[fargoneandout]

Placed my order last week. Current garage is a BMW 328i Msport, which I like a great deal but which I feel increasingly guilty fueling. Past fuel-conscious cars include two Priuses and two BMW 335d (diesels) which all got great mileage. I ditched the Priuses because they were appliances not cars for driving and the 335d's because their emissions and injection systems were total trash.

The Bolt is the first car that seems to offer it all: reduced reliance on fossil fuels AND a car that actually offers a modicum of driving engagement, all at a price tag that won't make me dig into the kids' college funds.

 

[Electro]

Welcome to the forums

Do you feel like you'll miss the power of the BMW top end wise ? Or do you just commute with them and not really push your vehicles to that point to really care for it ?

 

[Bazinga]

Welcome to the forum! BMWs are generally not cheap to maintain, the Bolt on the other hand won't need oil changes and anything else associated with a gas engine. Saves you quite a bit of money.

But the BMW 328i Msport is a beauty.

 

[tickwood]

Also in San Diego

I currently am on my second Prius and very interested to hear how your purchase goes and maybe see it someday. My particular interest is in the safety features. Please keep us informed

 

[Roth33d]

Welcome to the forum! BMWs are generally not cheap to maintain, the Bolt on the other hand won't need oil changes and anything else associated with a gas engine. Saves you quite a bit of money.

But the BMW 328i Msport is a beauty.

Well you can position yourself to not spend as much as some are by buying a model that has proved itself long enough, sticking within the warranty term, etc. Do that and you'll be in the clear. Some people even lease and that's also a good way to not own something that will depreciate greatly off the lot and who knows how much more throughout your ownership term.

 

[fargoneandout]

Welcome to the forums

Do you feel like you'll miss the power of the BMW top end wise ? Or do you just commute with them and not really push your vehicles to that point to really care for it ?

To be honest that is a feature of the BMW I will both miss and not miss. I have a serious lead foot and find myself constantly fighting the urge to let it fly. I think I can live without the rush as long as I can fling the Bolt around. And truth be told, I had an I3 hang with me up through 70 mph from a light the other day WOT (and the 328i is chipped) and that, more than anything convinced me that the time had come to go electric.

And if the Bolt can keep me from getting a whopping ticket for doing 90 on the freeway, I won't miss the BMW at all.

 

[fargoneandout]

Welcome to the forum! BMWs are generally not cheap to maintain, the Bolt on the other hand won't need oil changes and anything else associated with a gas engine. Saves you quite a bit of money.

But the BMW 328i Msport is a beauty.

My BMW is currently free to maintain owing to BMW's maintenance program, but yeah, they are as a brand notoriously expensive to maintain and (God forbid) repair. Crossed fingers that the Bolt is not only well engineered with respect for form and function but also with respect to durability.

I just can't stomach getting 22 mpg anymore. Seems silly in an age when reducing carbon footprint now for our kids and their kids should be such a priority. I am hoping the Bolt satisfies my inner hooligan and my outer tree hugger, or at least makes the compromises dictated by a desire to reduce CO2 less stark than heretofore.

 

[Electro]

To be honest that is a feature of the BMW I will both miss and not miss. I have a serious lead foot and find myself constantly fighting the urge to let it fly. I think I can live without the rush as long as I can fling the Bolt around. And truth be told, I had an I3 hang with me up through 70 mph from a light the other day WOT (and the 328i is chipped) and that, more than anything convinced me that the time had come to go electric.

And if the Bolt can keep me from getting a whopping ticket for doing 90 on the freeway, I won't miss the BMW at all.

Darn... that would be a deal breaker for me right there to be honest. Can't argue with your decision at all. Looking at the drag race posted here, I kinda got myself convinced too as that's what I usually have most fun with. Just stop light shenanigans

http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/14-chevy-bolt-ev-videos/4810-opel-ampera-e-drag-race.html

 

[fargoneandout]

LOL. Stoplight wars are going to fun in the Bolt. The car is setting up to be a major sleeper. I have already started looking into summer performance tires. No MPSS's in this size but there are others including a Perelli P variant I think. I think I could sacrifice a few - what is the term - MPGe's if the fun quotient went up.

 

[Bazinga]

Well, the Bolt has a 93-mph speed limiter so that should prevent you from going too fast on the highway. Maybe...

 

[fargoneandout]

Well, the Bolt has a 93-mph speed limiter so that should prevent you from going too fast on the highway. Maybe...

That is actually a good thing for me. California is a place where 90 is the new 70 in more ways that one, but I think I can handle just putting along. When I got this BMW I usually operated it in Sport mode but now most of the time I run around in EcoPro, reserving Sport mode for that time or two when I'm feeling like going fast. Just to gauge how my inner hooligan would handle the Bolt I did a couple of butt dyno runs today in various modes, keeping an eye on the speedo to see what the acceleration was like. Anything under 7 seconds will be a gift and I could live with less. In other words, I don't need to go more than 93 even though I'll want to from time to time and I won't use WOT much but will be glad that all that torque will be there when I want it.