Used Spark EV import to Colorado plan

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Joined
Sep 15, 2014
Messages
18
hi all,

I been scheming for a while now on how to get the best small electric vehicle available on the market to sunny color-do!

Here is what i know:

So there is a colorado tax credit that allows used electric cars to receive rebates, as long as they have not been previously registered in colorado: http://www.colorado.gov/cms/forms/dor-tax/Income67.pdf. At current used internet prices for California/OR Spark EVs with <5000 miles, i would receive ~ $4000 in state tax rebates.

This has become lucrative enough (new EVs with fed rebates + state rebates for new + colorado rebates for used) that a used car dealership in Boulder is only selling imported used leafs and volts: http://www.greeneyedmotors.com/used-cars-boulder-co/

Carmax shows a used California spark ev, with transfer costs to bring to color-do at $399: http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/default.html?id=11027817&AVi=0&No=0&Rp=R&D=90&zip=80121&N=4294963103+4294961584&Us=15&Q=1975dafe-b1d3-4d07-b592-42c28db918db&Ep=search:results:results%20page

Is my only issue to figure out if the local Chevy Volt dealership will service/work on the Spark EV? If so, i will figure that out in short order as 18,998+399-4000 = $15,397 for an almost new used best in class ev sounds good to me!

Thanks all for your advice.
 
colordosparkev said:
hi all,
Is my only issue to figure out if the local Chevy Volt dealership will service/work on the Spark EV? If so, i will figure that out in short order as 18,998+399-4000 = $15,397 for an almost new used best in class ev sounds good to me!

It is conceivable that a dealer might say "Yeah, we'll work on it" now, but later change their tune. With a promise from a dealer and $5 you can get coffee at Starbucks. My suggestion is to not worry about this because it is not under your control anyway.

Your plan is bold, and it deserves respect on that basis alone. My suggestion is that you say "Damn the torpedoes" and go for it.

The car appears to be identical to mine. I feel confident in predicting you will love this car, but it has its own few little flaws. The rear speakers are a bad joke, the low rolling resistance tires get insufficient traction, and the radio/multimedia system can only be shut off by powering off the dashboard display panel. These pale in comparison to the joy of driving this car.

Go for it.
 
I would at least talk to the service managers at local Chevy dealers and ask whether they would be willing to work on it. I would definitely go to one who sells and services the most Volts.

If they say no flat out, then you could expect trouble IF it needed EV service. ...but I don't see anyone reporting trouble with their Spark EVs, so the car could run for years with nothing more than tire maintenance.

...BTW, unlike StevesWeb, I think the sound system is just fine, of course I'm not a major sound aficionado. My main complaints: ugly-sounding horn, horn honks when you want to flash high beams, and dome light blinds the driver at night. As for tires and traction: Yeah they slip around, but I think any tire would with that much torque coming out of the front axle. I just drive it and hang on! :D
 
Thanks Steves for the thoughts. Local Volt electrical tech said they would probably be able to work on it...at least it was not a "no".
 
In Canada the Spark EV is only sold to fleet customers but you can get them serviced anywhere that services the Volt. That's not to say they will have EV-specific parts in stock but the Spark EV is in their service computer system and my local dealer was able to look up all the required info. I haven't yet needed any servicing. YMMV.
 
I don't understand what you don't like about the current EV offerings in Colorado?

As you are painfully aware, GM only sells this car for regulatory compliance. Toyota does the same thing, so please read this post to see the "official" way that Toyota handles their regulatory car in the wrong state:

Toyota Rav4 EV - Kevin Spillane warranty harassment for out-of-state owners:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=11234&sid=7516a22a907e1b2accf0b0ba923d500b#p11234
 
Ignore Tony's scare tactics (he's got an agenda, in case it's not immediately obvious). Nobody with a Spark EV has had any problem with getting service outside of CA and OR to date. Of course it's a possibility (never say never), but since GM has Spark EV specific service training available for all service technicians in the US and it shares technology with GM's other EV and hybrid vehicles, nobody expects this to become an issue. GM and Toyota are not the same companies, so it doesn't make sense to compare their willingness to support the customer.

I wouldn't hesitate to bring a Spark EV to another state. So far nobody has had any major issues that anybody here has heard about, and any dealer can service the little stuff that might come up just the same as a gas Spark.

That's pretty cool that Colorado has a special program for bringing in used EVs, that's news to me!

