Cadillac ELR ... Any Current/Previous Owners?

T

TXCarGeek

Joined
Jun 17, 2013
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Texas
Need to retire my '08 Silverado 1500 from daily duty and have been looking at plug-in hybrids/other efficient vehicles in the mid $20k range. Not too many options that are new-ish and that also have an EV range of 30 miles or more. The ELR happens to fall within the requirements of what I'm looking for. I have read and heard plenty about the Volt and was curious if anyone has experience specifically with its platform mate, the ELR.

A 2017 or newer BMW i3 w/range extender is also in the running.
 
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Oillover said:
Any specific reason why you need to retire the Silverado?
Considering GM only produced roughly 3000 ELR units, makes them quite unique.
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The Silverado is my father's DD at the moment. Given his lengthy commute of 100 miles/day, fuel costs are equating to at least $650/month. Makes sense to jump into something electric that's priced reasonably in the mid $20k range.

Indeed, the ELR is unique.
 
Someone nearby has a red ELR. It was a very fancy and expensive when new two door version of the first Volt. I would like to get one if someday I am lucky. There was a version with a more powerful electric motor. Maybe they all were. I think it is a very beautiful car. The gas engine is the same as Volt, a premium fuel only, 1.4 liter designed by Opel GM. Premium fuel and maybe 35-38 mpg on the highway, with a 40 mile or so all electric range. I say most of this from personal experience with the Volt myself, not reading about it. The ground clearance is low, scrapes the front rubber air dam on dips or even some driveways very easily. My accurate mpg on the Volt over 41k miles was something like 230.
I would look for a second gen low mileage late year Volt. Regular fuel, better ev efficiency, better gas mpg, more power, more ev range at 53, and a smoother back seat all the way across.
 
P. Edward KnickKnack said:
Someone nearby has a red ELR. It was a very fancy and expensive when new two door version of the first Volt. I would like to get one if someday I am lucky. There was a version with a more powerful electric motor. Maybe they all were. I think it is a very beautiful car. The gas engine is the same as Volt, a premium fuel only, 1.4 liter designed by Opel GM. Premium fuel and maybe 35-38 mpg on the highway, with a 40 mile or so all electric range. I say most of this from personal experience with the Volt myself, not reading about it. The ground clearance is low, scrapes the front rubber air dam on dips or even some driveways very easily. My accurate mpg on the Volt over 41k miles was something like 230.
I would look for a second gen low mileage late year Volt. Regular fuel, better ev efficiency, better gas mpg, more power, more ev range at 53, and a smoother back seat all the way across.
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The 2nd gen Volt and a full EV Bolt are both in the back of my mind because they are both generally in the price range and hit the requirements. Being that this vehicle will purely be a commuter for one person, versatility isn't high on the list because we have other vehicles for other needs. The ELR just looks great
 
MadAmos said:
I owned a silver 2014 ELR 60k trouble free miles
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The one I'm looking is higher miles (over 100k) but I'm generally not bothered by that. Planning to look at it tomorrow to see how it's held up over those miles.
 
Oillover said:
let us know how/if you liked it
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Decided to pass on the one I looked at. It was in decent overall condition but needed new tires and an alignment, the oil pan/trans looked to be fairly soaked in leaked fluid, and the front and rear bumpers seemed to have been repainted (poorly) at some point despite having a clean carfax. No obvious crash damage so I assume the bumpers had normal parking lot scars and the respray was just done on the cheap. Despite all that, coupled with the high miles, the dealer did not want budge from his price which cargurus showed as being "overpriced" to begin with.

Carmax had an ELR in the same color combo with more options and under 100k miles pop up for $2k more so now I'm in the carmax vehicle transfer process on that specific vehicle. ETA to Texas is 4/7 so hopefully it'll get here quickly.
 
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MadAmos said:
Bought it new traded it at 60k still see it driving around.

I am a Mobil 1 fan but the engine only had 4k on it so...
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Very nice. Really don't think I'm going to do something other than just follow the OLM. Might just have the dealership change the oil as well so I can have an established maintenance history; don't think I'll be keeping this car for more than 3 or 4 years so having receipts will be good for resale.
 
TXCarGeek said:
Need to retire my '08 Silverado 1500 from daily duty and have been looking at plug-in hybrids/other efficient vehicles in the mid $20k range. Not too many options that are new-ish and that also have an EV range of 30 miles or more. The ELR happens to fall within the requirements of what I'm looking for. I have read and heard plenty about the Volt and was curious if anyone has experience specifically with its platform mate, the ELR.

A 2017 or newer BMW i3 w/range extender is also in the running.
Click to expand...
Doug DeMuro did a review of the glorified Volt on his channel
 
TXCarGeek said:
Very nice. Really don't think I'm going to do something other than just follow the OLM. Might just have the dealership change the oil as well so I can have an established maintenance history; don't think I'll be keeping this car for more than 3 or 4 years so having receipts will be good for resale.
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On my Volt the olm took two years, because that’s the max time they decide the oil can be used for. Even if the engine is run 200 miles in two years.
The Delco PF65 was the oe filter, but I preferred one with an adbv. A Fram Ultra for many GM would work great. I forgot the number xg3587a or something, common as can be. Extremely easy to do an oil change, uses a 10mm hex on the drain bolt, and an o ring gasket.
 
Took delivery of the ELR Saturday. Carmax had it ready for a 24hr test drive Friday, which my father did and the deal was finalized on Saturday. So far has turned out to be a decent vehicle. Have some light cosmetic refurbishing to do to it as is expected with a used vehicle with 89k miles but mechanically, it seem to be in better shape than the higher mileage ELR I previously looked at. 89k miles on it and it looks like the scheduled maintenance is calling for a trans fluid change and spark plugs for the next service interval.
 
They couldn't sell that Cadillac Volt for 80k - that killed it. I remember as a GM employee they were offering company driven ones for 28k and I still didn't have the urge to buy.
 
JeffKeryk said:
Very cool @TXCarGeek ! Enjoy your beautiful Caddy! Pics or it ain't real...
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I don’t have any glamor shots yet but I did snap this one yesterday when I parked next to this surprisingly clean New Yorker.
 

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GMBoy said:
They couldn't sell that Cadillac Volt for 80k - that killed it. I remember as a GM employee they were offering company driven ones for 28k and I still didn't have the urge to buy.
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That would be a smoking deal in today's market. There's ~25 ELRs on the market at any given time available nationally across the major sites; I'd say they avg about $26k. They don't seem to spend much time on the market either considering most people have no clue that they even exist. I had about two or three backup vehicles I would pursue if my first choice from carmax fell through for whatever reason. Those other ELRs were gone before I took delivery of mine.
 
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