There are several Fiat dealerships around the country that are certified to work on the 500e. Fiat has been doing a pretty good job of getting dealerships trained and supplying them with the proper equipment to handle off-lease 500es that are migrating from California and Oregon.
Well, I suppose it depends on how long you intend to own the EV. My Audi A4 costed me ~$25,000 in gasoline, oil services, brakes, fuel pump, water pump, timing chain, etc, (stuff that wouldn't apply to my EV) over the course of 100,000 miles. If I'm able to put 100,000 miles on my EV, and assuming it stays as trouble-free as it's been, the savings will speak for themselves. Lot's of "if's", for sure but I took a similar chance on my JSW when I imported it from the US. No Canadian VW dealership would honor warranty on a US car. A catastrophic failure with my JSW would have also necessitated a trip to Seattle.
You sound like me about six months before I bought my EV
You're correct to weigh the advantages offuel savings against the risks of non-existent serviceability in your area (I did). I'm quite sure that I have the only Mercedes B250e within 1000 miles of where I live. There is also a zero chance of getting my local Mercedes dealership to service any of the electric bits in the car because they have neither the equipment or the training to do so.
So, if my battery, drivetrain, charging system, or related electrical bits break down; worst case means I'm towing it to Seattle. Not too big of a deal as I have other cars to drive, and can borrow a truck to tow it if the need arises.
I accepted that risk mostly because of the faith I have in my car's Tesla supplied battery & drivetrain, and because EV's have an overall track record of stellar reliability.
Like you, I'm also looking out 8 to 10 years with my car. I already know that there is a VERY small market for a car like mine in my area, but because I intend to keep it for a long time, resale value doesn't much matter because I will have already saved the price I paid for the car in not burning gasoline, and not having to pay for services like oil changes and related engine maintenance. With regenerative braking, I may never need to replace the brake pads either because they rarely get used.
Though your concerns are certainly valid, from my experience; I think you're reading too much into them. Notwithstanding the car's electric drive system, the rest of the car can be serviced at your local Fiat dealership. I really believe that a Fiat 500e will be far more reliable than it's Fiat 500 gasoline counterpart. Much more fun to drive too.
Hope this helps.
Austin is pretty progressive when it comes to EV's, solar, etc. There should be service options there earlier than just about anywhere else in Tx.
I’m very tempted to put down a $1,000 deposit on one.
FEED ME, I"M HUNGRY!Well, I have 2 now.
Congrats!Well, I have 2 now.
Jason and I went to the Tesla store in downtown D.C. yesterday and waiting in line for a chance to sit in the Model 3. The red paint was simply gorgeous and the interior was understated and quite nice. It isn't luxury by any stretch of the imagination, but it's well thought out and pretty comfortable.No new posts here in 16 days? Has everyone forgotten about......
Two nice cars..thanks for the photos? Is Jason interested in the 2014 ELR?Jason and I went to the Tesla store in downtown D.C. yesterday and waiting in line for a chance to sit in the Model 3. The red paint was simply gorgeous and the interior was understated and quite nice. It isn't luxury by any stretch of the imagination, but it's well thought out and pretty comfortable.
Picture: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xEdzLTDmeMlvOqQC2
After that, we went to Moore Cadillac in Chantilly, VA and test drove a 2014 Cadillac ELR. It has a gen 1 Chevy Volt drive train and an absolutely fantastic interior. I think the styling is gorgeous, although some don't agree. The new price of an ELR was a staggering $80,000, but used prices have plumeted, with most of them being in the mid-20s. The car had a couple of issues that I've asked their service department to look into. This all started when Jason complained about vehicles with stiff suspension, so I jokingly replied that I was going to get him a Cadillac... and here we are.
Picture: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pn3xpBV64MPVHpR53
Yeah he liked it a lot and I did, too. We'll see how things pan out in the coming weeks.
They Bolt would probably suit your needs very well. If your buddy increased his offer a bit, would that change your mind?
That's the part I have trouble getting past. The offer he made on the B is reasonable. Aside from range, every used EV in the ~$20-25K range feels like a downgrade. I don't really want to go the PHEV route (Volt, or facsimiles). The 150 EPA miles a the new Leaf SL would suit me fine. Thought I haven't sat in one, it does look like comfortable car. Anyone here drive the new 2018 Leaf?
The new LEAF is essentially the same as the old LEAF, but with more range and more power. The LEAF is a very comfortable car, with more passenger room than the B class, particularly in the back seat. Driving dynamics are a little boring, but still very good. I would be concerned about battery degradation, as it appears that Nissan has done nothing to address that from the old LEAFs, continuing with no thermal management on the new cars. This might not be as much of an issue in Edmonton.
Oh right. I remember you mentioning that the seats seemed to be a little higher up in the new car, which makes sense, given the additional battery size under the floor. I didn't really notice, but I also didn't sit in the back of the new LEAF at the auto show.
Picked it up a week ago at a local dealer for my mother. It is a 2012 with just under 50,000 miles, has a 6 month old traction battery, but a dead heater. Paid next to nothing because the Chevrolet dealer didn't want to bring it 75 miles to the nearest Nissan dealer that works on EV's nor did they want to spend the $$.FEED ME, I"M HUNGRY!
I was at the Chevy dealer I bought the Volt from one day and they had a Tesla S there that was traded in on a Vette. I was told by the sales manager that they wanted Tesla to check it out, but it would be over three weeks before it could be looked at, so they sold it as is for $50,000. It lasted three days on the lot.
Just curious, how did you search / find that car? I've done searches on several car sales sites using keywords such as "replaced battery" or "new battery" and still had to sift through dozens of cars without finding and old car with a new battery.
I found it by dumb luck.
The best way is to sift through the pictures and look at the battery health meter. A 2012 - 2014 with all 12 capacity bars remaining probably means that it has a new traction battery. However, this is not a guarantee, as sneaky dealers can reset the battery health system with a scan tool and it can take 6 or more months for it to fully calibrate and show the current state of health (our roommate found this out the hard way).