Live in Georgia and thinking of buying a new 2019

[GJinGA]

Hello,

I live in Georgia and considering the purchase of a 2019 eGolf from one of the mid-Atlantic dealerships that still have stock. Frankly some of the deals I’m seeing are very favorable financially. I’m trying to understand if this might be a bad idea?

I believe that the last new eGolfs sold in Georgia was 2016 so dealerships should have some familiarity with maintaining them. Wondering if there was any particular reason VW stoped selling them here and if that would be a barrier to having a new one shipped here. Wondering if the 2017+ battery chemistry make them undesirable in hotter climates.

I will have a 60 mile commute all highway and use a L2 charger nightly. I’d plan to get an SEL with the heat pump.

Alternatively considering a Mini Cooper SE.

Thoughts/Comments.

 

[f1geek]

As to why VW stopped selling, my guess is because they don't need to sell them and VW makes more money selling fossil gobblers. If anything, I would imagine battery chemistry is better in 2017+ cars, so I don't think you should be concerned. Of course, given the choice between active thermal management and passive thermal management, active is better. If your commute is 60 miles round trip, then I think the e-golf is perfect for that use case. I am guessing you can get a Mini E cheaper after all the tax credits and rebates, but I think that depends on the trim you choose. The Mini E won't haul people or stuff like an e-Golf, but I imagine it is more fun to drive with quicker acceleration and better handling than the e-Golf. The Mini E will DCFC at 50 kW all day long (e-Golf maxes out at 39 kW DC and if pack gets hot, charge rate will drop), thanks to active pack thermal management, and I bet there is no owner's manual warning about not performing back to back DCFC charging sessions. The Mini E does has a lower EPA range than the e-Golf, but I bet if you put the Mini E into an Eco mode, you will get almost the same range. I do not know if the Mini E lets you choose % SoC maximum, but since the pack is liquid cooled, there is less to worry about. Still, if you don't need 100% SoC daily, I would recommend you charge to 80% SoC or less routinely and 100% only when you need it for a long journey. Best of luck deciding. I think they are both good choices, each with some trade offs, but I would say the e-Golf is more versatile.

 

[Spektre]

I don't believe the eGolf was ever sold new in GA. They have only been available in 'CARB' states, and GA is not one of those states to have adopted 'CARB' standards.

As far as your local stealership being able to maintain the eGolf, you should make some calls. Here in AZ, they only recently have trained a technician at my local VW dealer. As the id.x cars start to show up I imagine that will change, but if you aren't seeing a lot of eGolfs running about they have little incentive yet.

The good news is that the eGolf requires very little maintenance that you can't handle yourself or take to an independent. If you can score one of the good deals you mentioned, I would jump on it. I love my eGolf still, and will continue to drive it until the wheels fall off.

 

[miimura]

If the e-Golf was sold in Georgia, it was probably back when the State had a $5,000 EV rebate. That didn't last long. They replaced it with a huge registration tax to make up for the lost gas tax revenue. Brilliant. :roll:

 

[ZeroMoon17]

I don't believe the E-Golf was ever sold in GA. You'll see quite a few of them in the ATL area though, lots of former CA cars that made their way out here. The dealerships in the Atlanta area all have certified service shops, so you won't need to worry about routine maintenance. I've taken mine to both Jim Ellis in Kennesaw and Stone Mountain VW and had good experiences with both service departments.

I know a guy in Athens who recently bought a 2019 from a dealership in MD and had it shipped down here no problems. I have a 40 mile RT commute and my 2016 handles it like a champ. Of course I also have the luxury of charging at work, but it'd be fine even without that boost.