• 0 Posts
  • 2 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
cake
Cake day: October 25th, 2023

help-circle
  • HCOL area and medium income for this area. Not a lot of money leftover for car payments but am 20+ years through our 30 year mortgage. Between my wife and I we try to have only one car payment at a time. That means 5 years payments for each and try to get 10 years out of a car. My 2013 Volt was on schedule for 10 year replacement in 2023, but in 2020 we decided to bump my wife’s 2018 Pacifica Hybrid to a 2020 so I was going to stretch an extra 2 years from my car. Instead it got totaled this January and I had to replace it. Fortunately it was January and I got a nice year-end bonus, so I took that combined with the insurance payout from my totaled Volt and had just enough to buy a used 2017 Volt, so no payments thankfully and we are pretty much back on schedule. Feels like I wasted my year-end bonus this year though.

    So… in 2025 I’ll be in the market for what’s out there, and based on the prices of things and what I can afford I’ll be happy to find whatever is under $40K and will need that $7500 tax credit plus our state’s $2500 rebate. Was really hoping the $30K Equinox EV would exist, I’m tired of squeezing into my Volt. I love it a lot, but I’m tall and it’s small. The Bolt fit my budget but not my person.


  • You have 5 years of roadside assistance. When that’s up you can always re-subscribe to AAA. The only thing I can think of would be flat tire assistance but I’m guessing you don’t have a spare, so you are calling for a tow pretty much no matter what. The reasons you may need roadside support are usually very different with an EV. If it’s leaving you stranded, it’s probably going to need a dealership visit anyway.

    One thing worth checking is to see if you can look at reviews to find general response times in your area. AAA almost always has partnership with several local/area tow companies, whereas OEM/manufacturers may not. AAA does get busy and sometimes has response times of a few hours, but usually they are the fastest option responding in under an hour. When we had to call Chrysler’s roadside assistance (AAA was my backup plan) they took a few hours because their contracted tow company was 50 miles away (and it was a busy night). AAA uses tow companies all over our area and would have responded much sooner.

    And… all of this being said, in our state if you break down on a highway, the state police is calling a tow for you through their contracted tow company and you can get reimbursed later by your roadside assistance program.