind of wishes he had gotten it instead.
2. No Muss, No Fuss – OK, this car is no rocket as noted above, but because it is electric and because it has “one speed” transmission there is never any muss or fuss when accelerating. It is quiet w/o any rpm rise and fall or shifting to interrupt the acceleration. As a result, and given that all the torque – about 280 lbs ft - is available instantly, you end up using more of the available power and the car simply feels faster than it is and (in fact) you find yourself accelerating more quickly than “faster” cars because there is so little drama. Now, I will argue that a big engined Euro car or one with a sweet turbo six pulls very similarly in nature and is quiet…still though, that’s good company to be compared to. Future Volts or the Caddy ELR, etc. will be the rockets undoubtedly. They better be!
3. Serenity Now! – Look up the Seinfeld episode on this…a classic. Seriously though, at speeds lower than freeway speeds, the Volt is quiet…eerily quiet. At freeway speeds the road and wind noise are as loud or louder than any other car and this benefit becomes somewhat irrelevant, but it still very cool at lower speeds. Add a little sound deadening and some quieter tires and this thing could be super quiet!
4. Um…when did I become lazy? - OK, so several years ago I remember my Dad saying “who needs power windows…just another thing to break”. I remember him (and me) doing the old lean across the front seat maneuver to roll down the passenger side window…ah, good times. Needless to say, all of my cars for the last several years had power windows. Recently, we bought my wife a new Volvo and it came with “keyless entry”. I just keep a little fob in my pocket and when I reach for the door handle it automatically unlocks just as I start to pull it. When I get in the car, I just push a button on the dash to start and stop it. I never have to remove the key from my pocket and…I LOVE IT! I never would have paid more for it before having it (it came as part of larger package). I mean c’mon, we’ve been using keys for forever. Now, however, I find myself annoyed when I drive one of our other cars and have to dig my keys out. Now, take that to another level…take it to the “only having to stop for gas once a month or once every two months or three months!” Hot outside…not stopping for gas. Cold/Raining outside…nope. Running late….nope. Bad part of town…nope. (p.s. the latest Volts have keyless entry too )
5. I am hardly political but… - It is nice to cut back on the use of oil…more importantly on the use of foreign oil. Foreign oil that we have a tendency to want to protect (understandable given our dependence on it) at the expense of the lives of young Americans.

Ultimately, Volts are a bit too expensive relative to their utility, performance and luxury features/materials and you cannot justify buying one based purely on gas mileage. If your sole goal is to save on gas, you are probably better off buying a 10 year old Civic and pocketing the difference….or better yet, KEEP YOUR CURRENT CAR AND DON”T BUY ANYTHING if you really want to “save” money. However, if you are considering dropping this kind of coin on a car and can live with a smaller car (in reality, most of us could), the Volt is probably worth a look. If you are a “car guy” it might even free you up to finish restoring that 67 Firebird in your garage!
p.s. RIP Pontiac

****************************************

Anyway, I'm no fan boy for the Volt and see it for what it is and part of that is...the future. Heck, take a gander at the various i3 reviews popping up on the BMW forums form owners who test drove them at the LA auto show...a lot of surprised folks there (but yes, it is goofy looking). Anyway, if the OP is really bored with his F30 and looking for something that isn't same old, same old, well...

[Ih8usrnms]

Great write up, very informative
Looks like the transition for you may be so forgiving since you still have an M vehicle to take out for a spin when you get the itch.

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by cblandin

So year or so after I got my Volt I wrote this little tale when my "car guy" buddies kept asking "How the heck did YOU end up in a Volt?". I can assure you, I am still a car guy / enthusiast (we do still have an Alpine White 97 E36 M3 in the family). Enjoy...

