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2014 Volt Test Drive Experience (Pricing inquiry)

3K views 24 replies 14 participants last post by  mtp9302 
#1 ·
I took a 2014 Volt out with 38K, I drove from the dealership to my home which was 31.2 miles I drove it all in HOLD, I got 45.1 (highway locked at 64 mph with a little coasting at the end on the ramp back to my house that brought it up about 1.5 mpg at the end) mpg according to the trip used 0.6 gal). I then put it on the charger cause it had a small use of the battery before I picked it up, I topped it off in about 30 minutes, It showed 37 miles EV range.

My work is roughly just over 19 miles each way, I want to see if I could do this easily or not in EV mode. Well my drive to work I did all EV and when I arrived at work it said I had 27 Miles range left, so it only went down 10 miles for 19.9 miles driven. 0.0 gal used. 250+ mpg..

I then did my drive home I decided for grins to use the HOLD mode for just a small stretch of 55 mpg open road that is like 3 lane divided highway that I can easily lock in cruise at 55 and never have to adjust my speed. so when I got home. I finished with 16 miles of EV range still showing, 33.6 miles of electric used, 6.4 miles on gas, 40 miles total, said I used 6.9 kWh Used and 0.13 gal used.

The weather was 75 no HVAC, radio on. I really think this car will be a true winner for me. Now can I ask, what is the true cost to charge this? here in Kentucky we are at about 10 cents a KwH, I don't believe Kentucky Utilities offers any off peak rates to lower this, but would it be a true statement to say if I just drove this car to and from work and lets say it said I used 7 kWH, Im sure it may take 8 or 9 to charge it back to full? so am I looking at less then a dollar for 40 miles? maybe $1.70 to full charge from empty?

My next question is the dealer is asking $14,200 it has no extra bells and whistles that I can see, no rear camera, no safety packages, no Bose... I like the color its in general a very clean, probably lease return vehicle at less then 39K. I did notice the tires are at 3 and 4 on the thread depth (2 being needs replacement, 10 being new) and there is some balding on the outer sides, which I had a tire shop advised most likely an alignment issue, they quotes me for new tires and alignment about $750, so I feel like I have some play in the price. but I know they may come back and say we factored that in.. But what would be a good target price from a Chevy dealer that I should aim for... Its been on there lot for many weeks.

Also I have seen one people with 2014 and that have an occasional issue that seems to be engine or transmission related, I assume these have typically been covered under under a power train warranty that I believe I would still have at 38K?

Thanks, the quicker I feel more comfortable about this, I may be a new owner.

Ron in Kentucky
 
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#2 ·
Your tire quote is high.
You can get out the door with regular tires (not summer, not premium) non-LRR or LRR, for likely $100usd/corner, most likely less.
Alignment is probably at most, another $100.

All in for $500usd, is more than reasonable. Go to a local discount tire
 
#3 ·
Tires are your only contact with the road. I wouldn't cheap out on tires. The OP should get what they like/want. I have Yokohama Avid Ascends which are very sticky, but caused me to lose some EV range.

Also, the $750 tire cost the OP was quoting also included an alignment. I have my tires done at a specialty tire place that can get you any tire and mount them for less that most other people in the area. I still don't trust anyone to put a torque wrench to my cars, so I bring the tires and wheels, they change them, and I put them on the car with a proper torque wrench. I got my tires for about $550 a set installed and balanced.
 
#4 ·
12K for a 2012, 13k for a 2013, 14k for a 2014 and around 16k for a 2015 sounds about right for a mid-level car from a dealership with a CPO. Yours seems a little high since its a base level car.

Just bought a 2013 loaded with 50k miles with CPO, has a little wear on the paint. paid 13.5k for mine.
 
#6 ·
Although this rule of thumb breaks down depending on whether it is a base or premium. I know a guy who got a 2012 base for $8.9k a little more than a year ago. The nice thing about buying use cars is that the price always drops. The bad thing about buying new cars or trying to sell your car is that the price always drops. Cars are almost always a no-win situation except for very rare collector cars.

The real key is finding what you like in a price range you can afford, and enjoy.
 
#5 ·
I think my starting point would be 13,500 out the door WITH new tires. If the tires are at 3 and 4/10 the dealer should replace them anyway before selling the vehicle. I just put the Continental True Contacts ecoplus on mine about 2 months ago, so far so good. I know they are one of the more popular tires on this board.
Keep us informed on what happens......
 
#7 ·
To your question- 6 yr 100k mi warranty on powertrain, 8yr 100k mi warranty on volte stuff (battery and electric propulsion system. It stays with the car, and starts from when the car was first put into service - so it does transfer to you.

I"ve read that CA emission states have the voltec warranty for 10yr, 150k mi.

Your commute distance is a great match for a get 1 range - you'll be able to make it round trip on all electric in most weather.

