Wife wants an electric car. You know how that goes.

[Badgerstate]

We have 2 vehicles, the '21 Sierra HD sits in the garage unless we're towing the trailer or going somewhere over 40 miles which is just about anywhere else not local. The other is the '02 Xterra with 155k and no known issues. The big truck gets 16-17 on the highway unloaded and the Xterra gets 17-19 so with two 50 lb dogs usually along the truck does road trips.

She'd like to give the X to daughter and get something plug-in for local trips. Not new and not a sedan. Local dealerships are big 3, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Mazda. Not interested in a brand I have to drive 100 miles to Phoenix to a dealer if needed. We could get along fine with a PEV as the 2nd car but I'm not sure about giving up the X and having 3 vehicles is out. It's inevitable to happen at some point unless she loses interest. What can we look at for $20k or less?

Maybe sell the truck and travel trailer, get a Hummer and keep the Xterra!

I guess that I would ask why do you really need the Sierra and the Xterra, when you could just drive the Sierra and not giving up that much gas milage.
As for what hybrid or EV to get, pretty much every manufacturer makes a great option now. Its just a matter of picking what you like. Toyota is probably your best bet, as they have been in the hybrid game for a long time and know what theyre doing. The RAV4 hybrid is awesome if thats something youd be into.

 

[philipp10]

Used Chevy Volt (not Bolt). They can be had for under 20k AND they are plug in. Buddy has one, has a 53 mile range on electric, then runs on gas. He uses about 4 tanks a year.

 

[PandaBear]

Chevy Bolt it is (only one that meets the criteria)

Unless a short range BMW i3 counts

Other EVs under that price point are very limited, so the op would need to be able to work with the very short ranges of the various 1st Gen BEVs

It also doesn’t help that literally every 1st Gen EV is some variation of a sedan.

Stay away from i3, they are horrible. I test drove one and basically cut my test drive short because:

1) It is awkward, feels like I'm driving a sugar cane fiber take out box.
2) It has a weird tire size, so it will be expensive, and the narrow and large diameter tires will compromise traction and look for maximum fuel economy.
3) The rear door is not completely open to the rear seat, the rear seat is sunk inward so if you have a rear-facing car seat it is difficult to get the kids in and out. If you have 2 rear-facing car seats then you need to crawl through the hatch to get the kids out.
4) The e padel driving is just tiring if you want to cruise around town. I don't like it but I do understand it helps save fuel
5) Questionable BMW commitment in future parts available like battery, body parts, wheels, etc. It can easily get to Tesla domain (horrible parts schedule if you need to get it running after an accident).
6) It is not cheap but it drives cheap and looks cheap. Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt / Bolt would be better.
7) The range is horrible in today's standard.

 

[avacado11]

2016 and up BMW i3 off carvana would be a great option if you have a good independent BMW mechanic in town. Easily under 20k for one that’s still in good shape. The range extenders are nothing more than BMW motorcycle engines. You usually get the shaft when you take one of those to the BMW dealer because the techs only have knowledge on working on the BMW car 4/6/8 cylinders, not motorcycle.

You maybe be able to find a Hyundai PHEV for less than 20k but now is probably the worse time to buy these types of cars. Gas is expensive. You could get used PHEVs, hybrids, and EVs for about 2-4k cheaper a year ago. 1 year ago you could get a Bolt EV for $14-16k any day of the week. Now they are pushing 18-21k, atleast the ones that haven’t been brought back.

 

[avacado11]

Stay away from i3, they are horrible. I test drove one and basically cut my test drive short because:

1) It is awkward, feels like I'm driving a sugar cane fiber take out box.
2) It has a weird tire size, so it will be expensive, and the narrow and large diameter tires will compromise traction and look for maximum fuel economy.
3) The rear door is not completely open to the rear seat, the rear seat is sunk inward so if you have a rear-facing car seat it is difficult to get the kids in and out. If you have 2 rear-facing car seats then you need to crawl through the hatch to get the kids out.
4) The e padel driving is just tiring if you want to cruise around town. I don't like it but I do understand it helps save fuel
5) Questionable BMW commitment in future parts available like battery, body parts, wheels, etc. It can easily get to Tesla domain (horrible parts schedule if you need to get it running after an accident).
6) It is not cheap but it drives cheap and looks cheap. Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt / Bolt would be better.
7) The range is horrible in today's standard.

Yes the I3 range is bad but the range extender makes up for it. The tires are expensive for the 20” option but there are options out there for the 19s now. I think a set is like $700 now.

I’ve never had issues buying parts for my 2014 BEV i3. They weren’t too expensive either. Nothing uncommon for a BMW.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

I was once anti front wheel drive. Then they got them to where it was hard to tell the difference. I was initially the same with a V6. I was a V8 man. Then, I drove a peppy V6 and liked it.. So maybe if I can get in an EV and go to town in a nice looking car without it being a radical change, I'll be ok. Sometimes I think if I would have been around in the early 20th century, I would have been that guy yelling, "Get a horse!", at everyone.

 

[AZjeff]

Happy to report the electric car idea has cooled off. We can buy a lot of $3.50 gas for what it would cost to plug in. Maybe later, meanwhile the xterra is running fine. As for the Sierra being the only vehicle, not likely, it's big and pretty inconvenient running errands around town.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I never ever buy her a car. Just gently steer away from really bad choices. She couldn't care less about a BMW.

I have always bought them for my wife while doing the "gently steering away from really bad choices" like you. Last time she finally wore me down to the bone and I let her make her own "sort a bad choice!" They can wear you out given the time. After 44 years I don't have the energy anymore to protect her from herself 24 hours a day! Only some hours.

 

[ChemLabNL]

EZ-GO Elite 4.2

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Riiiight!!! An EZ-GO Elite 4.2

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I would want an electric motor-powered car, But I don't have a garage, and I am on a hill plus we have nasty winters here.
But, given all my reported issues with gasoline and maybe oil filters, this would be a life altering miracle.

I suppose I could make a little hut out of wood and shingles for a charging station out of doors.
But I guess all of the above issues precludes even casual consideration of these modern cars,

One last chance - Can you program an E-car to heat the cabin say a 1/2 hour before anticipated startup whilst its plugged into the grid?

- Great Uncle Ken x 5 (!)

 

[Kiwi_ME]

Can you program an E-car to heat the cabin say a 1/2 hour before anticipated startup whilst its plugged into the grid?

That's a common EV feature. As I've mentioned before, after 2 years with an EV and no maintenance I had to buy an ICE just get my DIY fix.