Good morning! For this week’s Friday matchup, we’re going to conduct a little thought experiment. I’m going to show you a boring but competent “compliance”-type electric vehicle, and a boring but competent conventional gasoline car for half the price. We’re going to see if low-end used EVs are cheap enough to consider yet.
But before we get to that, we’ve got some land yachts to put in dry dock. It will come as no surprise, I guess, to hear that the Marquis de Avocado ran away with this one. Green cars are just cool, even when they’re very uncool. It was pointed out that this might not actually be a “Grand” Marquis; I had forgotten that they were available in a less grand style for the first few years. As such, it might have that puny little 255 V8 instead of a 302. I don’t care. It’s green.
Not that there’s anything at all wrong with that Buick. For a while I owned a LeSabre of this era, with the Olds 403 V8 in it, and it was one of the better $500 cars I ever bought: Comfortable seats, cook-you-medium-rare heater and Antarctica-cold air conditioning, and a fantastic exhaust note. It served me well for the time I had it, and I remember it fondly. But I still pick the green Mercury.
Now then: For a long time, electric vehicles were mainly a pipe dream, or at most woefully inadequate glorified golf carts with windshield wipers. That all changed in 2012, when the great big red-tape-loving state of California required six automakers to offer an EV, or not be allowed to sell cars in California at all. The automakers in question modified existing compact and subcompact models to satisfy the new rules. The “compliance car” was born.
These cars are now starting to reach the low end of the used car market. Battery life and condition are still questions, and in some cases seriously curtail their usefulness. But if you don’t plan to leave town, the idea of buying a cheap car and never visiting a gas station again is attractive. But is it more attractive than a nice simple gas car that can be had even more inexpensively? Check out these two, and then you tell me.
2014 Chevrolet Spark EV – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 97-kilowatt electric motor, single-speed gear reduction, FWD
Location: East Lansing, MI
Odometer reading: 50,000 miles
Operational status: Daily-driven
Chevy’s Spark was a happy little car from GM’s South Korean partner, Daewoo. Most Sparks were powered by a 1.2 liter four-cylinder engine and either a five-speed manual or CVT transmission. Not this one. For four years, in a few states, Chevy sold the Spark as an EV, with a 97-kilowatt motor and a simple gear reduction in place of the engine and transmission. Providing power to the motor, in this 2014 model, is a 21.3-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 for short) battery pack, giving the car an EPA-rated 82 miles of range.
This Spark has 50,000 miles on it, and is used daily. The seller says it has 60-70 miles of range in practice, which means it’s holding up pretty well. LiFePO4 batteries tend to have a longer lifespan than lithium-ion batteries, which is what the Nissan Leaf uses – thousands versus hundreds of charge/discharge cycles. The drawback is that it loses a lot more range in the cold, not a problem in California where most Spark EVs were sold, but this one has found its way to Michigan, where there is real winter.
It looks like it’s in pretty good shape, inside and out, especially for a daily-driven commuter. I mean, with only fifty thou on the odometer, it should still be nice and clean, but we all know how some cars get treated. What I like about the Spark EV is how normal it looks inside; it’s identical to the gasoline-powered Spark, including a perfectly ordinary shift lever, not buttons or a dial.
It’s just too bad it’s so bland on the outside. The Spark was available in a whole range of really fun colors, and I assume those were available on the EV as well. Why choose white?
1994 Dodge Spirit – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Odometer reading: 92,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
I chose this car very deliberately to compete against that Spark. It’s a dull, uninspiring car in very good condition for exactly half the price. The Dodge Spirit, and its sister model the Plymouth Acclaim, were the final iteration of the Chrysler K-based cars. It’s a more refined version of the same old idea: an overhead cam four-cylinder (now displacing 2.5 liters) driving the front wheels through a Torqueflite. It’s nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.
This is a base-model Spirit, and its option list is short: I see buttons for air conditioning and cruise control, but it has crank windows and almost certainly manual locks. It’s in quite nice condition, though. It only has 92,000 miles on the clock, and it’s a six-digit odometer, so we know it hasn’t gone around. The seller says it runs and drives great, and the transmission shifts smoothly.
