What car did you give up to get your eGolf?

[renzo]

Hello,

I'm looking to downsize from my BMW 335d to an e-Golf. My daily commutes are 13 miles round trip (all street) and for longer commutes, we have a Toyota Highlander. I'm looking to save on gas, insurance and maintenance and feel like the e-Golf would be a great choice considering they're going pretty cheap on the used market. If I were to get an e-Golf, I hope to keep it for at least 3-5 years and save up for something else later on.

I've test driven one already and really like it but want to hear from the owners before I make my decision. Has anyone owned one long enough to feel a substantial decrease in battery performance?

What car did you use to have before your eGolf and are there any regrets?

Has the limited range ever been a real inconvenience for you?

 

[Spektre]

High Mileage thread recently started: http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1759

 

[renzo]

High Mileage thread recently started: http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1759

Thanks. Do you think you'll be able to keep your eGolf till the wheels come off?
What did you drive before?

 

[2016golfse]

What car did you use to have before your eGolf and are there any regrets?

Before my 2016 E-Golf, I had a Prius Plug In (just not enough electric range). The only regret is the lack of flexibility due to the limited range of the E-Golf, but this regret happens only 1% of the time when my minivan is already in use, and I have to go someplace far. Now that I have a 2019 E-Golf with longer range, this regret happens 0.1% of the time.

 

[Spektre]

High Mileage thread recently started: http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1759

Thanks. Do you think you'll be able to keep your eGolf till the wheels come off?
What did you drive before?

LOL, hopefully the wheels don't fall off! My plan is to keep it at least another two years. I'd really like to get the ID 'Neo' or whatever the next iteration of the golf on the MEB platform is. I absolutely love my eGolf, but for the few things I pointed out in the other thread.

I'm kind of a 'high-turnover' car guy. Between my wife and I over the last ~30 years the eGolf is car number 29. Last couple cars we've owned:
- 2019 BMW i3 120ah <- 2016 Audi A3 <- 2012 Lexus RX350 <- 2011 Mini Countryman S ALL4 <- 2009 Mini Clubman...
- 2015 VW eGolf SEL <- 2014 Lexus Ct200H <- 2012 GTI <- 2010 GTI <- 2007 Honda Civic...
- 2017 Chrysler Pacifica

Just got the i3 for my wife at the end of February for $15K off MSRP(not including the Fed Tax rebate!). I like it, but I still like driving the eGolf better.

 

[JoulesThief]

I kept my Touareg TDI and my Passat TDI SEL. Bought the e-Golf for driving around the city. Price was good, and I couldn't fit comfortably at my height into a Nissan Leaf. Didn't even know at the time VW had an electric car, until I was down at a VW dealership and when the salesman came out, I mentioned that I'd been looking at a Nissan Leaf, and I didn't quite fit into it, but I fit just fine into my other VW's. That's when he told me VW makes an electric Golf, did I want to look at one. At 6' 5", I fit comfortably into it, and took a test drive. From there, the hunt was on to find exactly what I wanted, white exterior with camel tan interior.

I've owned my 2015 SEL since Oct of 2015. About 21k miles on it. I drive it quite conservatively. When new, the GOM, same route I drive today, as then, would show 129 miles of range. Now, I see 115 miles of range indicated on the GOM. It has sat pretty constant, range wise, if temp is the same for the past 16 to 19 months. Range is holding steady. I drive about 6000 miles /year on it, almost all on surface streets.

If you drive it on BLVDs in stop and go, that's what it does best. At 3 years of age, it's not a CA HOV sticker vehicle any more, so if that's what you are looking for, you'll need a newer BEV with a current sticker in CA for fulfill that mission.

My drive consists of 26 miles round trip, most days each week, weekdays, and weekends. I make 4 trips, no diversions, easy, between recharges, if necessary, but usually only take 3, between recharging in the garage.

It fits my needs perfectly for driving around the SFV of Los Angeles, but I try to keep it off the freeway, or if I do go on the freeway, I don't want to lose the range per charge, and I drive 55 mph behind some big slow bus or truck if I can find one to get in front of me.

