[jmg]

I've been searching for a cheap reliable DD to help keep the miles off my M3. Here in CA we have a $2500 clean air rebate and a $7500 federal rebate, so I think electric is the way to go. I have charging stations near all of my offices, so that's not a problem. Right now my first choice is the Fiat 500e because it's so damn cheap. Here's the deal I'm looking at:


$32,795
36 months
10,000 mi/yr
$2500 state rebate due at signing. Refunded in 30-90days.
$675 Drive Offs (registration, 1st payment, Doc Fee)
$1000 Lease Conquest or $1000 down
35 remaining payments of $69 plus tax

Does this sound like a good deal? Any other options? I was hinking i3, but it's too expensive. I want to keep lease payments below $100 to be cost effective. Anyone have any experience with the 500e?

[mkoesel]

Chevy Bolt appears to have great value. If I were buying an EV today, I would go into it assuming I were buying a Bolt and see if I could prove to myself that somehow there were a competitor with better value out there.

[BEM-S4]

Got a regular 500 for a GF and she loves it, fun little car for what it is. I'd never own a fiat out of warranty but for a lease on an EV that you're just looking to put miles on I'd totally go for it.

[pz619]

I got an i3. For $212/month I like it.

What is the range for the 500e?

[to_riffic]

121 empg, but I knew someone who drove it for a week, and it was more like 90-100.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by pz619

I got an i3. For $212/month I like it.

What is the range for the 500e?

87 miles. My commute is sometimes 80 miles round trip and I'm now a bit worried that it's cutting it way too close.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by jmg

87 miles. My commute is sometimes 80 miles round trip and I'm now a bit worried that it's cutting it way too close.

Hence why I say the Bolt has fantastic value with its 230 mile range. None of the others are practical replacements for your gasoline powered commuter car.

[David70]

I see it taking a long time to get one of this "give away" leases on the Bolt. $70 a month is really cheap but you are right that your commute is close to the cars range. Stopping on the way how to run errands becomes close to impossible? Everyone is going to dinner after work and you literally can't make it?

Is there something that gets a little higher?

[jmg]

Originally Posted by David70

I see it taking a long time to get one of this "give away" leases on the Bolt. $70 a month is really cheap but you are right that your commute is close to the cars range. Stopping on the way how to run errands becomes close to impossible? Everyone is going to dinner after work and you literally can't make it?

Is there something that gets a little higher?

Leaf SL gets 107, but the residual isn't as high. Fiat 500e is 55%, while the Leaf is only 52% from what I am calculating. It makes a big difference. My goal is under or close to $100, or I'd rather just drive my M3 everyday.

[AWE46M3]

check ontario fiat, I'm thinking about getting another car just for kicks. its 2500 total drive off and 65 a month plus tax. 10k, 36k months and you get the 2500 back as rebate.

on the side note, my friend got a used 2015 500e for about 10k under 10k miles from a friend that does broker.

[David70]

Originally Posted by jmg

Leaf SL gets 107, but the residual isn't as high. Fiat 500e is 55%, while the Leaf is only 52% from what I am calculating. It makes a big difference. My goal is under or close to $100, or I'd rather just drive my M3 everyday.

I think some of the numbers are missing? From above it looks like your total outlay ($1000 up front, $675 driveoffs, and then monthly payment of $69 a month) is $4090, it looks like they are eating a huge portion of the initial selling price and the Leaf may do the same?

[jmg]

Originally Posted by David70

I think some of the numbers are missing? From above it looks like your total outlay ($1000 up front, $675 driveoffs, and then monthly payment of $69 a month) is $4090, it looks like they are eating a huge portion of the initial selling price and the Leaf may do the same?

Yeah, the math doesn't add up, there must be an incentive I'm unaware of. I'm looking into the Leaf, but the advertised deals from local dealers don't come close.

[ORIGIN M.]

Do not get hit in that 500e or you will not be happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Df9HsixvBs

[The Wind Breezes]

What you WANT is a Tesla although it's expensive. And how the heck is a i3 too expensive if you can afford a new F80 M3?

[HyeWarrior]

Stay away from the 500 man. I test drove one a couple weeks ago and it honestly felt like I was driving a bicycle in a big plastic shell. Not to mention I watched the range drop 5% within a 10 min test drive on sub 45 mph streets.

I've decided to just daily my 135i and not bother with a DD, but if I had to, I would've probably gone for the Volt

[jmg]

Originally Posted by The Wind Breezes

What you WANT is a Tesla although it's expensive. And how the heck is a i3 too expensive if you can afford a new F80 M3?

