Why Are Elio Owners In Interested In Elio?

[NSTG8R]

The unique look of the Elio is what caught my eye (I like "odd-ball" cars as my wife would say...I own Porsche 914's and drive a Subaru SVX). The "American Made" and price was intriguing, but the 84mpg was the sign I needed. It's exactly the round-trip distance to work. I've got between 5 - 8 years before I retire (depending on how the market does), and with 25k plus miles per year minimum I'm going to cut my gas bill by 75% over what I'm driving now. I'm going to drive the wheels off the first one, buy another for the work commute, and hot-rod the original one for fun!!

 

[JEBar]

our reasons are much the same as those mentioned by others .... former biker who for physical issues can't ride any longer, gas mileage, unique looks, initial cost, safety features, American made, all play a part .... for us, the right vehicle at the right time at the right cost .... we will use it as an "and car" for running around town and for taking fun, day trips .... we may well take it with us when traveling in our RV, doing so will drastically cut our fuel cost .... we are considering it to be a vehicle we will keep and use for many years

 

[PJ]

Next best thing to flying and being a rock star.

 

[Charlie G]

I commute 80 miles a day in a 30mpg car.
I used to have a motorcycle, but I didn't ride it much as the weather can differ quite a bit between where I live and work - planning that was irritating. I miss having a 'toy' vehicle, but it really has to be somewhat practical.
The Elio to me is a toy that I can rationalize as being basically free when considering the fuel savings.

 

['lio]

The low purchase price and cost of ownership are very appealing and the Elio seems like the perfect and-car.

Not AND as in owning another car, as I haven't had a car in quite a few years. I live in an urban area and I daily use public transport, taxis, bicycles and yes: very often car sharing, which all serve my needs very well and efficiently (also much less time consuming than having my own car). I miss having a car (or motorcycle) for road trips though, and the idea of owning an Elio with a much smaller environmental footprint as compared to conventional cars, appeals much. While I also like motorcycles, for winter use and parking reasons in a big city, motorcycles are not really something that is practical for me right now.

So in essence: the Elio would be a perfect and-car in addition to all the other options I have and use daily.

 

[Jeff Porter]

I work for a company called FilmBreak, and my team and I have a meeting with Paul next week to discuss ways in which we can accelerate their pre-sales campaign. We'd love to hear your insights on why Elio Owners are interested in Elio. If anyone starts a conversation me, I'd love to ask you a few questions to help us better understand. Thanks!

Hi Christian! Welcome to the forum, and I wanted to say "thanks" for being willing to look for ways to help with the pre-sales campaign.

For me, it is a combination of the following, in no particular order:

• tired of high gas prices (not-so-long ago, in my area of the country, $3.50/gallon; not-so-long from now, thanks to high-profit oil companies, we will be there again);
• electric vehicles are appealing, but until there are charging stations every 30 miles and it only takes 10 minutes to charge a vehicle, it's not an option for me since I live in a rural area;
• I enjoy cheering for the underdog, and a new vehicle company certainly is that;
• a vehicle that is slightly different appeals to me;
• this certainly is an "and" car for me; I would use it as much as I can, such as commuting to work, running errands, going for a day trip with my wife, and any shopping for small items;
• the low cost is also attractive; it's extremely frustrating that car makers have us consumers believing that $20k is "not that much" to pay for a new car; car commercials for the most part show a lease monthly payment, since that is the lowest paying option, but a lease doesn't apply to 80% of buyers;
• also the commercial will show a vehicle with a base price of $23,999, and the fine print that appears for 3 seconds says the vehicle shown goes for $36,280; this demonstrates the broken options system that car makers give; Elio will allow you to choose one, two, four, or your choice of options, so you don't have to pay for things that you don't want;

 

[Jeff Porter]

Thanks for your input. Would you consider yourself to be a high mileage driver?

I do, have put on my current vehicle around 15,000 miles per year for the last 5 years.

 

[W. WIllie]

IIRR, 15K yearly is deemed "normal" for Insurance companies, KellyBlueBook, and dealers......when computing trade in value.

I've averaged 25K yearly in my G1 for the past 14 years. It was a lot more the first 10 years of ownership/retirement.
Now old age (mine) is taking over.

Willie

 

[Thomas Maule]

For me personally, I don't have a lot of expendable income, and am driving a 17 year old truck that eats gas and will need replacing soon. The Elio is just too good of a deal to pass up. I get ultra fuel efficiency in a new vehicle for the price of a used car... And the Elio is cheap enough that keeping 2 vehicles is a real option instead of a fantasy...

 

[outsydthebox]

Thanks for your input. Would you consider yourself to be a high mileage driver?

Around 30K per year. I have never paid for a new vehicle. I either, buy with 100K miles, or wrecked and re-built with lower miles. And like several others here, I don't worry about resale value...by the time I am ready to sell a car, it is by the pound!