Why Not Buy A Geo Metro Or 1st Gen Insight?

[Snick]

Aerodynamic numbers are easy to come by as an engineering estimate. Aero drag is CdA. Elio estimated Cd is 0.23 (my guess) x 7.8 ft^2 = ~2 ft^2 or half a Metro, fairly approximated.

 

[jtmarten]

You drive a f**king Geo Metro. Sure it gets good mpgs but it was a piece of crap back then and an even bigger piece of crap now.

This guy is a genius. He just described entropy.

 

[Nerys]

few things. don't mind horn. as the very second post noted just shit stirrin (for fun I doubt he has any malice)

FYI I am a geo metro owner (2 actually and a tracker) I am also all in deposit with elio.

not for the MPG's (not anymore) but for the cheap price (not that great anymore erf erf mirage) but mostly it just looks bad ass cool and I am hoping it will be as dead simple to DIY maintain as my geo's are.

I currently get 62mpg yearly average with my geo metro and I can sustain 65mpg pretty easily highway. my record is 70.11mpg over a 422 mile run.

I have mods in the works to eek out a sustain 70mpg and peak 75mpg.

this is part of why I will be VERY angry with Paul if my elio (if they ever make the damned things) does NOT get 84mpg. if my 1994 geo metro can hit 65-70mpg there is NO reason at all the elio with its MUCH lower aero drag can't hit 84mpg.

in fact I REALLY wish they would dispense with all this 84mpg CRAP and just put that delicious .8l 3cyl diesel with the 6speed manual tranny they use in smarts up in canada. would net 100mpg without even trying in something low drag like an elio.

honestly for fuel economy and convenience the mitsubishi mirage is where its at today. you can get one for $9k to $11k with a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper 10 year warrant 4 door 4 seater more than tiny enough and fits big people like me just fine (6'4" 440 pounds)

but dammit the elio looks so damned sexy. I just want one.

as for safety. screw that. if you think an elio would survive a crush any better than the geo did in that first picture your delusional. lets not kid ourselves. I don't care what airbags and ratings this car gets it will be a death trap tin box just like the geo metro in fact is

but that is not why we want it now is it. Most of you (99% of you) DO NOT drive enough for the price of fuel to mean squat. I drive 45 to 55 thousand miles a year. thats why we own geo's.

the BIG advantage (if they can keep it) that ELIO has is INSURANCE.

oh for that luscious wonderful blissful $125 a year motorcycle insurance. OH yes baby that gets me elio excited.

the VERY first thing I will do if I get an elio is put a hitch on it :-)

and HEY YOU PAUL you better heed my advice if you want a chance to sell zillions of these things. MAKE SURE a hot bag with 4 16" pizzas can fit through that trunk opening and sit nice and flat. delivery drivers (me included) will slurp these things up for that!

I just REALLY REALLY hope they actually make the damned things. not because I don't want to lose my money but I just want the damned car. it just looks cool. it reminds me of a car I always wanted but could never have.

As a kid I dreamed and drooled over this car at a gas station on the black horse pike in the 90's but dammit he would not come down on the price for 5+ years ($2500) and I could not afford it. I have always dreamed of owning one and the ELIO is the closest thing to it

 

[NSTG8R]

few things. don't mind horn. as the very second post noted just shit stirrin (for fun I doubt he has any malice)

FYI I am a geo metro owner (2 actually and a tracker) I am also all in deposit with elio.

not for the MPG's (not anymore) but for the cheap price (not that great anymore erf erf mirage) but mostly it just looks bad ass cool and I am hoping it will be as dead simple to DIY maintain as my geo's are.

I currently get 62mpg yearly average with my geo metro and I can sustain 65mpg pretty easily highway. my record is 70.11mpg over a 422 mile run.

I have mods in the works to eek out a sustain 70mpg and peak 75mpg.

this is part of why I will be VERY angry with Paul if my elio (if they ever make the damned things) does NOT get 84mpg. if my 1994 geo metro can hit 65-70mpg there is NO reason at all the elio with its MUCH lower aero drag can't hit 84mpg.

in fact I REALLY wish they would dispense with all this 84mpg CRAP and just put that delicious .8l 3cyl diesel with the 6speed manual tranny they use in smarts up in canada. would net 100mpg without even trying in something low drag like an elio.

honestly for fuel economy and convenience the mitsubishi mirage is where its at today. you can get one for $9k to $11k with a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper 10 year warrant 4 door 4 seater more than tiny enough and fits big people like me just fine (6'4" 440 pounds)

but dammit the elio looks so damned sexy. I just want one.

as for safety. screw that. if you think an elio would survive a crush any better than the geo did in that first picture your delusional. lets not kid ourselves. I don't care what airbags and ratings this car gets it will be a death trap tin box just like the geo metro in fact is

but that is not why we want it now is it. Most of you (99% of you) DO NOT drive enough for the price of fuel to mean squat. I drive 45 to 55 thousand miles a year. thats why we own geo's.

the BIG advantage (if they can keep it) that ELIO has is INSURANCE.

oh for that luscious wonderful blissful $125 a year motorcycle insurance. OH yes baby that gets me elio excited.

the VERY first thing I will do if I get an elio is put a hitch on it :-)

and HEY YOU PAUL you better heed my advice if you want a chance to sell zillions of these things. MAKE SURE a hot bag with 4 16" pizzas can fit through that trunk opening and sit nice and flat. delivery drivers (me included) will slurp these things up for that!

I just REALLY REALLY hope they actually make the damned things. not because I don't want to lose my money but I just want the damned car. it just looks cool. it reminds me of a car I always wanted but could never have.

