[Joshmcc]

Thinking of replacing my wife's 2012 equinox with a 2018 volt and have a few questions.

1) what kind of pricing should I be able to get below MSRP? I do not have any connections for gm employee or supplier pricing

2) when will the 2019 be coming out? Is it soon enough that we might be better if waiting?

3) we've only had one test drive so far and where about size. For 2 adults and a toddler is there sufficient room to help everyone for a 3-5 day road trip? Eg stroller and a couple small suitcases?

 

[jcanoe]

Thinking of replacing my wife's 2012 equinox with a 2018 volt and have a few questions.

1) what kind of pricing should I be able to get below MSRP? I do not have any connections for gm employee or supplier pricing

2) when will the 2019 be coming out? Is it soon enough that we might be better if waiting?

3) we've only had one test drive so far and where about size. For 2 adults and a toddler is there sufficient room to help everyone for a 3-5 day road trip? Eg stroller and a couple small suitcases?

1) The lowest pricing for the Volt, especially leasing cost, is highly dependent on whether you are in CA, OR or one of the other CARB states. Where are you located?

2) Probably Sept. 2018. It depends if you want or need any of the new features rumored but not confirmed for the 2019 Volt. The 2019 could end up with just some new paint and interior shades, like the 2018, or have a new style front end. Then there is the possibility that the 2019 Volt may offer 7.2kW onboard charging (versus only 3.6kW today) that would reduce the level 2 charging time by half. A power driver's sear is also something that has been requested for the Volt. Finally, Homelink which was standard on the Gen 1 but was omitted from the Gen 2 for unknown reasons is likely to return in 2019.

3) It would be tight but you should be able to manage with 2 adults, 1 child in a car seat, plus luggage for a week.

 

[Joshmcc]

Thanks for the reply. We are in Indiana so not an area where they are super popular. I've located maybe 15 between the closest 10 dealers.

Also, what is the real world recharge time for level 1 charging? We would be charging so home overnight each night typically, so I'm guessing level 1 with work?

 

[jcanoe]

Thanks for the reply. We are in Indiana so not an area where they are super popular. I've located maybe 15 between the closest 10 dealers.

Also, what is the real world recharge time for level 1 charging? We would be charging so home overnight each night typically, so I'm guessing level 1 with work?

You should investigate whether you can even plug in at work. How many miles do you commute each way to work? That is key to being able to drive the Volt in Normal mode and use only the battery for most driving.

120V @ 8 amps ~ 2.7 miles of EV range per hour (19.5 hours for a full charge), 120V @ 12 amps ~ 4 miles of EV range per hour; 13.25 hours for a full charge

208V @ 16 amps ~ 10.5 miles of EV range per hour (most public Level 2 charging installations use commercial power at 208V.) 5 hours for a full charge.

240V @ 16 amps ~ 12 miles of EV range per hour (if you install a 240V dedicated circuit at home for Level 2 charging.) 4.4 hours for a full charge.

The charging times for Level 1 (120V) and Level 2 (208 and 240V) are best expressed in miles of EV range per hour of charging. Hopefully you won't have to charge more than 1/2 of the battery using the 8 amp setting, it will take 19.5 hours to fully charge the Volt using Level 1 charging @ 8 amps.

 

[FI Spyder]

Around 12 hours from empty, correspondingly less if you only use part. Generally enough if you charge from 6pm to 6 am. Depends if you get cheaper off hour rates. defaults to 8amps for standard garage/outdoor plug but can be set at 12 amps for dedicated plug (nothing else on that line). If that's too constricted you have to spring for L2 charger and line (240V 20 Amp circuit).

Re: stroller, I would suggest taking it to dealer and see how it fits. We did that with wife's walker (she was hit by a truck years ago and has no balance), it folds in half by the seat so is quite compact and it fits nicely with room at the side for groceries. Better than by guess and by golly.

 

[Whatstreet]

Around 12 hours from empty, correspondingly less if you only use part. Generally enough if you charge from 6pm to 6 am. Depends if you get cheaper off hour rates. defaults to 8amps for standard garage/outdoor plug but can be set at 12 amps for dedicated plug (nothing else on that line). If that's too constricted you have to spring for L2 charger and line (240V 20 Amp circuit).

Re: stroller, I would suggest taking it to dealer and see how it fits. We did that with wife's walker (she was hit by a truck years ago and has no balance), it folds in half by the seat so is quite compact and it fits nicely with room at the side for groceries. Better than by guess and by golly.

Recharge time depends on how far you drive before charging. On L1 you will replace about 3 miles of charge per hour. So if you drive 30 miles the battery will be down 10 kWh and it will take about 10 hours on L1 to reach full charge.