Bryce
 
Nashco said:
Ignore Tony's scare tactics (he's got an agenda, in case it's not immediately obvious). Nobody with a Spark EV has had any problem with getting service outside of CA and OR to date. Of course it's a possibility (never say never), but since GM has Spark EV specific service training available for all service technicians in the US and it shares technology with GM's other EV and hybrid vehicles, nobody expects this to become an issue. GM and Toyota are not the same companies, so it doesn't make sense to compare their willingness to support the customer.

Always a classy response from "your kind".

So, what you're saying is when I offer the possibility that there may be out of state issues, it is "scare tactics" with an "agenda", but you offer the same possibility? You might want to actually think before typing, eh?

You're right about GM and Toyota not being the same company... Toyota is the one that traditionally has the highest customer satisfaction ratings, and GM is... not.

To the question, please continue your due diligence from your local dealers and others who have shipped out-of-state. There's another problem that we had with Toyota, AND WHICH MAY APPLY TO GM (we don't know, do we?), is that the out-of-state dealers were more than happy to service the Toyota Rav4 EV compliance car, and some even did.

The problem that popped up, amongst several, is that Toyota USA would not reimburse the dealers for service or warranty repairs.

So, again, don't just believe me, or their "kind" that posts here, or even the dealer. Just understand that issues can pop up that might not be to your liking. In a worst case scenario, it MAY be required to ship the car elsewhere for service.

If you accept that possibility, then like many other CARB-ZEV compliance cars that have been shipped out-of-state, I'm sure you'll be quite happy.


  • Manufacturer - ZEV used for compliance:

    Ford - Focus EV
    Honda - Fit EV (discontinued after 2014)
    Chrysler/Fiat - 500e
    Toyota - Rav4 EV (discontinued after 2014), Scion iQ EV (fleet only, 92 sold)
    GM Chevrolet - Spark EV

For model years 2015 and beyond:


  • Fiat/Chrysler - 500e
    Ford - Focus EV, hydrogen by 2018?
    General Motors - Spark EV, potential "200 mile EV moon-shot", hydrogen by 2018?
    Honda - absolutley hydrogen
    Hyundai - absolutley hydrogen
    Kia - Soul EV
    Mazda - Demio EV
    Daimler/Mercedes - B-Class ED, Smart ED, hydrogen by 2018
    Toyota - absolutley hydrogen
    Volkswagen - eGolf

Auto manufacturers that are NOT subject to CARB-ZEV due to their small size:

Tesla
Mitsubishi
Fuji Heavy Industry (Subaru)
Jaguar Land Rover
Volvo

******

Nissan and BMW is not listed above, because while they are both subject to CARB-ZEV, they each either attempt or indeed do sell worldwide. They do not merely sell to meet minimum CARB-ZEV compliance, and therefore shouldn't be a problem getting service anywhere.
 
Even though I live in California, I couldn't buy my Spark EV in my county. Early in the summer, I needed to have an update on the software to fix AC issues. So even though my local Chevy dealership didn't carry the electric Spark, they took care of it for me, no problem, on warranty. BTW, AC has worked fine ever since.
 
jsca72 said:
Even though I live in California, I couldn't buy my Spark EV in my county. Early in the summer, I needed to have an update on the software to fix AC issues. So even though my local Chevy dealership didn't carry the electric Spark, they took care of it for me, no problem, on warranty. BTW, AC has worked fine ever since.

Great news.
 
I think everyone accepts that if you're not prepared to bring a gun and take hostages you can't MAKE a dealership service your vehicle. The key difference between Toyota and Chevy is that GM is a supporter of battery EVs. Toyota is solidly committed to hydrogen and hybrids.

Clearly manufacturing the Spark EV costs too much right now. That doesn't mean they hate the vehicle or its customers.

The biggest warning I could give would be that diagnosing EV bugs and problems will not be any dealers specialty. If the problem appears to be a mystery, be prepared for headaches and many online searches. Also, just because they can service EVs doesn't mean every mechanic in their garage can. Be prepared to leave your Spark EV for an extended period if it needs something serious.
 
FutureFolly said:
Be prepared to leave your Spark EV for an extended period if it needs something serious.
Correct. My 2015 Spark EV is in the shop to diagnose & replace the main battery. It has required 10 business days and is still not ready. It seems GM wants to be intimately involved in the test and repair process which significantly increases the turn-around time.
 
bzublin said:
FutureFolly said:
Be prepared to leave your Spark EV for an extended period if it needs something serious.
Correct. My 2015 Spark EV is in the shop to diagnose & replace the main battery. It has required 10 business days and is still not ready. It seems GM wants to be intimately involved in the test and repair process which significantly increases the turn-around time.
I look at the Spark EV as a prototype for the Bolt. GM wants to understand every single problem a Spark EV has so they can eliminate those problems before the Bolt goes into production. Fixing design or manufacturing flaws on the Spark EV helps the Bolt have a smooth launch without teething problems.
 
