Possible new owner

Hi first post. I havent got an i-meiv yet but am looking. I am in the UK. My question is, if I get a 2 year old with one, with one year left on the warranty how reliable are they. I currently have a Toyota and am very confidant in the cars reliability. What experience have you all got, my worry is that I get into an expensive project. But I do love the car.

Gary
UK

There haven't been many complaints reported on this forum about maintenance issues with the car. Any of the few that have appeared, it seems Mitsubishi is spot on it and has the car fixed as soon as possible. I've had mine for almost a year and I have not had one quality issue with the car, I absolutely love owning and driving it.

Remember that in the UK you can get the same car under 3 brands - Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Citroen C0, Peugeot iOn.

In the recent past, there have been some heavy discounts on the Citroen and Peugeot models, so have a good look around for a good price. I managed to pick up a new Peugeot iOn for £12,999 earlier this month.

As with any fully-electric car, reliability should be exceptional. You have only a few moving parts in the drivetrain: The motor and reduction gear (a.k.a. single-speed transmission). Compare that with any petrol or diesel-powered vehicle and its many parts. You should have many, many years of nearly maintenance-free driving.

12k miles and a year under my belt. No issues except a teensy windshield wiper fluid reservoir (frequent refills) and bald tires. Battery not showing any apparent issues.

I bought my i-Miev a few months ago from British Car Auctions in Enfield. It was a year old and had been owned by a Fleet company. It only had 1,800 miles on the clock and it cost me £10,500. I had it serviced the next day at Humming Bird Motors for a very small amount and the car is extremely reliable. Although the car has a 3 year warranty the batteries have a 5 year warranty. So far I have avoided the fast charge points and just use the trickle charge from my home supply as, I believe, that extends the battery life.

Thanks for all the positive feed back, all I need to do is find one at the right price.

Gary

Hi fellow midlander!
Go for it, you'll not regret it. I haven't even visited a petrol station for over a month now, not even for a chocolate bar!
The only issue I have had is a flat 12v battery; cause unknown. Quickly sorted.
We're finding that we do almost every trip in it. I am sure you will be the same!
I cannot speak highly enough of this little vision of the future.
Kieron

I visited the petrol station to refill my lawn mower this past weekend. I felt dirty. I need an electric mower. :lol:

aarond12 said:

I visited the petrol station to refill my lawn mower this past weekend. I felt dirty. I need an electric mower. :lol:

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Make sure you get a battery powered one - no chance of running over the power cord then.
I have had a Bosch battery powered one for a few years now - has a 36 volt Li-ion battery - plenty of capacity to cut the front and the back lawn.

aarond12 said:

I visited the petrol station to refill my lawn mower this past weekend. I felt dirty.

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I would feel dirty going to a petrol station to inflate my tires So far, the included 12 v. tire inflation pump has done the job although it seems to be unable to inflate the tires above the 51 psi sidewall max pressure value.

gazz said:

Hi first post. I havent got an i-meiv yet but am looking. I am in the UK. My question is, if I get a 2 year old with one, with one year left on the warranty how reliable are they. I currently have a Toyota and am very confidant in the cars reliability. ..
Gary
UK

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The car itself is as others have said likely to be extraordinarily reliable. In the very long run the issue may be battery life and battery cost replacement. As you say you should shop By price. But also buy by miles on the carIf you pick up a used one with 30,000 miles on it you should discounted heavily as theoretically at least someone may have used a third of the battery life.

One thing to consider is this is probably a unique price point for a modern viable electric car. Mitsubishi has painted itself into a corner by poor marketing and they need to sell these 2012 cars. I have significant doubt as to if you will see another opportunity of comparable value to cost ratio in the next five years. Maybe never unless there are massive breakthroughs in battery technology and cost.

Alex
P.S., I'm here in the colonies (US) but was born in the UK. Hampton Court believe it or not.