What is being offered at end of lease?

[MrDRMorgan]

My lease on my 2015 Spark EV 2LT ends on May 31, 2018. I am not sure what kind of deal, if any, will be available. So... I just purchased a used 2016 Spark EV 2LT with 6.7k miles instead. Car looks brand new inside and outside and all warranties are still in effect as is the free 3-year OnStar. I took the car on a 130 mile round trip on Friday and everything worked great! Go-Sparky-Go!
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2014 Spark EV 2LT
2015 Spark EV 2LT
2016 Spark EV 2LT

 

[flavioguy]

I'm considering a '15 EV from a non-Chevy dealer - it shows on CarFax as an auctioned car.

1- Is this a bad idea to buy an auctioned car especially from a non-Chevy dealer?
2- It has 16K miles and they are asking $8K plus fees - good?
3- Does not have DCFC
4- 1LT model

Thoughts?

 

[MrDRMorgan]

I'm considering a '15 EV from a non-Chevy dealer - it shows on CarFax as an auctioned car.

1- Is this a bad idea to buy an auctioned car especially from a non-Chevy dealer?
2- It has 16K miles and they are asking $8K plus fees - good?
3- Does not have DCFC
4- 1LT model

Thoughts?

The car should be great if you only plan to drive it within a 70 to 80 mile round trip range or are willing to locate public L2 EVSEs to extend your range a bit. If you know a Spark EV driver, have him or her check out the car with you. This forum offers very useful information too.

In August of 2015, I bought a used 2014 Spark EV 2LT [1500 miles at purchase and 12,000 miles now] w/o the quick charge option and "AS IS" from a Chevy dealer 70 miles from my home. I charge only at home using either the L1 EVSE that came with the car or an L2 EVSE I installed in my garage. My car has only been to the Chevy dealer for a few recalls and a service bulletin. Otherwise, the car has been completely free of any problems in 2.5 years and it is a joy to drive.

My 2015 Spark EV 2LT with the quick charge option has 23,000 miles on it since I leased it new 2.5 years ago in May of 2015. I have had no problems with this car either.

Last week I bought a used 2016 Spark EV 2LT equipped with the quick charge option. This car will replace my 2015 Spark EV 2LT when the lease ends. The car was being sold by a KIA dealer and had been on their lot for 6 months. I purchased the car "AS IS" with 6700 miles on it. Today, I took it in for a recall software update at my local Chevy dealer. So far, after a 130 mile drive to check out the car's operation, I have not found any problems with the car. The full-charge GOM range at purchase was 59 miles at 3.9 mi/kWh - the trip meter was never reset and the low mi/kwh plus obvious front tire wear suggests the car was driven hard. This 2016 Spark EV 2LT is a great little car too and it is still covered by the factory warranty.

Can you tell that I really like Spark EVs?

 

[flavioguy]

MDM,
Thanks for the response! It's just going to be an around town car.......no more than 25-30 miles would be the longest trip.

I'm currently driving a Fiat 500 cabrio and I considered the Fiat 500e (EV) but there's no service available for any of the electrical components where I live. I really love the Fiat and how it drives but that service issue leaves me concerned.

The other challenge is the car that I would be buying is 100 miles from here.....so I'll have to charge on the way home. Might be a long day!

One question - if I found a 2015 Spark gas model, is the interior, seating, visibility the same as the EV? If so, I could sit in one then I'd see how I like the feel of the car.

 

[Taxman]

The Spark EV is the same chassis as the 2014-2015 Spark.
For 2016, the gas Spark moved to the new body style, but they kept making the EV with the 2015 tooling.

Differences include some aero mods, like the grilles, and an entirely different rear suspension.
Seats might be a bit different, I'm not sure.
If you drive a 2015 gasser Spark, it should be very similar, just missing half of the EV's usable power.

 

[flavioguy]

Thanks Taxman.

One question- does the driver's seat height adjust up and down? A must for someone like me with a short torso.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Thanks Taxman.

One question- does the driver's seat height adjust up and down? A must for someone like me with a short torso.

