Hi again, all! I test drove the 2014 yesterday, and while it was a nice car I didn't fall in love the way I hoped I might. I think part of it is that the interior wasn't super well-maintained, so that soured me a bit. Besides that, the motor made a weird noise at low speeds (like a jet powering up) and I found the handling just a bit less sharp than the i3 I tested later that day. I also wasn't thrilled with the infotainment screen and setup...seemed a bit dated compared to cars with Android Auto I've been testing. Still though, very nice car and I can see why people love it! The 2016 I've seen about 3 hours from me is fully loaded and I think MB certified, so it's probably in better shape and would come with a warranty. I likely won't make a special drive over to see it, but if there's another car or two in the area I want to test, then perhaps I would.
I loved the i3, by the way. Super peppy, nice infotainment (especially with the navigation/tech upgrade), sharp handling. That said, I'm currently leaning towards a Bolt. I didn't fall in love with that during my drive either, but despite not really needing the range (95% of my roundtrips are under 50 miles), I started sort of digging the idea of having it. I still lament the lack of adaptive cruise and even freaking power seats on that car though. But a fully loaded 2017 can be had for under $20k, and even a brand new 2019 is likely $32 or so with a further $3750 tax credit.
Not an easy decision...and in the end, I may even decide to wait and see what else comes out in the next year or two. My Altima continues trudging along at 175k miles. The weird noise persists, but I have a feeling it can go forever, lol! Thanks again, all. Feel free to chime in more if the spirit moves you!
