Considering a Spark EV in Victoria, BC, Canada

[user 1350]

Victoria is very EV friendly with 3 DC fast chargers (plus 66 or so public L2 chargers) around town and another every 50 km (31 miles) along the highway heading north (I live on an island).
The majority of EVs are Leafs & Teslas with a handful of Volts & Bolts (but I've seen almost every model available). The downside is that resale values are really high.
2015 Leafs are going for over $20K (~$16K USD). I don't want a Leaf personally and I would like to go full EV (so no Volt).
There are no Spark EVs for sale at the moment, but the EV dealership in town says they can bring one in from WA or OR for about $16K to $18K ($12.5K to $14K USD) so quite a bit more than what they seem to go for across the border (probably hefty markup).

My concern is that with used prices so high, it might be worth going new. We get a $5000 rebate at time of purchase as a government incentive, so I can get a 2019 Ioniq for ~$33K ($25.7K USD).
I'm concerned a new EV will be almost worthless after 5 years with new tech coming, so I should go used. Too bad used prices are really high here plus with battery degradation on a 2015 Spark EV what kind of range am I going to have in 3 or 4 years?
Sorry, I know lots of rambling and back and forth. Seems like a bad time to get an EV (on the cusp of many new models with added range) but I can't wait any longer (I've already waited 20 years!).

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Victoria is very EV friendly with 3 DC fast chargers (plus 66 or so public L2 chargers) around town and another every 50 km (31 miles) along the highway heading north (I live on an island).
The majority of EVs are Leafs & Teslas with a handful of Volts & Bolts (but I've seen almost every model available). The downside is that resale values are really high.
2015 Leafs are going for over $20K (~$16K USD). I don't want a Leaf personally and I would like to go full EV (so no Volt).
There are no Spark EVs for sale at the moment, but the EV dealership in town says they can bring one in from WA or OR for about $16K to $18K ($12.5K to $14K USD) so quite a bit more than what they seem to go for across the border (probably hefty markup).

My concern is that with used prices so high, it might be worth going new. We get a $5000 rebate at time of purchase as a government incentive, so I can get a 2019 Ioniq for ~$33K ($25.7K USD).
I'm concerned a new EV will be almost worthless after 5 years with new tech coming, so I should go used. Too bad used prices are really high here plus with battery degradation on a 2015 Spark EV what kind of range am I going to have in 3 or 4 years?
Sorry, I know lots of rambling and back and forth. Seems like a bad time to get an EV (on the cusp of many new models with added range) but I can't wait any longer (I've already waited 20 years!).

Somewhere on this forum is a post from a Spark EV driver in Canada who drove his Spark EV from Edmonton, Alberta to the Los Angeles, California area and he did this in the winter. See if you can find the post and contact him. He should be able to give you a real driver's evaluation of how the Spark EV does in the extreme climates found in Canada. The prices you quoted seem quite high to me. Also, you should find someone who can use TorquePro and an OBD Bluetooth adapter to measure the actual HV battery capacity of any Spark EV you may consider. Personally, I have concerns about the 2015 Spark EV as I experienced a sudden drop of 1.5 kWh in HV battery capacity in the 2015 Spark EV I leased and I know of others who have had a similar experience.

 

[SparkE]

This site's search functionality is too f*cking stupid to allow you to search for Edmonton, since it is "too common". Sheesh.

So I went straight to google and found this thread : http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4720

The trip was almost 2 years ago !!

 

[MrDRMorgan]

This site's search functionality is too f*cking stupid to allow you to search for Edmonton, since it is "too common". Sheesh.

So I went straight to google and found this thread : http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4720

The trip was almost 2 years ago !!

Yep! That is the one. Thanks for finding it. I tracked him to Bakersfield, CA and then lost him. I believe he should be able to answer any Spark EV questions ComputerAbuser might have.

 

[user 1350]

Sorry, I didn't get notified of replies.

I'm not too worried about the weather here. We have the best weather in Canada. It might snow once a year, but we often go the entire year without snow and rarely does it go below freezing. If it does, it's only a few degrees below early in the morning. The average winter temp is 5.0 °C (41 °F). I've ridden my motorcycle in December and January without issue (other than really cold hands).

We get a lot of rain in the winter, but about half what they get in Vancouver/Seattle. According to Wikipedia Victoria has a mild warm summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) with mild, rainy winters and cool, dry and sunny summers.

I think because of the favorable weather, there is a high demand for EVs which brings up the price of used models. I'm concerned about the value of a used Spark EV when I'm looking at $16.5K (~$12.7K USD) for a used 2015. I would jump all over a $9000 USD 2015 Spark. Somehow used 2015 Leafs go for over $20K ($15.4K USD) which blows my mind.

I can get a new Soul EV or Ionic Electric for around $32K ($24.6K USD) after rebate. About the same price for a new 2019 40kwh Leaf, but I'm not a fan of their setup.

 

[JPL]

Well I have both an spark and a soul ev.

