Hey Y’all,
Cool to see this community already exists! Would love to hear your suggestions. Thanks so much.
Here’s what I’m looking for:
-used and as close to $10K as possible but up to $20K for something really solid.
-fuel efficiency important, hybrid ok. Not sure about full EV.
-Not a daily driver. Maybe 3-4 trips a week max. Mostly in town. And a ~100 mile round trip commute once a week or so.
-I want this car to last 10yrs at least. But I intend to drive it until one of us goes first.
-I live in Oakland CA, we have lots of potholes and some particularly dangerous drivers so I want something safe and reliable (solid).
-don’t care about aesthetics.
-I like to drive but fun to drive is just a nice to have.
-trunk space: enough for light camping or moving my bass and amp around.
-size: no SUVs or trucks please, prefer sedan or smaller (parking). 2 door/seat is ok as long as it has trunk space. I’m short, if it matters.
-I do like my music so some media controls are nice (like on the steering wheel), but can upgrade the sound system and console later ;)
-the simpler the better in terms of components, controls, maintenance. I’ll be happy with a roller window, no key fob, etc.
-it’ll be parked in a garage most of the time.
-some cars I’ve looked at that seem decent are: prius, golf, Mazda M3. Golf’s seem fun to drive and is a good size for me I think.
-I’m down with a manual if that comes up.
I think a full EV may limit my options a bit. I'm unsure if these are totally valid though.
I actually used to drive a tesla fairly often. It was my ex's, who I lived with. We actually did street parking in that place, with no charging at home. Closest charger was 15 mins away. Not a huge PITA honestly - as long as you plan to charge around other errands. But we took a few road trips and there was always so much planning around the next charge, how fast it was, what the interface was (if not a supercharger) - and that's in California!
I was also always paranoid about the battery dying in the middle of nowhere with no way to get it running without a tow to a charger. With a reg/hybrid, one can at least get a can of gas.
I do have charging in my current building's garage, but there are several EVs here already, I don't know/see how busy they are. I may also move soon.
When EVs are commonly found at 500mi ranges, I'll be more interested. Willing to have my mind changed though!