Is Spark EV BEST Budget option? What should be looked over?

[SparkevBlogspot]

I miss it's Pint Size.

That's the biggest reason why I probably won't be getting Tesla Model 3. It's almost as long as my Chevy Astro minivan (185 inches, 3 ft longer than SparkEV). After being so used to small SparkEV and easy parking, I have hard time imagining driving something as large as a van (Tesla 3) on regular basis.

Another interesting bit is that many new "compact cars" like Civic are only few inches shorter than Tesla 3, and less than foot shorter than Astro minivan. "Compact" is taking on a whole new meaning.

 

[Jester84]

That is so true....The Spark is probably considered almost a Micro Car by todays standards...Hell, the Mini Cooper is now bigger than a Chevy Colorado lol!!

 

[Planerench]

That is so true....The Spark is probably considered almost a Micro Car by todays standards...Hell, the Mini Cooper is now bigger than a Chevy Colorado lol!!

Which is hilarious when you consider you can seat 4 people in it!

 

[Jester84]

That is so true....The Spark is probably considered almost a Micro Car by todays standards...Hell, the Mini Cooper is now bigger than a Chevy Colorado lol!!

Which is hilarious when you consider you can seat 4 people in it!

Yup...I am 6'2" and very wide shouldered, and I have had 4 people in mine...3 over 6ft lol. Like a bunch of clowns rolling out of it haha

 

[NORTON]

..... I hope to just make almost all local trips when driving instead of walking and cycling with the Family sans made big Costco Run-in the Subaru... Spark EV drives.

I owned a little 1987 Turbo Chevy Sprint from 93-2010. I miss it's Pint Size.

Now that was a cool little car, Bro!
I had a 1989 Geo Metro for 13 yrs and 240k miles from new! It was still in great shape mechanically, but it was rusting in two.. I have a history of being a cheap ass.
G1 Insight, TDI's and a Prius before a Volt and now I'm driving almost for free with the Spark EV.

I saw some article that talked about "Cheaper than Cycling" when it came to driving an EV. It was talking about calorie burn. I never followed up with my own research...

 

[rkiyer]

1/ For the OP, one factor to keep in mind is that the Spark's trunk is almost useless for any decent sized baby strollers. Child car seats also are a tight fit. If you are confident that you will _never_ consider using the Spark for transporting kids, that is okay. Otherwise, the Prius C on your list has a much more usable trunk while retaining the small hatchback form factor.

2/ The one advantage the Spark EV has over the other cars on your list is the easy, fun acceleration and engaging ride. You will find passing/merging on highways very smooth and fun as compared to under-powered cars like the Prius C.

3/ I saw you mention road trips. Even with the DCFC option, I would say road trips that involve more than a single recharge are going to be challenging. This can be a good thing if the novelty of going electric and reducing emissions excite you. But from a pure functionality point of view, finding DCFC chargers along the way every 60-70 miles and planning diversions and working around occupied or possibly faulty chargers would suck compared to a gasoline powered car. I say this as someone who is excited by EVs and looks forward to their ubiquity but understanding that right now, they are not for everyone.

 

[djkenny]

I have been bouncing between options.

I am down to Kia Soul for $13,290 in base form. Roomy, ultra safe, great for the kiddos. Great for a road trip. Great for camping. Plenty of features, nothing fancy. Okay MPGs, not fab, usually 35 mpg, I managed 38 mpg driving Chill on the freeway. 10 yr 100k warranty powertrain and 5 yr 60k mile Bumper to Bumper.

Mitsubishi Mirage SE for $11,300. Mid model with push button start, apple car play, back up camera, alloys, keyless entry. Exceptional Prius Like MPGS of 45+ mpg, I got it up past 51 mpg on the freeway. Easy to park, nice for our dense city.

The Spark EV. Both are LT1.

Which is the better option? One with 18k miles at a dealership that acquired it as a trade in (they really know nothing about it, are nto an EV dealer or sell Chevys). Car Fax says it was a Lease and got auctioned a couple times. The key looked a little rough, I guess people just have sharp stuff in their pockets. Couple scratches here and there inside. No rear shelf in the hatch (normal?) No cover over the bits for charging in the trunk. I am not sure if that is normal? Exterior looks Mint.
Bonus: It has the Quick Charge. A friend works at the dealer. I could get it for around $9800. It felt like it was veering to the side a little, like alignment was Off. Maybe I could have a Chevy Dealer look at it before buying?

The other has just over 500 miles at a Chevrolet Dealership that would be $10,800. No Quick Charge. It is essentially like new.

Save $1000 to get one with super low miles without any scratches inside and a no chewed up key? Or buy the pretty much nearly untouched one for a grand more with no QC?

 

[NORTON]

Without the DCFC option it is a local limited car. If you can handle that, fine.
If you want an EV you can use more than in a 30 mile radius, you need DCFC. It is the future.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

I have been bouncing between options.

I am down to Kia Soul for $13,290 in base form. Roomy, ultra safe, great for the kiddos. Great for a road trip. Great for camping. Plenty of features, nothing fancy. Okay MPGs, not fab, usually 35 mpg, I managed 38 mpg driving Chill on the freeway. 10 yr 100k warranty powertrain and 5 yr 60k mile Bumper to Bumper.

Mitsubishi Mirage SE for $11,300. Mid model with push button start, apple car play, back up camera, alloys, keyless entry. Exceptional Prius Like MPGS of 45+ mpg, I got it up past 51 mpg on the freeway. Easy to park, nice for our dense city.

The Spark EV. Both are LT1.

Which is the better option? One with 18k miles at a dealership that acquired it as a trade in (they really know nothing about it, are nto an EV dealer or sell Chevys). Car Fax says it was a Lease and got auctioned a couple times. The key looked a little rough, I guess people just have sharp stuff in their pockets. Couple scratches here and there inside. No rear shelf in the hatch (normal?) No cover over the bits for charging in the trunk. I am not sure if that is normal? Exterior looks Mint.
Bonus: It has the Quick Charge. A friend works at the dealer. I could get it for around $9800. It felt like it was veering to the side a little, like alignment was Off. Maybe I could have a Chevy Dealer look at it before buying?

The other has just over 500 miles at a Chevrolet Dealership that would be $10,800. No Quick Charge. It is essentially like new.

Save $1000 to get one with super low miles without any scratches inside and a no chewed up key? Or buy the pretty much nearly untouched one for a grand more with no QC?

This was mentioned above and is quite true - " Even with the DCFC option, I would say road trips that involve more than a single recharge are going to be challenging. This can be a good thing if the novelty of going electric and reducing emissions excite you. But from a pure functionality point of view, finding DCFC chargers along the way every 60-70 miles and planning diversions and working around occupied or possibly faulty chargers would suck compared to a gasoline powered car. I say this as someone who is excited by EVs and looks forward to their ubiquity but understanding that right now, they are not for everyone."

I have made a number of 300 mile round trips in my 2015 Spark EV using quick chargers and it does take a bit of planning - I use PlugShare - and you need a plan B and possibly a Plan C to ensure your Spark EV is not found dead on the road. I typically charge from 35% to 95% in about 15 minutes at EVgo DCFC locations so multiple stops is really not much of a problem. I like DCFC locations with multiple DCFCs to minimize running into a dead one.

I never intended to use my Spark EVs as a road cars. Instead, I use them locally to completely free myself from gasoline but I can venture out when I need to.

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2014 Spark EV 2LT w/o QC
2015 Spark EV 2LT with QC
2016 Spark EV 2LT with QC