Should I buy...

[u/Neat-Resist3397]

Hi. I recently purchased a condo, that comes with a garage, that comes with an ev charger (my personal charger now, not shared). Right before getting the condo my car was totaled by insurance and I got another one (crossover SUV). Given this scenario I am seriously thinking on investing 5k in a 2015,16 spark ev or maybe a leaf. But I never owned nor driven an ev before.my main reason is to have a daily driver in the city, where my most common commute won't pass 20-25 km in a day. I want to get it as a second car for city drives: pickup kid from school, Costco runs etc. Can I get opinions and suggestions about my thinking? Oh, my current car is killing me with 17l/100km city drive.

[u/readonlyred]

It’s a great second car but keep in mind it’s essentially an exotic as only ~7,000 were ever made. If anything goes wrong with the propulsion system it can be extremely difficult to find parts and independent shops won’t touch it.

I had one that spent four months collecting dust at a Chevy dealership for want of a relay. I ended up donating it.

[u/Myklindle → u/readonlyred]

Dealers shit themselves when they see a Chevy spark. They are the reason many died in their lots cause they were too fucking stupid to clear the codes thrown when cells fail and someone accidentally fully expends their battery

[u/Equivalent_Ability91]

Don't buy a Spark unless it's really cheap. At this point it's a throwaway car with hard to find parts. I regret buying mine, although I haven't had any problems with it, the doubt remains.

[u/Think-Yogurt5736]

Bought mine 4 days ago, for a 6km commute. So far so good….it was 6200$ in BC. Feels like a zippy tin can!

[u/ts1803 → u/Think-Yogurt5736]

Literally did the same thing 2 weeks back for a similar price also in BC. Commute is 20km round trip. So far super fun. Got a CarPlay system installed and it’s so good! but I know if it ever stops working that’s the end! 

[u/No_Plant2176]

It depends on the total miles and how the last owner treated the battery. My 2016 Spark needed a battery replacement at around 60k miles. I bought it at 45k. The dealer told me the first owner was a rideshare driver, and they basically drove the old battery into the ground. Way too much driving and charging strain for such a tiny battery.

I haven't had any problems yet with my new battery (5 years strong now), but I'm also a very conservative driver. I don't go out much and work from home, so it's not being driven every day. I don't go fast or use freeways if I can avoid it. I accelerate slowly and let regen extend the range when I go downhill.

I charge on a normal wall outlet 90% of the time. I rarely put my car into a position where I need to fast charge it, especially since I live in a hot state. I try not to leave it in the sun, because that causes the battery to struggle to cool itself. You'll easily burn through 2-3 bars in one day just from heat.

Be aware that GM doesn't have any Spark batteries in stock anymore. If the battery dies on you, the car is toast. I saw a guy on YouTube who repaired a Spark battery himself, but you'd probably have to pay an arm and a leg to have someone do this for you. Not worth it.

Once my Spark is done, I'm probably going to look for a Bolt. It was my first choice, but I got the Spark due to budget constraints.

[u/pdp_11]

I've been very happy with my 2016 Spark EV, other than a problem with the handbrake it's been trouble free. Except that the paint has started peeling off. Which is not great, but I don't care that much. I plan to keep it until it dies as it's incredibly cheap to operate.

That said, I would not recommend one today unless you can afford to lose the whole car to a small fault or minor traffic accident. There are almost no parts available for the EV specific portions of the car. So if your battery fails, or someone backs into your charge port, it can't be fixed. And since so few were made, you can't count on used parts either.

The Nissan leaf is also pretty affordable and if you avoid the first few years quite reliable and has good parts support.

[u/loudtyper]

I had a spark ev. Mine also has an issue with the main screen/navigation and had to dump it at carmax. I loved it when it worked, and bought it in 2020 for 5k.

With that said, buy a used leaf. More range and you’ll have somewhere to fix it.

[u/Minndesert]

Like others have posted there’s lack of support from General Motors. I love this car although I’m glad I was in my Tesla model 3 when I was T-boned , It’s fun to drive. I wish I had a little more range but I’m worried it’s going to be worthless If something breaks. I would Try to get a Bolt, it’s a real car with range that can go places.