This rate varies about 30% with weather conditions. Warm weather you might drive more than 4 miles per kWh and really cold weather you may drive less than 3 miles per kWh.

L1 charges at just a smidge more than 1 K watt per hour. I recommend L2, and I hope the 19 Volt has 7.2 kWh charger.

 

[Eagleco]

Although the default charging rate is 8 amps @ 120 volt, you can set it for 12 amps even if it's not plugged into a dedicated circuit. It should be a 20 amp circuit in that case rather than just 15 amps though.

You just need to keep the load very light on that circuit when the Volt is charging, although a brief higher load like the garage door opener should not pose a problem.

You need to allow at least 15 amps to charge the Volt at 12 amps, since the continuous charging load can only be 80% of the circuit capacity at most.

I should add however, that the official advice is to have a dedicated circuit for both Level 1, and Level 2 charging.

Jon

 

[Joshmcc]

Thanks for all the feedback. Does anyone else have any thoughts on pricing?

 

[jcanoe]

Thanks for all the feedback. Does anyone else have any thoughts on pricing?

Figure out what Volt features and options are important to you. The 2016 - 2018 Volt LT and Volt Premier are essentially the same (Premier has more features than the LT) but a 2016 LT is essentially unchanged from 2016 - 2018. The 2016 model year Volt was only sold for part of 2016, then the 2017 was introduced. The 2016 was only sold in the CARB states, many were leased. These leases are typically 30 -36 months so the 2016s should be coming off lease soon, that is where you might be able to get a good deal.

If you want to buy a new Volt, you may be able to get a better deal on a 2018 once the 2019 Volt is available.

 

[mjones21]

Unfortunately prices vary widely from one region to the next, and even from one dealer to the next. Some dealers take the approach of having only one or two Volts on the lot and demanding sticker for it, assuming (perhaps correctly), that they are a niche vehicle, and anyone who comes in and wants one will be something of a Volt enthusiast.

Some states demand close to sticker because the state incentives are so good that the Volt is effectively already one of the cheapest cars on the market without dealer markdowns (Colorado for example).

I had dealers half an hour away from me demanding sticker while dealers an hour away were giving 20% discounts.

I found the Autolist iPhone app/website very useful in my buying process. I've found the best way to search is to set a radius you're comfortable driving from your house (I picked 100 miles), search all new Volts in the area for the current and past model year, and sort the results by longest time on market first. Call up the dealers for the first few results and make them an offer. If you find a 2017, I think 9-10K off is a good offer. If 2018, try 6-7K off MSRP.

As I said above, some dealers will scoff at you and maybe counter 2-3K off. Just move on.

As a caveat to all of the above, make sure that you have a Volt dealer near you who has Volt-Certified Service, and see if they've been discussed on this forum (either good or bad).

While Volt pricing varies so much by region, I'd say that generally on a national level, $28K before Incentives is considered to be a great price on a base LT, and $36K is considered to be a great price on a 2018 Premier.

Shopping the "longest time on lot" options will typically get you a better deal than that.

 

[Eagleco]

Thanks for all the feedback. Does anyone else have any thoughts on pricing?

You can check the Edmund's web site and see what their true market value pricing says. We got about $4.5k off MSRP (not counting the tax credit) on our 2018 Premier. I think that's pretty typical. Some do better, some not quite as well.

If you are a Costco member at the higher level, you can go thru them and use their pricing as a starting point, and then negotiate down from there. The Costco price was not that good. You will have to go to a Costco participating dealer though. That's what we did.

Costco gave us a $700 gift card to use in the store for going thru them. That was in addition to the $4.5k we got off MSRP. You don't have to accept the Costco price in order to receive these additional perks.

They also sent us a 50% off coupon for Volt accessories purchased at the dealer where we bought the car. That was limited to $200 off total, and was sent to us after filling out a survey.

Jon

 

[Runion]

Thanks for the reply. We are in Indiana so not an area where they are super popular. I've located maybe 15 between the closest 10 dealers.

Also, what is the real world recharge time for level 1 charging? We would be charging so home overnight each night typically, so I'm guessing level 1 with work?

I am North of Chicago so temperature wise, we should have similar results.

When I bought my Volt, I started looking for others in my area. NONE!, I have had my Volt since June of 2016, I have a 2017 model year, and I have seen 3 that I can think of, not including my own.

Real world times are interesting. I will respond to the 120vac charging as I have had no need for the 240v charging.

With the 120v charger you have two choices, charging at 8 AMP, which with the high voltage battery spent will take up to 18 hours to charge.
Charging at the 12 AMP setting (you set this in the car before you shut down and plug the charger in) can take 9 hours to recharge a spent battery.
If you battery is only half way depleted, the time will half.