Still here waiting for the right used spark ev to bring in to colorado. Im glad to help gm pave the way for the bolt - err ev2. Current 2014 lightly used california spark evs running at 16500 to 17000, with a 3500 colorado tax rebate makes this a steal! Local volt mechanic says sparks are simplier than volts, so I have a little confidence that I can receive whatever service I might need. Working on the wife approval is all that is left to make this happen.
 
colordosparkev said:
Still here waiting for the right used spark ev to bring in to colorado. Im glad to help gm pave the way for the bolt - err ev2. Current 2014 lightly used california spark evs running at 16500 to 17000, with a 3500 colorado tax rebate makes this a steal! Local volt mechanic says sparks are simplier than volts, so I have a little confidence that I can receive whatever service I might need. Working on the wife approval is all that is left to make this happen.

Does the Colorado rebate only apply to New Vehicles ? Here a used one does not qualify
 
tigger19687 said:
colordosparkev said:
Still here waiting for the right used spark ev to bring in to colorado. Im glad to help gm pave the way for the bolt - err ev2. Current 2014 lightly used california spark evs running at 16500 to 17000, with a 3500 colorado tax rebate makes this a steal! Local volt mechanic says sparks are simplier than volts, so I have a little confidence that I can receive whatever service I might need. Working on the wife approval is all that is left to make this happen.

Does the Colorado rebate only apply to New Vehicles ? Here a used one does not qualify
He said the rebate can be applied to a used EV ONLY if that EV was never registered in CO. I definitely wouldn't go new if I could get a rebate used from a CA owner that got $10K off their purchase price.
 
Hello,
This is my first post on this forum and this is the thread that got me to join and post!
I agree with those above that say you can't trust anything a local dealership says, mostly.
My big question: How is service and warranty work handled if a Spark EV is trailered to a state where it is not sold.

I want a Spark EV as my next car. I had a Volt for 1.5 yrs but it is now gone. EV driving is habit forming !!

I posted this in the Volt forum, Spark EV thread.
I need an official answer before I buy a new or used Spark EV.

I want my Spark EV....!!

I've contacted GM through email twice asking if a Spark EV was trailered to the midwest could it serviced at local Chevy dealers.
I got the auto response saying they'd contact me soon. But they lied about that....
No response.

EDIT: I just received this reply from Chevy Marketing Team. This (my bold) is the important part to my question about servicing while the car is in a state where it is not available for sale.
I replied asking for clarification on the bold portion of their reply.



The current plan is to sell and register the Spark EV to residents in California, Oregon, and Maryland. There are no plans for distribution outside of CA and OR at this time, but we will continue to study and evaluate other opportunities. There will be very limited vehicle service availability outside CA, OR and MD.
 
NORTON said:
Hello,
This is my first post on this forum and this is the thread that got me to join and post!
I agree with those above that say you can't trust anything a local dealership says, mostly.
My big question: How is service and warranty work handled if a Spark EV is trailered to a state where it is not sold.

I want a Spark EV as my next car. I had a Volt for 1.5 yrs but it is now gone. EV driving is habit forming !!

I posted this in the Volt forum, Spark EV thread.
I need an official answer before I buy a new or used Spark EV.

I want my Spark EV....!!

I've contacted GM through email twice asking if a Spark EV was trailered to the midwest could it serviced at local Chevy dealers.
I got the auto response saying they'd contact me soon. But they lied about that....
No response.

EDIT: I just received this reply from Chevy Marketing Team. This (my bold) is the important part to my question about servicing while the car is in a state where it is not available for sale.
I replied asking for clarification on the bold portion of their reply.



The current plan is to sell and register the Spark EV to residents in California, Oregon, and Maryland. There are no plans for distribution outside of CA and OR at this time, but we will continue to study and evaluate other opportunities. There will be very limited vehicle service availability outside CA, OR and MD.
Your biggest hurdle to servicing your Spark EV will be finding a dealer that will let their Volt tech try to diagnose and repair your Spark EV. All the tools to repair a Spark EV and Volt are the same. Most of the high voltage electronics are the same. The design of the Spark EV is much more accessible than the Volt as well. All the electronics were mounted to a bar high in the engine bay for quick access. The motor is much smaller than the ICE with simple connections.
 
Your talking nonsense. I live in Texas purchase a brand new spark EV in California ship car back to Texas. Chevy dealer in northern Houston had no issues servicing the car. They put the volt tech on it twice the car been at dealer
 
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