jsca72
Well-known member
This post is for those of you who are still thinking about getting a SparkEV and may be sitting on the fence. It’s kind of long, so go to the part your interested in and ignore the rest (or just ignore this whole post). 
I’m not trying to push you one way or the other on a SparkEV purchase, just giving you my reflections.
As of yesterday, I have had my 2014 1LT, Electric Blue SparkEv for 2 years. I know a lot of potential buyers worry about longevity, so here are my feelings two years in.
Still love, love, LOVE my car.
RANGE: There has been no drop in range in those two years. The battery is going strong. Beware, if you live in a cold area and use the heater a lot, it will eat up range. AC also will affect range but doesn’t seem to be as bad as the heater.
CHARGING: We installed a Level 2 charging station in the garage. I plug the car in and walk into the house. Too easy! People who live in apartments and still have electric vehicles, I salute you. For them, the QC option would probably have to be a necessity.
QUICK CHARGE OPTION: QC wasn’t available when I got my car. Since our closest QC charger is out of a Spark’s range, I would have had no chance to use QC charger in the last two years even if I had gotten the QC option. Would have probably paid the extra money to get it if it had been available, but I'm glad I didn’t wait for something I couldn't use.
SPACE: Roomy little car. We easily fit two adults in the backseat with plenty of legroom for them and the two in front. With the backseats up, there’s room for about 5 grocery bags plus in the far back. With the backseats down, a folded card table will fit flat on the floor. I’ve toted around a rain barrel, tubs of Christmas ornaments, heavy travertine tile, and all the supplies for a major science night event. I don’t know how well car seats would fit in for babies and young children.
COMFORT: Front seats are great, back seats not so much, convenient cupholders and electronics chargers for front and back seats.
MANEUVERABILITY: Excellent. If you really slam on the accelerator, you’ll get a bit of wobble from the traction control (I think). But I mean, you really have to have a lead foot for that to be a problem.
SAFETY: Because the Spark is so responsive, I feel very safe in it. When we watch consumer safety tests, we always see how a car takes being slammed into something. We never see how well the car could have avoided an accident. That’s where little cars shine, especially one’s like the EVs.
MAINTENANCE: I did have to have one repair on my car during the last two years. Last summer, the AC wasn’t cooling as well as it should. With a software update, it was repaired. I’ve had no problems since. There has been one recall on the secondary hood latch. Took care of that. I rotated my tires at 7500 miles as recommended and am about to take the car in for the recommended second tire rotation and cabin filter change. Talk about easy maintenance!
ELECTRICITY USAGE: Our household electricity consumption did go up when we bought the car, but we compensated by changing all the light bulbs and being more careful about turning off unnecessary lights. In May, we had solar panels installed and are now making more electricity than we use (and that’s with more AC usage in our home).
BUYING VS LEASING: I bought my car instead of leasing. I wanted the tax credits. I made my last car payment earlier this month. If I hadn’t been able to take advantage of the tax credits, I would have probably leased (assuming the dealership would have given me a good lease package).
CLIMATE CONTROL: Set your temperature and fan preferences (direction and level), and let the Spark take care of the rest. It works great. It took a little for me to get used to this since I had to do all the climate control manipulations in my old car.
ENTERTAINMENT: I use the USB for my iPod Shuffle and bluetooth for my iPhone. Bluetooth can be a bit glitchy, so I prefer the USB for music. I don’t use XM radio, Pandora, and such so I’m no expert on those.
My Spark is my therapy car. I love the soothing, smooth acceleration. A great way to relieve stress after a rough day is to take a ride in my car through the countryside or to the beach.
The Spark is our main car when my husband and I go anywhere in the county together. It’s the one I drive all the time. My husband has a Honda CRV that we use for travel.
The SparkEV is a delight to drive and I'm so glad I didn't let any doubts hold me back.
I’m not trying to push you one way or the other on a SparkEV purchase, just giving you my reflections.As of yesterday, I have had my 2014 1LT, Electric Blue SparkEv for 2 years. I know a lot of potential buyers worry about longevity, so here are my feelings two years in.
Still love, love, LOVE my car.
RANGE: There has been no drop in range in those two years. The battery is going strong. Beware, if you live in a cold area and use the heater a lot, it will eat up range. AC also will affect range but doesn’t seem to be as bad as the heater.
CHARGING: We installed a Level 2 charging station in the garage. I plug the car in and walk into the house. Too easy! People who live in apartments and still have electric vehicles, I salute you. For them, the QC option would probably have to be a necessity.
QUICK CHARGE OPTION: QC wasn’t available when I got my car. Since our closest QC charger is out of a Spark’s range, I would have had no chance to use QC charger in the last two years even if I had gotten the QC option. Would have probably paid the extra money to get it if it had been available, but I'm glad I didn’t wait for something I couldn't use.
SPACE: Roomy little car. We easily fit two adults in the backseat with plenty of legroom for them and the two in front. With the backseats up, there’s room for about 5 grocery bags plus in the far back. With the backseats down, a folded card table will fit flat on the floor. I’ve toted around a rain barrel, tubs of Christmas ornaments, heavy travertine tile, and all the supplies for a major science night event. I don’t know how well car seats would fit in for babies and young children.
COMFORT: Front seats are great, back seats not so much, convenient cupholders and electronics chargers for front and back seats.
MANEUVERABILITY: Excellent. If you really slam on the accelerator, you’ll get a bit of wobble from the traction control (I think). But I mean, you really have to have a lead foot for that to be a problem.
SAFETY: Because the Spark is so responsive, I feel very safe in it. When we watch consumer safety tests, we always see how a car takes being slammed into something. We never see how well the car could have avoided an accident. That’s where little cars shine, especially one’s like the EVs.
MAINTENANCE: I did have to have one repair on my car during the last two years. Last summer, the AC wasn’t cooling as well as it should. With a software update, it was repaired. I’ve had no problems since. There has been one recall on the secondary hood latch. Took care of that. I rotated my tires at 7500 miles as recommended and am about to take the car in for the recommended second tire rotation and cabin filter change. Talk about easy maintenance!
ELECTRICITY USAGE: Our household electricity consumption did go up when we bought the car, but we compensated by changing all the light bulbs and being more careful about turning off unnecessary lights. In May, we had solar panels installed and are now making more electricity than we use (and that’s with more AC usage in our home).
BUYING VS LEASING: I bought my car instead of leasing. I wanted the tax credits. I made my last car payment earlier this month. If I hadn’t been able to take advantage of the tax credits, I would have probably leased (assuming the dealership would have given me a good lease package).
CLIMATE CONTROL: Set your temperature and fan preferences (direction and level), and let the Spark take care of the rest. It works great. It took a little for me to get used to this since I had to do all the climate control manipulations in my old car.
ENTERTAINMENT: I use the USB for my iPod Shuffle and bluetooth for my iPhone. Bluetooth can be a bit glitchy, so I prefer the USB for music. I don’t use XM radio, Pandora, and such so I’m no expert on those.
My Spark is my therapy car. I love the soothing, smooth acceleration. A great way to relieve stress after a rough day is to take a ride in my car through the countryside or to the beach.
The Spark is our main car when my husband and I go anywhere in the county together. It’s the one I drive all the time. My husband has a Honda CRV that we use for travel.
The SparkEV is a delight to drive and I'm so glad I didn't let any doubts hold me back.
