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

[mattkime]

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?

[JoeM]

Well Teslas are coming down in price now. Seriously, my wife has had 2 model 3s, single drive ( is that what they’re called?). She drives the NJ turnpike to and from work every day and she says the car flys. She sees no need for the second drive model. Both cars got the $7500. Tax rebate which really brought the price down quite a bit. My wife loves the car ( me not so much). As far as trunk space the car does have quite a bit. The back trunk is very spacious and the “frunk” ( front trunk) is also pretty roomy.

[Markintosh]

We have the Ioniq 5 which is basically a wagon. It seats 5 pretty comfortably. There's still a good amount of luggage space. We have the AWD version since we live in Tahoe. We have had it 22 months and have put 26k on it.

Our summer range is around 280-320. Our winter ranges is closer to 200-250. That said, we would rarely use most of that range. We charge to about 90% and recharger around 20-30%.

How you drive will have huge impacts to range. When I am cruising 40-50 on two lane roads, add 20% to those range numbers. If I am out on the highway at 70+, take 10-20% off those numbers. This is true for all cars, ICE and EV included. Putting a rooftop box on will also take a hit on range.

For my use, commuting back and forth to the ski area 35 miles roundtrip each day, an EV makes total sense. In the summer it's mostly just around town with occasional 500 mile trips. I actually appreciate the chance to get out and take a walk. The Ioniq charges quickly...45 to 92% in 11 minutes today.

Your use case may not be right for an EV wagon. The ID4 and BZX4 are worse than the Ioniq for range and charge speed. The Rivian will give you range and space but it's $$$$ and it's slow to charge an essentially twice as large battery.

[sekker]

I think you are in WI - any EV will have great traction to stop in winter weather. My favorite part of an EV!

Tesla dual motor give you excellent traction in all weather.

I think the $7500 is still good for most cars you would be interested in.

Tesla Model Y is in the middle of a major model update. I think the new Model Y looks great and comes with a lot of great tweaks/revisions. I think they are now starting production in the CA Tesla plant.

If you want to look for a used Tesla, I would hunt down one with a hardware 4 computer module.

I like the looks of the Ioniq EVs, but have no personal experience owning one.

[special]

So the spark plug grounding L bracket fell off inside the cylinder?

[mattkime]

special wrote:
So the spark plug grounding L bracket fell off inside the cylinder?

Yes

[anonymouse1]

FWIW, if you have solar panels, operating costs drop close to zero.

[mattkime]

anonymouse1 wrote:
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.

[special]

Ouch. Never heard anything like this.

[cbelt3]

Kid just traded his Bolt EUV for an Equinox EV. He’s a fan. Battery made in Ohio, faster charge, more range. He charges for free at work, and for super cheap at my work (where we make changers…)