Toyota Owners Jump Ship to Tesla

Was the GTV an '80s or so car? My little 2300 Lb GTV, had a trunk, and was a tight-fitting 2+2, perfect for my young family and a fantastic commuter car. I sold Peugeots among dozens of other brands we carried; very solid cars with poor U.S. dealer support. Another auto we sold, the Citroen was favored by my dad and I; an absolutely comfortable, engineering marvel, again with lousy U.S. support.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

Father had a Citroen. GTV I believe was from the 70's. Love the lines of the hatch. Had 84 Peugeot 505 STI great car! And 86 Peugeot 505 Turbo terrible car! Had great mechanics for my cars, they just sold their shop last year. Dubarr Automotive, Peugeot shop. Sorry to lose them as trust worthy mechanics.

 

I have had 30 plus cars over my life so far, I have to say you can't do any better then a Toyota/Lexus. Not sure why anyone would buy any other brand.

 

Could it have been like the 4-cylinder Alfetta GT; I got to drive the first one for my dealership into California from Vegas, in 1975! Then later there was a GTV 6 Fastback, that might be the car you're talking about. They sold regular 4-cylinder Alfa GTVs as late as 1974 models in 1976. These had the same body style as my car, but we're far less reliable due to many union sabotaging events. In 1987 I bought an ordered 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano Verde. It was a fantastically engineered V6 overhead cam car, with rear transmission, inboard disc brakes in back, 50/50 weight distribution, tremendous power but all the German (Bosch, ZF, etc.) components were very unreliable. Sold it to a lawyer who loved it!! The car sounded exactly like Steve McQueen's Bullitt Mustang!!! To my knowledge only 700 were brought into the U.S., assembled on a special U.S.-only assembly line!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

UBS put out a report in which they predict the total ownership cost of a BEV will match that of a traditional car this year.
UBS: Chevy Bolt Powertrain $4,600 Cheaper Than Thought, Tesla Model 3 Likely To Be Profitable | CleanTechnica

 

Yeah, if they are comparing to average BEV to average ICE cars. Afterall, there are A LOT of those very expensive to operate traditional cars out there. I am sure they are not comparing to Prius or any other less than $25K fuel efficient conventional ICE cars. When there is a single BEV that beats the total ownership cost of current Prius lineups, I may consider it. I am sure the time is coming, but not yet. And when that time comes, BEV is going to be more like commodity, mass produced and mass traded. Then manufacture and brand will be much less important.

 

Hybrids are still just a niche market in the US. Prius sales have been declining for the past several years. It is only the arrival of new hybrid models that keep the segment numbers up.

So for you, a BEV is out because it can't beat a Prius in cost, but for the majority of car buyers it is that average ICE car the BEV will be compared to. Plus, plug ins have other draws for people.

 

I'm not sure if the majority of car buyers compare entire ICE car ranges to average BEV when making a purchasing decision for a car. I always compared cars with comparably equipped cars from the same class. It would be meaningless for me to include the total cost of operation for a Rolls-Royce when I am looking to buy a car in Prius class.

 

Actually, from talking to people who are buying cars this spring...it seems the 'average' car buyer purchased the car that was the 'coolest'. . Obviously just my experience but I think this is probably true. For instance, for some reason Jeeps are big around here lately and I'm assuming people didn't research repair history, etc...before the purchase. If they did I would see a lot fewer Jeeps!

 

Wither Jeep looks "cool" or not is probably debatable. But even with very through research, you can still end-up with a lemon. And opposite can be true too. A case in point. My first hybrid was infamous Honda Civic Hybrid. It was the model that reportedly had 30% battery failure rate. I didn't do much research on the car other than price. At that time it was ~$3K cheaper than comparable used Prius model for probably aforementioned reason. This car turned out to be one of the least costly car in terms of total operational cost. Currently driven by my son, it has been driven 7 years and ~80K miles since the purchase. It had hybrid battery failure as predicted but not until 145 K miles and it was fixed free by Honda. The cost of operation of the car is now low ~$300/mo and still declining. This cost include everything, original cost of car, depreciation cost, tax, fee, insurance, repair and maintenance, and fuel. I am hoping to beat this number with Prius, but I don't think it will get that low for a new car purchase.

 

The report was specifically comparing the Bolt to the Golf TSi. Two small, non-luxury hatchbacks.
https://neo.ubs.com/shared/d1wkuDlEbYPjF/
Their prediction of cost parity this year was for Europe, but the report is from 2017 when gas prices were lower in the US.

 

OK, If Bolt was built by Toyota, not by GM, I would have considered it. And if the choice was just between Bolt and Golf, I probably bought Bolt. But given a choice of Prius Prime in this comparison, and maybe through in Leaf as well head to head over years of total ownership cost comparison, I still think Prime would come ahead. Especially in region like I live where electric rate is quite high.

 

There is no shame in not being able to afford a $35K car. The model 3 is the most expensive car I ever purchased. If Toyota was able to provide a $25K BEV for the average car buyer, I would have given it serious consideration.

The price of a base model 3 in California with credits and rebates is $26,550. It cost me $250 for a licensed electrician to put a NEMA 14-50 fast charger in my garage. Regarding design/look, have you taken a close look at the latest generation Prius?

Well, some of the reasons are:
- the cost of gasoline and being held hostage by the oil industry
- the ongoing cost of oil changes, brakes, timing belts, etc. and dealing with the stealerships
- cleaning up the environment

Exactly! Toyota should have built a Bolt-like BEV with 240 mile range, a Supercharging system across the US, and sold it for $25,000 and I would have purchased one too!

 

Ah, you went fancy
I didn't shop around at all. I do know a good electrician.
Electrician installed a NEMA 14-50 outlet in our garage for $245. I use the Universal Mobile Charger that came with the car.

 

True true...Pickups are pretty much luxury vehicles now.

 

Yeah, I am in search of good reliable USED pickup with a long-bed, regular cab (2 seater with 8 feet long bed) under $10K. They don't exist. Heck, Toyota does not sell Tacoma line with long bed or with regular cab anymore, and they are far more expensive than PRIME. BTW, my Prime's OTD price was under 25K, and after tax credit it was below 20K, that's why I did not get a loaded Camry! LOL

 

I just wish I could get a good SMALL (and cheap) pickup like the Ford Ranger, etc... It is an absolute shame that nobody makes them anymore. Seems like a nice niche for some manufacturer to pick up on.