Finally sold the Zap Xebra

[daniel]

Shortly after getting the Roadster, exactly a year ago, I sent the Zap Xebra off to an electric car dealership to sell for me on consignment. I didn't want to have to deal with it myself, and I reasoned that with the Leaf available, there wouldn't be much demand for the Xebra. Also, although it was a great car for me for 4 years, it has its limitations, and I was concerned about a direct sale to someone who might expect more of it than it can deliver.

It's turned out that there was very little demand indeed, but they finally found a buyer. I'm expecting a check in the mail any day now. The consignment dealer got paid and shipped the car, and just has to send me a check for my share after taking his commission.

The car gave me great service for four years, was fun to drive, allowed me to be driving electric years before I could have gotten any other EV, and never left me stranded. I upgraded to the Roadster to get more power and range. But the Xebra was not economical transportation when I divide the purchase price and cost of batteries (LiFePO4) by miles driven. If I had it to do over again, I'd do it exactly the same, except that I might choose a different battery configuration. It was worth it to me to be able to drive electric all those years. But it was an expensive toy.

I'll miss it, and the smiles and waves I got while driving it. The Roadster only gets noticed by sports-car enthusiasts, but everybody thought the Xebra was as cute as a button. I won't miss the serious lack of power. Thirty seconds to get from zero to 35 mph, its top speed on level ground. Much slower going up hills.

Goodbye, little car. You were fun and cute and reliable. You were quiet and never burned a drop of gas. I hope you like your new home. (It was bought by a movie company in Toronto that's going to use it in a film. Guess I'll have to buy a copy of the film when it comes out.)

[efusco]

Shortly after getting the Roadster, exactly a year ago, I sent the Zap Xebra off to an electric car dealership to sell for me on consignment. I didn't want to have to deal with it myself, and I reasoned that with the Leaf available, there wouldn't be much demand for the Xebra. Also, although it was a great car for me for 4 years, it has its limitations, and I was concerned about a direct sale to someone who might expect more of it than it can deliver.

It's turned out that there was very little demand indeed, but they finally found a buyer. I'm expecting a check in the mail any day now. The consignment dealer got paid and shipped the car, and just has to send me a check for my share after taking his commission.

The car gave me great service for four years, was fun to drive, allowed me to be driving electric years before I could have gotten any other EV, and never left me stranded. I upgraded to the Roadster to get more power and range. But the Xebra was not economical transportation when I divide the purchase price and cost of batteries (LiFePO4) by miles driven. If I had it to do over again, I'd do it exactly the same, except that I might choose a different battery configuration. It was worth it to me to be able to drive electric all those years. But it was an expensive toy.

I'll miss it, and the smiles and waves I got while driving it. The Roadster only gets noticed by sports-car enthusiasts, but everybody thought the Xebra was as cute as a button. I won't miss the serious lack of power. Thirty seconds to get from zero to 35 mph, its top speed on level ground. Much slower going up hills.

Goodbye, little car. You were fun and cute and reliable. You were quiet and never burned a drop of gas. I hope you like your new home. (It was bought by a movie company in Toronto that's going to use it in a film. Guess I'll have to buy a copy of the film when it comes out.)

Glad you were able to sell it, hope you got a fair price. Will you put the money toward the Porsche?

[vfx]

After all that writing of a new thread and no mention of price?

[daniel]

No mention of price because I don't like to think about it. The car still seems to work as good as new, but there's not much market value to it. The car cost me $16,881 originally. That included 7 big aftermarket AGM batteries which I ruined in six months by drawing them down too low. I put a few hundred into aftermarket suspension, because the OEM suspension was terrible. Then I spent $7,000 for the LiFePO4 battery pack, including installation. It was one of the earliest of the Chinese imports. I probably had $25,000 in it. I'm getting $4,700 after the dealer who sold it for me takes his commission. (Which he earned, because he had the car for about 3/4 of a year.)

Decisions about the Porsche will not be affected by the sale of the Xebra. Right now I'm waiting to see how much of the pack can be salvaged and what performance we can get from it, before deciding if I'll get a whole new pack for it.