I am not worried at all about degradation of my battery, it's holding rock steady now, miles of range per recharge. I see it decreasing slowly, VW doesn't want to eat batteries on warranty repairs.

Would a nice new 2019 SEL be nice to have? Sure, but there is no fricken way, Volkswagen, that it's a $40,000 car. Not with 125 miles of range, not with what else is available out there. VW would have to discount it so deeply for me to even be interested, it's not even funny.

13 mile trips, round trip, would be perfect for the e-Golf you are looking for. If that is 90 to 95% of what you plan to use it for, mileage wise, I don't think that battery degradation in 3 years would be any concern to you. Just be sure that you drive it as soon as possible, once it reaches full charge, your 6.5 miles one way.

Much better for the battery to not sit with a top charge for very long. Try to time it so your recharge is full 15 to 30 minutes before you are ready to leave for work in the morning, and that will help a little bit with battery life, you'll use probably a Kw or a bit more off the top, of the battery on the drive in the morning. They don't like sitting with a full charge, use some of the top charge ASAP, once fully charged up.

 

[msvphoto]

We actually gave up our 2001 Ford F-150 to get the e-Golf, but not exactly directly. I too am a "car guy" who has owned somewhere around 50+ cars and trucks since the late 1970s. For the past 25, or so, years the fleet has been generally older. We would buy at around 100k miles and I would do pretty much all needed maintenance and repairs myself. Since the late 1980s mostly Audis (over a dozen now and counting) a few Volvos, and some pickup trucks (Fords being the good ones and a couple of Toyotas that were not so good). My wife was in a car accident in late 2016 in her 2001 Volvo S40 which was totaled. She was injured to the point where she had to close her gardening business and we no longer could sail a Hobie 18 together so the F-150 mostly sat. We replaced her Volvo with a 2000 BMW 540iT (station wagon) for her daily. We also had a 2001 Audi allroad at the time. In 2017 we decided to sell the allroad and the F-150. The plan was to buy her something smaller and more economical to drive around town than the thirsty BMW which is best suited for long road trips. The thought of an EV was enticing. We had first seen an e-Golf back in 2015 at an Earth Day event here in Santa Cruz and were impressed with what we saw, except for the price. She started seeing Fiat EVs and we noticed a Smart EV at a friend's dealership (where we bought the BMW wagon). He let us take it out for a ride, which was very fun, but it was too small. Once the truck and allroad were sold and we had some cash in hand we headed off to Capital VW for the "black Friday sale" where we planned to drive a Volt, e-Golf, and Fiat EV (they had them all in stock at the time). We were pretty sure we were going to go for the Volt. We had ruled out the i3 because I can not stand the way they look (and I love BMWs). We drove an e-Golf first. Immediately fell hard for it. Drove the Volt next, major disappointment (which was good, I really don't like GM anyway). Tried to drive the Fiat but once we crammed ourselves into the thing (the Smart actually had more room for driver and front seat passenger) we didn't even both driving it. So, we bought the 2015 Pacific Blue SEL and drove it home. Probably coulda shoulda done more homework. It was an impulse buy because we really had not planned to buy a car that day, but we did and we are not only not sorry, this car has been the most wonderful car for us.

We bought at around 31k miles in 11/2017 and are at ~45k miles now. We see between 80-100+ miles on the GOM at full charge, depending on temperature. We drive it like a normal car, but in congested Santa Cruz that means mostly slow speeds. We switched our PG&E rate plan to EV-A and shifted high energy use items like laundry and dishwasher to the offpeak hours as much as possible. The end result was a barely noticeable increase in our electric bill (it was high already, we have three millennial children living at home). Cost per mile is insanely low. The car has been simply wonderful and we plan to keep it as long as we can.

No regrets whatsoever.

Range is not an issue for us. Our e-Golf accounts for around 80-90% of all miles driven by our little fleet. I have my wife drive me to work a few times a week to save on gas and it is pretty much the only car we use on weekends unless going out of town in which case we use the BMW as our range extender. Biggest problem now is finding enough time and reasons to drive the three ICE cars we still own to keep them from stagnating.