I have not needed the 240v charging level and it is said that the 120v charger is capable of 240v charging with adaptation.
The VOLT is ideal and I beleive GM intended for charging at home situations. Honestly, you will get a smile when you drive buy a fossil fuel station, just give them a little wave by.

Your mileage rating is not SET. In the summer you will get HIGHER than normal Miles Per charge ratings and in the Winter you will get LOWER than normal Miles Per charge rating.
Your mileage after charge will also vary depending on how you drive, the terrain you are driving in, ambient temperatures. But be aware that your driving habits will heavily influence whether you get a high Miles per charge rating vs a LOW Miles per charge rating.

Thoughts about buying after your lease expires
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?324477-Should-you-buy-after-leasing-INFO-and-very-long

China’s Buick Velite 5 is a Volt with a nose Job
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110078_chinas-buick-velite-5-is-a-volt-with-a-nose-job

Chevy Volt may be replaced in 2022 with plug-in hybrid crossover: CrossVolt at last?
https://www.greencarreports.com/new...th-plug-in-hybrid-crossover-crossvolt-at-last

 

[vtech]

Check Cargurus for Volts in your area. It will give you an exact price on a actual car with the options you want.

 

[kishkaru]

I also vote for checking TrueCar. You can select the model you want with the exact options, and they even show all the GM dealer incentives (whether or not you qualify for them). If you give them your email, they can even hook you up with dealers in the that have "guaranteed savings" agreement with TrueCar. TrueCar hooked me up with $6k off MSRP (not incl fed/state rebates, and I'm in CA), which you can use as a starting point for your negotiations.

 

[snic]

3) we've only had one test drive so far and where about size. For 2 adults and a toddler is there sufficient room to help everyone for a 3-5 day road trip? Eg stroller and a couple small suitcases?

We took our '16 Volt for a week-long summer trip (8 hours drive each way) with 2 adults and one 12 year-old, and on top of that, we had a second 12 year old for most of the way back. It was tight, but neither kid was large for their age and they didn't complain. The luggage hold was FULL, but everything fit.

What's worse is that the heating and a/c system does not efficiently control the climate in the back. We had to keep the temperature in front cooler than we wanted, and direct the vents away from our faces. That was just OK for the kids, but this is a recurring annoyance. Our Volt doesn't have heated rear seats, so it's a problem in winter as well.

I found the Autolist iPhone app/website very useful in my buying process. I've found the best way to search is to set a radius you're comfortable driving from your house (I picked 100 miles), search all new Volts in the area for the current and past model year, and sort the results by longest time on market first. Call up the dealers for the first few results and make them an offer. If you find a 2017, I think 9-10K off is a good offer. If 2018, try 6-7K off MSRP.

As I said above, some dealers will scoff at you and maybe counter 2-3K off. Just move on.

This is pretty good advice. The important thing is to not be limited by geography. If you can negotiate a good price remotely, it's probably worth it to make a long trip to pick up the car. I didn't use Autolist, but just searched for Chevy dealers on their website, then searched their inventory and sent emails in regards to specific cars. Then I proceeded much as mjones21. The car I eventually bought was one that initially they were reluctant to meet my price on, but a couple of weeks later they called me and tried again, and with a few GM discounts they made it work. I got the price negotiated down to the penny before walking in to the dealer with a cashiers check to buy the car (without having seen that specific car before).

 

[VoltenRock]

The 20% off deal on 16s last year was one of the best I had seen on the Volts. If you get anywhere near that ballpark, you're doing well.

 

[mjones21]

This is pretty good advice. The important thing is to not be limited by geography. If you can negotiate a good price remotely, it's probably worth it to make a long trip to pick up the car. I didn't use Autolist, but just searched for Chevy dealers on their website, then searched their inventory and sent emails in regards to specific cars. Then I proceeded much as mjones21. The car I eventually bought was one that initially they were reluctant to meet my price on, but a couple of weeks later they called me and tried again, and with a few GM discounts they made it work. I got the price negotiated down to the penny before walking in to the dealer with a cashiers check to buy the car (without having seen that specific car before).

100% agreed. Another option to try to limit your travel would be to filter only "new" condition 2017 Volts on Autolist within 200 miles, and sort by distance, making a call to each dealer. Will limit your time spent doing this and the travel for same. Despite several model-year old Volts in stock at 5 dealers within a half hour of my house, none were willing to take more than 3K off the list price. They refused to negotiate even when I told them I had guaranteed TrueCar savings of $7000 at several dealers in Maryland, and told me to go buy that car. There were only 1-2 Volts at each dealer, and they seemed to be taking the approach that they'd just sell them at the price they wanted when a motivated Volt shopper showed up looking for a Volt. I ultimately went a little over an hour away to find a diamond in the rough in New Jersey with $9000 off MSRP. Just keep calling, and get whatever you can in writing.

