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A used Chevy Volt?

Paul_G

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Our 2009 Charger SXT 3.5, is getting long in the tooth. 160,000 miles now, it is our work horse car. Been a good car, comfortable, still decent on gas at around 18 to 22 MPG. But it is time to move on.

We have other DD vehicles besides the Charger. We are retired and our trips are mostly short and in town now. We take many 700 mile round trips a year to California to see the Grand baby. Any of our vehicles can do this trip. We usually take the Charger as it gets the best mileage. Not so confident in it for long trips anymore.

I have gotten the idea lately to get a Hybrid. It makes sense to use electric power for our daily trips to the store, out to eat, etc. Shopping the used Hybrid vehicle market the Chevy Volt comes up as one of the better used Hybrids to buy. They have depreciated badly, yet get good reports for reliability and battery life. Hmm?

Good idea? Or not?
 
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i was trained on the volt if you dont have a mechanic to repair it you will have to go to the dealer and that anit cheep and they may not have a trained teck so i would stay away . the battery can cost 5000.00 plus the labor and if they get it right is another story. good luck.
 
Is your Charger a 3.5L?
If so have you put a new timing belt and waterpump in it?
A 3.5L should last a long long time if maintained.
 
Is your Charger a 3.5L?
If so have you put a new timing belt and waterpump in it?
A 3.5L should last a long long time if maintained.

Yes, a 3.5, it has had that done, at the dealer. It has lifetime powertrain warranty to us, the original buyer. I am replacing the front lower control arms this week. The bushings are shot. It still runs perfectly. I have been waiting for the trans to go out, get it rebuilt under warranty. So far the trans is still strong.
 
You might consider front wheel bearings as well.
I'd keep driving it. Highway miles are some of the easiest miles for these cars.
I had a 2000 intrepid with a 3.5 with 262,000 with original trans.
My 2000 300M has 174,000 runs perfect. I could take it accross the country.
It gets 26 mpg.
 
Don't know much about the Volt but I'm thinking keeping the 'gross polluter' would be the choice for me. I guess some of the things to look for in the Volt is how long do the batteries last and how many times has it be cycled? Would think that would be something that could be downloaded from the car?
 
The Volt has alot of problems hence the reason they quit making it.
If I were in your shoes I would buy a Toyota or Lexus Hybrid. They
are quiet and seamless. Plenty of power and great gas mileage, and
they run forever. Camry or RX400h? If you drive a lexus you'll be impressed!
 
I rent luxury cars for long hauls and keep my fully depreciated high mileage daily drivers on the road for commutes.
 
The 2 things that bother me are the high cost of repairs if needed and that they hold no value.
Local gal had a Prius for about 6 years.It needed batteries. Toyota and a Buick dealer wouldn't even take it on trade.
Told her to put it on Craigs List. She did, got $500 for it. Now she drives a gross polluting Buick.
 
I've read several reviews on the Volt and none were good.
 
Why a Generic Motors Chevy Volt? They are junk and do not get very many good reviews. I get the eco-friendly concern and all, but IMHO a very reliable gas fueled car would be just as reliable and mileage friendly. It is always the choice of anyone as to what they will purchase so I won't tell you what way you should go. But I still believe there are better options out there than a Chebby...cr8crshr/Bill:usflag::usflag::usflag:
 
I like the newer Impalas. They are quiet, comfortable, drive nice and do pretty well on gas for their size.
 
The older I get, the bigger truck I want. Getting in and out of a truck is far easier than any car.
The older I get the less I care about my contribution to being green. Its all about comfort and reliability.
 
