Thank you everyone ... just sitting down with the post for a brief moment ... it looks like there is some great info for us to bring to a car meeting.
Of immediate interest: how do you 'test' the charge miles, is ideal or range preferred, what is 'ideal' for both, and what amount would indicate a 'problem' we need to be aware of (again, early 1.5 with <4500 miles)?
Great input, thanks for all the sage perspectives ...
The problem with testing range miles is that after charging finishes the range drops for a couple hours as the battery settles, so the most relevant metric is easily gamed by a seller - just say that the range miles of 225 is after settling, when in fact it is before settling.
This is also somewhat of an issue in the ideal miles metric, but less so. To maximize ideal miles, charge at 110v instead of 220v, and look at the figure right after charging ends. In my 972 Roadster I get 187 ideal miles on a 110v charge, but it settles by about 3-4 miles. I get about 3-4 miles less at 220v.
And then you can really game the system by charging in range mode, which allows you to charge the battery to its full capacity, and then switch the screen to normal driving mode, and it will likely show ideal miles of more than 200 in "standard mode." This is because when one is in range mode it allows the battery to charge higher, and it assumes and forces more conservative driving. So a range mode range of 225 miles might drop to 200 just by toggling to standard mode since it removes the limitation on how much power you can use and is assumes more aggressive driving.
So how is one to test all of this?
The best method is to get the vehicle logs and run them through a parser and look at the CAC value. But that isn't very reasonable.
So I suggest having the owner charge the car in standard mode at either 110v or 220v, which would be disclosed to you, and then look at the range after the charge ends. If it is immediately after the charge ends, fine. You know you are looking at it prior to settling. If it has been a few hours, understand it is a post-settling figure. Then post here what you find and people will chime in. I'd say if it is over 180 at 220v after settling, that's great. Over 175 is fine. Less than that isn't so great for a car with so few miles.
But my much bigger suggestion is to look at a CPO. It will make whatever you are considering look like a bad decision. Battery warranty. Bumper to bumper warranty. Refurbished to basically new. That's worth $10K right there, easy. In my opinion third party is not a viable option until the CPOs are gone, and they are definitely not gone yet (in spite of the misinformation). So email
[email protected] and tell them what you seek.
That said, check out this car. Drive it. See if it is for you. The car isn't for everyone. But if it is priced at $40K or higher, and you like the driving experience, you should seriously consider the CPOs.