All my electric friends, your thoughts please.

My first post from my new home in Dallas, GA. What an adventure getting here from PA, but that's another story for another time. Right now, I need a car. My entire fleet was either totaled or sold in PA, except for my '06 Sedona. So I've got nothing to drive to work right now, which starts on Monday.

My commute is going to be 47-50 miles one way. Let's not get into the wisdom of having such a commute, it is what it is, and I'm OK with it. Getting another Leaf doesn't make sense, as it's too far unless I can be guaranteed to be able to plug in at work. I don't want to take that chance.

So I've got a bunch of options. I could spend $9k and get a used Prius. It'd be a higher mile car, but I know they're dead nuts reliable. I'd guess I'd get mid 40's mpg, which is awesome. I could also get a cheap beater for sub-$3k and run it until it hits the ground. I've seen old Acura CLs, etc...for that price range. A local dealer has a 2000 Integra with 76k miles that they'll sell for $3500.

As I was poking around Autotrader, I saw how cheap used Volts are selling for. I can get a 2012 with under 40k miles for $18k. One dealer has one with only 20k miles asking $19k, I'm sure I can get it for $18k. Hmmmm....would that make sense for me? Just doing very rough math, let's say I buy it for $18k. After taxes, etc... I'm around $19,500. If I put down $5k and finance the rest, I'm looking at a car payment near $300/month. Question is...how much fuel am I going to use? If I can charge at work, I'm guessing I'll use very little, if any. But if I can't, how much will I use? The numbers may start to get close. A used Volt payment + very little fuel may not cost much more than the payments for a used Prius + fuel it would use. The numbers get even closer if I got a non-hybrid gas car.

A new Volt wouldn't make much sense because they're so expensive. But a low mileage used one is only about 1/2 the cost of new. That may make a ton of sense. Thoughts???

Used Prius. Or cheap 4cyl beater like a Saturn. Loans with interest suck!

My first impression is the $3500 Integra would be the least expensive option. Remember, you will be stacking on 100 miles a day...500 a week, 2000 a month, 24,000 per year, so resale value on a real car is going to drop like a stone. Something with all the depreciation worn off already will beat the heck out of any increase in fuel economy.

Early 2000's TDi. Get one that has already bottomed out due to mileage. Streewiseguy is right.

If you can plug in the Volt, then that's the one. It will be close to getting you one way on the electric alone, then free electricity on the way back would be killer. I think it is a nicer car to spend 10 hours a week that a old civic or high mileage Prius. If you can't plug in then a Prius or CT200h would work. You can get a 2011 CT200h for about $20k. They are way nicer than a Prius.

Tejas? A 2 season state... 2 wheels will get you 55-70mpg and provide mucho rapido for when you want grins to go with the commute. It will set you back a lot less to buy too.

+1 for Prius. See if you can get the plug-in hybrid model.

In fact I'd recommend the Volt over the non-plug-in Prius.

Depending on how long you will keep said car, a Volt, a Prius, or a Camry/Accord/Altima hybrid should be your top choices. Then look at a motorcycle. They will be better and more fun than a $3000 beater.

Honda Civic, 2006 or newer. My dad had an 80 mile commute each way when he bought his, then sold it to me with 184k on it. Only basic maintenance done and was still running like a top when I sold it for $3500 a few months ago. It was very comfortable and fun to drive, even with an auto. I got high 20s MPG in mixed driving (10 gal tank and could do 300 highway miles at 70 mph between fill ups). The auto theoretically gets 1 MPG better than the stick. I believe I saw my car being resold on CL for $6900 which is a crack price, its a $5k car in perfect condition, which mine was not. With your proximity to Hotlanta, cars should just be falling from the sky, right?

No motorcycles, I'm not a fan. No VW, don't trust them. Cars like a $3500 Civic are in that same pile of "beater" cars I've seen on CL. So it's the option of either a beater, a mid-price Prius or a Volt. Yes, I don't like paying interest on loans, but I don't have $20k cash so a loan is the choice.

Depreciation will be a factor, given how much I'm going to drive. That's one of the reasons I'm considering a used Volt. They're already 50% less than they sold new.

It sounds like you may want a nicer car?

At 3k, you can find some nicer rides, which are in good shape, but you have to be fast, weed through a lot, or know someone. Sounds like you will buy now.

I would look at a flight North and pick up the Saab 9000 for sale here at near a grand I think it was ready to drive. With ours I would beat on it to no end and still get right at 30mpg in PA, in the hills, and all that.

But maybe thats just me :)

Hmm. As an owner of an 07 Prius i have mixed feelings about recommending it to a car person as a pure commuter. It's massively less interesting than a Leaf (which i have driven but not lived with). I love my prius but that is partially because i rarely drive it alone, and when im with my partner i dont drive all that crazy/fun which reduces its need to be dynamically interesting. It IS very intellectually interesting, though. It is fantastic for what we use it for, which is DD for a non-car-person, and 'normal car' for us to go out in together because normal people dont often enjoy my eternal project cars.

In your case, the Volt would probably be more rewarding overall. It's a heck of a lot more interesting and from what i understand has similar low-speed torque to a leaf (if not more?) which makes stop and go a lot more fun. Assuming you charge every night, 30+ of your 100 mile commute would be gas free, which leaves you buying 2.x gal/day for the rest of the commute. Saving a gallon of gas a day isnt going to cover the payment but it does diminish it by ~$70/mo.

