Environmental or Econommical

[polbear]

Here is a simple question did you get your Bolt for environmental or economical reasons?

 

[devbolt]

Here is a simple question did you get your Bolt for environmental or economical reasons?

Yes. I also got it for technological reasons, too.

 

[phil0909]

Here is a simple question did you get your Bolt for environmental or economical reasons?

Yes. I also got it for technological reasons, too.

My reasons were chiefly transportational.

 

[PackardV8]

No, no new car purchase or lease is ever "econommical". No math can ever make the fuel savings pay for a new car.
The first year's depreciation always puts one forever upside-down. The best economic decision is continuing to drive the paid-for vehicle already in the garage. Having said that, we ignored fifty years of our own advice, buying a new Bolt and paying near sticker price.

Somewhat environmental. Up in the frozen northwest, much of our electricity comes from hydropower.

Actually, for all-around utility. Most of our driving is very short trip local. It makes no sense to fire up a two-ton gas-burning SUV which uses 15 MPG in sub-freezing weather to go 1-5 miles. Looking forward to getting into an already warmed car and not feeling the guilt of wasted fossil fuel.

And, a fact never mentioned in most magazine road tests I've read, the Bolt is really, really fun to drive around town. It is across the intersection and gone while most gas-burners are still reaching converter stall. Moving ahead a car length for a lane change is instantaneous. One-pedal driving makes all the two-pedal and three-pedal cars seem so last-century.

jack vines

 

[devbolt]

No, no new car purchase or lease is ever "econommical". No math can ever make the fuel savings pay for a new car.
The first year's depreciation always puts one forever upside-down. The best economic decision is continuing to drive the paid-for vehicle already in the garage. Having said that, we ignored fifty years of our own advice, buying a new Bolt and paying near sticker price.

Somewhat environmental. Up in the frozen northwest, much of our electricity comes from hydropower.

Actually, for all-around utility. Most of our driving is very short trip local. It makes no sense to fire up a two-ton gas-burning SUV which uses 15 MPG in sub-freezing weather to go 1-5 miles. Looking forward to getting into an already warmed car and not feeling the guilt of wasted fossil fuel.

And, a fact never mentioned in most magazine road tests I've read, the Bolt is really, really fun to drive around town. It is across the intersection and gone while most gas-burners are still reaching converter stall. Moving ahead a car length for a lane change is instantaneous. One-pedal driving makes all the two-pedal and three-pedal cars seem so last-century.

jack vines

While purchasing a new vehicle is not the most economical choice in the world, sometimes it has to be done out of necessity (car died, need a second vehicle), and sometimes it's because the newer car offers better features (safety being the primary motivator). If you have two new comparable vehicles to choose from, the cost of operation of them becomes a factor, and if you choose the one with the lowest cost, you have then made an economical decision.

 

[user 1034]

Its been mostly the low daily cost, technological and fun factors for me. I needed a new car anyway, so this one piqued my interest the most.

 

[PackardV8]

sometimes it has to be done out of necessity (car died,

It's semantics, but a car may be killed in a collision, but they don't die. Having been in the business for many years, it's very rare not to be more cost-effective to repair an existing car than to buy new. Depreciation never sleeps.

sometimes it's because the newer car offers better features (safety being the primary motivator).

Agree to all the above. Just understand we all have an infinite capacity to rationalize we're getting more safety, more economy, more features. and that's OK, as long as we don't claim we're saving money while actually spending a ton more.

jack vines

 

[JHawk]

Reasons for buying.

1) I believe EVs are good for humanity.
- Less pollution
- Less dependence on non-renewable and war-creating oil.
- Our solar panels generate more electricity each year than we use, including two EV cars. I enjoy that. It isn't the dollars, I just feel like I can do something to help get humanity post oil and to reduce pollution.

2) EVs are great cars. Quiet, good handling, and great acceleration are luxury car features. Also I love having a full "tank" every morning. I enjoy driving EVs much more than gas cars. I am willing to pay more for these features.

I bought a Bolt EV because it has amazing range. I could have purchased a Tesla, in fact I originally planned on buying a Tesla, but there many things I didn't like about the Tesla, so Chevy Bolt it is.

 

[PackardV8]

Reasons for buying.

1) I believe EVs are good for humanity.
- Less pollution
- Less dependence on non-renewable and war-creating oil.
- Our solar panels generate more electricity each year than we use, including two EV cars. I enjoy that. It isn't the dollars, I just feel like I can do something to help get humanity post oil and to reduce pollution.

2) EVs are great cars. Quiet, good handling, and great acceleration are luxury car features. Also I love having a full "tank" every morning. I enjoy driving EVs much more than gas cars. I am willing to pay more for these features..

Agree with all the above. Wish there were more sun here in the cloudy frozen northwest. We bought a Bolt knowing it was a major negative personal economic decision. It's a positive contribution paid forward to future generations.

jack vines

 

[devbolt]

sometimes it has to be done out of necessity (car died,

It's semantics, but a car may be killed in a collision, but they don't die. Having been in the business for many years, it's very rare not to be more cost-effective to repair an existing car than to buy new. Depreciation never sleeps.

Insurance companies would disagree with your assertion there. They're more than happy to declare a car a loss if it only costs a little more than 50% of the current value to fix it.

That said, as a private party, it can make more sense to try to fix a car. We elected to replace the seized engine and failed traction battery pack in my son's 2005 Prius 3 years ago. Body was in fine shape, suspension was still good, and all the electronics still worked. Cheaper than trying to find an equivalent Prius with 202K miles on it. However, if the car had had other expensive issues that would've needed fixing, we would've junked the car.

sometimes it's because the newer car offers better features (safety being the primary motivator).

Agree to all the above. Just understand we all have an infinite capacity to rationalize we're getting more safety, more economy, more features. and that's OK, as long as we don't claim we're saving money while actually spending a ton more.

jack vines

But I am saving money. I replaced a vehicle that got 28 MPG with one that I don't have to spend a dime on gas. Or electricity so far (lot of excess solar credits to chew through). And we sold the 28 MPG vehicle to someone who had a 28 year-old vehicle that finally died after 500K miles, whose interior was shot, had no modern safety equipment, and had pre-1990 emissions equipment that was failing smog checks.

A vehicle is something that is necessary for me right now. It's an expense that I know that I will have to deal with for the foreseeable future. Part of that is the reality that I will from time to time need to replace an existing vehicle with a more modern one. I've been lucky to be able to choose the timing of those replacements because I take good care of my cars and sell them in good working condition, passing them on to friends or family at a discount.