[theoflow]

Hi all,

*Apologize in advance, but I have looked around the subforums a bit, but not a lot. So if there is existing up to date content, please just link in reply.

I am looking into getting a Chevy Volt primarily so I can take the HOV lane in Long Island, New York. There are a few incentives that make buying a plug in EV enticing.

1) My employer has dedicated parking sports for EV vehicles free of charge
2) My roundtrip is about 60 miles
3) NY State has an additional $1,700 tax credit

I could use some guidance regarding any resources for how much people are getting their Volt's for? TruCar says a good/fair price for an LT is $30.5K in my area, including the $2K rebate going on. I also have access to the GM supplier discount, so does the rebate stack on top of my price?

Also could use some guidance on tips to ensure I don't get screwed out of my rebates since I generally tend to do my own taxes.

Regarding the car itself, how important or not is the cross traffic warning system? The one criticism I have with the Volt is really poor visibility. I don't want to have to pay extra for it, but I kinda feel it is necessary as drivers and pedestrians forget how to share the road.

 

[Fred_B]

I found TruCar was more a tool for getting customers into dealers than anything else. When I got my letter from the dealer after indicating I was interested in a Volt, the letter said they would honor the TruCar price. When I showed up at the dealer with the letter the first thing they did is take the letter, saying they wanted to take it back into their office and make a copy. They never seemed to be able to find it after that (probably shredded it!) Next, they came out and addressed my wife as "Mrs Gonzales" (not her real last name). Then "Oh, we're sorry, that letter was sent by mistake! It should have gone to Mr Gonzales." They refused to sell the car at their quoted "TruCar" price, we had to negotiate down from a higher starting price.

So, if you get a TruCar letter, bring TWO copies. Keep one folded up in your pocket. Let them take one to copy (shred). When they say they can't find it, pull out the second copy and say "good thing I have a backup copy then!"

If the "rebate" you are mentioning is the federal tax credit, it is independent of any other discount, they don't care how much or little you paid for the car. You get the $7500 tax credit as long as you owed at least $7500 in taxes for the year. This does not mean you had to PAY $7500 in taxes when you file your return, they might have already been paid by payroll withholding. If you owe less than $7500, then the credit is only good up to the amount of tax you owed that tax year (the year in which you bought the car). Also, once Chevrolet has sold 200,000 electric vehicles, the tax credit begins to phase out. So keep an eye on that.
To avoid getting screwed out of the rebate(s), you MUST get a MSO (manufacturer's statement of origin) when you purchase the car to prove you are buying a NEW car, not one that has been titled before. Also there is a special IRS form to use (8936). Get a copy and instructions at the IRS website to look over.

When I bought my Volt, I got all the available safety packages. I figured this was a good use of the money if it prevented an accident or injury in the future and I'm still glad I have them. Cross traffic warning is something my Gen 1 Volt doesn't have but my dad's car had such a system and it was most useful when backing out of a parking space in a parking garage. It might save you from backing into a car or pedestrian you just didn't see coming before stepping on the accelerator pedal to back up. If I was buying a new Gen 2 Volt I would want all the safety systems AND adaptive cruise control. Adaptive cruise control is not NECESSARY for safety but it sure reduces stress when stuck in stop & go traffic. I would also value the automatic front braking pretty highly.

 

[edstorm]

What is this MSO form you are describing? I bought a volt yesterday and they didn't give me such a form. The statement of purchase does indicate the car is new though. I plan on getting the 7500 tax credit.

Thanks.

 

[mjones21]

I'd look closely at whether you need to buy the car in New York state to take advantage of the state rebate/credit. I live in PA, and buying in state was not required -- the car just had to be registered in state within 10 days of purchase. Long story short, I saved about $8,000 on a new 2017 model year Volt Premier versus local dealers, who were offering $1-2K off MSRP by driving an extra half hour to New Jersey. Sure, registration added some transaction costs, but I still came out way ahead.

I'm still unclear on whether I got the discount on my car because it had sat on the lot for nearly 2 years or because New Jersey is a target state, or a bit of both. But in my experience, Maryland and New Jersey had great deals on Volts ($7K+ off MSRP) and were willing to negotiate, while PA dealers took the "I have one or two Volts on the lot, if you want it, you'll pay what I ask" approach.

Other than TrueCar, my suggestion is to use autolist dot com, or the autolist app, select a search radius you're comfortable with (I picked 100 miles), and include all new 2017-18 model year Volts. Then sort by time on market (longest first). There's very little difference between 2017-18 year Volts, and depending on the local market, you may be able to score a massive deal. Take the list of the top 20, go to the dealer websites and see if there are any internet specials or the like. Then make some calls and send some emails.

At the end of the day, I got my 2017 Premier for $28,500 before tax and tags, and before $8500 in state and federal tax credits and rebates. I'd say this is an outlier, but I'd anticipate if you expand your search to MD and NJ (NY also may have good deals, I just don't know), you'll be able to get a 2018 Premier for around $32,000 without ACC, $33,500 with ACC, and an LT without many options for $27K. You could likely do better if you use the autolist strategy.

 

[JRRF]

Cross traffic alert is valuable on any car, regardless of the rearward visibility it may have. The system can "see" thing you would not be able to see in any car.