This also appears to be the “flex-fuel” version of the Spirit, able to run on M85 fuel, which is 85% methanol and 15% gasoline. This is unusual; most flex-fuel vehicles can run on E85, which is 85% ethanol. And no – the two are not interchangeable. M85 is not generally easy to find, so it’s a good thing this car will run on regular unleaded.
The $2,500 price difference is enough to buy you about 625 gallons of gas, at $4 per gallon, which is about average right now in my neck of the woods. This car gets 25 or so miles per gallon, so that’s 15,625 miles of driving in this car for the same price as the Spark – plus the ability to, you know, leave town if you want or need to.
Is it worth it to buy a cheap EV yet? I think the answer depends on what you need a car for. If you’re looking for a second or third car to use as a runabout, and you already have a longer-range internal combustion car for long trips, then cutting out fuel stops and oil changes might make it worthwhile. For an only car, I can’t see a compliance EV being enough. But maybe it would work for the right person. So, take the weekend to think about it, discuss it in the comments, cast your votes, and we’ll see how it all shakes out on Monday. Have a great weekend!
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I voted Spark because that’s the lifestyle I’d like to have–keeping the EV charging in the garage as an in-town runabout while reserving our gas car for longer trips. In real life, though, I have nowhere to charge the Spark and my commute is long enough that I’d be pushing the limits of its battery in anything but perfect weather.
I’d buy the Spark if I had a place to plug it in.
I’ll try the spark. The majority of my driving lately is taking the kid to school, 4 miles round trip. An electric like this would be perfect.
That Spark isn’t just white, it’s Appliance White (fittingly), so you can find touch-up paint just about anywhere.
This is one of the rare times I’ll choose the Chrysler product. I’ve known a few people with Spirits/Acclaims and with a 3 speed or a manual they were pretty durable. Maybe not great vehicles but they competently did the job.
I’m not spending a dime on a used, half-assed compliance BEV. If I’m buying a BEV, it’ll be a ground up design intended from the get-go to be electric. That said, I’d spend $10k on a gently used Bolt over either of these.
But between these two, I’ll take the Spirit that can be fixed using 100% junk yard parts rather than the limited range Sonic that might need a $10K battery replacement in the near future.
If I’m going to own a Mopar from last century, it will have to be rewarding or interesting in some way, so I voted Spark. A little electric runabout would be perfect for cold day errands so I wouldn’t have to take the long loop just to bring an ICE engine up to operating temps
Chosing an EV over ICE for COLD day errands means you aren’t doing it right.
I’m in Mid-Atlantic region: should have typed ‘cold’
Plus my typical errands mean no more than maybe a 15 mile round trip.
I can hit the pet store, get groceries, visit my daughter and get a fancy coffee all in a 5 mile loop.
I’d prefer an electric car for days in the 20s or 30s, honestly
Great how many people do you think can make that many trips in that few miles? You are a perfect example of thinking everyone is like you. I bet 95% of people can’t exist on your situation. So fail
There’s clearly an ‘I’ in the sentence when I mention using an electric car in the cold—right before I say ‘take the long loop’, pretty clearly implying that my runs are short. Nowhere did I say anything about most people. The fail here is not on my part
Agreed I didn’t mean to state it wasn’t U specific but the argument was based on general situation even though you argue the general using your specific situation.
As I reread the article it seems to be directed at everyone not just the delight that is tossabl.
My vote makes it 50/50, but I voted for the Spark EV. It is a much cooler car 🙂
I like these regular-car based electric cars better than a bespoke EV. It’s just an electric version of a regular car. A regular car that happens to be electric.
The only issue I have with the Spark is that there’s absolutely ZERO charging infrastructure in my neck of NY. If I lived in my own house, I’d daily the Spark. With what little mileage I need to drive daily, I’d get by on 60 miles of range, easy!
On the other hand, while it’ll be easier to live with the Spirit, I know that within 2 weeks of owning it though, that column shifter will be nothing but a problem.
Still, I’ll have to vote Spirit here. If my situation was different, Spark all day.
I have a 12 mile round trip commute and only work from the office 3x/wk. The spark would serve me well as a second car. I’ve been searching for a cheap EV just for that purpose. Its pretty much a glorified golf cart at that rate.