My first VW (unless a Porsche 914 counts). Love it so much I would consider a GTI, new Jetta GLI, or Golf R as well. The interior space in the mk7 Golf is pretty amazing. Does not feel like a small car at all to me. We just love it.

One word of caution, get your insurance quotes ahead of time. I was a little sticker shocked, but it isn't that much more than the BMW which is almost 20 years old and we're not used to owning "new" cars.

Can't say enough about how well we were treated at Capital VW also.

Corrected miles on e-Golf from 145 to 45 due to fat fingers :?

 

[renzo]

Biggest problem now is finding enough time and reasons to drive the three ICE cars we still own to keep them from stagnating.

I'm in a similar situation. I love the 335d. I can get over 500 miles from a full tank and the torque from the diesel engine is addictively fun. However, I rarely do long road trips and when we do we usually take my wife's Highlander because of the size. The 335d was built for Autobahn type of commuting, not short range, high traffic situations which is the majority of my drives. I'd love to keep it but I'm looking to minimalize and cut down on my everyday costs.

We bought at around 31k miles in 11/2017 and are at ~145k miles now.

That's great! How much would you say (approximately) were your annual maintenance costs?

 

[manybees]

What car did you use to have before your eGolf and are there any regrets?

Got rid of a manual transmission 2007 Subaru Outback with 150k on it and a dying clutch and a leaking head gasket.

Absolutely zero regrets at going all-electric. The Golf is a real dream to drive compared to the other BEVs we seriously considered (Bolt and Leaf). Fit and finish are top notch, and every time we get in it, it feels like we're driving the future. I'll never buy another ICE car again, that's for sure

Has the limited range ever been a real inconvenience for you?

Nope. The 2018 we bought has the 125 mile range. The SEL trim w/DAP that we bought includes the heat pump, so through the New England winter we saw a range fall-off on the Guess-o-meter of about 10-20% when the temps were down into the low teens Fahrenheit. Single digit temps (Fahrenheit) and below we saw a range drop off of about a third, as the heat pump was no longer effective at these low temps. Now that the weather is warmer, we are seeing 140-160 miles on the GOM with 100% charge. I'd say the 125 mile EPA rating will be pretty accurate overall as an all-season average, though. We are driving maybe ⅔ local roads and ⅓ freeways.

We bought the e-Golf as a car for local trips around the Boston area, with maybe some longer distance trips like down to Cape Cod (100-200 miles), and we kept our 2016 Outback for even longer trips and for major winter storm conditions (we live in the country). So far it has worked out great — we are actually hardly using the Subaru anymore because we just want to take the Golf everywhere, even if that means getting to a destination later on a longer distance trip because we have to charge. It's just a blast to drive and very addicting — almost like learning to drive all over again but this time with this magical silent car with instant torque. Every time I get in the Outback, it feels like I'm driving a big noisy brick with wheels (although if anyone builds an all-electric Outback clone with 250-300 miles of range for under $35k, I'll be first in line.)

 

[msvphoto]

That's great! How much would you say (approximately) were your annual maintenance costs?

Almost nothing.

3 wiper blades (~$35)
1 Bottle Wiper Fluid (2 bux?)
1 missing rear wiper trim (~$10 on eBay)

Bought an almost new 32 amp (HCS-40) Clipper Creek EVSE for $300 off Craigslist (Bolt owner wanted higher amperage) and installed using a former electric range circuit that was abandoned in favor of gas during a kitchen remodel years ago. Added a 40a breaker sub-panel in the garage for the EVSE circuit.

Car had the 30k service at the dealership before we bought it.

According to maintenance recommendations the car was supposed to have another service at 40k miles, but the car sends "health reports" via email and says no service required until around 51k miles (or a whole bunch of months) so it has not been in for service since we owned it except once right after we bought it to have a module replaced so it would be compatible with Clipper Creek EVSE and delayed charging (a known issue with 2015s). That visit was covered under warranty.

