I want to plug in a Hybrid

I've become addicted to mileage. So much so that I want more. I want something that I can plug in, but I want to spend not much if possible. Early Volt, hack a Prius, what are my options?

If 4 seats is ok I think a used Volt is hard to beat. I've yet to hear something bad about them from anyone who has owned or leased one.

I was searching CR-Zs yesterday and found some for around six grand.

And they're cordless!

I've seen leafs below 5k

i-MiEV is really cheap. but it is basically a road legal golf cart.

I want the cord. I want to get used to energy conservation and figuring out how to drive these new fangled cars.

Absolute cheapest is an iMiev followed by Leaf. The Leaf is approximately 240% the car the iMiev is (ive driven both). That hasn't stopped me from occasionally thinking about imievs.

You are closer to Cali than I am-I hear BMW occasionally has some really good lease deals on the i3 in California.

Can't go full electric. Things are just too spread out in my life. Right now I'm doing 17 miles to drop off kid#1, 17 miles back to get kids #2-4, 7 each way for that. The afternoon is the same or similar. Gorcery shopping twice a week 18 miles round trip. Orthodontist almost weekly at 35 round trip. Soccer. The Bolt would probably work, but the Leaf, at least the used ones just doesn't quite work. Maybe it's crazy to want a plug in hybrid. You pay for the battery tech and the gas engine and integrating all of it.

has anyone one lapped a tesla yet?

The guys who mooshed their GTR last year bought one and continued on for a couple of rounds but don't do the whole rest of the event. The guys who won alternative fuel did it in a 918. Can you plug those in?

Woody wrote: I was searching CR-Zs yesterday and found some for around six grand. And they're cordless!

My current CR-Z experience has been interesting. It's so close to greatness. I have a feeling one of the supercharger kits will do the job...

In reply to Osterkraut:

Sounds like they're hard to hack.

I want a Volt. I don't need one but I want one. For starters I think they look cool. I also have about the perfect setup for putting a charger in at my house for a electric car. For day to day driving I would almost always be all electric even for the vast majority of my buisness trips. The more I have been looking at these the more it wold really make sense. There is always a "but". And that is I have never driven one and if it is a sole sucking penalty box to drive. I really need to get to a dealer and try one of these to either get it out of my system or to motivate me to get more serious about finding one.

I'd take a goid look at the Leaf. They are crazy cheap used, and the 120 miles of range should be enough for your daily duties, plus you have plenty of back up cars for road trips. Get one with an on-board charger, you should be all in for under $5K no sweat. As a bonus, they made hilarious autocross cars because of all of the torque!

mazdeuce wrote: Can't go full electric. Things are just too spread out in my life. Right now I'm doing 17 miles to drop off kid#1, 17 miles back to get kids #2-4, 7 each way for that. The afternoon is the same or similar. Gorcery shopping twice a week 18 miles round trip. Orthodontist almost weekly at 35 round trip. Soccer. The Bolt would probably work, but the Leaf, at least the used ones just doesn't quite work. Maybe it's crazy to want a plug in hybrid. You pay for the battery tech and the gas engine and integrating all of it.

Sounds like you need one of these:

Hack a prius? They've gone for lemons money.

grover wrote: has anyone one lapped a tesla yet?

I have, I did some track work in a p90d, it was Very good. I went into the experience hating the idea, left wishing I could swing one. It needed a bigger rear bar and less intervention but it was really fast and well judged. Sweet supersedan.

If I'm not mistaken, a Leaf would do an awful lot of what you want, and you have other vehicles to press into service if the Leaf isn't fully charged or won't do That One Trip.

My grouse? After living with the Leaf's forward blind spots, I wouldn't do it again, and it was enough that I sat in but didn't bother to test drive the Volt and C-Max Energi. They were both written off for being stupid to see out of.

The Leaf's bird's-eye-view parking cameras are pretty rad, though. May only do 60 miles on the highway, but closer to 100 around town.

Regarding the "addicted to mileage" thing... It was getting back in the WRX after watching the Leaf fill its "tank" on a downhill on the test drive that sold me. I just felt like I was just wasting so much every time I got on the brakes... I get the appeal.

2013+ Volt. I too want one and don't need one. I know people with teslas and z06's who love their volt the most. Leaf owners, they say "don't believe the hype"... in Chuck D voice.

grover wrote: has anyone one lapped a tesla yet?

People have done it. They're very fast, outrunning Porsche GT3s...until they overheat a couple laps in. The motor in particular creates a great deal of heat (by EV standards) and has to share that heat directly with the inverter and by proxy with the battery pack. It only has 2 radiators, smaller than half-width radiators, in the front.

Giving the motor its own independent cooling system with a bigass radiator would be ideal, but it's not really possible because the rear diff acts as a coolant manifold for the motor and inverter. So the best practical solution would be to give the motor & inverter their own bigass radiator at the back. As far as I can tell, nobody's done that yet.

yupididit wrote: 2013+ Volt. I too want one and don't need one. I know people with teslas and z06's who love their volt the most. Leaf owners, they say "don't believe the hype"... in Chuck D voice.

Why 2013+? The 2012's are cheaper, did they get more range in 2013?

Where is everyone finding these cheap Leaf's?

Asking for a friend...

Here's one in Houston for $5k.
And now I'm wondering how much I could do with a Leaf.......