I'm in Vancouver. PM me

 

[user 1350]

JPL, I guess you could comment on the used market in your area? We have one EV dealership in Victoria, but as you can see the prices seem really high. I thought the resale on EVs was supposed to be terrible. Maybe it's just my area.

https://motorize.ca/inventory/

I contacted both Chevy dealerships to see if they have any leases coming back.

 

[NORTON]

Buy one in the LA area and drive it home!!

At least one part of that plan is possible.

 

[JPL]

I got mine in Westwood honda.

Couldn't wait to have a vehicle. Paid as you are saying. Still paying.

If you have time to do the paperwork yourself, go to Seattle Craigslist and get one. You will save $ Warranty is valid in Mexico, the states and Canada.

 

[user 1350]

Ha funny, I just went and test drove a Spark EV tonight at Westwood (I'm visiting Vancouver for a couple days).

It's a 2015 with 18.6K km (11.6K mi). Originally listed for $17 500, then $16 900 and now $16 500 as of Oct 4th ($12,674.37 USD).

I like everything about it, but the color (silver). It's in good shape and I would hope the battery is still pretty good with only 11 600 miles on it.

I'm tempted to buy it tomorrow.

 

[NORTON]

.....It's a 2015 with 18.6K km (11.6K mi). ... now $16 500 as of Oct 4th ($12,674.37 USD).
I'm tempted to buy it tomorrow.

Take a breath, buddy.
You are buying a used car the MOST expensive way.
And at that price, the original owner paid only a little more with the tax breaks.
Do you know about looking up car values on KBB or NADA?

Maybe it's a big deal to buy a used car in the USA and drive it across the border to register it.... I don't know..... Is it?

I shop using Searchtempest. It searches all of Craigslist in a radius you select.
Buy from an owner and not a sleazy used car dealer.
If that doesn't work there are the usual, cars.com, cargurus, autotrader, etc.

Pace yourself! These are great EV's and there are bargains out there.

 

[JPL]

If you want to come over, pm me. You can try the soul ev too. Do you like Mexican beer?

 

[user 1350]

There is currently only 1 Spark EV for sale in western Canada. The price seems to be equal or better than what they go for out of Quebec where there appears to be a couple dozen for sale.

I can see a few for sale within 100 miles if I cross the border but it looks like a pain to bring them across.

I ended up not getting it and just took the ferry back home.

 

[JPL]

There is currently only 1 Spark EV for sale in western Canada. The price seems to be equal or better than what they go for out of Quebec where there appears to be a couple dozen for sale.

I can see a few for sale within 100 miles if I cross the border but it looks like a pain to bring them across.

I ended up not getting it and just took the ferry back home.

Raincheck, man.

Norton, you are invited too!

 

[user 1350]

Well, I've had no luck selling my 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage privately. Not even a low-ball offer. So I guess I'm going to have to trade it in and take the hit on trade. I'm tired of waiting for my EV.

Anyway, there are more options out of Vancouver now (2 dealership have imported some Spark EVs) including a 2016. Too bad it's grey. I'm going to be out of town for 2 weeks starting next week though. I have to decide if I should ferry over and do a trade this weekend before I go or just wait to see what's still there in the new year.

 

[NORTON]

Use searchtempest and search in a radius from you,,, all the way down to Cali.
Import one yourself!
Can you say ROAD TRIP !

 

[user 1350]

Ya, I could save a few grand importing myself, but that's a lot of extra hassle. Taking the ferry over to the mainland to get one that's already imported is already time consuming. I'm also looking at doing a trade-in now and cut my losses on my Mirage.

 

[user 1916]

Have you been able to acquire a Spark EV? I'm in Calgary, AB and have been looking at them for about a month or two and I see there are quite a few more in Vancouver now... a mix of 2015 and 2016, both 1LT and 2LT's some with DC Fast Charge.

I'm trying to figure out if I should buy from an auction and import into canada, buy from Vancouver and drive it back to Calgary (there are quite a few DC FC along the route... every 60 -70 km's or so) or work with a local EV dealer and have him import one for me.

 

[user 1350]

Ya, I noticed a lot more popped up in Vancouver. I ended up getting a new Hyundai Ioniq Electric Ultimate instead.

I was pretty much set but after having my wife drive around with me in my Mitsubishi Mirage one day, she expressed to me that she didn't like driving in it. It was small, cramped and uncomfortable. The Spark is a similar size and trim comparison.

It made me realize that I could get a the Spark EV and it would meet my needs, but whenever we drove together we would probably end up taking her SUV because it was more comfortable.

For the first while she kept trying to get me to switch vehicles for the day. I'm positive that wouldn't have been the case with the Spark EV I'm afraid.

 

[user 1916]

That's fair... my wife has a van that we drive whenever we are together (with the kids) anyhow... so moving from a 07 Honda Civic to a 15/16 Chevy Spark EV is no big deal for us..... it will be a commuter car for me to get to and from work, much like what I use the civic for today.