New Owner in San Francisco,CA for NEW 14 $9,221 out the door

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kitkit

Active member
Joined
Apr 23, 2015
Messages
29
Location
San Francisco, CA
I just received my new 2014 White I-Miev from White Bear Mitsubishi of Minnesota last week. Yes, after all the CA and Federal incentives, I only paid $9,221 for this brand new I-Miev:

$15,995 (purchase price) + $95 (dealer document fee) + $1,200 (shipping) + $1,931 (CA reg & tax) = $19,221
$19221 - $2,500 (CA cash rebate) - $7,500 (Federal tax credit) = $9,221 out of the door

When I registered the vehicle at CA DMV, the staff said the "value" of my I-Miev is the Base price of $19,495 shown on the contract. Despite I argued with her that I only paid $15,995 for the vehicle (due to $3,500 dealer cash), she insisted that the value of the vehicle is $19,495. So I ended up paying $300 more on sales tax. Otherwise, I could have the car for $8,900!

I have been wanting to purchase a EV for the past 3 years. My daily commute + errand only require 10 miles of driving within San Francisco. Our house does not have a garage, so one of the requirements for my EV must be skinner and small enough to park down at my neighbor's alley (pic below). I have narrowed down 3 EVs: (1) Smart EV (2) Fiat 500e and (3) I-Miev. Smart EV is a 2 seater, so it would not work for my family of four. Fiat 500e is nice, but Fiat has reliability issue and I don't want to pay $26,000 (OFTD after incentives) for a EV. After all, I believe EV technology will advance further for the next few years. So I-Miev is a realistic choice as it will fulfill all my needs at an affordable price.

My search for a used 2012 I-Miev began 2 months ago. I looked through Ebay and all used car sites aiming to buy a low mileage SE model with quick charge. I was going to pull the trigger on the White/Blue SE (560 miles) from Lambert but it was purchased by another member from Chicago. A few other negotiations with dealers did not work out as they would not lower their price. Finally, I came across the ad from White Bear Mitsubishi (on autotrader I think) selling 2014 model for $16,500. So I contacted White Bear and they happened to have one last one left. They were willing to sell the White one for $15,995 so I made the purchase immediately.

I have had the I-Miev for over a week now. My wife and kids like it. My friend from Vancouver, Canada who is a car enthusiast just visited us over the weekend and after he tested drove the I-Miev, he said he is seriously considering getting one in Vancouver. For me, I love every seconds driving the I-Miev. I don't understand why it's getting so many bad reviews from "experts" from the internet or Consumer Reports. People need to understand its limitation. For me, the I-Miev perfectly fits my needs! It's a perfect city car. I am not afraid to say I am a proud owner of this little vehicle. Guess what, my wife already gave it a nickname "White bread" when she first saw the car :)

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kitkit, congratulations on your new purchase and welcome to the forum! What a bargain, even with the California sales tax!!

As we've said many times, ignore the 'professional' reviews and be your own judge - which you obviously did and are now reaping the benefits of your wise decision.

That alleyway looks like something out of the movies. Where do you regularly charge?

I avoid driving in San Francisco like the plague and instead take the train into the City. As a resident there, you must know how to avoid that hellacious traffic.

All the best to you and enjoy your new car.
 
HAAAHHHGH I wondered who got my i from White Bear !
Just joking. I pulled the trigger about an hour too late and looks like you were that one that got the last one.
Great price and they people there are Just fabulous !

Enjoy it !
I can't wait to get mine, but I will be getting Used for now.

That alley looks even too think for the i :shock:
 
kitkit said:
I just received my new 2014 White I-Miev from White Bear Mitsubishi of Minnesota last week. Yes, after all the CA and Federal incentives, I only paid $9,221 for this brand new I-Miev ...

Our house does not have a garage, so one of the requirements for my EV must be skinner and small enough to park down at my neighbor's alley (pic below).
I love that picture! And congratulations on an awesome deal. The iMiev is so skinny it can go places other cars only dream of. But, it doesn't feel cramped inside to do it.
 
JoeS said:
kitkit, congratulations on your new purchase and welcome to the forum! What a bargain, even with the California sales tax!!

As we've said many times, ignore the 'professional' reviews and be your own judge - which you obviously did and are now reaping the benefits of your wise decision.

That alleyway looks like something out of the movies. Where do you regularly charge?

Thank you everyone! My boss and co-workers could not believe how much I paid for a brand new car. I am looking forward to driving this little gem every morning! I love the fact that it charges the battery going downhill/breaking.

The I-Miev is pretty popular in Japan, so I just ignored reviews in the US. I am planning to run this guy to the ground!

Houses in my area were built more than 100 years ago, so those alleyways were meant for horses and harness back in the days.

Joe, I was so determined to purchase a EV that I hired a contractor to install 2 outdoor outlets (one in the front and one at the back) with 50 AMP circuit breaker dedicated for Level 2 chargers outside of our house. Below are the pics of my "alleyway" and the dedicated outlet. I purchased a portable outdoor Seimens charger and it works like a charm so far:

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I already have a plan on modifying my alleyway in the near future (will reveal details once it's done)
 
kitkit, thank you for the additional photos. Those 50A outlets will keep serve you well both now and in the future. One of the advantages of the i-MiEV's J1772 port location is that, with judicious placement of the EVSE, only about 3' of cord needs to be used, and that cord can be kept clean and off the ground. Your setup looks to be transportable, and perhaps I might suggest both locating the EVSE a bit higher as well as a plastic hose hanger to keep the cord loop off the ground?
 
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