 

[snic]

and get whatever you can in writing.

Right, the trick is to get the dealer to negotiate with you over the phone, rather than say "come on down and we'll make you an offer you can't refuse." Once they see you're serious, usually they will be willing to go through the entire process over the phone (unless you have a trade-in). The outcome, if you agree on a price, should be a written statement of all charges and credits, as well as the final amount due. IME, you're unlikely to get such a statement until you've verbally agreed to a price - everything is done verbally until then. (Some motivated dealers - a couple in Maryland, for instance - are willing to do it all by email, but I found that to be the exception. And even then it's often unclear what exactly is included and what isn't - for instance, the dealer just puts "plus taxes and fees" or even leaves the phrase out and you have to guess whether taxes and fees are included.)

The final step is to have a cashier's check for the amount due (down payment or full price) made out to both you and the dealer (e.g., Pay to the Order Of: Emerald City Chevrolet or snic), so if they play any games when you pick up the car, you can walk right out and deposit the check back into your bank account.

 

[Dr. Manhattan]

This has been my experience since buying my 2017 Volt LT in March of 2016:

I didn't "find" my Volt at some dealer. I called the largest dealer in my state (fortunately, only 25 miles away) and told them I was ready to order a car if the deal was right, which at that time (gen2s were just hitting the rest of the country) happened to be $500 under invoice with no incentives. In the current climate, I believe you could do better, but they have to believe two things about you, 1) that you're seriously ready to pull the trigger, and 2) that you'll go elsewhere without blinking an eye if their deal isn't good enough. And Volts don't need to cost $40k+, either. My car is a base model that has heated seats/steering wheel and a couple of other minor options. It retailed for around $33.5k. The government refunded $7500 of that the following year so, all-in...about $26k. That's all I paid six years earlier for the diesel Golf that the Volt replaced. I loved that Golf, but I have to admit, the Volt is an even better/nicer, and much-cheaper-to-run car.

I'm a big guy, but it's just my wife and I, so plenty of room for us...and I'd say plenty left over for your bundle and accessories for a week. If you know how to pack. Some folks feel the need to bring their whole house with them, so YMMV.

I can't speak to level 1 (120V) charging times, as I only charged my car once with the supplied cord...to make sure it worked. My Level 2 (240V) EVSE at home will charge my Volt from "0" to "full" in 3 hours and 35-50 minutes, depending on ambient temperature. I don't know why some are saying 4+ hours, unless their setups are not allowing the car it's full capacity. But here's the thing: if you happen to install an adequate Level 2 EVSE, then charging time often disappears as a concern...provided that if the car isn't being driven, it's plugged in. Period. No exceptions. This is not a daunting requirement. In fact, it very quickly becomes second nature. You arrive home, get out of the car, and plug it in. Later you go out to run some errands, come home, and plug it in. Our car is virtually always ready to go with a full charge. Honestly think about how often you get into your car and need to drive farther than 60-85 miles. Probably not that often, if your situation is like most people's. And if YMDV, guess what...the Volt get really great fuel economy, so "win/win".

 

[nrodgsxr]

Right, the trick is to get the dealer to negotiate with you over the phone, rather than say "come on down and we'll make you an offer you can't refuse." Once they see you're serious, usually they will be willing to go through the entire process over the phone (unless you have a trade-in). The outcome, if you agree on a price, should be a written statement of all charges and credits, as well as the final amount due. IME, you're unlikely to get such a statement until you've verbally agreed to a price - everything is done verbally until then. (Some motivated dealers - a couple in Maryland, for instance - are willing to do it all by email, but I found that to be the exception. And even then it's often unclear what exactly is included and what isn't - for instance, the dealer just puts "plus taxes and fees" or even leaves the phrase out and you have to guess whether taxes and fees are included.)

The final step is to have a cashier's check for the amount due (down payment or full price) made out to both you and the dealer (e.g., Pay to the Order Of: Emerald City Chevrolet or snic), so if they play any games when you pick up the car, you can walk right out and deposit the check back into your bank account.

The trick to get them to give you a price over the phone is to say that you kind of live too far to drive there and you are buying a car really soon like within a week. They will initially refuse but later call you back when they get hungry for a sale. When they do just say, I'm getting a really good deal from X dealer.. can you beat it? if so send me the numbers or stop calling me.