New Cars Too Pricey for Many

[Merlin]

The most reliable car makers make diesel not junk gas engines.

What does that have to say about electric vehicles?

We currently drive a Lexus hybrid as our main family vehicle, and while I normally focus on the high-end performance car market for my personal vehicle, I just sold my last car and instead of a sports car I'm leaning towards of getting an electric or PHEV vehicle this time around. I was originally thinking Tesla, but I'm not sure I'm ready for 100% electric yet. I'm currently considering a PHEV like the Chevy Volt. Not planning to make a decision for a few months yet though.

Price wise, none of these options are exactly inexpensive though. Even with the federal rebate for the electrics and PHEV's, it's hard to find a decent car for under $30K.

Also, like dfrecore, leather is a requirement for us as well, for many of the same reasons.

The Prius has been amazingly reliable. Tesla has a lot of kinks to work out. They're below average in reliability. If I'm going to spend more than $40k or $50k on a vehicle, it better be one of the most reliable around. Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, and Land Rover are notorious for being in and out of the shop.

Having owned a few Jaguars, I can say that is true for the older vehicles, but after their latest change in management (like a decade ago), its like a brand new company. My last car was a Jaguar F-Type R AWD, which I only ever had in the shop for annual maintenance. It was extremely reliable... not to mention quick.

I like the Prius but I'm not really interested in another hybrid. The Prime, their PHEV, isn't quite ready for prime time yet. Yes, it gets great gas mileage but has a terrible electric-only range since it is really just a hybrid with a bigger battery, unlike the Volt which is built as an all-electric vehicle with a gas-powered generator for extra range if needed (like the BMW i3 REx).

As for Tesla, I agree. They're nice and quick, but can be problematic, and its hard to get them serviced since they're a niche manufacturer. Though given I'm in the SF/Silicon Valley area, I'm local to their service center so that isn't as big of a deal. They're also quite expensive, so between the cost and the potential reliability issues, that is another reason I'm leaning towards the Volt, since even the high-end model can be had for just over $30K after rebates and discounts. Plus, the Volt has double the range of the Tesla if you include the generator (which gets ~45 mpg in hybrid mode). Plus with the gas generator, you can still drive it if you don't have time to plug it into a fast charger and go grab a meal (or a movie).