Crazy Volt incentives makes me want to trade

I hear ya. My parents used to own 3 GM products. None were very good in reliability and they don't buy GM anymore. They were against buying Japanese cars for various reasons (wanting to support the US economy, fear of being mistaken for Japanese (we're Asian, but not Japanese) and being attacked by haters, what the Japanese did to China long ago, etc.) but they're over that. I never really cared about that.

The much better reliability we've experienced w/our Toyotas has convinced them to generally steer clear of the Big 3.

Interesting re: your Catera, which was built in Germany... Oh well. You should listen to the podcast that pointed to by Great story on NUMMI on NPR's This American Life | PriusChat. My summary and reaction was later in that thread. No wonder GM cars from that era were so crappy in reliability.

That said, the Volt so far has had a reasonably good reliability record.

Side note: On 1 particular GM related board, I find it comical that a few folks (well, maybe more than a few) will defend GM, their vehicle's reliability, bash Consumer Reports reliability ratings (likely because they don't like what they saw: for the 1st model year, it was the most unreliable vehicle in its class w/WAY below avg reliability), bash Toyota and Honda, etc. They'll go on making totally unsubstantiated statements like the car/engine will go 1 million miles, Motor Trend claiming the car is the most reliable (really? they do reliability surveys?), etc.

But, if you look at the types and amounts of problems you see there, including some experienced by the moderators, the CR data tends to agree in both the severity and in the problem system areas. Point that out to them and you get labeled as a troll and get bashed, they bash CR, etc. A few guys there agree w/me and CR's reliability study methodology and data, but that often gets lost in the noise.

 

I'm not sure what you are saying. GM overall or the Volt?
In Oct 2011, one year after launch, CR rated the volt "recommended"
which means it must have above average predicted reliability in their first year.
Consumer Reports recommends Chevrolet Volt - Oct. 4, 2011

And at the end of October CR reported that the Volt had the highest realibility of any GM product.

 

The Consumer Reports article you linked to says "To earn the sought-after "Recommended" check mark, a car must perform well in a host of tests and must be deemed to have at least average "predicted reliability." (emphasis added). It seems that an average predicted reliability allows a recommended status. It doesn't have to be above average.

 

Yes, it is.

 

I have only had two American built cars in the past 36 years. Three if you count my 2004 Mazda 6 (assembled in Detroit by Ford). Always preferred Japanese and German made cars. Obviously Toyota and most others have had their share of quality issues. The Prius is my third Toyota and I'm happy with their products and quality.

 

Seriously, you're thinking that buying a Chevy will give you a rattle-free car experience? A Chevy?

 

Rattles are annoying. My Catera rattled, but the service dept was able to put in some strategically located foam to stop the noise. My Prius gets some rattles which are coming from the right hand dashboard side. I can't exactly locate the source.
They really need to fix that.

Yes, the Catera was built in Germany by Opel. The plant near Bochum Germany is getting shut down from what I heard last year.

Still, GM is going to have to prove they have equal or better reliability than Toyota before I'd ever consider buying anything from them again. By prove I mean 10 yrs of glowing CR reports. AND I would use a buying service as I haven't found a GM dealer that doesn't make me ill with the BS they spew.

 

I've owned many Chevys, Caddys and other GM products and had very few that had any sort of rattles. The only reason I've bought from other manufacturers is that nowadays, I like to buy cars that fit as close as possible my needs. If I ever hit the lottery, I'll be first in line for the Cadillac ELR.

 

The electric fever can make people do irrational things.

I guess I am immune to it since I am able to focus on my needs and appreciate the EV miles PiP provides without giving up cargo space or a rear seat. I am happy with it and not looking for another car with more EV range. I guess the fact that I have a very short commute helped. PiP is perfect for me.

For someone like Justin with about 100 miles commute, EVs won't work unless you can afford Model S with supercharger installed at home. Any of the plugin hybrids available now will use both fuels. The trick is to find the right car for your need and the fuel ratio you'll be happy with.

I am guessing Justin is a bit unhappy with the current 8% EV ratio. When he can charge at work, that ratio should go up to 16%. A natural thought is to trade in for another plugin with bigger battery (and higher EV ratio), especially with the crazy incentives.

Do not forget that there is a bigger incentive NOT to trade in and keep the current ride. PiP drives much better than Gen2 Prius and it is more fuel efficient with gasoline. It is also immune to short trip MPG killers due to the plugin battery EV range.

 

A no cost incentive for a higher EV ratio is to simply slow down. 8% EV ratio means he's only getting 8 miles or less on EV. I can manage 11+ EV miles on one charge. Our commute is 90% highway. The only difference I can see from his posts is that he uses EV Boost. I never go past 62 in EV mode. I've driven in New York, Boston, Seattle, and LA and most of the time, no one bothers you when you drive 60 in the right lane. I get the occasional high beams, honks and fingers but nothing major. Maybe where speed limits are 70+ you have problems?

 

That's a good point. He is getting 55 MPG on gas so it is getting boosted from the 50 MPG with his 2012 regular Prius. 3 to 4 EV miles are used to boost 5 MPG in gas so that's not a bad trade. It is just that the bookkeeping (inaccurate) of the EV mile and the EV ratio seems low but the benefits are real and not easily realized.

The gas engine won't kick in until 65 or 66 mph on the speedometer. Once ICE is warmed up and if you are still in EV mode, it won't shut down until you get to 62 mph. I just found that out recently as I don't drive much in EV-BOOST mode.

 

I'd buy a Tesla Model S if I hit the lottery. They probably have quality issues as I'm pretty sure their assembly line isn't world class defect free, but I would give them a try.

 

I like Cadillacs and have owned several, including an Allante.

 

Our very own moderator "Efusco" has one and loves it.
Taking delivery of my Model S today! (12/2/12) | PriusChat
Taking delivery of my Model S today! (12/2/12)

Alan.. Sent with Tapatalk 2

 

I'd get a AWD XLE Sienna if I won the lottery

Mike

 

Woo Hoo, Justin didn't jump ship

Mike

 

No, they were all awful, and your Prius is the best car you ever drove.