The i3 is to expensive because it's $10k more than the Fiat and don't need a fancy DD. It's not that I can't afford it, it's that I don't want to pay that much.

[qspring]

The volt is pretty good too, and Chevy nearly gives them away. Well equipped too. Not as good tax incentives, but you can still get the HOV sticker.

It's not an EV, but get 50 miles on a charge then switches to gas. I can go 500-800 miles between fill up depending on where I drive.

[roastbeef]

i have been daily driving a 2015 smart electric car since 07/2015. the car now has just under 14,000 miles on it. the advertised range is 68 miles, i think. i would say that is pretty accurate, but if your daily commute is 65 miles of mostly freeway miles, you're going to run out of juice before then. these cars really shine with city driving. highway, they do just fine, but the car isn't able to regenerate any power from braking when you're cruising on the freeway- it is 100% draining.
my daily commute is 45 miles. 20 of that is to and from work (mostly highway), and 5 of that is to and from the gym. i make it work well without any issues. most of the time, i get back home with 10-25% of the battery left. this is heavily dependent on how long i was able to charge the car the day before. i work 12 hour shifts, and sometimes i'll start work early, or stay late. this translates to shorter charging times. this car takes about 12 hours to get a full charge 0-100% on a 110v circuit (it came with a charger- nothing to buy). most of the time, i'm able to drive the car how i want and run the a/c and do 83 mph (its governed at 83) and return home without charging it at work. however, if i do have to use the charge point station, its not a big deal, its just a three minute walk to the charger, and costs about $2.50 for a full charge. i have only had to do this about 3-4 times, but it was because i was working back to back 13-15 hour shifts.
electricity is cheaper at home than it is at charging stations.

i haven't calculated it, but my electricity bill is only about $30-40 more per month. in the summer, i get knocked into another tier because i run my house a/c. have you heard the term "tesla math?" it is regarding a calculated electricity cost for charging an electric car. its a bit deceptive unless you stay in the lower tier with your home electricity. if you have a family of four, you're probably not in the lower tier. this is relevant, because it is going to change what you estimate your monthly charging cost to be.

as for the deal i negotiated- i did $1k down and $86 a month. how did i do this? simple- i made it well known that i didn't need the car and didn't want the car (i actually did want the car). be patient, be likable, and be firm. walk out and let them call you (they will) show up to negotiate again and walk out again if they don't meet your needs. salesmen get reamed when a customer sits at the negotiation desk and walks out. i didn't have any special number in my head, but i knew they weren't going to let me walk out of there with $0 down and $86 a month, so i had to give them something. they wrote it up as a "one time payment lease" and the $86 is for their "battery assurance plus", which i was told was their rock bottom because it has to do with the leased battery. check state funding on the $2,500 california rebate. its only good for $xxx,xxx and then it is gone until it is approved again. the website has this info when you start the application. since i leased the car, i do not get the federal rebate. i'm fine with that, because i don't want to buy this car, i want to drive the piss out of it for 3 years, and return it with 29,999 miles (30k mile lease).

check with your insurance company for a quote. my insurance on this car is $110/month, and that is with a clean record and a multi-policy discount. that is because this pos has a msrp of $30k and isn't going to be much after an accident. all in all, i'm running this thing for a bout $220-230 a month. my gas bill was more than that when i was daily driving the m3, and i don't have the maintenance, oil, or tire costs of the m3 for that 14,000 miles. it was a no-brainer. basically, a free car to put miles on.

believe it or not, this car isn't gutless. its 1,900 lbs and rear engined, rear wheel drive. sounds exotic, right? traction control is very intrusive at the limit, and the car likes to understeer. the way it is staggered, it is impossible to oversteer it.

i'm very happy with the car. its about $130 a year for maintenance. not sure what they do besides check the brake fluid and brakes, but it is required to keep the lease in good standing. probably nonsense. there are no other costs, really.

when the state gave me the $2,500 check for going green, it went straight towards ap racing brakes for the gas guzzler. 'merica.

if you have any questions or want to go for a ride, let me know. looks like we're local.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by David70

I see it taking a long time to get one of this "give away" leases on the Bolt.

Quite possible. I admit I originally missed the $100 budget limitation in the OP. I've updated the topic to better reflect the question being asked.

[hockey21]

tesla p100D

[jmg]

Update: got an i3 on a lease swap and loving it!

[Alfisti]

Lease plus insurance plus hassle of another car, just drive the M3 already.