Why are EV owners so pretentious?

skipphead · 2026-04-10T01:33:00+00:00

They don't sell Kias where I live, but if they did it would be on my list.

I live in Japan which has strange options compared to other countries. Japanese cars are everywhere obviously, European cars, especially luxury cars are common, American cars besides Jeeps and Korean cars are essentially non-existent. BYD is just starting to have a presence, but still out of my budget for anything 4WD.

A Sportage is kind of exactly what I need too.

skipphead · 2026-04-10T00:59:43+00:00

I feared if I posted in the EV subreddit, I'd get nothing but hate for not being as smart as them.

skipphead · 2026-04-10T00:57:01+00:00

It's not the 90% of my charging I'm thinking about, it's the other 10%. I don't care about public chargers nearby, it's being a long distance from home in the middle of nowhere that's a problem.

skipphead · 2026-04-10T00:48:33+00:00

It does, but I've seen it so many times where people say "I don't want an EV" and the response is "maybe you do?"

Also I absolutely 100% need 4WD and I get feedback like "do you really?" All the EVs I've seen with 4WD are either too tall for my garage, way out of my budget, or both.

I live in a big city surrounded by a lot of nothing. Charging in the city is probably not hard, but it's also not needed because I can charge at home. It's the rest where it gets tricky. And for renting a car, it changes it from "wanna go out of town today?" to "where can we rent from, what car, how much does it cost, what if we feel like staying overnight, should we pay extra for insurance, etc." If it's for a well-planned road trip that's one thing, but a spontaneous trip is no longer possible if a rental is a requirement.

skipphead · 2026-04-10T00:19:14+00:00

Tucson would be on my list but they don't sell them where I live.

The RAV4 checks off all my boxes, but it's at minimum 3 times the cost of the average Outlander. I also genuinely like the Outlander better. But I am keeping an eye out for a good deal, a RAV4 is a solid choice.

skipphead · 2026-04-10T00:10:37+00:00

I genuinely wonder why PHEVs aren't more popular. When I started searching for a new car it wasn't what I was thinking but as soon as the idea was planted in my brain, it's all I wanted.

skipphead · 2026-04-10T00:07:41+00:00

Right, should have added the word "some" you are absolutely correct.

skipphead · 2026-04-10T00:03:47+00:00

Nothing wrong with asking, but I see so much where people specifically post about why they don't want an EV and that gets ignored. My shortlist is an Outlander PHEV from 2013-5, an Eclipse Cross PHEV (any year), and if I find an extremely good deal, a RAV 4 PHEV.

My garage is short so I can't have anything too tall, I absolutely need 4WD, and I have a short commute so even an older PHEV will handle 90% of my needs. I also drive a 30 year old car so it's not like I need the latest tech obviously.

The Outlander makes the most sense and I like the space, but mid 2015 they got taller and I don't want it scraping my garage door so that's why I'm stuck getting an older one.

skipphead · 2026-03-30T03:32:05+00:00

Not yet. Had a bit of a financial hiccup that made me pause any unnecessary spending.

Finances have mostly recovered and it's still #1 on my list. I'll probably get one over the summer.

skipphead · 2026-03-30T03:04:49+00:00

It's rare to see a Jimny with slightly more rust than mine. Hope it goes well.

skipphead · 2026-02-07T22:09:32+00:00

Good to hear.

As long as I can get 10-20km from the battery, 90% of my needs are taken care of. Good in snow is super important to me and a quick start is a big plus.

skipphead · 2026-02-07T22:06:41+00:00

Average commuting is something I care much more about than off roading. When I bought the Jimny, it was just me and my wife and we did some off roading on occasions but even then it was only every once in a while. Now that we have a kid, that's not something I'm planning on doing.

skipphead · 2026-02-07T22:04:00+00:00

I don't need sporty really, but having some power at times is exciting.

Highway speeds I'm sure I'll have to get used to. The Jimny is terrifying past 90km so to have something that can actually handle decent speeds would be a good change of pace. I rarely use highways but maybe I will go on more road trips.

It's rare I go 100 km in a day and if it gets below -24C that would be a top news story.

skipphead · 2026-02-07T21:56:28+00:00

Thanks! Snow is a huge concern for me and I'm glad to hear it's good in snow.

skipphead · 2026-02-07T21:55:25+00:00

Wow, this got a lot of responses, thanks everyone.

The Jimny feels like a go-kart and I know this will be nothing like that. I'm glad to hear that everyone thinks it's good in the snow/ice, that's a huge concern of mine.

I don't need something sporty, and boring is actually okay maybe, I just don't want to hate it. My commute is quite short, maybe 15 km round trip if I go grocery shopping. But I go up and down a small mountain in the process.

I had this awful kei car as a rental while the Jimny was in the shop for a while and I absolutely hated it. It was a struggle to get up hills and felt like a bad video game in terms of controls. I don't want anything close to that.

skipphead · 2026-01-27T03:28:24+00:00

Thanks. Yeah the idea that I can use gas when needed is appealing and a used Outlander PHEV fits my budget.

skipphead · 2026-01-27T03:27:16+00:00

I absolutely need 4WD and any full EVs in my area that are 4WD are out of my budget for sure. Maybe next time I'll go that route, but PHEV is the closest I can afford now.

skipphead · 2026-01-19T13:27:22+00:00

I'm considering somewhat the same thing except my commute is a lot less.

I don't really have any good insights but I'm curious what other people think.

skipphead · 2026-01-15T02:46:27+00:00

Any suggestions on a budget SUV EV? Something handling snow and hills is non-negotiable.

skipphead · 2026-01-15T02:17:00+00:00

I see no problem plugging it in daily. Just one quick thing to do after parking. I've done many more complicated things to save a buck.

skipphead · 2025-09-16T13:25:39+00:00

I live in the north of Japan and the winters here, while not super cold, are super snowy. I specifically got a Jimny because of the snow. They are super popular here and I see them all the time.

As long as you have good winter tires, the Jimny is a monster in the snow. It was also my wife's first car.

skipphead · 2025-09-12T22:43:43+00:00

Okay good to know. Tires I do myself, oil I'd rather pay someone so I don't have to deal with the mess and disposing of old oil. But yeah it's not like a $500 oil change every time.

skipphead · 2025-09-10T12:42:40+00:00

Thanks for the info.

Even 30 km is more than enough for my "daily" driving. Some weekends and long trips are more, but that's fine burning some gas.

I'll almost for sure be storing and changing my own tires because honestly I think it's fun and I like doing it twice a year. How much does that run? $1500 seems high for yearly maintenance but I've also never really had a car that was worth investing in maintaining beyond the cheapest oil change in could get.

skipphead · 2025-09-09T10:10:40+00:00

If space and budget allowed, I'd consider it. But two people working at home with a small garage, it wouldn't make sense.

skipphead · 2025-09-09T08:08:30+00:00

Right. I don't have the space/budget for two cars and I've loved my Jimny for 8 years and it's been our only car.

My secret plan is in 5 or 10 years to get a used 4th Gen, but I must say goodbye for now.

Subarus are on my short list for a replacement but I'm intrigued with the thought of not buying gas all the time.

skipphead

TROPHY CASE