zephod
Member
Hello!
Just wanted to introduce myself and to express my gratitude for all the active members here.
About 9 months ago, I picked up a used 2012 black ES with the quick-charge port. This thing is brilliant! 50 cu. ft. of storage in a car about the size of a Fiat 500. Room for 4 adults. Efficient. A kick to drive. I even like the way it looks.
I've wanted an electric car since the mid 90s. I even bought a Porsche 914 to convert to electric, but I never followed through, mostly due to the cost - around $20K. I also fell in love with the Porsche with the 2 liter gas engine so it was hard to bring myself to gut the car. I seriously looked at the GM EV-1 when it came out but wasn't crazy about the idea of leasing, especially when I had to install a charger that was a permanent item. After that, EVs took a back seat in my life until I read a recent article about how inexpensive used EVs are. I started looking at used Fiat 500e and Smart Fortwo EVs. Both cars are fun to drive and there are tons of them available in my area for a decent price.
Then I ran across some reviews of the i-Miev, most of which were negative pointing out things like skinny front tires, the plastic interior, and the short range. I tried to look beyond the superficial criticisms and, along with the info from this site. I realized that this was the EV for me. I wanted something with room to carry stuff. Range wasn't a huge deal for me as I live in an area where I don't have to drive far to get to the places I need to go. The quick charge port was also a plus as there is a decent network of charging stations where I live in the San Francisco bay area. Ah, but finding an i-Miev with a fast charge port was the tricky part. There weren't many available and the ones that were seemed to be in the midwest or in Washington state.
Eventually I found what I was looking for at a Mitsubishi dealer in Salinas, CA. The price was right and the dealer was willing to transport the car to a Mitsubishi shop in Hayward which was 25 miles from my home. The car needed some recall work done so they took care of it in Hayward. I took a BART train to the shop and drove my new-to-me i-Miev home.
Along with the car, I bought a charging station, but haven't installed it yet. The 110v charger works fine for my needs.
Just wanted to introduce myself and to express my gratitude for all the active members here.
About 9 months ago, I picked up a used 2012 black ES with the quick-charge port. This thing is brilliant! 50 cu. ft. of storage in a car about the size of a Fiat 500. Room for 4 adults. Efficient. A kick to drive. I even like the way it looks.
I've wanted an electric car since the mid 90s. I even bought a Porsche 914 to convert to electric, but I never followed through, mostly due to the cost - around $20K. I also fell in love with the Porsche with the 2 liter gas engine so it was hard to bring myself to gut the car. I seriously looked at the GM EV-1 when it came out but wasn't crazy about the idea of leasing, especially when I had to install a charger that was a permanent item. After that, EVs took a back seat in my life until I read a recent article about how inexpensive used EVs are. I started looking at used Fiat 500e and Smart Fortwo EVs. Both cars are fun to drive and there are tons of them available in my area for a decent price.
Then I ran across some reviews of the i-Miev, most of which were negative pointing out things like skinny front tires, the plastic interior, and the short range. I tried to look beyond the superficial criticisms and, along with the info from this site. I realized that this was the EV for me. I wanted something with room to carry stuff. Range wasn't a huge deal for me as I live in an area where I don't have to drive far to get to the places I need to go. The quick charge port was also a plus as there is a decent network of charging stations where I live in the San Francisco bay area. Ah, but finding an i-Miev with a fast charge port was the tricky part. There weren't many available and the ones that were seemed to be in the midwest or in Washington state.
Eventually I found what I was looking for at a Mitsubishi dealer in Salinas, CA. The price was right and the dealer was willing to transport the car to a Mitsubishi shop in Hayward which was 25 miles from my home. The car needed some recall work done so they took care of it in Hayward. I took a BART train to the shop and drove my new-to-me i-Miev home.
Along with the car, I bought a charging station, but haven't installed it yet. The 110v charger works fine for my needs.
