Welcome to car talk! Matt's VW is in the shop for expensive repairs and he's pondering an EV

[Cary]

I’ve been considering the Ionic 5.

The 5, 5N, and 6 have won EV of the Year awards from Car and Driver the last 3 years.

Very roomy.

The 2025 model addresses one major complaint - there is now a rear windshield wiper…

[AllGold]

Markintosh wrote:
The Ioniq charges quickly...45 to 92% in 11 minutes today.

Holy cow, that's fast! :eek2:

[special]

Whatever you get, make sure you choose the right connector. I believe Tesla (NCAA?) is quickly becoming the standard.

and charge at home should be much cheaper than at superchargers. Around here it's 18c per kW at home and 45 at Superchargers. There is no savings versus gasoline if you charge at superchargers.

[DinerDave]

mattkime wrote:
[quote=anonymouse1]
FWIW, if you have solar panels, operating costs drop close to zero.

We don't, and its unlikely we would anytime soon, although I like them.

I just looked to how much it costs to charge on the road and I'm kind of surprised that it can be more expensive than pumping gas.
It CAN be, but you still weigh the pros and cons. Charger costs vary greatly, probably more than checking each gas station pump price. However, how many times are you going to drive far enough to pay for charging? I've had my Bolt EUV for almost one year, bought last March. I paid for high speed charging on our trip from home, (Western Mass) to Virginia to visit my son. Timed it with bathroom and food breaks. Another trip to Cape Cod, I topped it off at Wrentham Village Outlets, as we stop and shop there anyway, cost $18 dollars. Then when we got to our hotel, we found they had 8 L2 chargers for hotel customers. didn't even need to spend that $18 as the hotel was within driving range.
Point is, something like 90% of charging is done at home according to what I have read, so all that time, you are not buying gas and saving that way, so the occasional higher charge price on the road, doesn't't matter.

Dave

[DinerDave]

Cary wrote:
I’ve been considering the Ionic 5.

The 5, 5N, and 6 have won EV of the Year awards from Car and Driver the last 3 years.

Very roomy.

The 2025 model addresses one major complaint - there is now a rear windshield wiper…

I've like the Ioniq 5 since they were introduced. Went with the Bolt EUV Premier Redline as this top of the line Chevy still was nearly $12,000 less, comparably equipped. Ionoq have 50+ miles more range, but that wasn't worth that difference to me, as I'm frugal, LOL.

Dave

[DinerDave]

special wrote:
Whatever you get, make sure you choose the right connector. I believe Tesla (NCAA?) is quickly becoming the standard.

and charge at home should be much cheaper than at superchargers. Around here it's 18c per kW at home and 45 at Superchargers. There is no savings versus gasoline if you charge at superchargers.

Exactly, the fast chargers are for when you are on trips, just like paying higher gas prices on the highway as opposed to your local station. Only do it when needed.

Dave

[mattkime]

Because we don’t have daily car commutes, about 40% of our driving consists of road trips.

[chopper]

Only seven years old and needs $6k or more in repair. Yea those VWs are a steadfast, well-made and reliable vehicle aren't they? The good thing is if you do this it won't have any more problems down the road. Oh, wait, it's a VW so you will be kicking for another major $$$ repair by mid-summer. Does it have DSG? Have you changed the fluid?

mattkime wrote:
My 7 year Golf Alltrack is in the shop. It came down with misfires so I checked the spark plugs - there was a missing grounding strap - its potentially catastrophic engine damage. I swapped the plugs but it still had misfires and I knew it would need to go into the shop anyway. At this point I've agreed to a total of about $6k in repairs - the mechanic suspects a stuck rocker arm. I also realize that I might be paying out a couple of grand (hopefully not the full $6k!) and might learn that the engine is toast. The question is what to do next.

Ideally our car will be good as new in the end but I'm bracing myself for other possibilities.

The idea of an electric car is very appealing to me if I can make it make economic sense. My wife and I prefer smaller cars but also have two boys so the wagon made a lot of sense and has suited us well. Frankly, I like the idea of something without an internal combustion engine - too many moving parts, fluids, etc. My wife and I are also kind of cheapskates when it comes to cars. Neither of us commutes by car. We put about 10k miles a year on it and nearly half of that consists of road trips to visit family.