************************************************** **

Overview & History
So, I wrote this up to answer the ongoing questions about how I ended up buying a Chevy Volt given that my history as a “car guy” would have probably pointed to almost any other car. My last car was an ’02 BMW M5 with 400 horsepower and a 6 speed stick. Prior to that I was driving an ’05 Pontiac GTO with 400 horsepower and a 6 speed stick (see a trend?). The GTO got 15.6 mpg on average and the M5 got about 16.9 mpg. Mileage has NEVER been a huge priority for me. I also own a 67 Firebird Convertible I am SLOOOOOWLY restoring (it has a 468 cube engine – about 7.75 liters for you metric lovers – and probably gets 8 mpg).
I am not a “greenie”. I may or may not have poured oil down a hole in my backyard at some point in my life…I can neither confirm nor deny. I know how to install a Nitrous Oxide kit (OK, who doesn’t), am a social and fiscal conservative - and I would still like a Viper one day. So why did I buy one?

The Facts

1. The Numbers Everyone Wants to Know – Let me get this out of the way right now. After 16000 miles I've used just under 60 gallons of gas. My total "fuel
bill (electricity and gas) is probably $35/month over a 1000 miles.
2. How it Works – Basically the Volt has an electric motor, decent sized battery AND a gas engine. You charge it up at night or whenever, drive anywhere from 30 to 50 miles on battery power alone as an ELECTRIC vehicle, and then you either re-charge it OR the gas engine switches on (seamlessly) and acts as a generator providing electricity to the electric motor (it is still “electric” in this mode although the gas motor assists on the freeway). The gas tank hold about 9 gallons of gas and when running the gas engine powered generator the car gets about 35 mpg.
3. Range – 30 to 50 miles on the battery plus another 315 miles on gas. Just like a traditional gas powered car, how you drive it can affect your battery range (i.e. “mileage”) and so can the weather. Colder weather uses more juice for heating and you’ll get less range. Higher freeway speeds can also result in less range. In real life is seems like folks are getting mid to high 30’s out of the battery on a regular basis. My commute happens to be 38 miles round trip…
4. Electricity Cost vs Gas Cost – We are pretty lucky here in Texas as we have “cheap” electricity compared to many parts of the country. I am paying under 8.0 cents a kilowatt hour (regardless of the time of day). It costs about $1.00 for me to charge the Volt and get 30 to 50 miles out of that charge. A really good economy car might get 35 or 40 miles per gallon. If we assume 40 mpg and gas costs $3.00/gallon – that is a savings of over $2. If you drive an M5…well that’s more like $7.
5. Charge Time – The Volt will charge up on a regular 110v outlet and it takes about 10 hours. You can buy a 240 volt charger, have it wired by an electrician, and charge in about 4 hours. The chargers are overpriced at $500-$1000 depending on model, features, etc. but you might qualify for a discount in your area…YMMV. In the Dallas area we DO qualify for a cheaper 240V charger (again, courtesy of all of us tax payers).
6. Other Cost Benefits – If the engine runs less (and it will) then oil changes are much less frequent…could be every couple of years. Since the brakes use regenerative braking, they can also last much longer (I would imagine 100K miles easy).
7. What does it cost? – Sticker price is $40K for a base model or $45K fully loaded (add a bit more for special paint colors) - note: prices dropped $5K in 2014. Realistically, you can get a few grand off that price like with any other new car. If you buy one, the government (aka all of us) gives you a $7500 tax credit back at the end of the year assuming you pay at least $7500 in taxes to begin with. A lot of folks lease as there are some pretty sweet lease deals from GM. I happened to lease (something I normally wouldn’t do), because there were some sweet lease deals.
8. Downsides / Realities? – I am VERY picky about cars and they all have faults. Heck, in my book they usually have a LOT of faults (people tell me I need to “let it go”). The Volt is no different, here is my “short” list:
a. Size - It only seats 4 as the battery takes up the center of the rear seat. It is about the size of Ford Focus, Chevy Cruz, etc. It is OK, but not as roomy as competitors at this price point.
b. Raw Performance – The 0-60 and ¼ mile times for the Volt are nothing to write home about (typical of most small cars), and coming from my previous cars it is much slower. However, it has all of its available torque (the thing that pushes you back into the seat) available from 0 rpm – essentially as soon as you hit the go pedal.
c. Cost to Luxury Ratio – The Volt has a lot of features when loaded (i.e. leather, navigation, rear view camera, parking sensors, etc.), but there is still a little too much road noise, and too many hard plastics. You are paying for this new technology by sacrificing in some other areas. Despite what some owners think, this is no BMW or Audi in terms of drive, material quality or ride. Conversely, some people describe it as an “electric Chevy Cruze” but it is a lot more than that with its entirely different drive-train, lower center of gravity, different interior, etc, etc.
d. Handling – The car’s suspension is geared toward luxury, not sport. For some not an issue, but I would like something more sporty….and the low rolling resistance tires aren’t helping. It actually handles well because the weight is low, but becasue the suspension is a bit soft, it isn't as fun pushing it as I would like.
e. A beauty it ain’t – OK, the Volt is not unattractive, but it’s not beauty queen either. The whole look is a little too contrived…and a little too “me too - I’m a super efficient car like a Prius!” Still, it has some “interest” and I like cars with interest.
f. Battery Range Variability – Just like a regular gas powered car, range can be impacted based on a variety of things, but the variability on an electric car can be much greater. As an example, some folks are eclipsing 50 miles on a charge under ideal circumstances (no A/C or heat, lower speeds, etc.). Other times folks have actually seen under 30 in the dead of winter. This variability would ideally be tightened up a bit. I got about 35-37 miles of range in 100+ degree July, but now I routinely see 43 miles of range in late September and early October.
g. Outward Visibility – Forward a-pillars are too large and rear quarter visibility isn’t great. I paid extra for the front/rear parking sensors and backup camera for this reason.

