Ive Owned my Bolt for a Month - My review

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kdh

Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2017
Messages
6
OK

After 30 days and 1500 miles Here are my thoughts - Everybody chime in please

My leased LT Bolt:

Good points
- 240 Miles! I drove from Los angeles to San Diego round trip with 20 miles left. Wow.
- This is a quick car, really fun to drive.
- Big front screen - apple play - dash display

Bad points
- The seats are the most uncomfortable of any car I've driven (a full 2 1/2 inches thinner than my leaf that was replaced)
- An incredibly cheap interior - Back bench seat is pretty awful, the back hatch faux wood thing looks like it cost $3.
- Edges of the doors are sharp. I cut my shin on the lower part of the door getting out and the top corner feels like thin sharp sheet tin.
- GMAC keeping $5000 of the $7500 federal subsidy - ( I leased the car)


in all - This is not a $40,000 car, it's a $20,000 car that is electric and goes 240 miles on a charge - I don't think i would buy it again if i knew what i know now. Its really expensive for what it is. I guess Im a fool for buying the first model of any car. I wold assume the 2018 will get a facelift and be cheaper. My advice is to wait for the 2018 to be released. Motor trend car of the year? Really?
 
devbolt said:
While GMAC may have kept $5000 of the tax credit, they used that credit to prop-up the residual to lower your monthly payment.

This. So basically it only makes a difference if you buy out the lease at the end. You will have to negotiate with GMAC for that $5k back.
 
like devbolt said it lowers your monthly payment, because not you're not paying for as much projected depreciation. What other benefit could you want?

I don't think most people are under the illusion this car will have the refinement of another $40,000 gas car because well then it would cost $60,000, remember your buying a huge battery pack and an advanced propulsion system and associated electronics for 20,000? or whatever instead of a 4 cyl eco motor/trans and a gas tank for 5,000?
 
kdh said:
in all - This is not a $40,000 car, it's a $20,000 car that is electric and goes 240 miles on a charge - My advice is to wait for the 2018 to be released. Motor trend car of the year? Really?

Couldn't agree more. Here's a quote from Motor Trend's car of the year review:

“If this car were fitted with a set of grippy tires, it’d be a helluva hot hatch,” road test editor Chris Walton said. “I’d put it against a Mazda3 or Golf for fun per mile.”

Except, that it WASN'T fitted with a set of grippy tires. I suppose you could also say it would have on a helluva interior IF it had the seats & quality soft-touch materials of a Lexus RC.

This one was actually quite funny:

"Even the folks at Tesla, the electric vehicle masters of the universe, have been put on notice: The Bolt EV sets a benchmark for value and performance they’ll have to work overtime to match. “This is a direct challenge for Tesla to make the Model 3 anything near the Bolt EV for the same price,” executive editor Mark Rechtin said. “Chevrolet has made affordable long-range electric transportation available to the masses. Elon Musk should be afraid. Very, very afraid.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-bolt-ev-2017-car-of-the-year/

I'm guessing that Elon Musk isn't losing much sleep over the Bolt...a car that has set such a high benchmark for value and performance that GM only manages to sell ~1000 units per month.
 
like devbolt said it lowers your monthly payment, because not you're not paying for as much projected depreciation. What other benefit could you want?

One of the pro-GM guys in another forum estimated for me that GM keeping that $5k would save the typical lessee over $300. Who could complain about that?

























Me.
 
oilerlord said:
“If this car were fitted with a set of grippy tires, it’d be a helluva hot hatch,” road test editor Chris Walton said. “I’d put it against a Mazda3 or Golf for fun per mile.”

Except, that it WASN'T fitted with a set of grippy tires. I suppose you could also say it would have on a helluva interior IF it had the seats & quality soft-touch materials of a Lexus RC.

The difference between the tires and your seat/materials analogy is that tires are a wear item. It is expected that you replace them anyway during the life of the car (multiple times, in fact). So why not buy a set of grippy tires next time? You would lose some range, but gain much better performance.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
oilerlord said:
“If this car were fitted with a set of grippy tires, it’d be a helluva hot hatch,” road test editor Chris Walton said. “I’d put it against a Mazda3 or Golf for fun per mile.”

Except, that it WASN'T fitted with a set of grippy tires. I suppose you could also say it would have on a helluva interior IF it had the seats & quality soft-touch materials of a Lexus RC.

The difference between the tires and your seat/materials analogy is that tires are a wear item. It is expected that you replace them anyway during the life of the car (multiple times, in fact). So why not buy a set of grippy tires next time? You would lose some range, but gain much better performance.

The point is that it didn't come with grippy tires from the factory, and to be fair, should be reviewed based solely on the equipment it ships with. Car & Driver reviews cars as you and I would buy them from the dealership - not with theoretical aftermarket modifications.

Also, most people lease, and don't buy their Bolt. "The life of the car" is essentially 3 years / 36,000 miles. I doubt anyone will be replacing / buying a new set of tires even once, much less "multiple" times.
 
oilerlord said:
The point is that it didn't come with grippy tires from the factory, and to be fair, should be reviewed based solely on the equipment it ships with. Car & Driver reviews cars as you and I would buy them from the dealership - not with theoretical aftermarket modifications.

I read their statement more as a lamentation that GM didn't put better tires on it. And an indirect recommendation for a potential upgrade to owners. I still think it's apples & oranges to interior materials since it can be easily changed.

oilerlord said:
Also, most people lease, and don't buy their Bolt. "The life of the car" is essentially 3 years / 36,000 miles. I doubt anyone will be replacing / buying a new set of tires even once, much less "multiple" times.

You and I will have to agree to disagree. When I'm talking about the life of the car, I mean just that - how long is this particular vehicle on the road. For a Bolt, that should easily exceed 10 years / 100k miles. I really doubt the stock tires will last 100k miles.

Also, when you turn in a car at the end of the lease, you must have legal tread levels on your tires. I don't know how well the Bolt's tires wear, but the stock tires on the Leaf were hard-pressed to last 36k miles. It is not unheard of for someone to buy the tires they want for a brand-new lease, and set aside those that came with the car. Then you can drive the snot out of them, and throw the stock tires back on right before returning the car. Does everyone do this? Not by a long shot. But there are those who do.

In the end, Car & Driver targets those who enjoy driving. The bottom line is that their statement does not seem out of place to me in the least.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
In the end, Car & Driver targets those who enjoy driving. The bottom line is that their statement does not seem out of place to me in the least.

I agree with you, and Car & Driver's statement. After taking a Bolt out on a test drive,it DOES understeer like a puppy on a freshly waxed floor.
 
I've had my bolt for about one month. I just put Dunlop Direzza tires on it and it's much more fun. Yes' I bought a can of fix-a-flat as well.
 
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