Buying 2014 Spark EV... need guidance from seasoned owners.

[finrodnv]

Hello all,

First time Im posting here as my wife and I are looking into buying a 2014 Spark EV, currently the car has 34k miles on it and its being offered for about 9.8k at Carmax...

Not really having researched much (yet) on the car, I'm wondering if its worth buying one with that amount of miles (not that its a lot). Most of the posts I've read so far are with people having newer models and obviously less miles. The car would be for my wife and she does mostly city driving so long trips wouldn't be planned on that car, just for her to go to work and back plus the typical errands.

What things should I be on the lookout for when I go check the car out? Also, why is the car so depreciated when its an EV and not really that many miles? Is it normal?

Any guidance and input would be greatly appreciated

 

[EldRitch]

That seems a high price for mileage and year.

 

[finrodnv]

That seems a high price for mileage and year.

Does it? How come? I've seen listings around the area for the non EV version at around the same price but with way more miles. KBB lists it at around that same price range.

 

[emv]

I'd say its a bit high too. I had a lease through US Bank and I bought the car at lease end for a little under 9100 with 31K miles.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Hello all,

First time Im posting here as my wife and I are looking into buying a 2014 Spark EV, currently the car has 34k miles on it and its being offered for about 9.8k at Carmax...

Not really having researched much (yet) on the car, I'm wondering if its worth buying one with that amount of miles (not that its a lot). Most of the posts I've read so far are with people having newer models and obviously less miles. The car would be for my wife and she does mostly city driving so long trips wouldn't be planned on that car, just for her to go to work and back plus the typical errands.

What things should I be on the lookout for when I go check the car out? Also, why is the car so depreciated when its an EV and not really that many miles? Is it normal?

Any guidance and input would be greatly appreciated

If you haven't looked at http://www.cargurus.com, you should to see what is available in your area. Within 100 miles of my home in the Central Valley of California I found these examples of some of the 2014 Spark EVs for sale:

2LT 28K MILES $7900
1LT 4.4K MILES $11998
1LT 26K MILES $9998
1LT 26.5K MILES $8500
2LT 23K MILES $8499
1LT 44K MILES $7300
1LT 35K MILES $9882

Probably the biggest question I would have is how much has the HV battery has degraded. A chart posted by another 2014 Spark EV owner shows his battery capacity had degraded to 16.5 kWh at 22k miles. At 9500 miles, my average battery capacity for my 2014 Spark EV is 17.8 kWh which correlates with his graph too.

This should not be a problem for your wife's in-town driving as the 2014 Spark EV seems to easily get 5-6 miles per kWh in mild weather so you are looking at 75+ miles of range for a full charge. My data for my 2014 Spark EV shows the range will drop about 30% in cold weather due to use of the car's heater. Use of the air conditioning will drop the range too during hot summer months but not as significantly as the heater does.

My 2014 Spark EV has been absolutely trouble free with no problems since I purchased it used in August 2015. I know the range limits of the car in various weather conditions in my area and have found it is not difficult to meet my driving needs within those limits.

Note: the HV battery and propulsion system are covered by an 8 year 100K mile warranty.

 

[nikwax]

Also, why is the car so depreciated when its an EV and not really that many miles? Is it normal?

They apparently depreciate quickly because many of us did not pay anywhere near list price for their car. For example, my 2015 was about $25k list, and I paid $12k for it after incentives and rebates. So if I could sell if for $9k, I'd say it hadn't depreciated much at all.

 

[finrodnv]

Thanks to all that replied. Will keep doing research, if I do buy the car it will be from carmax most likely. My main concern is really how much of an overall lifetime I can expect from this car.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Thanks to all that replied. Will keep doing research, if I do buy the car it will be from carmax most likely. My main concern is really how much of an overall lifetime I can expect from this car.

I think the rapid depreciation is mainly due to concerns about how much the battery will degrade over time.