I think I've figured out that our Alltrack has cost us about $10/day not including the most recent repairs. My wife thinks it sounds like a lot. I'm ambivalent - its an interesting number. Its become an anchor point for how I think about car ownership but maybe $/month would be a more reasonable metric.

Requirements - ideally room for 3 in the back, ideally some good trunk space. Even with our wagon I was looking into a rooftop box. Fast charging and good range are a must. Ideally we'd stick with the wagon format but that doesn't seem like an option currently.

How much should self driving features play into the decision? I've never used them but heard good things even if I'm skeptical. I gotta admit those features might be nice on our long drives.

I'd be tempted to buy used to save a few dollars.

Whats your advice?

[Speedy]

Cheapest plan is to fix your Alltrack. It’s only seven years old and at 10k miles/year it will have lots of life left after the new engine.

New car prices are about to increase which will trickle down to used cars:

https://caredge.com/guides/tariffs-impac...es-in-2025

These 10 Automakers Will Be Hit Hardest By Tariffs, With Price Hikes Likely

Among automakers, Ford and General Motors will be the hardest hit. The biggest impact will be on Ford’s Lincoln Nautilus and GM’s Buick Envision. Together they made up 95% of the 88,515 China-made vehicles sold in the U.S. last year.

“It’s mainly GM and Ford that are really hit from a volume standpoint,” said Jeff Schuster, vice president of automotive research at GlobalData, in an interview with CNBC. “Our domestic guys are the ones taking the brunt of this, at least for full vehicles … but it can be muted to some extent.”

Volvo and luxury EV maker Polestar also produce vehicles in China, and will be subject to import tariffs. However, the impact of tariffs on Chinese imports will be small compared to that of the tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada. According to GlobalData, new cars made in China represented just 0.6% of the roughly 16 million new vehicles sold in 2024 in the U.S.

If tariffs are fully enacted against imports from Mexico and Canada, Automotive News reports that several automakers will be affected. A few big American automakers will face rising costs from the new 10% tariff on imports from China. These are the cars likely to see rising prices due to tariffs in 2025:

Audi: Volkswagen Group’s Audi plant in Mexico builds the Audi Q5. The factory produced nearly 176,000 cars in 2023, many of which were exported to the United States.

BMW: The BMW plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico produces the 3 Series, 2 Series Coupe, and M2, with nearly all output going to the U.S.

Ford: With three plants in Mexico, Ford exported nearly 196,000 vehicles to the U.S. and Canada in the first half of 2024 alone, with 90% of those going to the U.S. Ford also has a plant in Oakville, Canada. The Detroit automaker will also be impacted by the 10% tariff on imports from China. The Lincoln Nautilus luxury SUV is manufactured in China, and will be subject to new import tariffs.

General Motors: GM imported roughly 750,000 vehicles from Canada and Mexico in 2024. This includes key models like the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, and electric versions of the Equinox and Blazer. GM’s Buick Envision is largely manufactured in China. Envisions that are destined for the U.S. market will be subject to the new 10% tariff on imports from China.

Honda: 80% of Honda’s Mexican-made vehicles are exported to the U.S. and has warned that continued tariffs may force a production shift.

Kia: Under the Hyundai Motor Group umbrella, Kia operates a Mexican factory producing its own vehicles and some Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs.

Mazda: In 2023, Mazda exported around 120,000 vehicles from Mexico to the U.S. Mazda has suggested that it may reconsider future investments due to U.S. tariffs.

Nissan: Nissan manufactures the Sentra, Versa, and Kicks in Mexico, with nearly 505,000 vehicles built in the first nine months of 2024.

Stellantis: FCA (now under Stellantis) operates assembly plants in Saltillo, Mexico (Ram pickups and vans) and Toluca, Mexico (Jeep Compass). Stellantis also has plants in Ontario, Canada.

Toyota: In 2025, Toyota builds its Tacoma pickup truck exclusively in Mexico, selling more than 230,000 units in the U.S. in 2023.

Volkswagen: VW Group operates a large factory in Puebla, Mexico. This is where VW produces the Jetta, Tiguan, and Taos for U.S. export. In Canada, VW is investing $4.9 billion to build a battery factory in St. Thomas, Ontario, set to start production in 2027.

[special]

WV reliability aside, I don't think VW makes spark plugs. They buy from Bosch, NGK, or other manufacturers. How did this happen?