The height of the driver’s seat is adjustable using the knob on the door-side of the driver’s seat. Here is a link to the 2015 Spark EV's owners manual -
https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2015/chevrolet/spark_ev/2k15sparkev2ndPrint.pdf

 

[flavioguy]

Well.....I'm heading up to see the car on Monday (if it's still there) but there are others to drive so at least I'll have that.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Well.....I'm heading up to see the car on Monday (if it's still there) but there are others to drive so at least I'll have that.

Be sure to drive the car in L too to feel the effect of regen. Just be sure to step on the brake to come to a complete stop.

 

[flavioguy]

I did do my test drives today.

I drove a Focus EV 1st, then the Leaf and then the Spark.

Between the Focus and the Leaf, I preferred the Focus though I found entering and exiting the car to require more stooping. The Focus drove so much better, seemed more powerful and per price point, was a better deal.

Then I drove the Spark EV 2LT. Fit me perfectly!! Not as quiet as the Focus or Leaf but easier to drive and FAR more zippy!! Quite a car. Stay tuned.....another dealer called me while I was in town and told me they had got a lease Spark 2LT back and were considering selling it. It looks good (couldn't drive it) but didn't have the DCFC like the Spark I drove.

 

[Planerench]

I’m sure it has to do with crashworthiness but I frequently have issues with entering and exiting Ford designed vehicles. Pillars and rooflines just don’t flow.

 

[flavioguy]

I agree. Certainly true of their newer cars.

I bought a 2000 Ford Focus (disaster of a car) and egress, etc. was much easier.

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

I drove a Focus EV 1st, then the Leaf and then the Spark.

FFE (Ford Focus Electric) feels stronger than Leaf, because it is MUCH stronger than Leaf after about 30 MPH. Leaf takes over 7 seconds to accelerate from 30 to 60. That's about the time it takes SparkEV to reach 0 to 60.

FFE weight distribution is 40/60 (mostly in rear) in front wheel drive. Because of this, acceleration has to be lousy due to lack of traction. As such, FFE is still lot slower in acceleration than SparkEV even if they could pack more powerful motor in it (which they didn't).

SparkEV weight distribution is roughly 50/50. Because of that, it has more traction than FFE. It can also handle a lot better, though Chevy didn't put focus into that area. There is a thread in this forum discussing someone modifying SparkEV to compete in SCCA races. You wouldn't do that with FFE.

What FFE and Leaf offer that's better than SparkEV is room and seating for five. There are very few cars that have less room than SparkEV and seating only four. But if the room isn't an issue, SparkEV is better than any other EV in its price range, even better than Tesla when you consider the price. There's simply no other EV available now that's more efficient and charges quicker (via DCFC) than SparkEV, not even Teslas.

As a side note, it seems no EV will charge as quick via DCFC as SparkEV for the foreseeable future. Tesla is about 1/2 the rate of SparkEV, Bolt is about 1/3 to 1/4. For bragging rights in charging speed to shut people up about "slow charging EV", there's no better argument than SparkEV.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

HOW TRUE! I often charge 35% to 95% in 15 minutes and then I am on my way. The Spark EVs - 2014, 2015 and 2016 - are great EVs! Too bad GM did not keep making them.

 

[SparkE]

HOW TRUE! I often charge 35% to 95% in 15 minutes and then I am on my way. The Spark EVs - 2014, 2015 and 2016 - are great EVs! Too bad GM did not keep making them.

Um, no. Tesla model S has a charge rate up to 120 kW. If you all are saying the PERCENTAGE of full charge goes up faster when comparing a 80-mile-range vehicle to one that can drive 270 miles, well ... shame on you.

And I am not a Tesla fan-boy. I own a Spark EV. A Tesla will charge 2.5 times more rapidly than a Spark (when its battery is near empty). Let's not make stuff up, folks.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

HOW TRUE! I often charge 35% to 95% in 15 minutes and then I am on my way. The Spark EVs - 2014, 2015 and 2016 - are great EVs! Too bad GM did not keep making them.

Um, no. Tesla model S has a charge rate up to 120 kW. If you all are saying the PERCENTAGE of full charge goes up faster when comparing a 80-mile-range vehicle to one that can drive 270 miles, well ... shame on you.

And I am not a Tesla fan-boy. I own a Spark EV. A Tesla will charge 2.5 times more rapidly than a Spark (when its battery is near empty). Let's not make stuff up, folks.

