She's Gone (hall & oates)

[JeffRay]

Hey all,

After 6 years, no more B250e for Jeff Ray. Turned it in and now EV-less for a spell. It has been a fun run, albeit only 18K in total over six years. With covid and now Medicare eligible, less driving so we intend to make do with our ICE cars.

Went shopping the day I returned my car and my current list is the GLC 350e PHEV, the Volvo XC40 R all EV, and the RAV4 Prime PHEV.

Out of habit, will log in and see if I can add to any discussion.

Take care everybody. Enjoy the ride.

 

[PatricioEV]

Happy Travels! I've looked at the XC40 (non- recharge) and found it to be VERY nice. I suspect the EV version will only make it better. Sad that to this day we still have so few choices.

 

[mddg]

@JeffRay, we live in parallel universes; I just returned my B250e lease too. After 6 mostly great years and 65K miles with two B class electrics, it was hard to give up this mostly awesome car. The residual value price for mine was a tempting deal, but, like you, I'm not driving much any more. The B250e price was too close to a new car price for cars with more than double the range and a new car warranty (Bolt, Leaf, Kona) and a slew of upcoming EVs (EQC, ID.4, XC40-Recharge, Tesla?). The B250e is a more premium car than the Bolt or Leaf, but the Kona is almost as good. I'll hold out for a while on a new car and see.

Unfortunately, like too many others here, I had to have the drive unit replaced at 20K miles on the 2017. It was replaced with a refurbished Tesla motor that was working well, but Mercedes doesn't warranty it for more than the regular 4yr/50K miles. The older RAV4-EV and the early Tesla S's all suffered the same drive unit issues with reports from those more widely sold cars at something like 50-60% failure rate. With a repair cost of $9-15K, that's a bit risky except with an amazing price. Of course, this car marked MB's first foray into electric. It was one of the rarest production cars in its history too. You never know, it might become a collectible antique in the future and a quaint reminder of human-driven cars that could still work on electricity and didn't need that long-gone fuel called gasoline.

Also I hated that Hall and Oates song.

 

[JeffRay]

I don't know why the song popped into my head but putting that aside, parallel universe indeed. Wow you put a lot of miles on yours. I only managed 18K in total so cost per mile was a little high.

In discussions with two dealers as my long time saleperson retired. Will either get a 2020 leftover cheap or just stick to the original plan to wait and see.

 

[FordAnglia]

Hey all,

After 6 years, no more B250e for Jeff Ray. Turned it in and now EV-less for a spell. It has been a fun run, albeit only 18K in total over six years. With covid and now Medicare eligible, less driving so we intend to make do with our ICE cars.

Out of habit, will log in and see if I can add to any discussion.

Take care everybody. Enjoy the ride.

JeffRay,

Sorry to see you and your beloved B250e part ways. Hope to see the occasional post from you here in the future.
My B250e has rolled very few miles since the Lockdown. I think I've only charged is three times in six months. Trying to keep 50+ miles available in case I need to drive it somewhere.

BTW, and apropos of nothing, September 18, 2020, was my last official day after almost ten years in the same company. They said "down-sizing - blah, blah, blah" So We'll see what the future holds for my career and job prospects, or just speed up my retirement plan (and get the h*ll out of California)

Not sure how the B250e will fit any of those options.

Peter,

 

[JeffRay]

Peter,

It seems like everything is going off the rails. I remain an optimist and say that you will find yourself in a better situation and that change can be good. Life after banking for me has been wonderful. Less stress, less travel, and more rewarding family wise.

When the kids finish high school, we can vamoose from NY state to someplace more temperate with a lower cost of living.

All the best everyone. Enjoy the ride.