We will need to buy tires soon, $400-500 range. Rears are original Contis I am still waiting to get down to wear bars (soon) and the fronts are Fuzions the original owner may have put on prior to lease turn in, or were dealer installed prior to sale. We'll do all four once the Contis are done.

Brake fluid flush is due pretty much now. VW dealers want $140-150 for this. Even though I vowed this would be the one car I don't have to work on when we bought it, I may do the brake fluid flush myself since I have a pressure bleeder and QuickJack and the fluid cost is minimal. The job is mostly labor. I might still have the dealer do it when it goes in for 50k service, depends on ambition.

 

[Spektre]

-snip-

We bought at around 31k miles in 11/2017 and are at ~145k miles now. We see between 80-100+ miles on the GOM at full charge, depending on temperature. We drive it like a normal car, but in congested Santa Cruz that means mostly slow speeds. We switched our PG&E rate plan to EV-A and shifted high energy use items like laundry and dishwasher to the offpeak hours as much as possible. The end result was a barely noticeable increase in our electric bill (it was high already, we have three millennial children living at home). Cost per mile is insanely low. The car has been simply wonderful and we plan to keep it as long as we can.

-snip-

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT! You bought in 11/17 @31K miles and now have 145K miles??? So you average 250 miles/day?

 

[JoulesThief]

-snip-

We bought at around 31k miles in 11/2017 and are at ~145k miles now. We see between 80-100+ miles on the GOM at full charge, depending on temperature. We drive it like a normal car, but in congested Santa Cruz that means mostly slow speeds. We switched our PG&E rate plan to EV-A and shifted high energy use items like laundry and dishwasher to the offpeak hours as much as possible. The end result was a barely noticeable increase in our electric bill (it was high already, we have three millennial children living at home). Cost per mile is insanely low. The car has been simply wonderful and we plan to keep it as long as we can.

-snip-

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT! You bought in 11/17 @31K miles and now have 145K miles??? So you average 250 miles/day?

About 45K miles, typo.

 

[miimura]

In 2015 we traded in our 2001 "New Passat" GLX Wagon for a 2015 e-Golf LE. We extended the lease for 6 months, but turned it in at the end of month 37 when we got our Tesla Model 3 LR. The e-Golf has been our only lease and the only car we've had for less than 5 years.

 

[RonDawg]

Has anyone owned one long enough to feel a substantial decrease in battery performance?

I have had my car since July 2015. I live in one of the warmer parts of LA, but not the warmest. I keep my car garaged at all times both at home and at work, so it’s rarely out in the sun unless actually being driven. I have just under 27k miles on it. I have not measured the battery degradation but it is a little bit, but nothing like the Leaf it replaced.

What car did you use to have before your eGolf and are there any regrets?

As mentioned above, I had a Leaf for 3 years. But that car took over daily driver duties for a 2006 Audi A3, which by that time was 7 years old and had over 100k miles. It was starting to become unreliable, and especially showed its age with oil consumption.

Leaving the daily grind to the Leaf (and later eGolf) improved the Audi’s reliability significantly, and oil consumption dropped. I think it’s because the car didn’t have to do any more stop and go driving, just long distances.

No regrets going EV. Just wondering what I will get for my third one (though I did buy out the lease on the eGolf).

Has the limited range ever been a real inconvenience for you?

When I had the Leaf, yes for two reasons:

1. No DCFC port (had to spend another $2k on the top trim level to get it back in 2012)
2. Slow 3.8 kW on-board charger for L2.

The eGolf addresses that with both a DCFC port and a nearly twice as fast 7.2 kW on board charger. Many times an hour or two on L2 (that is sufficiently fast) is enough to get me to my next destination, no need to spend the extra money on DCFC.

 

[msvphoto]

-snip-

We bought at around 31k miles in 11/2017 and are at ~145k miles now. We see between 80-100+ miles on the GOM at full charge, depending on temperature. We drive it like a normal car, but in congested Santa Cruz that means mostly slow speeds. We switched our PG&E rate plan to EV-A and shifted high energy use items like laundry and dishwasher to the offpeak hours as much as possible. The end result was a barely noticeable increase in our electric bill (it was high already, we have three millennial children living at home). Cost per mile is insanely low. The car has been simply wonderful and we plan to keep it as long as we can.

