Poll: pick my new car

[agnes]

I would buy a new Fiat 500 Pop if I could, but that’s not an option right now. My options that I like: Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf, and Nissan Kicks

[macmars45]

I LOVE my Bolt! Love! I've had it a year and it's been great. No complaints except the front wheel drive on the especially slick winter driving days. It does okay; I just feel safer in our AWD drive tesla on those days so I switch H (who WFH) on those days.

[agnes]

Oh also, the Nissan Kicks and Chevy Bolt are practically the same price because the Bolt has a rebate. My H (mechanic), can do all maintenance and potentially future repairs on the Kicks, but not Bolt or Leaf.

[agnes]

Apr 3, 2024 10:48:31 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

I LOVE my Bolt! Love! I've had it a year and it's been great. No complaints except the 2 wheel drive on the especially slick winter driving days. It does okay; I just feel safer in our AWD drive tesla on those days so I swap H (who WFH) on those days.

does the battery issues worry you at all for the Bolt?

[macmars45]

Apr 3, 2024 10:51:08 GMT -5 agnes said:

Apr 3, 2024 10:48:31 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

I LOVE my Bolt! Love! I've had it a year and it's been great. No complaints except the 2 wheel drive on the especially slick winter driving days. It does okay; I just feel safer in our AWD drive tesla on those days so I swap H (who WFH) on those days.

does the battery issues worry you at all for the Bolt?

From what I understand it's for the 2017-2022 Bolts. I have a 2023 Bolt. Maybe I'm misinformed?

FWIW I never completely charge mine and it rarely gets under 75/80 miles left before I charge it thanks to my level 2 charger in my garage.

[deadwing]

It's very brave of you to leave such a major decision up to the whims of internet strangers! I know absolutely nothing about these cars. I like the name "Leaf" the best, but that probably isn't very good criteria for picking a car...

[macmars45]

Also, I have no plans to buy a compact/crossover suv type car. So if I were you and didn't want a Bolt, I'd go with the Leaf. I also love the Leaf. I'm not sure if it still doesn't do as well in hot or cold climates due to how the battery heats and cools. That's why H and I didn't pursue the Leaf ourselves.

[agnes]

Apr 3, 2024 10:55:42 GMT -5 deadwing said:

It's very brave of you to leave such a major decision up to the whims of internet strangers! I know absolutely nothing about these cars. I like the name "Leaf" the best, but that probably isn't very good criteria for picking a car...

lol it’s because I like all of them. My IRL friends aren’t helping either haha

[Aloe Vera]

I stay away from Chevrolet. I've had 2 Chevy cars in my life and they were the worst. Everything breaks. I've been stranded on major roads and hwys twice because something broke. The only good that came out of it has been I know how to fix cars.

[minzy]

I have a Leaf and love it. Coming up on four years of ownership now. I will be the first to say that she is not sexy, but she gets the job done and has never failed me (including early on when I squeaked into a hotel at 1% - not my smartest ever move in life but it does make for a good story). It’s comfortable, easy to drive, Apple Play compliant, I love the regen braking. The advertised range (mine is 236) is a fiction, but since I hardly ever let it get into a single digit percentage charge, it’s not a problem. The backseat is superior to our Volt in that the person in the middle doesn’t need to straddle a bump. It fit a two piece recliner which would not close into the Volt. We do make fun of the horn, which is very high and nasally sounding, haha, but I am perfectly happy with it. The level 3 charging for mine at least is a CHadeMO, the rarest of the three in my experience behind Tesla’s super chargers and the CCS ones. If I did more serious long haul driving with it I would probably get the adapter.

I know very little about the Bolt and even less about the other one you mentioned.

[agnes]

Apr 3, 2024 12:05:59 GMT -5 Aloe Vera said:

I stay away from Chevrolet. I've had 2 Chevy cars in my life and they were the worst. Everything breaks. I've been stranded on major roads and hwys twice because something broke. The only good that came out of it has been I know how to fix cars.

yeah, I can see why you wouldn’t pick the Bolt.

H had a Colorado a couple years ago that had electrical issues and was lemon lawed. He loved that truck though.

[bcv513]

I would choose the Kick just because your H can do the maintenance on it. That's a huge savings.

[sdlaura]

We have a 13-year-old Leaf that's still going strong.

[DotAndBuzz]

We rented a Kicks in Aruba, and that car was pretty bare bones. Maybe it was because it was a rental, and was a really low end model, but I didn't love it. I have a Subaru (so fine, but not a luxury car), and the Kicks felt SO SLOW. It took forever to accelerate. Getting on the highway wouldn't be fun.

Haven't driven the other two for comparison though.

I do remember my Nissan Murano having minimal maintenance issues though, so in terms of brand preference, that could be a really good trade off.

[BlondeSpiders]

mominatrix has owned both a Leaf and a Bolt and might have some great insight. Not sure if she's still active here.

[sandandsea]

Would you consider a Prius? It’s not all electric but does have a plug in option. Also known for reliability and the common thought is the new ones look way better than the old ones. I have a 2024 and love it but I don’t have the plug in or AWD version.

[notsopicky]

I have a Kicks and LOVE it. I have always loved Nissans (the Kicks is the 6th one H & I have collectively had). It does seriously lag on acceleration from a dead stop/hills, but I don't really care about that. Eventually it will become E's car (in 3 years).

I thought about maybe going electric; I thought the Leafs aren't being made anymore? Is the one you're looking at pre-owned? I wish the Kicks was electric.

[agnes]

Apr 3, 2024 16:58:45 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

We rented a Kicks in Aruba, and that car was pretty bare bones. Maybe it was because it was a rental, and was a really low end model, but I didn't love it. I have a Subaru (so fine, but not a luxury car), and the Kicks felt SO SLOW. It took forever to accelerate. Getting on the highway wouldn't be fun.

Haven't driven the other two for comparison though.

I do remember my Nissan Murano having minimal maintenance issues though, so in terms of brand preference, that could be a really good trade off.

Apr 3, 2024 19:33:45 GMT -5 notsopicky said:

I have a Kicks and LOVE it. I have always loved Nissans (the Kicks is the 6th one H & I have collectively had). It does seriously lag on acceleration from a dead stop/hills, but I don't really care about that. Eventually it will become E's car (in 3 years).

I thought about maybe going electric; I thought the Leafs aren't being made anymore? Is the one you're looking at pre-owned? I wish the Kicks was electric.

the acceleration isn’t an issue for me since I’m coming from my pokey puppy Fiat. I honestly worry about me in the zippy cars, because I have a notorious lead foot.

As far as I know they’re still making the Leafs, but the Bolt is totally not being made any more

[agnes]

UPDATE: I didn’t get any of them! Lol

I got a Hyundai Venue Limited. It was the closest to my old Fiat and in my comfort zone 🤪