Your math on charging and charging costs is sane. A full charge ( from a battery showing 0 miles range) is about 10.5kWh to the battery, and roughly 12kWhr to 13kWh from the wall for a gen 1. 10 cents per kWh is cheap relative to MA, so this will be low cost of operation for you. Enjoy it!

Lumos,

2014 Gen 1
 
#8 ·
Volts typically wear the inner and outer edge of the front tires because a lot of drivers under inflate them. They should be at 38 pounds cold or higher all the way around to get proper tire wear. I doubt if there is any thing wrong with the alignment.

Even if there was, $750 is a huge ripoff.
 
#9 ·
Last time I had a rotation, the tire guy pointed out the large edge wear on my original (40k miles at the time) tires, and said I needed an alignment. I have always set them to 40-42 psi. They did the alignment and it was actually basically still in spec. Seems the OEM tires just tend to wear on the edges more than most, for some reason...
 
#12 ·
The dealer where I bought my CPO had quite a few Volts. I noticed many had excess wear on the out edge of the front tires with 35-45k on the tires. I also noticed a lot of gouges in the tire treads on the edges of the tread too. When I was at the tire shop yesterday getting a screw in my tire fixed, they pointed out the gouges in my tire treads too (nothing to worry about, but they pointed them out and thought it was odd). Luckily the screw was fixable and was in the middle of the tread, so it didn't cost me anything.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Okay, I appreciate the information thus far, okay let me provide you a little more information so I know what a fair price should be on this. First off I am attaching the Tire Discounters quote for tires, and that comes with free alignment and turned out during a vehicle safety inspection because there was excessive wear on the inner and outer part of the tire they did check the alignment and it checked out fine, so as one said, probably were under inflated or as tire Discounters said lack of rotations. But anyways being worn down to 3 and 4/32nd I do want to include that in the offer as I agree the dealer probably should have replaced them. Everything else checked out underneath the car no damage to radiator, no leaks, good brake pads.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3592293/2014 Volt/tires.pdf (1st page was initial visual and quote on tires, 2nd page is actual safety check and they checked the alignment for me for free, and all checked out.) So technically I think since I know the alignment is fine, I could go elsewhere and get a cheaper rate on tires. I her you guys recommend tow tires on here already, we do have rain here and like to have good confidence in rain, and winters there is chances of snow here and there but Im keeping my Subaru for those days.

The dealer is asking $14,119 without any haggling, I did something on Edmunds that is a special offer, suppose to include gas gift card, some kind of warranty and roadside assistance, but it lowered the price to $13,819 Prime Promise

The vehicle is a base 2014 Brownstone Metallic 1RC68 MSRP $34,185 and the addition of:
PCQ Premium Trim Pkg, which includes Driver and passenger heated seats, armrest, rear center w/ rear seat pass thru, cupholders, and seat trim, leather appointed. $1395.00, total MSPR $36,390 when new. Again it has just under 39,000 miles and is fairly clean condition except for the worn tires. Does have the original charger and tire pump (tested and working)

On top of the price is going to be a 6% sales tax plus $60.50 and $399 fees (I think the 60.50 is for doc title, and the 399 is a fee the dealer charges non negotiable they said, it goes back into the building cost. :)

Again its a Chevrolet Dealership, the people have been wonderful, but I want a true fair price. And I am not sure if I could approach them and say I want just money off for the tires in the amount of what Tires discounters wants, I know they are a little higher but I would get the lifetime benefits vs if the dealer put "their" tires on and may not be of the type that I would really be happy with.

I know one said earlier they thought $13,500 out the door was a fair price with new tires, but I am not sure if that is taking in to account again the fees and taxes, I know they said tires included. So were almost down to a asking price of $11600 for the vehicle to make it 13,500 with Tire discounters tires, and the tax, and fees... That seems like it could be way below what they took the vehicle in at... not sure.. wanting to confirm what you think is the best offer to put in front of them, and should I expect to low ball it so I have room to move up, or make one firm offer. its a base model with one package added, non certified dealer vehicle. No accidents one owner per Experian Autocheck service. scores higher then cars in that model range... I know you can take that with a grain of salt...

Thank you.
 
#16 ·
The price isn't bad, but it would have been nice to have the rear camera and sensors (it's almost impossible to parallel park without them). I would not have the dealership put on tires as they might give you non-low rolling resistance tires and your range will suffer. Get them to drop the price, and you do the homework to decide what brand of tires to put on the car. You'll be happier that way.

As for haggling, always be ready to negotiate and move a little. You might want to try $13.5K including tax title and license and see what they come back with. That $399 building cost is a joke. If the won't budge on that, then get them to budge $800 on something else. But more importantly, find a car with a price that you can afford. Don't let them trick you into an extended warranty or any other add-ons, and negotiate like a Ferengi.