As a kid I dreamed and drooled over this car at a gas station on the black horse pike in the 90's but dammit he would not come down on the price for 5+ years ($2500) and I could not afford it. I have always dreamed of owning one and the ELIO is the closest thing to it

WOW!! First time post on a [nearly] 3 year old thread!
But H*ll! Welcome to the forum, Nerys!

 

[Sethodine]

but that is not why we want it now is it. Most of you (99% of you) DO NOT drive enough for the price of fuel to mean squat. I drive 45 to 55 thousand miles a year. thats why we own geo's.

the BIG advantage (if they can keep it) that ELIO has is INSURANCE.

oh for that luscious wonderful blissful $125 a year motorcycle insurance. OH yes baby that gets me elio excited.

This, and the 650+ mile one-tank range, are my main reasons for wanting an Elio now. My wife and I have purchased two used Nissan Leafs (Leaves?) over the past couple years, so all our commuting is at 100+MPGe now. The Elio will be the perfect range-extender for when we want to visit friends on the other side of the state. We'd only be driving it a few times per month, so having super cheap insurance is a big win for us.

 

[Coss]

few things. don't mind horn. as the very second post noted just shit stirrin (for fun I doubt he has any malice)

FYI I am a geo metro owner (2 actually and a tracker) I am also all in deposit with elio.

not for the MPG's (not anymore) but for the cheap price (not that great anymore erf erf mirage) but mostly it just looks bad ass cool and I am hoping it will be as dead simple to DIY maintain as my geo's are.

I currently get 62mpg yearly average with my geo metro and I can sustain 65mpg pretty easily highway. my record is 70.11mpg over a 422 mile run.

I have mods in the works to eek out a sustain 70mpg and peak 75mpg.

this is part of why I will be VERY angry with Paul if my elio (if they ever make the damned things) does NOT get 84mpg. if my 1994 geo metro can hit 65-70mpg there is NO reason at all the elio with its MUCH lower aero drag can't hit 84mpg.

in fact I REALLY wish they would dispense with all this 84mpg CRAP and just put that delicious .8l 3cyl diesel with the 6speed manual tranny they use in smarts up in canada. would net 100mpg without even trying in something low drag like an elio.

honestly for fuel economy and convenience the mitsubishi mirage is where its at today. you can get one for $9k to $11k with a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper 10 year warrant 4 door 4 seater more than tiny enough and fits big people like me just fine (6'4" 440 pounds)

but dammit the elio looks so damned sexy. I just want one.

as for safety. screw that. if you think an elio would survive a crush any better than the geo did in that first picture your delusional. lets not kid ourselves. I don't care what airbags and ratings this car gets it will be a death trap tin box just like the geo metro in fact is

but that is not why we want it now is it. Most of you (99% of you) DO NOT drive enough for the price of fuel to mean squat. I drive 45 to 55 thousand miles a year. thats why we own geo's.

the BIG advantage (if they can keep it) that ELIO has is INSURANCE.

oh for that luscious wonderful blissful $125 a year motorcycle insurance. OH yes baby that gets me elio excited.

the VERY first thing I will do if I get an elio is put a hitch on it :-)

and HEY YOU PAUL you better heed my advice if you want a chance to sell zillions of these things. MAKE SURE a hot bag with 4 16" pizzas can fit through that trunk opening and sit nice and flat. delivery drivers (me included) will slurp these things up for that!

I just REALLY REALLY hope they actually make the damned things. not because I don't want to lose my money but I just want the damned car. it just looks cool. it reminds me of a car I always wanted but could never have.

As a kid I dreamed and drooled over this car at a gas station on the black horse pike in the 90's but dammit he would not come down on the price for 5+ years ($2500) and I could not afford it. I have always dreamed of owning one and the ELIO is the closest thing to it

Welcome Nerys from the Pacific NW

Couple of things:
1) Elio Owners is not affiliated with Elio Motors, so if your expecting Paul to hear you I suggest you go to their Facebook Page, it's the closest your going to get to having Paul hear you, short of Writing to Elio Motors.
2) Don't worry about Horn, he's taking a break for a while.
3) A 14" pizza won't fit flat through the rear hatch, it's got to go in the backseat through the door.
4) Hitch, there's talk about it, but that's all it is at this point.
5) The insurance is going to be more than the bikes, but less than a car. The actual price depends on the Insurance Company and your driving record.

 

[Sethodine]

But as long as Washington-the-state doesn't legislate an "Autocycle" classification, it counts as a motorcycle for insurance purposes and thus is not mandatory Which is as cheap as it gets.

 

[Coss]

But as long as Washington-the-state doesn't legislate an "Autocycle" classification, it counts as a motorcycle for insurance purposes and thus is not mandatory Which is as cheap as it gets.

WA State kind of does; here's how they cover the Elio, as an "Exception"

And the verbiage:

So as you see, it's kind of covered; if you want to know the most about where we're at on it, call the Evergreen Safety Console

 

[Sethodine]

WA State kind of does; here's how they cover the Elio, as an "Exception"

View attachment 21343

And the verbiage:

View attachment 21344

So as you see, it's kind of covered; if you want to know the most about where we're at on it, call the Evergreen Safety Console

Well yeah, of course there is that stuff vis-a-vis driver's licenses. But there is no wording that says an enclosed motorcycle must have car insurance

 

[Coss]

Well yeah, of course there is that stuff vis-a-vis driver's licenses. But there is no wording that says an enclosed motorcycle must have car insurance

True; I have talked to a couple of different agents and they are ready for the Elio; they know what the AutoCar is.
I had mentioned in a different thread; the insurance here is priced between a car and a bike (actually closer to the bike).
And that's because of the cost to replace it. The agents I talked to are from Ameriprise (Costco) and Progressive.

(Where you live, driving record, credit score and age all figure into the pricing too)