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Chevy Spark EV: 5x the Tesla Model S at 1/5 the Price?

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I had the opportunity to drive the 2014 Chevy Spark EV last month at a media event in Portland, Oregon. The drive route ran through the streets of the city, onto the highway, and out into the suburbs. This provided the Spark EV with an ideal setting for its virtues to shine.

It can be a trick to shoot media events like this. The schedule is extremely compressed and time behind the wheel is often limited. We set out from the garage of the Portland Kimpton hotel and headed to Electric Avenue. I hustled to get location shots and hung a pair of cameras on the car on our departure from the parking garage (although I only ended up using the external camera).

Spark EVs charging in the basement of the Portland Klimpton Hotel

Lets go out on a limb and call the Spark EV the first affordable electric hot hatch. Who could argue with 400 foot pounds of torque and a 0-60 MPH time of 7.5 seconds? With that much power, the engineers are clearly holding back its full potential, lest the front tires disintegrate into billows of smoke and shards of rubber.

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2013 Chevrolet Spark 2LT Review

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MPG-o-Matic 2013 Chevrolet Spark Review Summary: The 2013 Chevy Spark isn’t just one of the smallest cars sold in America. It’s one of the least expensive and packs a huge amount of value into its 93.5 inch wheelbase. Although the 1.2-liter engine produces a meager amount of power, it’s a hoot to weave through city traffic and slip into undersized parking spaces that most vehicles would pass up. The Spark trumps the Scion iQ and Fiat 500 when it comes to starting MSRP, passenger comfort, maximum cargo space, and powertrain warranty. With five doors and room for four adults, the Spark is the most versatile and cost-effective city car on the market today.

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Ain’t Fuelin’ Hangout with EricTheCarGuy

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In the first of a series of hangouts we have planned to support our new video series, Ain’t Fuelin’, I chat with special guest Eric Cook, a.k.a. EricTheCarGuy on YouTube. Eric and I run long on a bunch of fuel economy and car maintenance, including: is it worth it to have an engine rebuilt on a car with 200K on the clock and is there a market in refurbishing older fuel efficient cars, like the Honda Civic and Volkswagen TDIs?

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Geo Gas Mileage : 1989 – 1997

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What does a major car manufacturer do when they need a line of fuel-efficient cars and lack the time and resources to engineer and build the little beasts themselves? Why they rebadge, of course! The Geo brand was sold by Chevrolet dealerships from 1989 through 1997, offering a slew of small vehicles initially built overseas by Suzuki and Isuzu (some subsequently in Canada), and here in the States through a joint venture with Toyota. The tiny Suzuki-built Geo Metro has a stellar reputation among high-MPG econobox aficionados. The Metro was available with a ridiculously small 1.0-liter three cylinder engine that was capable of remarkable mileage when equipped with the five-speed manual. Among the cheap car crowd, the Metro XFI is the most sought-after of the tiny fuel-sippers, enjoying highway ratings in the low fifties.

Suzuki also supplied the Geo Tracker, in addition to the Metro. The Tracker was based on the Suzuki Sidekick and was available in hardtop and ragtop versions in both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive. Isuzu supplied the Geo Storm, which was based on the Isuzu Impulse. The Geo Prizm was based on the Toyota Corolla and was built at the NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.) plant in Fremont, California. NUMMI was a joint venture of Toyota and General Motors.

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Use Advance Auto Coupon Codes to Save on Parts and Supplies

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I buy more than my share of stuff at the auto parts store, from maintenance parts through detailing supplies. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of of stores to choose from locally. A pair of NAPA stores and an Auto Zone are the closest to Rancho Indebto, followed by Pep Boys. But more and more, I find myself driving a bit farther out to Advance Auto, because they offer the best prices when using a coupon code. Some of their coupon deals are over-the-top, but they change from week-to-week, so you have to keep an eye on things. I saved fifty bucks off the purchase of a master cylinder and a HVAC blower motor for the Jeep TJ last week. ($50 off a $125 order isn’t chump change!) In order to get the discount, you have to order online. You can have the parts delivered or go to your local store to pick them up. In-store pickup has worked well for me, so far. They’ll deliver for free if the order is over $75, but I haven’t tried that option yet.

I though it might be cool put up a page to keep track of the current coupon codes and deals. Here are the currently active codes:

Description Code Start End
Save 15% on all orders AAP15OFF 1/1/2014 1/31/2014
$10 off $30, $25 off $70, and $40 off $110 A124 1/1/2014 1/31/2014


Disclaimer: If you click through on the Advance Auto Parts display advertisement (directly above) and purchase something from Advance Auto Parts, MPGomatic will benefit from a modest affiliate commission.

The deals have been changing quite frequently. If this is truly useful and people are using the link, I’ll do my best to keep the coupon codes up to date.

I’m not sure if there’s a cap on how many times you can order with a coupon over a set period. If you’re ordering a lot of parts, say for a repair business, the savings would rack up over time. I try to maximize my savings … if the parts I need are close to a threshold for a bigger discount, I’ll throw in an inexpensive item or two, in order to clear the mark. There are some items (including oil) that cannot be discounted. (Note: They have a Monthly Oil Change Special page.) It’s always wise to check the fine print.

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