As recently as last October I planned on keeping my roadster until it died.

Unfortunately I am now parting with the one car I have enjoyed the most.

I love the car; just at this point in my life I have hard choices to make, especially if I want to enjoy retirement. "X" funds, "Y" expenses; and I am at the age where we are running out of time

I decided not to sell the car myself and instead have opted to use a consignment service. They have the car now, and once new tires are installed it will be put on the market.

The wife and have I enjoyed the last 3 years of top down driving; especially the long drive up to Sonoma and Napa Valley.

About a year ago we began a 3-year lease on the electric Fiat 500e. The 500e will become my commuter car, and my wife's Audi will be for long trips.

I hope to be in a MINI again, but after driving the Fiat 500 EV it won't be until after they have an electric version.

Here's hoping that SuperLegerra electric roadster becomes a reality.

 

or more info as to why we are selling the roadster

tl;dr
In SoCal a homeowner can add an electric Fiat 500e to his garage and end up paying less each month than if he didn't have the car. Yes that's a car for free. As always YMMV.


In February 2016 my daughter and I went looking for a car for her to drive until she started graduate school. The plan was as the had a full time job she would pay for the car herself.

The problem was that there weren't any cars she could afford that the wife and I would feel comfortable with her driving all over SoCal.

Then I remembered a co-worker bragging about the great deal he got on a Fiat 500e.

After a little research the wife and I decided to get the Fiat and let my daughter drive my wife's Audi.

So after $2200 down at signing, and $75 per month in a lease payment (30k miles allowed) we had a 3rd car. (it was actually $4700 at signing, but the state gives you $2500 back)

btw, the deal is even better now, OCFiat.com is advertising a $0 down lease for 3 years at $59 per month.
OCFiat.com


We then discovered the real benefits of an electric vehicle.

First, YMMV. California has strict emission laws and the 500e is a compliance car sold purely for this reason. All the other FCA car buyers have subsidized my purchase. Also SoCal has a decent amount of public charging stations; ranging from practically free to the same cost as gasoline.

Second, if you don't own your own home, or have access to charging where you live, then look elsewhere.

Third, we are talking about a second car here. Until the long range EVs are on the market you will need an ICE car.

The first thing any EV owner needs is a home charging station. Ours cost $450 and another $400 to install. This will fully charge the 500e in 4 hours, vs 16 on a normal outlet. I didn't include this in the calculations below because my wife's future Tesla Model 3 will also use it.

In SoCal installing a home charging station qualifies for special "EV Time of Use" (EVTOU) rates. This can save you money, more below.

Total monthly cost (excluding the money due at signing) of owning a 500e:
Lease, including tax - $75
Insurance - $75
Electricity - $30
Total monthly costs: $180

Total monthly savings:
Gas not bought - $125
Electricity savings from EVTOU program - over $100
Total monthly savings: $225+

So yes, that's a third car and we are spending less money each month than we were before.

What about maintenance?
Over the 3 year lease on the Fiat 500e our maintenance should be $0.00. Ok, we may have to buy some washer fluid; but seriously do we count that.

So if you live in California or any CARB/ZEV state, especially SoCal; it may be harder to justify NOT getting an EV.

 

Good luck! I looked but ultimately couldn't pull the trigger on a FIAT of any kind, especially an EV.

Might be a deal for us when my daughter gets her license.

 

There's a 500 Sport in our stable and they are fun cars as well - comparable to the Justa. The Abarth would be comparable to the Mini S.

 

That's where we're going in next year or two. EV makes a lot of sense. But I can't let the Roadster go.

 

Glad it works for you. We don't get that kind of deal in AZ I don't think (the electricity, etc). We probably don't spend $100/month for gas on our 2 cars either. Gonna keep driving the Coupe for awhile!

 

It would take quite some time for me to be convinced by FIAT, and I'm more than on the fence on EV cars... (Impact on your wallet is a big plus. Impact on pollution is a global nightmare waiting to happen). In the end I'm not that attracted to the fiat anyway

I would have liked the Superleggera instead

Yeah sad to see a mini roadster being dumped. But good luck with your new adventures

...And good luck with the retirement planning. I know how it feels to be squeezed by those decisions. My wife drives the roadster most of the time. I was planned to replace my other car but we got much to do on the house... so it'll have to wait a bit more. We just paid-off our mortgage but lost a source of income... It's hard to feel we're moving forward these days... other than when I'm being the Roadster that is

 

Hey Don, funny meeting you here... I bought your R59S! My wife and I love it... thanks for taking great care of it!

 

Someone picked up a nice Roadster... Congrats!

 

Fair Winds an Following Seas.

Mini is supposed to have an all electric in about 2 years. I will be getting a charging station in a few weeks for Ethel my Countryman PHEV that's on order. She only has 24 miles of range on battery only but that is a start.