I get the feeling this doesnt really come down to a pure numbers game for you. Which SORT of thing would you rather drive, a more modern&advanced type thing or an older semi-beater? I have opted to have both for the last 7 years or so. If you are in a hurry i would buy the more reliable option first (reduced potential for downtime) and pick up a cheap car you can beat the snot out of at a later date.

how about a 1st gen insight? Those get good mileage and have Honda reliability. I would rather have one of those than a prius

Just doing the math, the Prius will save you about $1000 in gas per year. IMO, you will have trouble recouping the extra up front costs of the Prius. I suspect like another commented that this isn't all about the $. For me, I'll take one of the many 30 to 35 mpg options out there that offer a little more fun on that 100 mile daily commute.

I have a Volt. If you're driving interstate speeds, you have 30-35 miles on electricity. If you're driving carefully and slowly, you could get 50 miles. Take a guess at that, then figure 40mpg for the rest of the drive, and you'll be right about there. Don't bother with a 240v EVSE unless you're sure you need it.

Im averaging 35-38 in mixed use with the Cruze 1.4 turbo six speed. I have a 100 mile commute that is 75 percent highway then mixed during the day for work. I can pull a good bit over 40mpg all highway doing 65 with out using the AC. It is surprising the difference the AC makes.

Bought new last month for $16,200 and am just about to roll over 7000 miles. I plan to run it til its dead. Its a nice place to spend time in. Almost as nice as the 2014 fusion it replaced.

If it were my choice I'd get a beater. Likely a nicer car that the a/c is out in because I'm not a huge vagina and don't need it for myself. The wifes car will always have working a/c. I work outside most of the time.

But if I were you I would get the volt. I really like the idea and my commute would be all electric with charging it at work.

Clay fish, You can get a brand new Volt for under $22,000 after tax incentives. Check out autotrader.com under "new" cars.

I'd grab that 2000 Integra. With all the commuting you are going to be doing, might as well drive something fun.

Google up GA electric car incentives. Stacked on top of a federal incentives..

Not sure if / how they work relative to used cars, but I know the case has been made for a new Leaf only netting a cost of around $25/mo if you factor out gas savings compared to a typical low 20s mpg car.

New Volt may be available with similar incentives..

No matter what, that's a lot of miles. Will you be able to telecommute sometimes?

how about a 1st gen insight? Those get good mileage and have Honda reliability. I would rather have one of those than a prius

I've owned both for a while now. I hesitated enough to recommend it that i didnt even bring it up.

If you care about acceleration at all, the Insight is only going to be interesting if you modify it. And, knowing what i now know, i feel the best way to get an Insight is to buy a cheap one that is cheap because it has a dead battery pack, and put a new battery pack in it. I think that's a way better method of getting a good insight then paying full price for one with the dubious advantage of having a 'not currently dead yet' battery. You can get an Insight with a new battery pack for under $4k if you try hard enough. I bought a decent one with a dead pack for $1700 a few months ago.

As far as speed, stock for stock the Insight is exactly as fast as a 2g prius (yes, i have raced them) but it feels slower at low speeds because of the huge 'dead zones' with the super wide 1-2-3 gearing (assuming you would prefer the manual vs cvt?) and feels faster at high speeds. It ends up being a wash but the Prius has less frustrating moments.

It IS a tiny honda hatch so it has tossability and 'eagerness' to change direction built into it to some extent, but make no mistake.. the stock tire size gives NO traction and bolting more traction to it will reveal the stock suspension to be horrendously floppy. There are less bolt-in suspension upgrades for the Insight than for a prius.

Also, regarding Prius cost, 9k is a high number. I bought my 07 for $4500. 2gs are starting to become available in the 4-5k range on a regular basis now.

I have sat in the volt, and the interior is a nice place to be. If you are spending 2 hours per day in a car, it might as well be a positive experience.

2 months ago I bought a new Prius for $19.5k with 2% interest. The deals are out there, and there's value in a reliable new car with a warranty.

So here's where I'm at...and I'm running out of time. I still have my rental car, a Chevy Cruze, but need to return it soon. This is the second time I've rented a Cruze. I don't know why, but the car doesn't strike my fancy.

As much as I love cars, right now it actually is all about the $$$. We have some very clear goals, which was part of our move to GA, and I intend to stick with them. So it's 100% about getting to work reliably, efficiently and cheaply. Don't care about the "fun" factor. I have money aside to get myself another Miata or whatever so that will fill my fun driving needs. This is a pure commuter.

Yesterday, we test drove the used Volt. Then we also shopped the bottom of the barrel for new cars. The Nissan Versa Note, the Chevy Spark and the Mitsubishi Mirage. The Volt is nice, I liked it. From a financial standpoint, if I'm doing all highway, the money still won't make sense. Neither the Nissan, the Chevy nor the Mitsubishi are "nice" cars, they're cheap econoboxes. What they do offer is cheap transportation so they're in the mix. Hell, I can pick up a "loaded" Mirage for $11,500, or a base model for just over $10k. The draw to them is 100k mile warranty of a brand new car, plus EPA rated 44mpg...I always manage to beat EPA ratings. The Nissan and Chevy are similar, just a bit more expensive and slightly less fuel mileage. I didn't really want to go over $10k, but with interest rates so low I may just do that. I can easily put down $5k on the car, so my monthly payments will be under $150.

In reply to Klayfish:

will Mitsu be around in 5 years is the main question for the mirage.