And I dig it!
My Fiesta ST lease is ending soon and I needed something to replace it for commuting. Unfortunately traffic has gotten really bad here and as cool as the Fiesta ST was, I might as well have had 40 HP considering how much bumper to bumper traffic and cruising @ 25-40 MPH I've done the past couple of years.
So about a month ago, I looked for used electric cars. I figured this way I'd have one-pedal driving most of the time (regen slows fast enough that you rarely hit the brakes), it would be quieter / smoother / reliable and I could use the carpool lane (which saves tons of time and $2.50 per day in bridge tolls here), and I wouldn't have to go to a gas station every week (which on a busy trafficked road during rush hour, blows). My commute is 42 miles round trip every day.
I tried the i3, Fiat 500e, Smart car Electric, Rav4 EV, and maybe a couple others... I didn't try the Leaf because I have always disliked it.
The winner:
If you told me five years ago I'd buy a Smart car, I'd never have believed it. But here's what I liked about this car...
1) Super cheap. I paid $7700 for this one with 6k miles on it. It's brand new basically.
2) It's tiny, which I love. It's almost 30" shorter than the Fiat yet it feels big inside. It was the only car in existence I'm aware of that is electric and can fit in my driveway (120" long from door to curb so I can charge it outside). The turning radius is also amazing. I've already passed people in places where a normal car never would be able to, and around here the city driving is stressful with any car. Smaller is better for city every time IMO.
3) It's fun. I like how tossable it is, plus it can zip in and out of pockets in traffic with less stress than any of the other cars I tried. It's quick 0-40 and fast enough after that for me. It's ideal for these conditions.
4) Build quality. Made by Mercedes, it's got a lot of features. Auto wipers, lights, heated leather seats... most of the other cars have this, but I found the build quality to be much better than the Toyota or Fiat. The i3 seems to have too much trouble and was a lot more expensive.
Maybe in a few years I'll get a Model 3, but I needed something today and for this price I figured how could I go wrong. I still have my VW Westfalia camper w/ manual trans, my girlfriend's Honda fit, and I drive Porsches every day at my job so I get plenty of thrills from those. It's only been about 3 weeks of commuting so far but so far I'm loving it.
edit - Added a couple more pics.
Idling in a garage won't kill me now
The world's smallest driveway
Phone app to check current charge state, turn on climate control, view my driving style from the day etc.
My Fiesta ST lease is ending soon and I needed something to replace it for commuting. Unfortunately traffic has gotten really bad here and as cool as the Fiesta ST was, I might as well have had 40 HP considering how much bumper to bumper traffic and cruising @ 25-40 MPH I've done the past couple of years.
So about a month ago, I looked for used electric cars. I figured this way I'd have one-pedal driving most of the time (regen slows fast enough that you rarely hit the brakes), it would be quieter / smoother / reliable and I could use the carpool lane (which saves tons of time and $2.50 per day in bridge tolls here), and I wouldn't have to go to a gas station every week (which on a busy trafficked road during rush hour, blows). My commute is 42 miles round trip every day.
I tried the i3, Fiat 500e, Smart car Electric, Rav4 EV, and maybe a couple others... I didn't try the Leaf because I have always disliked it.
The winner:
If you told me five years ago I'd buy a Smart car, I'd never have believed it. But here's what I liked about this car...
1) Super cheap. I paid $7700 for this one with 6k miles on it. It's brand new basically.
2) It's tiny, which I love. It's almost 30" shorter than the Fiat yet it feels big inside. It was the only car in existence I'm aware of that is electric and can fit in my driveway (120" long from door to curb so I can charge it outside). The turning radius is also amazing. I've already passed people in places where a normal car never would be able to, and around here the city driving is stressful with any car. Smaller is better for city every time IMO.
3) It's fun. I like how tossable it is, plus it can zip in and out of pockets in traffic with less stress than any of the other cars I tried. It's quick 0-40 and fast enough after that for me. It's ideal for these conditions.
4) Build quality. Made by Mercedes, it's got a lot of features. Auto wipers, lights, heated leather seats... most of the other cars have this, but I found the build quality to be much better than the Toyota or Fiat. The i3 seems to have too much trouble and was a lot more expensive.
Maybe in a few years I'll get a Model 3, but I needed something today and for this price I figured how could I go wrong. I still have my VW Westfalia camper w/ manual trans, my girlfriend's Honda fit, and I drive Porsches every day at my job so I get plenty of thrills from those. It's only been about 3 weeks of commuting so far but so far I'm loving it.
edit - Added a couple more pics.
Idling in a garage won't kill me now
The world's smallest driveway
Phone app to check current charge state, turn on climate control, view my driving style from the day etc.
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