New Cars Too Pricey for Many

[Merlin]

The most reliable car makers make diesel not junk gas engines.

What does that have to say about electric vehicles?

We currently drive a Lexus hybrid as our main family vehicle, and while I normally focus on the high-end performance car market for my personal vehicle, I just sold my last car and instead of a sports car I'm leaning towards of getting an electric or PHEV vehicle this time around. I was originally thinking Tesla, but I'm not sure I'm ready for 100% electric yet. I'm currently considering a PHEV like the Chevy Volt. Not planning to make a decision for a few months yet though.

Price wise, none of these options are exactly inexpensive though. Even with the federal rebate for the electrics and PHEV's, it's hard to find a decent car for under $30K.

Also, like dfrecore, leather is a requirement for us as well, for many of the same reasons.

I really do not know anything about battery cars.  We will see if they will last 20-years?  How long will the batteries last?  Costs to replace?

Given we're expected to run out of gasoline within the next 50 years or so, it seems likely that we're going to end up with a lot more electric cars on the road over the next decade or two. Most batteries are warrantied for 8+ years, and during that time the battery prices continue to drop. The battery in my 4-year-old Lexus hybrid originally cost $4,000 when it was new, but runs about 20% of that to replace now. I still have 4 more years on the warranty though and by that time if I need to replace it, it'll probably be 10%. Labor is where they always get you though. That will probably be more expensive than the battery.

---

I like the Prius but I'm not really interested in another hybrid. The Prime, their PHEV, isn't quite ready for prime time yet. Yes, it gets great gas mileage but has a terrible electric-only range since it is really just a hybrid with a bigger battery, unlike the Volt which is built as an all-electric vehicle with a gas-powered generator for extra range if needed (like the BMW i3 REx).

As for Tesla, I agree. They're nice and quick, but can be problematic, and its hard to get them serviced since they're a niche manufacturer. Though given I'm in the SF/Silicon Valley area, I'm local to their service center so that isn't as big of a deal. They're also quite expensive, so between the cost and the potential reliability issues, that is another reason I'm leaning towards the Volt, since even the high-end model can be had for just over $30K after rebates and discounts. Plus, the Volt has double the range of the Tesla if you include the generator (which gets ~45 mpg in hybrid mode). Plus with the gas generator, you can still drive it if you don't have time to plug it into a fast charger and go grab a meal (or a movie).

There's also the Nissan Leaf. I don't know much about it.

That's okay, I've done quite a bit of research into the electric and PHEV market.

The leaf is all electric like the Tesla, but with about 150-mile range. If I were interested in all-electric and didn't end go with Tesla, I'd probably end up with a Chevy Bolt before a Nissan Leaf. It's got about 100 miles more range, plus its quicker and has better tech.