13th Oct 2010, 08:24
Interesting article about the Chevy Volt that GM has been going on about for three years as a full electric car. Seems it is a glorified Prius with a gas/ electric setup and they start in the mid $30K range. GM outright lied about their own car, telling everyone it was 100% electric, and now they have something that everyone else already has... a hybrid, and they want to charge $10K more than a Prius for it. Worst of all, it gets about 33 mpg. The Mustang with 305 HP gets 31 mpg and costs $10K less... Hmmmm, which would you buy?
This is just another reason why GM will never be on my list of cars to buy!!
13th Oct 2010, 11:05
What's the likelihood of a person owning a Camry then buying a new Corvette Z06? But it's a great goal to strive for. The only real expense is tires at 2500 a set and car insurance. Repairs are nil.
13th Oct 2010, 11:13
The accidents that I was involved in were caused by the other drivers, who think they need to fly around in their tin cans. I am twenty one years old, yet I drive very slowly, always. I have never been involved in an accident that was my own doing. But you are right about one thing, I have more than furious hatred for uni-waste, FWD, disposable trash. Now that is damn straight.
13th Oct 2010, 11:35
I've actually been following the Volt since it was introduced as a concept back in 2007, and even got a chance to tour a GM facility that is involved in its production. While I am a lifelong Toyota fan, GM got this one right. They have never claimed this was a fully electric car. They have always indicated that it's a combination of electric and gas packed into one drivetrain. The battery has a 40 mile range, and it also has a small gas engine that in turn kicks in once the battery runs low. The quality of the Volt is excellent. I think GM knew they had to get something right and turn around their image. I'm not sure where you got that 33 MPG average. That's probably for when the battery runs low. If you can manage to drive 40 miles or less per day, you'll use no gas at all. Even if you drive around 80 miles, you'll use 50% less gas than a conventional econo car. That's a very significant difference.
I find it ironic that a lot of the "good ole' boys" out there who constantly bash anything "foreign" and only drive big honkin' trucks are seemingly against the Volt as well because they incorrectly assume it's just another Prius. If this long drawn-out discussion is really just about those who hate foreign cars because they're foreign and are all for supporting American jobs, then they should be supportive of this car because the Volt was designed, engineered, and will now be built in the US with US labor, in Michigan of all places. It's another story of good old fashioned American ingenuity.
I'd buy one myself if not for the price. But remember, this is a totally different kind of car and the prices will likely come down in time. The Volt represents the future. We should be embracing that idea.
13th Oct 2010, 13:59
Sad that at such a young age you are so full of hate for anything, let alone an inanimate object such as a car. Maybe you should focus on more positive things like the fact that newer lighter cars are better for the environment, as they save fuel and they reduce our reliance on foreign oil.
Plus, unibody cars encompass a much broader range then just FWD cars. Now nearly every major model is unibody including the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Ford Explorer. You're going to be hating yourself right into walking soon, as there won't be anything left to buy for you.
13th Oct 2010, 14:07
The article I read paints an entirely different picture than the post you just wrote. Seems GM was hiding the fact that it had a gas engine involved in its design until just about unveiling time. This looks like yet another failed car for GM already, and it hasn't even come out yet. It is way too expensive, and I am sure it will have way too many problems for at least a few years until they start to get it right... if it lasts for three years. I'll believe it when I see it.
Trouble is, the people that can afford a $40K car, like this one will be when equipped to the average consumers taste, don't care about saving gas as much as having a nice car, so they will opt for any of the 50 other cars they could get for this price or less that would be more enjoyable to own. People who do want to save fuel, will continue to lengthen the lines for a Prius. Even the Fusion hybrid is a better choice, as it is less than $30K and gets over 41 mpg.
13th Oct 2010, 15:54
Good ole boys driving honkin trucks? How about execs driving brand new, loaded, full size domestic pick ups with tasteful performance upgrades plus a new SUV and new Corvettes, and if they set their garages up right, they all fit. I know many in my car club, and they are not fitting your stereotype. Kind of like short people driving little cars that go beep beep beep; not kind...
13th Oct 2010, 19:43
I'm not sure where the article you read got its data from, because I actually watched the video of the live unveiling of the Volt concept during the 2007 NAIAS. This is a small snippet from one of the articles that came out at the time of its release:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16503845
"The Volt has a battery-powered electric motor that can run the car for up to 40 city miles on a single charge. Beyond that, a gasoline-powered, one-liter, three-cylinder engine can generate electricity to power the car and replenish the battery, with a range of up to 640 miles, GM said."
This was written in 2007. There has never been any claim that the car didn't have a gas engine. If I were to take a wild guess, it would be that stories like these are going to be circulating furiously, because the implications that this car has for the future is immense in regards to energy use.
The base interior of the Volt is actually quite remarkable and good - for any car. Perhaps GM should have decided to use a different brand based on lower consumer expectations. The battery comes with a 10 year warranty as well.
As far as sales, well the car already has a huge demand. GM plans to ramp up production to 50,000-60,000 units next year due to initial interest. Sure - $40,000 is a lot of money. But the people who are buying these are the same who buy the first iPods, iPads, and iPhones: They'll pay a lot more money just to be the first to have one. I suspect prices will come down as the cost of technology and sales volumes increase.
Like I said - I am a lifelong Toyota fan. But GM did something right for a change. I hope the Volt is a success.
13th Oct 2010, 08:16
Maybe you drive your Toyota further distances than someone with short commutes or about town. If the car has insufficient warm up, it can have more sludging likelihood.
Also cars rarely driven; I was changing my oil every 4 months on my cars; some driven less than 1000 miles annually. I own 5 vehicles; all now synthetic. I change once a year. I have oil life monitors on my dash readouts.
The other issue is running too cool of a thermostat, and that can cause sludging. My mother, who drives 5 miles to a store daily, is more likely to have these kind of issues, as the car never warms up properly vs someone who drives over 20 minutes on each drive. In the winter on a dry day, my cars are run 20 minutes minimum to keep the seals good and warmed up, not just turned on for 5 minutes.
You can have a dozen cars and have no issues, but someone else can have issues with theirs, just because of differing driving practices or lack of knowledge. Good luck.