As a touch point, in 2014-5 people were able to buy brand fully loaded Volts with Bose, safety, and Nav for $20-22k after all the State and federal incentives. I got mine with everything except safety 2 for $21K including sales tax. So there might be room in this car to negotiate, but you'd have to be able to read the dealership's mind to know for sure. Be ready to walk away if you don't like the numbers. Often they come crawling back if they think they've lost a sale.
 
#17 ·
Well, I'm pretty sure I found the listing for your car on cargurus.com, listed at $14,119. It says their original asking price was $15,832 and been for sale for 55 days. I also see on edmunds the $13,819 you were talking about with the other perks. edmunds also "estimates" the car to be worth $14,320. So, the $14,119 is reasonable. I would still try and talk them down due to the tires and the fact they have had it for 55 days. If you were to pay their asking price, you are looking about $15,500, roughly total cost. Get that number under $15,000 and I think that would be a fair price. Personally I would try and lowball it more, but that is totally up to you and what you are comfortable paying. For what its worth, I bought my 2011 three years ago, fully loaded, camera, parking sensors, navigation, etc, for a total of $16,000. Now it is three years later and your car is three years newer, so $15,000 seems in the ballpark. GOOD LUCK
 
#18 ·
The Volt is perhaps the best used car value anywhere. An awesome commuter car as well. Super reliable and crazy fun to drive.

On cost to charge. A 2014 battery holds 16.5 usable. You need to multiply by 1.25 if charging on 120V or 1.15 if charging of 240V to account for charging inefficiencies. If you are paying $0.10 KWH, then charging from empty to full would cost $2.06 on 120V or $1.90 on 240V.

The deal is ok, but not set-the-world-on-fire good. If it helps, we purchased our new 2014 for $14,500 after rebates back in August of 2014 for a Base with Safety 1. The miles are low, but you're effectively out of warranty, so I'd haggle that down a bit more.

The algorithms Edmunds and others use generally don't account for the $7,500+ credit everyone got when new. Given that most people are still unjustly afraid of purchasing a used electric car and gas is cheep right now, this is a buyers market. Since that the car doesn't have backup camera or heated seats I'd suggest giving the dealership a written offer of $12,500 (or $13.5K all-in as llninja suggested) with your name and and phone number. In the mean time, keep an eye out for other Volts. I'd expect you'll get a call back from the dealership by Labor Day, if not earlier.

(BTW, what's up with living in coal country if you still have to pay $0.10/Kwh? I thought coal was supposed to be cheap.)
 
#19 ·
Hello:

My 2014 Volt has 23k miles, still under warranty, Premium, with heated seats (which old people like my wife and I appreciate), rear camera, new tires (Continental ProContact). I paid $15,500. My wife's car, she drives less than 40 miles a day, so the engine very rarely turns on; I put Stabil in the gas tank, because it just won't be used for a long time. The car is excellent and we love it. With the 2014s coming off lease there are now quite a few to choose from. Pricing is all very close for these cars, unless you buy from a private party or the mileage is extremely low.

Your car seems to be priced right - it's a good deal, IMO. The battery and power train warranty is 100,000 miles. I recommend good quality, fuel-efficient tires, like the Continentals, because, well, it's a Volt.

Best Regards,

Don
 
#20 ·
You will get about 40 miles from 12 KwH of electricity. A gallon of gas will take you the same distance for around $3.50. Your electric cost is probably somewhere around $0.10 per KwH. Therefore, you will pay about $1.20 per gallon of gas equivalent. Scout-out vehicles on Cars.com or Autotrader.com to compare used vehicle prices. I paid $1,000 for a set of Michelin snow tires and another $100 for alignment.
 
#21 ·
Your gas is much more expensive than mine. We pay about $2.70 for a gallon of premium and $2.12 for regular. $3.50 sucks...

I also paid about $600 for my Yokohama IceGUARD snow tires, but I guess it's closer to $1K if I included the cost of new rims for my all seasons to free up the OEM rims for the snow and ice.
 
#24 ·
Long story short: It feels like an okay price. Not a price to brag about. Part of it is going to be convenience, as the number of Volts in Kentucky for sale is probably pretty small. You're NOT having to go all the way to Richmond or Nashville to buy it. And the brown's not my favorite color at all, so that's probably tempering my enthusiasm a lot. But wow do they have stones adding $400 for "because we can" reasons.
 
#25 ·
It sounds "in the ballpark" to me. I bought my 2013 base, no options, with 32,800 miles for $13K. I noticed the same kind of wear pattern on two of the tires that many have mentioned, and also later had the alignment checked and it too was fine. The dealer said he would include four new tires, all new brakes and an oil change for that price. I'm sure it didn't need the brakes or oil change, but he said he did those on every car he sold (small independent dealer).

My brother bought a 2013 around the same time with the same (lack of) options and a few thousand more miles for $12.5k, so I probably could've done a little better but I thought it was fair. I also really liked the blue topaz color and those seem harder to find. I still look forward to driving this car every day, even after owning it for 14 months.
 
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