Used RAV4 EVs in NY state

[dtomko]

Hi everyone,
I just signed up here. I am currently 5 years into leasing a Honda FIT EV, which I love, except for the drastic range drop in our cold northeast winters. Today I took our Prius to the local Toyota dealer (Middletown NY) for service and was stunned to see 3 RAV4 EVs for sale, from 27 to 37K miles, all at $20,987. Am I nuts to think this is an insanely good deal?

I am a knowledgeable EV driver and I have been reading the threads here so am aware of the technical issues that have come up with the RAV4. Obviously I am concerned about service and warranty here on the east coast and will certainly ask a lot of questions of the dealer. My preference would be to lease.

Does anyone know why they would ship 3 back east?

I would appreciate any advice you could give me.

Much obliged,
Drew

 

[dstjohn99]

The price seems higher than what I have hear. I would expect $15 - $18k. I'm sure the sales staff will tell you that there will not be any issues for service or warranty, but it is possible you will find out otherwise later. Does the price include a Toyota used car warranty? If so then it might be worthwhile otherwise I would look around and compare prices. Jimbo69 will likely comment about service in your area, I believe he is or was in the NY area.

 

[miimura]

For that price, I would definitely have them include the 5 year 60,000 mile Toyota Used Car Platinum Service Agreement.

 

[jimbo69ny]

Yup, Im still here. I live in Ithaca. There is another one in Webster.

We both shipped ours from California new from dealers. Shipping cost around $1500. You can buy used ones out west for around $16k right now. I would recommend doing that then shipping it here. I am considering doing the same so I can get my wife one too. Maybe we could get a deal on shipping if we are sending 2 cars.

 

[dtomko]

Thanks for the info! Well, it looks like one sold; they appear to be down to 2 now. My Fit EV lease runs until July so I'm not in a rush. I'm going to go to the dealer this weekend and get more details. I'll see how firm they are on the price.

Drew

 

[dtomko]

One other question: what's the lowest winter range you've seen? My commute is 35 miles and there are two level 2 chargers there. We see temps in the 20s regularly and it occasionally goes to single digits.

Drew

 

[jimbo69ny]

One other question: what's the lowest winter range you've seen? My commute is 35 miles and there are two level 2 chargers there. We see temps in the 20s regularly and it occasionally goes to single digits.

Drew

I haven’t really pushed it before. I usually plug in every night so I don’t really track it. I am guessing that I get between 50-60 miles when it is below 30 degrees.

 

[Alberta_Rav]

One other question: what's the lowest winter range you've seen? My commute is 35 miles and there are two level 2 chargers there. We see temps in the 20s regularly and it occasionally goes to single digits.

Drew

Hi Drew,

On the cold weather question... I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, so my poor RAV4 EV drives in some of the coldest weather around. I am sure it misses warm California but a few weeks back I was driving at (-32C /-22F) and it really worked well. The heater and seat warmers are better than my Model S but the RAV does use lots of energy. At such cold temperatures you can safely go 80 Km or 50 Miles on the highway with a little range to spare. So to answer your question, you can totally drive the 35 miles to work but you will need to charge for two or three hours at your work on a 30 Amp or higher level 2 charger in very cold weather. Most days of the year you will be totally fine doing the trip without a top up. Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[dtomko]

Thanks, it sounds like the cold would not that big an issue for me.
Well, I went to the dealer today. I drove one of them, but it was so low in charge that it was in turtle mode. It is a beautiful vehicle.
The salesman told me the dealer got 5 of them; they are using 2, and they sold one this week, so 2 left for sale. Toyota offered to ship the 5 free from CA, so the dealer took them. Salesman was clueless about warranties and told me that $20,987 was not negotiable. They seem content to wait since they know no other dealers anywhere near here will get any. They do have an EV trained tech.
So I'm not in a rush since I have the Fit EV until July. If the price comes down, I might be interested.
Drew

 

[mikegerard]

Thanks, it sounds like the cold would not that big an issue for me.
Well, I went to the dealer today. I drove one of them, but it was so low in charge that it was in turtle mode. It is a beautiful vehicle.
The salesman told me the dealer got 5 of them; they are using 2, and they sold one this week, so 2 left for sale. Toyota offered to ship the 5 free from CA, so the dealer took them. Salesman was clueless about warranties and told me that $20,987 was not negotiable. They seem content to wait since they know no other dealers anywhere near here will get any. They do have an EV trained tech.
So I'm not in a rush since I have the Fit EV until July. If the price comes down, I might be interested.
Drew

That sounds way too expensive. You could buy one and have it shipped to you for much less.