The Emotion and Softer Benefits

1. And now for Something Completely Different – As mentioned above, I am coming from an ’02 BMW M5 – a car often described as the “best sports sedan in the world” when it came out. A car still considered by BMW fans (like me) to be one of the best BMWs ever made. While I bought it 8 years old with 47K miles on it, it was an expensive car when new at $75K! So, where do I go from there? Anything similar brand new was either way too expensive or didn’t excite me – or both. I considered a used M3 of the current generation, but almost looked at it as a lateral move….meh. I’ve done the American muscle bit with a GTO and Trans AM. I considered a new Mustang (the 5.0 of course), but really wanted a 4 door. Used Porsche Boxter or Caymen – too impractical and the ride is almost too sporty in a daily driver (yeah, yeah, sue me…I’m getting old). I started looking at Volts because I thought it might be “cool” to save on gas. I continued looking at Volts when I realized this car was groundbreaking. It had most of the benefits of an electric car (quiet motoring, seamless acceleration, reduced gas usage, etc.), while eliminating the worries about recharge time and range. The latter had me completely dismissing anything like a Nissan Leaf or the new electric Focus. If I run out of battery…so what…the gas engine kicks in automatically and I keep on truckin’. One test drive and I knew (sadly for a muscle car guy like me) this was the short term (10-20 years) future of electric cars…and electric cars in general are definitely the future. The “Car Guy” in me likes the Volt because this game changer is cool. It is AMAZING how many folks on the Volt forums traded in something with serious muscle for a Volt (i.e. M5, Camaro SS, 556 hp CTS-V, BMW M3s!). A fellow CAR guy buddy had an E39 M5 at the same time I did. He sold his and snagged a CTS-V (556 Hp second gen). At the time, he considered a Volt and in retrospect kind of wishes he had gotten it instead.
2. No Muss, No Fuss – OK, this car is no rocket as noted above, but because it is electric and because it has “one speed” transmission there is never any muss or fuss when accelerating. It is quiet w/o any rpm rise and fall or shifting to interrupt the acceleration. As a result, and given that all the torque – about 280 lbs ft - is available instantly, you end up using more of the available power and the car simply feels faster than it is and (in fact) you find yourself accelerating more quickly than “faster” cars because there is so little drama. Now, I will argue that a big engined Euro car or one with a sweet turbo six pulls very similarly in nature and is quiet…still though, that’s good company to be compared to. Future Volts or the Caddy ELR, etc. will be the rockets undoubtedly. They better be!
3. Serenity Now! – Look up the Seinfeld episode on this…a classic. Seriously though, at speeds lower than freeway speeds, the Volt is quiet…eerily quiet. At freeway speeds the road and wind noise are as loud or louder than any other car and this benefit becomes somewhat irrelevant, but it still very cool at lower speeds. Add a little sound deadening and some quieter tires and this thing could be super quiet!
4. Um…when did I become lazy? - OK, so several years ago I remember my Dad saying “who needs power windows…just another thing to break”. I remember him (and me) doing the old lean across the front seat maneuver to roll down the passenger side window…ah, good times. Needless to say, all of my cars for the last several years had power windows. Recently, we bought my wife a new Volvo and it came with “keyless entry”. I just keep a little fob in my pocket and when I reach for the door handle it automatically unlocks just as I start to pull it. When I get in the car, I just push a button on the dash to start and stop it. I never have to remove the key from my pocket and…I LOVE IT! I never would have paid more for it before having it (it came as part of larger package). I mean c’mon, we’ve been using keys for forever. Now, however, I find myself annoyed when I drive one of our other cars and have to dig my keys out. Now, take that to another level…take it to the “only having to stop for gas once a month or once every two months or three months!” Hot outside…not stopping for gas. Cold/Raining outside…nope. Running late….nope. Bad part of town…nope. (p.s. the latest Volts have keyless entry too )
5. I am hardly political but… - It is nice to cut back on the use of oil…more importantly on the use of foreign oil. Foreign oil that we have a tendency to want to protect (understandable given our dependence on it) at the expense of the lives of young Americans.