-snip-

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT! You bought in 11/17 @31K miles and now have 145K miles??? So you average 250 miles/day?

See? I am so used to buying cars at 100k miles plus I accidentally fat fingered an extra zero! Correction, ~45k miles.

 

[Spektre]

-snip-

We bought at around 31k miles in 11/2017 and are at ~145k miles now. We see between 80-100+ miles on the GOM at full charge, depending on temperature. We drive it like a normal car, but in congested Santa Cruz that means mostly slow speeds. We switched our PG&E rate plan to EV-A and shifted high energy use items like laundry and dishwasher to the offpeak hours as much as possible. The end result was a barely noticeable increase in our electric bill (it was high already, we have three millennial children living at home). Cost per mile is insanely low. The car has been simply wonderful and we plan to keep it as long as we can.

-snip-

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT! You bought in 11/17 @31K miles and now have 145K miles??? So you average 250 miles/day?

See? I am so used to buying cars at 100k miles plus I accidentally fat fingered an extra zero! Correction, ~45k miles.

LOL, yeah, I figured - just messing with you!

 

[Chris]

I traded in my 2004 VW Jetta wagon 1.8t m/t with 230,000 and the original clutch. In the last 1,000 miles or so I got a horrid grinding sound from the driver-ish side of the engine bay; nothing wrong with the brakes, so I assumed it was something in the transmission failing. Between that and the upcoming inspection (that it would fail because of a bad O2 sensor), I was happy to trade it in.

I asked the dealer to give me $750 for it. I hope the MKIV enthusiasts in the garage there picked it apart before the scrapper came. It had some nice stuff on it.

--Chris

edit: I can't believe I misspelled 'brakes'.

 

[Verbruggan]

We traded (VW spared us having to pay the boneyard) a '97 RAV4 w/ 230K. Twas a very nice vehicle to work on, alas I had to do some filler work last year to get another season out of it. Won't miss the flex exhaust pipe rotting out every 2 winters, but I will miss the AWD. All in all, that was a nice chassis which yota should make into an EV (that specific body design).

However we really like the e-Golf. We invested in a set of steel rims & studded Hakkapellita 9's for winter driving & we're aware of the range drop off in the colder months. However as it is a 2 mile commuter, we leave it plugged in (not charging) at home & use CarNet to start the heat off the house power for those 0-20'F mornings we are just starting to emerge from.

 

[miimura]

We traded (VW spared us having to pay the boneyard) a '97 RAV4 w/ 230K. Twas a very nice vehicle to work on, alas I had to do some filler work last year to get another season out of it. Won't miss the flex exhaust pipe rotting out every 2 winters, but I will miss the AWD. All in all, that was a nice chassis which yota should make into an EV (that specific body design).

However we really like the e-Golf. We invested in a set of steel rims & studded Hakkapellita 9's for winter driving & we're aware of the range drop off in the colder months. However as it is a 2 mile commuter, we leave it plugged in (not charging) at home & use CarNet to start the heat off the house power for those 0-20'F mornings we are just starting to emerge from.

The RAV4 was made into an EV from 1997-2003. That "1st Generation" version had NiMh batteries. There was extended support from a third party to maintain those batteries until 2017 or 2018. Now when people encounter troubles with the main battery pack, there is no support.

I have a "2nd Generation" RAV4 EV that has a Tesla battery pack and powertrain. They were produced for model years 2012-2014. Both generations are front wheel drive only.

 

[NellLondon]

I upsized from a VW Lupo because I’d switched to driving to work and the Lupo was a terrible car for a lengthy commute much of it on the motorway. Loving my e-Golf. No issues with range and I think seeing the m/kWh figure is making me drive a bit slower and better. I plan to do longer trips in the summer; I always stop for coffee on long motorway drives so I’m really not worried about the range.