I’ve always been pro-electric.
When Chevy first announced the Bolt in 2015, my roommate in grad school sent me an article outlining how the vehicle was the first real attempt by a major auto to compete with Tesla, and that GM was betting a lot of its future on the EV. I was stoked to see a glimpse of our electric future, but didn’t know at the time it would be my electric future.
Price has always been a sticking point on electrics, and I’m not what you’d call “price insensitive” on cars. Living in San Francisco makes the car more of a luxury item than a necessity, and I was raised on the idea that you should buy a reliable but affordable car and drive it into the ground over the course of 10 years. I figured it would be 3-5 years before I was willing to shell out for a $30k+ vehicle.
It started with a Reddit post.
While on vacation in San Diego, I learned that GM was trying to move the 2021 Bolts out of lots and that deals were dropping prices into $20k territory, making the Bolt downright affordable. Out of curiosity I searched dealerships near me and found deals in the $18k range for a brand new 2021 LT. I was sure it wasn’t real. Dealerships always advertise insane deals that only 5 people in the entire state qualify for just to get people in the door. I called, tried to figure out what the catch was. I finally caved and agreed to go in the next day to check it out.
One test drive later and a few incredulous quotes later and I was the proud owner of a brand new 2021 Bolt for $23k off the lot including all taxes and fees. As soon as the adrenaline wore off I realized I had a problems: my (now) old Honda Civic was still in San Diego and I now had two cars.
Whoops.
After some pleading and bribing of friends in the area, they agreed to watch the car until I could come back down and pick it up in a few months. Nice! One problem down.
Next: How to road trip the car back to San Francisco. Stay tuned!