New Car buying experience

[Lynn]

I know this is primarily a muscle car site, but thought I would update my post from nearly three years ago when we bought Sherri a Hyundai Ioniq Plug in Hybrid.

I only learned of the Ioniq Plug in Hybrid a week or two before we found this one. As stated in my initial post, with the dealer discount (it was a left over 2019) and the two tax credits, one Fed and one State, our out the door price was effectively $17,000. Three year bumper to bumper warranty, and lifetime warranty (for the original purchaser) on the HV battery. Regardless of what you read about the new “lifetime” batteries, I seriously doubt they have a life expectancy beyond 10 - 12 years.

Because we have a relatively short commute (18 miles each way) the plug in hybrid is the ideal commuter car for us. Leaving it plugged in to a regular 15 amp 110 outlet over night (normally only needs about 4 hours to fully charge) then driving to work on that charge, we normally use zero gas. Then we plug in at the office, and 99% of the time, we are fully charged again before we head home. We have EASILY cut our overall gasoline usage 90% plus.

I still don’t know why the gubbment isn’t pushing THIS technology to make the transition to electric.

We drove it to MCACN in 2021. We NEVER plugged in after leaving home. We still averaged 51 mpg. Because the back seat folds down, it is more of a hatchback than a sedan with a trunk. It just doesn’t look like a hatchback. While at MCACN I picked up four ralley wheels and tires from Joe (highperf69) along with some other parts. When we pulled around to load the parts, Joe asked where we were going to put everything. Then I folded the seats down and there was more than ample room.

I change the oil and filter at 7500 mile intervals. I feel silly doing that. I told Sherri the other day that the gas engine probably doesn’t have the equivalent to 5000 miles on it yet, even though the odometer is closing in on 43,000. I replaced the air filter, just because the maintenance schedule says to. You can barely tell the air filter was used. The cabin filter was way dirtier than the engine air filter. Only other maintenance has been rotating the tires (2x). The brakes still don’t have any appreciable wear. I can see them going 200k. That’s because when you first touch the brake pedal, it doesn’t engage the brakes at all (it does in a panic stop, but not with normal stopping pressure). Instead, the inverter (or something... I probably have the terminology incorrect) slows the car down and converts that energy into a charge for the HV battery.

The only issue we have had (other than Sherri running over a truck tire tread on the interstate at 85 mph) was the charge cord. Whoever designed it obviously didn’t take into account that I would be using it outdoors in the sun all day every work day (at the office). No UV protection and it started breaking down pretty badly. Plus the three prong end gets plugged into two different outlets (one at work and one at home) that face opposite horizontal directions, so that back and forth bending made it start to separate. We stopped by the Hyundai dealer to check on my son’s 2015 Santa Fe (whole different story for another thread ... but also a good outcome) and I showed the cord to the service advisor. He got on the phone and ordered a new one for Hyundai ($1200 part) and it was replaced under warranty.

Sherri really likes this little car. As stated above, she had a run in with a tire tread on the interstate. It broke the air dam, the lower bumper cover, the belly pan and knocked off the petcock drain on the plastic radiator tank. That was the last week of September. My body shop of choice could not get us in until December 3. I cleaned up the plastic on the radiator, and epoxied a small plate where the petcock had been so we could drive it in the interim. During the week she was without her Ionic, she had to drive either the Mercedes or my old BMW. She really missed her car. I am shocked at how tight and taut it is and how well it handles. She has had two BMW MRoadsters, so she knows what a good handling car feels like.

Not much to bitch about here. I will definitely keep this car long enough to get a new HV battery under the warranty. Will probably end up as my granddaughter’s first car. She turned 3 in September.