I've read several reviews on the Volt and none were good.
Why a Generic Motors Chevy Volt? They are junk and do not get very many good reviews. I get the eco-friendly concern and all, but IMHO a very reliable gas fueled car would be just as reliable and mileage friendly. It is always the choice of anyone as to what they will purchase so I won't tell you what way you should go. But I still believe there are better options out there than a Chebby...cr8crshr/Bill:usflag::usflag::usflag:
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099540_should-i-buy-a-used-chevy-volt-electric-car

Yes many say that. But there are just as many raving reviews if you look. Dont get me wrong, I am not a GM guy at all. Not really a greenie either. Actually producing electricity and making the batteries for the car negate any environmental benefits from not burning gasoline. I would like to try something different, and being a union steel worker for over 30 years I just cant buy foreign. Mopar did not make a Hybrid till recently and it is small. The Volt has been out for 10 years. I would get the 2nd generation, 2017 or newer. They can be had under 30,000 miles for low teens. That is some heavy depreciation.

Think about this, The Obama feds gave GM millions to build the Volt, then they gave tax rebates for people to buy it. GM designed a good electric car, they did not market it, and no one wanted it. So it suffers huge depreciation. Great for the used car buyer.

I like that the car is always electric drive. The onboard engine is actually a motor-generator. It does not power the wheels, it powers the electric drive when the batteries are depleted.
 
The older I get, the bigger truck I want. Getting in and out of a truck is far easier than any car.
The older I get the less I care about my contribution to being green. Its all about comfort and reliability.

My regular driver is an 05 SRT10 truck. Solid 9 MPG. When I pass a little fuel sipper car or Prius I usually drop a rev on em. The Magnaflow exhaust lets em know, I am very happily burning all the fuel they are saving. lol.

And BTW, I see gas going back to $4 gallon very soon.
 
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099540_should-i-buy-a-used-chevy-volt-electric-car

Yes many say that. But there are just as many raving reviews if you look. Dont get me wrong, I am not a GM guy at all. Not really a greenie either. Actually producing electricity and making the batteries for the car negate any environmental benefits from not burning gasoline. I would like to try something different, and being a union steel worker for over 30 years I just cant buy foreign. Mopar did not make a Hybrid till recently and it is small. The Volt has been out for 10 years. I would get the 2nd generation, 2017 or newer. They can be had under 30,000 miles for low teens. That is some heavy depreciation.

Think about this, The Obama feds gave GM millions to build the Volt, then they gave tax rebates for people to buy it. GM designed a good electric car, they did not market it, and no one wanted it. So it suffers huge depreciation. Great for the used car buyer.

I like that the car is always electric drive. The onboard engine is actually a motor-generator. It does not power the wheels, it powers the electric drive when the batteries are depleted.
In my opinion, this is the right way to do a hybrid. The Prius and other hybrids need to have a complex transmission that lets both engine and electric motor drive the car. This is added complexity that can have problems. Having an engine only drive a generator to make electricity is ideal, because then it can be set to run at a RPM that is ideal for fuel economy and torque. So bottom line is I like the concept of the Volt the best, but I am unsure of design issues so I can't comment on its reliability.

Likely in the future my wife might get an electric only car. Then we will use that as our run around car and the piston driven vehicle for towing, long trips, etc.

Good luck whatever you choose.

Hawk
 
Hybrids make sense for city commutes. They recover energy when braking, and the high wear internal combustion engine is only used briefly. It is a great idea.
The downfall is you are hauling heavy weight of the battery, the inverter system is complex to repair and somewhat problematic, and the expense of battery replacement.
Keep in mind there is no free lunch. Hybrids have a use and slight advantages, but cost wise I'd keep your charger and rent a Cadillac for long haul trips.
 
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We got one last Saturday a 2017 39k 13995.
We got a Chevy warranty till 100k for an extra 11$ a month and the battery and drive train is factory warranty for 8 years or 100k.
So far so good, ours has leather and Bose too. I learned alot scanning Volt forums.
Any questions feel free to PM.
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Hybrids and EVs have their place. I sure could've used one when I was commuting an hour and a half each way to work a couple years ago. If you can get warranty coverage to allay concerns about the battery and stuff I say go for it...
 
That's the way to do it! Warranty to 100k! Wow! That'll give you peace of mind.
 
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