Happy Birthday, Little Spark!

[jsca72]

It was one year ago today that our little Spark EV joined our family.

I know a lot of people who are thinking of getting a SparkEV follow this forum, so after a year, here are my reflections.

I LOVE THIS CAR!!!

DRIVE:
This car continues to give me a great ride: smooth and responsive. It still looks great (for a funny looking little car).

COMFORT:
I find it a very comfortable car for the driver and passenger in the front seat. There's even decent leg room for those riding in the back though the backseats aren't the most cushy.

RADIO/BLUETOOTH:
Could be better, but works fine for my needs. I don't use Pandora, Stitcher, or XM radio. I've got so much music and podcasts on my iPhone, my entertainment is taken care of.

LOAD CAPACITY:
This little car is a workhorse. It's made many trips to the home improvement centers, hauled large, bulky tubs of Christmas ornaments and decorations from our storage room, plus brought home a heavy load of tile. With its square back end and the backseat put down, the Spark can carry a lot.

CHARGING:
I do most of my charging in my garage at home on the 240 charger. It costs me about $30.00 a month to charge and that's with PG&E which is stingy with its breaks for EV owners. (We stayed on our regular electricity plan instead of going to the expense of adding a new electrical drop.) My Spark doesn't have the fast charger. Since there aren't any fast charging stations in the area, it's a moot point. Would I have paid the extra money to get a fast charger if it had been available at the time? Most likely. Would I have had the opportunity to use it in the year I have had the car? Nope.

RANGE:
When I first got the car, I would always think about range….analyzing my excursion to make sure I could get home at the end of the day. Now I just go. Range anxiety…don't have it anymore. I get around San Luis Obispo County just fine. The heater of the Spark does eat range; the AC hardly seems to affect it. Whenever I pull into the garage, I plug in my car so it's always ready to go where I want it to go. I kept my Honda Accord for awhile, and then finally sold it when I was struggling to keep its battery charged. I just was never using it. (My husband's Honda CRV takes us on any long trips.)

RELIABILITY:
In this year, I did have to take the SparkEV in once for an software update on its climate control system to fix a bug. It was covered by the warranty, so no charge. Today, I took it in for its first real service…its tire rotation. (BTW, thank you to those who posted info about the difference in size between the front tires and back. I was able to give my mechanic a heads up.) So now 7500 miles until its next service: tire rotation and cabin filter change.

BUYING VS LEASING:
So, after owning this car a year would I buy it again? In a heart beat! And yes, I said "buy" not "lease." If the Spark had been a more expensive EV or if I was retired and didn't pay as much in taxes as I do, I probably would have leased. But with the $7500 tax credit and California rebate, the cost to buy this car was brought way down.

So, happy birthday, Little SparkEV. Here's to many more years together!

 

[nozferatu]

Bravo!

 

[Offenbach]

I bought my 2015 Spark EV in December of 2019. It his given me very reliable & trouble free service for 4 years. I had the brake line drained & new brake fluid put in at 30,000 miles, as well as new tires. My front bow tie emblem needs replacement, but GM no longer supports the Spark EV, and my local Chevy dealer looked - but could not find - a replacement. My original Level One charger went on the fritz, GM charged me approximately $850 for a new one, but it lasted only about a year. Bought yet another one via Amazon that works great & is of better quality for $185. My Spark EV is going on 9 years old, has around 35k miles on it, and will charge up to 78 - 80 miles when the temperature is mild (63 - 77 degrees Fahrenheit). I highly recommend this car for running errands around town. I subscribe to XM radio, which is easy to use via the touchscreen, and makes driving in the car that much more enjoyable. I think Chevrolet made a big mistake in discontinuing this car.

 

[MINITSLA]

So glad you are enjoying your Spark! I love how peppy and easy to drive it is. My 2015 has the DC fast charge option, but I have only used it once to add about 10 miles to make sure I'd make it home after having the car serviced at a distant dealer.

What was the climate control problem you experienced? The only issue I've ever had was unresponsive dials/knobs. A reboot fixed it, and I've never experienced the problem again.

 

[SparkE]

The 10-year anniversary of the Spark EV's birth has passed!! (First shipped vehicle in June 2013 for 2014 model year.)

 

[gnafuthegreat]

My Spark was manufactured (according to the doorsill sticker) in September 2013, so it's over 10 years old now. I've owned it for over 18 months, and it's been great. Every once in a while I think about trading up for a Bolt, but I just love this little car.

 

[SparkE]

Yeah, I'll keep this one until range drops down to around 45-50, then buy another used "something". I'll have it for years to come. I only have 35K miles on it.

Edit: My Sparky is a 2015, and still has 90 miles WINTER range ("winter" around San Jose, CA tends to be 35-45 at night, 50-65 daytime).

 

[SPiehler]

I bought my 2016 Spark in September, 2019, and it just reached 30,000 miles. It has been trouble-free. I would have spent nothing on maintenance except that I hit a curb or something and damaged a tire sidewall. Grr.

I need a small car like a Spark because my garage is laid out stupidly, with the door to the house on the side, 4 feet from the end wall. The Spark is short enough that I don't run into it coming down the steps.

 

[SparkE]

I bought my 2016 Spark in September, 2019, and it just reached 30,000 miles. It has been trouble-free. I would have spent nothing on maintenance except that I hit a curb or something and damaged a tire sidewall. Grr.

Me similar. Only expenses so far : new windshield wipers, a liter of windshield fluid, and new tires (road debris punctured a tire beyond repair). When it took me over two weeks to find OEM tires, I decided to replace all four. Good for another 35K miles.

 

[Porsche]

About two and a half years ago I bought a 2015 LT2 with a little over 30k miles. It needed tires when I bought it, but passed inspection, so I waited a year. About six months ago, I bought wiper blades. This car has cost next to nothing to maintain. I did have two minor problems though:

Recently, the "charging door open" warning stopped working. Haven't bothered fixing it yet (does look to be a bit of a pain to get to the switch).

Next, a while ago, the window switch on the front passenger side door started "sticking". you have to manually set it back to the neutral position (I have to constantly warn new passengers). I bought the switch, but can't quite figure out how to change it. The dealer wanted a ridiculous amount of money to change the switch. I saw a video for a non-EV spark, and it looks like there's only one single screw to remove, then pull up on the plastic panel that holds the switch, but when I try this, the plastic panel won't budge. I'm afraid to force it and damage an irreplaceable trim part. If anyone has any suggestions, especially from those with the service manual, I'd love to hear them.