Would I buy a Miev again?

[psyflyjohn]

I've had our Miev going on a year now. It sits in the driveway this morning, fully charged and waiting to convey us on our daily jaunts. No problems with it. It has been an extremely reliable car that meets it's Mpg rating and has saved us a ton of gas money so far.

Yet, I have doubts about it's future. I just read another news piece. This time it was by CNN Money regarding the best gas savers in the market. The Miev ranked well, but they went out of their way to say it was underpowered, uncomfortable, and cheap feeling. The heavy black type was theirs, not mine. They did not go out of their way to "dis" the other cars this way.

There seems to be a constant tendency to use the Miev as a whipping boy in the media. I think this is unfair, and will ultimately result in low resale value, and possibly discontinuation of the Miev line. I don't like that. I researched the car well before buying it. I prefer Toyota and especially Honda vehicles generally, but Mitsubishi ranks pretty high in my mind also. At least Mitsi had the cajones to sell the car outright, unlike other manufacturers who call their ev's "compliance cars" and only lease them.

Interestingly, I still haven't seen any advertisements by Mitsubishi for the Miev on t.v. Do they lack confidence in their product? Because the media is characterizing the Miev as the electric not to get. If I was perusing the media as a potential buyer, I would eliminate it as a choice and move on. And I would miss-out on this nice little reliable car....

How about you?

 

[jaraczs]

I have to admitt of having similar feeling. I love the car, the efficiency and its RWD, too.

Mitsu has decided to bring their otherwise great car into market that does not enjoy small cars. It is offending to average American that in order to transition from ICE to electric, they would have to downsize. Car is a great symbol of freedom, you want to be able to go everywhere you want and get there with smile. Tesla has taken the opposite way, they have demonstrated EV can be strong, big and with long range. Although majority population cannot afford Tesla, they like it because it supports the current automotive 'freedom' trend.
Besides, Mitsubishi as a brand is known to US customers as a performance car maker, their existing customers will not buy iMiEV. Unfortunately, Mitsu is lacking focused marketing campaing as if they don't trust their own product, as if they trust the negative reviews, as if they don't know where to seek potential buyers.

Look into Chevy, they have Spark EV planned for 2014 but they came up with the gas version in 2012 to map potential customer base. Their support of Volt is overwhelming and they know how to get their customers. Their marketing campaing playing with "range anxiety" is exactly aimed at supporting range extension (or plug-in hybrid) technologies. Some Volt users are already questioning the need for ICE engine on board as it is seldom used, increases vehicle weight, decreases pasenger volume, lowers overall efficiency and increases price. Guess what, these customers will perhaps advocate for pure BEV but it will be Chevy brand.

 

[peterdambier]

I was looking for electric cars but the i-Miev was not on my radar. They were all non existent, to expensive, not cars at all.

Karin bought our i-MiEV and yes, the more I know it the more we love it. Just got a phone call from somebody willing to buy our ICE car. 5 month no ICE now and we are sure we dont need it any longer. Of coarse we would buy it again but I am afraid it would be more expensive than ours had been.

I rarely do this but today I had to: Heater steaming, waiting at a traffic light and 3 SUVs on the lane beside us. It took them to the next roundabout to catch us but then they had to hit the breakes and dive screaming into the circus. From us not even the breaks lighting and no noise. Ok, it was not far from home and it took me two bars but it was worth it :mrgreen:

I guess poor Mitsu is losing a lot of money for each car we buy. That is why no adds. I'll keep the add on the car nonetheless.

 

[jray3]

I rarely do this but today I had to: Heater steaming, waiting at a traffic light and 3 SUVs on the lane beside us. It took them to the next roundabout to catch us but then they had to hit the breakes and dive screaming into the circus. From us not even the breaks lighting and no noise. Ok, it was not far from home and it took me two bars but it was worth it :mrgreen:
quote]


My only question is, why do you rarely do this? I believe it to be the most effective technique for afflicting the comfortable... Many of those who derisively speak of 'smugmobiles' are only trying to disguise their own exhibitionism. A jacked up 4WD with mud tires that doesn't even have a trailer hitch (or has a very shiny hitch)... REALLY, on a highway commute?!!

 

[Don]

After 8 months and 6500 miles, I would surely buy it again . . . . and with considerably less reservation that the first time around

Usually when you buy a new car, you're all accustomed to it and as happy as you'll ever be with it after only a week or two - It's pretty much downhill after that as you discover one little nitpicky thing after another about it

Our Experience with the iMiEV has been pretty much the opposite - We weren't expecting too much in the beginning, but the longer we had it and the farther we drove it, the more we came to like it. Even after several months and a few thousand miles, we were still discovering new things about the way the car was engineered that made it all the more impressive

We went into it thinking it would probably do enough to cover maybe 80% of our driving needs and one or the other of our gas burners would cover the other 20%. So far, it's been something over 95%. We have put gas in each of the other cars exactly once since May and that was only necessary because they were both under half a tank the day we brought the iMiEV home - They sit in the garage now with trickle chargers and gas treatment so we can (hopefully) start them the next time they're needed, whenever that might be

I sure hope the sell enough to keep them on the market - The more they sell, the more supported they'll be and maybe we can count on being able to get parts and service support on though the end of the warranty

Don