Pretty much everything I do is within 30 miles of my house, with almost everything well within 10 miles. so the Spark suffices to light my fire. But as EVs age and battery density increases, will it be possible (and economically feasible) to rebuild a pack with modern cells and increase range over the original? There probably aren’t enough Sparks or other compliance cars flying around out there, but the piles of Leafs with degraded batteries should be enough for some kind of upgrade market to something better suited to air cooling and offering maybe 150 miles of range. That would be an environmental win-win.
I have a 3 mile commute every day, the cheap Spark would make my gas purchases more minimal, leaving more gas money for fun drives consisting of more than the range. I could make sense of one that cheap. I never drove an EV Spark but have driven many gas versions, it’s probably alright given the instant torque and whatnot. I too would prefer a color instead of white, but you can’t be too picky about a deal.
If they were the same price, the Spark would easily be my choice as an around-town car. At this price, though, it’s harder. If the Spark were in a color, I’d probably choose it, but I have to choose the Spirit for the lower price and the blue.
I heard Spark EVs are somewhat fun to drive, in an electric instant 300lb ft of torque through the front wheels sort of way. It’ll chirp tires for days. Hopefully the battery in the Spark lasts for a while, GM discontinued them 2 years ago and as far as I know there’s no aftermarket support. But 60 to 70 from 80 miles of range ten years later sounds like it hasn’t degraded too much.
Friend has a 2015 Spark EV in arrest-me-for-stealing-power red, a much better look. Never fails to visit without his extension cord, though. I threaten to show up at his house with an empty gas can.
I think every multi-car family could use something like this for the bulk of their local little BS errands and never have range anxiety or charge anywhere but home. I’d certainly like one for the curiosity and practicality. Helped my friend fix an e-brake problem on his but the car is otherwise dirt simple with little to maintain or worry about.
If it were closer I’d be checking it out
I’d go with the Spark. Both cars would give me range anxiety, because anything more than spot duty is a big ask for a 30 year old Chrysler product. You might as well get the car with 20 years’ worth of improvements behind it.
Call me Al Bundy, and gimme the Dodge. I can fix that one when it breaks, and I can get out of my county and back without detailed plans and schematics.
I voted Spark as it’s 20 years newer and perfect as a 2nd car here in DC.
Question: is the Spark the only vehicle in existence with headlights that are the same length as it’s hood?
Spark as a primary car? No way. Spark as a second car to grab groceries and go to work that never needs gas or (much) maintenance? No brainer.
The Spark’s exterior has a few demerits – the leading edge of the hood, the paint failure on either side of the hatch (bike rack?) – but I still went that way as it seems clean otherwise and as mentioned below, I’d rather have the newer design here.
However I do feel like the price is too high, perhaps by a grand but I don’t know how they’re really valued. Just seems like it’s getting close to what you could pick up a Volt for, maybe with more miles but nearly the same electric range and a generally more usable vehicle.
I would frequently consult Edmunds on Ye Olde Site before voting, but most of the cars on Shitbox Showdown can’t be valued that way. They require your own gut feelings because of variables that don’t fit into a generic value calculator. This Spirit probably qualifies as “average” in condition if you compare it to a much newer car, but we all know it’s in fantastic shape for what it is. Somebody gave that base model K car more love than an old man gives his Corvette.
I voted Spirit. If it had the V6, I’d go Spark. They had crappy transmissions that couldn’t handle the additional/power/torque, but with the 4 cylinder I’ll take it over a short range city EV for half the price. Plus even as a Cruze owner, the Spark is crazy plastic fantastic, more so even than the 30 year old Spirit.
I only have a 7 mile commute and we rarely have extended periods of really cold weather, so the Chevy has Spark-ed my interest!
Same — the drive from our neighborhood to my job in Chicago’s Loop is like eight miles, and my office building’s parking deck has charging stations … come to think of it, what’s this person’s number?
I’d much rather have something made this century for my $2500 beater, but $5000 for 60 miles of range is not an equation that makes sense to me. A reluctant vote for the Dodge.
The color and location makes me think the Spark was purchased by/gifted to a GM employee’s family member when they went off to college at Michigan State.
As a fellow Spartan, we’ll take the Chevy … even if we have to trailer it to Chicago.
The Spark EV has 400 lb-ft of tq. I’ll take the roller skate shaped stump puller