The 2014 Spark EV battery warranty says it is possible for the battery to degrade up to 35% over 8 years and still be within acceptable limits. Assuming a 20kWh battery at first delivery, that would mean you could lose up to 7kWh and still be considered "within warranty limits". If you are getting an average of 5 mi/kWh, you would lose 35 miles of full-charge range.

Just look at how much the Nissan Leaf has depreciated overtime. Most of that seems to be due to concerns over the significant battery degradation Leaf drivers are experiencing.

The HV battery warranty for the 2017 Chevy Bolt is also for 8 years or 100K miles and acceptable battery degradation over that period is 10 to 40%. Therefore, a new Bolt with an EPA combined range of 238 miles could, in 8 years, see the same combined EPA range drop to 143 miles and still be considered acceptable. Ouch!

 

[nikwax]

Also, why is the car so depreciated when its an EV and not really that many miles? Is it normal?

They apparently depreciate quickly because many of us did not pay anywhere near list price for their car. For example, my 2015 was about $25k list, and I paid $12k for it after incentives and rebates. So if I could sell if for $9k, I'd say it hadn't depreciated much at all.

Just to be clear: this car would have to be pried from my wife's cold dead fingers. She absolutely loves driving it, and given that her previous car was a WRX, that says something. It's a perfect city car.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Also, why is the car so depreciated when its an EV and not really that many miles? Is it normal?

They apparently depreciate quickly because many of us did not pay anywhere near list price for their car. For example, my 2015 was about $25k list, and I paid $12k for it after incentives and rebates. So if I could sell if for $9k, I'd say it hadn't depreciated much at all.

Just to be clear: this car would have to be pried from my wife's cold dead fingers. She absolutely loves driving it, and given that her previous car was a WRX, that says something. It's a perfect city car.

I would DEFINITELY AGREE that the Spark EV is the best city car, period!

 

[evboy]

I paid 9k for my 2014 sparke and it only had 4k miles on it. It came with 2 chargers for some reason , so i sold one for 200.00 which put the price at 8800. It was the best deal on autotrader. I would check there first. carmax was a little high compared to autotrader. That being said, it is the funnest car i have ever driven including the tesla model s which i recently test drove. I love the car. i will drive it until the wheels fall off.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

I paid 9k for my 2014 sparke and it only had 4k miles on it. It came with 2 chargers for some reason , so i sold one for 200.00 which put the price at 8800. It was the best deal on autotrader. I would check there first. carmax was a little high compared to autotrader. That being said, it is the funnest car i have ever driven including the tesla model s which i recently test drove. I love the car. i will drive it until the wheels fall off.

That is a great price! I too am having more fun with my 2014 Spark EV than I ever had with my new 1966 VW beetle.

 

[finrodnv]

Yeah, I've seen others on their website that have 14k miles, possibly a higher trim at the same price so I will check the one they brought over and probably ask them to bring the other one with lower miles instead if I like the way this one drives.

 

[jsca72]

I have a 2014 Spark EV that I bought new in July 2013. Doesn't have QC, and I've never felt a need for it. (I do have a level 2 charger in my garage.) The range has degraded a bit since I bought the car, though I don't know how much is battery degradation and how much is the tires. I usually start the day with about 76 miles on the car.

That being said, I still adore my car. Thought I'd be thinking of getting Bolt when it came out, but no, I'm still delighted with my Spark. I'm just going to see how long this little vehicle can go!

 

[fox]

I'm usually able to help and find a great deal, where about are you located and I'll show you some better deals near you. Carmax is always way higher, for instance the local carmax has the same car I bought a 2014 spark ev with no QC and roughly same miles, their price? $12.5k What did I pay? $7.5k

 

[twalace]

Just bought my 2014 2LT with 22k for $8,500 OTD, great car so far!!! And I've got a Vette and FRS in the garage...

 

[evboy]

Just bought my 2014 2LT with 22k for $8,500 OTD, great car so far!!! And I've got a Vette and FRS in the garage...

You are.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FmPg4lrBKc