No shot at Tesla intended as I do not know anything about Tesla vehicles. My only point was to show that a Spark EV can charge quickly - faster than a Leaf.

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

Um, no. Tesla model S has a charge rate up to 120 kW. ... Tesla will charge 2.5 times more rapidly than a Spark (when its battery is near empty). Let's not make stuff up, folks.

You're confusing battery capacity and power for "quick" (time). Charging and discharging are rated in C rate, which is power divided by capacity. In that, SparkEV is 2.6 charging while the best Tesla can muster to 20% is 1.7.

But Tesla tapers power even at 20%. No one charges to 20% at DCFC. Everyone charges far more, typically over 80%. Average to 80% for Tesla is far less, close to 70 kW. Then the best Tesla can muster is under 1C. For time spent (how quick the car charged), SparkEV is quicker than any Tesla.

No, this is not making stuff up. Applying the real world definition of "quick" (aka, time) to charge the car. There is no car in history nor foreseeable future that will be as quick as SparkEV.

Think of it this way; if Tesla has several SparkEV batteries instead of Tesla batteries, it would be capable of 120 kW (instead of 70 kW) all the way to 80% even with only 45 kWh. As of now, even their 100 kWh model cannot manage that.

 

[SparkE]

Um, no. Tesla model S has a charge rate up to 120 kW. ... Tesla will charge 2.5 times more rapidly than a Spark (when its battery is near empty). Let's not make stuff up, folks.

You're confusing battery capacity and power for "quick" (time). Charging and discharging are rated in C rate, which is power divided by capacity. In that, SparkEV is 2.6 charging while the best Tesla can muster to 20% is 1.7.

But Tesla tapers power even at 20%. No one charges to 20% at DCFC. Everyone charges far more, typically over 80%. Average to 80% for Tesla is far less, close to 70 kW. Then the best Tesla can muster is under 1C. For time spent (how quick the car charged), SparkEV is quicker than any Tesla.

No, this is not making stuff up. Applying the real world definition of "quick" (aka, time) to charge the car. There is no car in history nor foreseeable future that will be as quick as SparkEV.

Think of it this way; if Tesla has several SparkEV batteries instead of Tesla batteries, it would be capable of 120 kW (instead of 70 kW) all the way to 80% even with only 45 kWh. As of now, even their 100 kWh model cannot manage that.

No, again you are pretending that the total capacity of the battery is important ( "C" rate), and not the RATE OF CHARGE. A Tesla models S "75" at 10% capacity will charge at around 120 kW rate, adding "about" 100 miles of highway range in 15 minutes. A Spark EV (which I own) will charge at a *max* of 46 kW (the max I have measured over the last 18 months) - adding about 60 miles of highway range in 15 minutes ( the Spark is much more energy efficient). So unless your measure is "% of total capacity" instead of "miles of range added" or "rate at which electricity enters into the battery" (which would be an insane measure) - no, the Spark (which I *love*, but am not delusional about) does NOT charge "more quickly" than a Tesla model S.

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

No, again you are pretending that the total capacity of the battery is important ( "C" rate)

Regardless of what YOU think is important, the industry and science consider C rate over anything else when it comes to charging and discharging rate. You can pretend other stuff's important, but the fact remains that C rate should be considered when discussing charging and discharging. In that, SparkEV is quicker than anything else in the world, and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Talking about 10% at 120 kW (1.6 C rate) is meaningless. How many Tesla drivers charge from empty to 10% and leave on a regular basis? Hell, if you consider that, I can charge SparkEV with 2,000,000 kW of power to 0.0000000001% using static discharge. This is why time spent at the charger is relevant; very few Tesla spends 15 minutes at the charger while my average over hundreds of DCFC is 15 minutes. The reason for shorter time spent (aka, quick) is due to high C rate.

DCFC showed 398V at 122A, which is 48.6 kW (2.6C) at 80% (not 10%). If you're only seeing 46 kW, you must be using DCFC not capable of delivering peak capability of SparkEV. But even so, 46kW is 2.5C (or 2.2C for 2014), far quicker than any EV, including all Tesla.

 

[CSW]

This is getting weird, Tesla chargers faster than anything. Period. Just because the Spark is filling up a cup and Tesla is fillin up a gallon makes zero diff on charging speed. .... and way off topic into the weeds.