Last update: Got a car UPDATE: Continuing my car search
Last edited Mon Aug 19, 2024, 07:01 PM - Edit history (2)
I am off Kia for now. I had a disappointing experience with the Kia dealer I went to, and then after many comments on my initial post here in June, researched Kia and decided it isn't the car for me. I thought I'd look at Nissan Sentras, but haven't so far.
In the meantime, my son-in-law suggested I lease a tesla (I don't want a tesla) He has been looking at them himself and gave me a lot of information about charging, getting a charger installed at my house and other information.
I posted on fb that I was looking for a car and one of my friends called. He worked at a local dealership for many years, and is definitely a car guy. He and his wife bought a Bolt a couple years ago, and they love it. He said there is a manufacturer's incentive that takes 7500.00 off the price of the car, and that GM would also give you money to install a charger, but you have to buy. After I talked to him, I started researching Bolts. I found a tax break of 7500.00, but not an incentive that is taken off the price of the car. When I looked for 2024 Bolts, Google returned links that say that GM is going to quit making them or has. He got back to me later yesterday and gave me the name of a couple of dealers in Columbus. When I told him GM weren't making Bolts, he checked and said they are. I might have fooled myself when I was looking at the dates and I'll try again.
I feel like the universe is directing me to EVs for a new car. I looked for EV chargers in Ohio and there are a lot of them, including 3 in Marietta, and more important, there are several near my friend's home that I could use when I visited her. If I get an EV, I can have a charger installed at the house. One drawback is that I stress about the batteries on my devices, and make sure they are charged all the time, so I wonder if I'd transfer that stress to an EV vehicle. (I probably would and I'm not sure I want volunteer anxiety!)
I would buy a used car, but around here, the used cars are close in price to new cars and have the same or higher miles than my Prius. And it seems like the local dealers advertise low priced new models, but you check their inventory and they don't have those. This is the first time I'll buy a car on my own and I'm not making much headway.
Does anyone have any opinions on EVs in general or personal experience?
My daughter and her husband have been helping me, and saw a couple of lease deals online, so we went out to some local dealers Sat. Went to the Mazda dealership first. They were open, but shorthanded or something, because we stood around for 20 minutes and no one greeted us or acknowledged us, so we went to the Nissan dealer. A salesman came right out. There was a lease deal for a Sentra online, but not at the dealership. There was a new Sentra, with some buyer incentives, but we saw a 2021 Rogue with 36K miles and a little of the warranty on it. I hope I can get it, we'll see. I appreciate all of the posts, full of advice and personal experience. I wanted to buy local to avoid long drives for service. It doesn't seem like what's online is available locally. Seems like I have to trade convenience for choice. Getting a car was the big thing on my list this year, and by now, I just want to get it over.
August 19, 2024: I got the 2021 Nissan Rogue. I got it about 10 days ago, and I like it okay. I was heavily influenced by my daughter's opinion, but I think it'll suit my needs and hold up. I drove up to Cleveland and back this last weekend. It is peppy and very stable on the road. On the way up, I ran into heavy rain, and was glad the wipers and defrosters worked. The controls like wipers and turn signals aren't very different from the Prius, but I need to learn more about the H/AC and of all things, the radio. The dealer helped me get the blue tooth connected before I left the lot. While I was in Cleveland, I drove from from my friend's house to the hospital where she had surgery, and I was comfortable in traffic. The mileage is pretty good, not as good as the Prius, but acceptable. It is a lot bigger than the Prius, and I like the interior roominess. I'll pic my grandkids up from their first day of school this week and that'll be their first ride in it. I really appreciate all of the advice and comments. I don't know if this will be my last car, or if I will look for something easier on gas and if I don't need this big vehicle, something smaller.
Happy Convention week! 
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I have a friend who bought a Hyundai SUV type EV. He really loves it and said the maintenance was really inexpensive. I was afraid to buy one of those, so I went with a Subaru Impreza wagon. I found one that was a year old with a manual 5 speed transmission. I was driving and old Nissan 350Z with a manual so I"m used to that. The Subaru is very slow compared to the 350z, but I can get more out of it since it's a manual. I would hate to try and get on the interstate with the CVT transmission. Anyway, I like the Subaru. It sips fuel and runs smoothly. It has all wheel drive too. I don't need that so much in South Florida, but I know these cars go well in the snow. You might want to check out car edge dot com. They have a lot of advice on how to deal with car dealerships. They have plenty of free youtube videos to check out as well. Good luck and I hope you get a great deal no matter what you buy. 
I love it, and I thought it'd be my last car, but 16 years is pretty old.
All of the comments have been so helpful. I like knowing that I'm not the only one with battery anxiety
I didn't know it, but my daughter and s-i-l are helping me search.
I realized since I posted that I'm not being picky. I am ready to make a deal, but I'm having trouble finding a local dealer who has what I want. I'm open to ideas, and I'll take what's in my price range. I thought the Covid shortages were over, but maybe they aren't.
I'll be sure to follow up when I have a new/different car.