Ultimately, Volts are a bit too expensive relative to their utility, performance and luxury features/materials and you cannot justify buying one based purely on gas mileage. If your sole goal is to save on gas, you are probably better off buying a 10 year old Civic and pocketing the difference….or better yet, KEEP YOUR CURRENT CAR AND DON”T BUY ANYTHING if you really want to “save” money. However, if you are considering dropping this kind of coin on a car and can live with a smaller car (in reality, most of us could), the Volt is probably worth a look. If you are a “car guy” it might even free you up to finish restoring that 67 Firebird in your garage!
p.s. RIP Pontiac

****************************************

Anyway, I'm no fan boy for the Volt and see it for what it is and part of that is...the future. Heck, take a gander at the various i3 reviews popping up on the BMW forums form owners who test drove them at the LA auto show...a lot of surprised folks there (but yes, it is goofy looking). Anyway, if the OP is really bored with his F30 and looking for something that isn't same old, same old, well...

What a dichotomy. Hope you kept the M5--a true classic. If I had that, I could live with a Prius even---NOT.

[Christos]

I think that was the longest reply ever posted in ANY forum...

[cblandin]

Originally Posted by Christos

I think that was the longest reply ever posted in ANY forum...

I'd like to thank the academy...

[Shuttlegoose]

Anyone bored with their vehicle should definitely do a track weekend or two and see if it changes your feeling. 10 out of 10 times the car can out drive your abilities. The most likely of situations is that the car is actually bored of you lol. I track an e36 and love every minute of it, I get in the f30 and I'm thankful for its comfort, tech, gas mileage and also it's sportiness if driven correctly.

Desiring raw power will always give the appearance of being bored with a car.

[7 4 7]

Not yet ...

As soon as il get bored, il start modding

[ny325]

5 years old, and still enjoy driving my E90. If I ever get bored, I don't know what I would get. The F series lineup is not doing it for me.

[BradSCantor]

I wish this is true but not to burst your bubble, I was talking to a friend who works in the hydro industry and he was in a meeting where he said that the infrastructure for electric vehicle charging in homes is next to impossible.
Reason is that for each house to have to supercharging stations that would lower charging time the infrastructure would almost have to be built from scratch. As of now only two houses per block can have those stations ( we are talking about city).
Those supercharging stations cause too much power demand from current power lines.

This is horribly misinformed. It is presupposing that we all have our own gasoline stations in our basements... Come to think of it-- ill just swap out my private gas station for a supercharger. Thats all everybody needs to do.
Is the point supposed to be that gas is more readily available than electricity? Because that, my friend, is a belief that's either gonna slowly ruin the world, or change drastically in the next 10-15 years.