The lowest range levels I have personally seen on the GOM (Guess o meter) with the heat on have been about 50 miles. I'm in Webster Ny so we are probably the same or colder than you on average. I will also say that I have always beaten the GOM range by at least 10% and sometimes as much as a factor of 2. Last week I did a 40 mile round trip at 30 degrees and averaged 3 miles/kwh....which means I could go about 100 miles without going into extended mode.

The Rav4EV is a unique car. You'll be part of a 2600 car beta test. For me personally, using it is about being the change I hope to see in the world instead of just putting some stupid sticker on my gas car that means nothing.

 

[dtomko]

Salesman called me today and the Toyota Platinum warranties they sell range from 1yr/12,000 miles for $1625 to 5 years/60,000 miles for $2025. Considering they won't come down in price this is definitely a no go.

Mike, thanks for the cold weather info. I don't have a heated garage, so I know that's also a factor.

I was impressed by it in person, so I'll do some thinking about shipping one. I've been part of the 1100 FitEV beta test for the past 5 years and have loved the car. I also enjoy talking EVs up to people who stop to chat when I charge.

Drew

 

[jimbo69ny]

Thanks, it sounds like the cold would not that big an issue for me.
Well, I went to the dealer today. I drove one of them, but it was so low in charge that it was in turtle mode. It is a beautiful vehicle.
The salesman told me the dealer got 5 of them; they are using 2, and they sold one this week, so 2 left for sale. Toyota offered to ship the 5 free from CA, so the dealer took them. Salesman was clueless about warranties and told me that $20,987 was not negotiable. They seem content to wait since they know no other dealers anywhere near here will get any. They do have an EV trained tech.
So I'm not in a rush since I have the Fit EV until July. If the price comes down, I might be interested.
Drew

That sounds way too expensive. You could buy one and have it shipped to you for much less.

The lowest range levels I have personally seen on the GOM (Guess o meter) with the heat on have been about 50 miles. I'm in Webster Ny so we are probably the same or colder than you on average. I will also say that I have always beaten the GOM range by at least 10% and sometimes as much as a factor of 2. Last week I did a 40 mile round trip at 30 degrees and averaged 3 miles/kwh....which means I could go about 100 miles without going into extended mode.

The Rav4EV is a unique car. You'll be part of a 2600 car beta test. For me personally, using it is about being the change I hope to see in the world instead of just putting some stupid sticker on my gas car that means nothing.

Hey Mike! Drew, listen to mike. He has had his Rav since 2012. I called him back in 2014 when I was considering buying one. He kindly answered all of my questions and calmed my worries.

Drew, Id purchase the longest warranty that they offer you. There are a lot of rare and expensive parts on this vehicle. You end up ahead after one repair. Also keep in mind that because these parts are hard to get, if you decided to try to pay for it out of pocket you might have difficulty finding the part yourself. I bought a 7/125k. I wish I bought a longer one.

I really like the Fitev. Its too bad they wouldnt let you buy it. I wish our Rav was as efficient as that small car.

 

[dtomko]

I am glad I can tap into all the knowledge here; I really appreciate the responses.

The price at the dealer is too high right now so I'll see if they come down. The costs for warranties seem to vary greatly by dealer I see.

The Fit EV is really efficient. In my first three years I was regularly seeing 5.5 to 6 m/kWh on my commute; my record was 6.6. I have two good size elevations to go over and about 20 highway miles out of 35. My GOM readings were 100 - 120. Plus the lease deal was ridiculous: no money down, $199/ month, dropped to $149 for years 4-5. Free at home level 2 charger, free maintenance (which was rotating tires), and they cover collision insurance.
We also got a free set of tires in year 4, but these were not as range friendly as the originals, which went OOP, so there was a drop. Some have been offered a 6th year, but not everyone for some reason. Haven't heard about mine yet.

It's a shame Honda isn't serious about EVs because they made a great one. The only issue was cold weather range. I'm not impressed with the Clarity: pathetic range, worse than the Fit.
Honda claims that Fit drivers wanted more comfort and room, which none of us complained about. A number of people said something about range, though.

Drew

 

[miimura]

The price they're asking is not that bad for the low mileage that they have. Provided of course that they included the 5 year 60,000 mile Platinum Used Car Warranty in the price. That way you don't negotiate on the price of the warranty itself and they technically still get their asking price. If they don't go for that, then the only practical thing to do is to buy one from California, also with warranty, and ship it.

 

[shadowinstallz]

hey, i went a few months ago when that Toyota dealer got them in, they kept telling me the vehicles werent up for purchase. I was able to see one back in November i believe but they wouldnt move on the price. I ended up buying from Cali and having one shipped much much less. Im in NYC and have jdemo installed really as backup only used it once on a test at the woodbury charger. let me know if you have any questions.