Has anyone have experience of importing a Vauxhall Ampera?

jony_dols

Just looking into it as an option....for some reason it never made it across the Irish Sea..despite favorable reviews and decentish sales in the UK. It's basically a right-hand drive Volt.

Anyone have experience with it, as a 2nd hand (full spec) model is relatively reasonable, across the drink?

jony_dols

jony_dols wrote: »

Just looking into it as an option....for some reason it never made it across the Irish Sea..despite favorable reviews and decentish sales in the UK. It's basically a right-hand drive Volt.

Anyone have experience with it, as a 2nd hand (full spec) model is relatively reasonable, across the drink?

Good car I believe , The battery seems to be bullet proof, 300,000 miles and no signs of degradation.

You know the volt is only a 4 seater ?

Read the bit at the end with the Prius at 930,000 miles , 1.5 million Kms.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102736_durable-2012-chevrolet-volt-300000-miles-no-battery-loss

jony_dols

Deleted User wrote: »

Good car I believe , The battery seems to be bullet proof, 300,000 miles and no signs of degradation.

You know the volt is only a 4 seater ?

Read the bit at the end with the Prius at 930,000 miles , 1.5 million Kms.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102736_durable-2012-chevrolet-volt-300000-miles-no-battery-loss

Wow...that's impressive. Not sure which I'm more impressed with; the durability of the Prius or a Volt driver retaining his sanity on a 300 mile round commute!

Was chatting to an Opel rep today and he was to say the least, irate, about GM's humming & hawing on bringing it Ireland and how apparently Revenue still doesn't know what category it falls into (doesn't even show up on the VRT site).

MadLad, do you know of anyone that has successfully imported one?

cros13

The Volt/Ampera is a decent car. The biggest problem with selling it in Ireland was always that Opel figured they'd see low volumes and have to price it way out of the market.

The Ampera DOES qualify for a VRT credit on a sliding scale: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/vrt-guide.html#section2f

However they'll pick the OMSP out of their arse as usual.
From looking at the registration stats I d'int think any have been registered here.
I've seen a few Amperas about Dublin but they've all been UK regs.

jony_dols

jony_dols wrote: »

MadLad, do you know of anyone that has successfully imported one?

Sorry, no I don't know anyone. Who has imported one.

If you're on the fence about ev or plugin then maybe wait 2 years which should see the first of the 300 km fully electric cars arrive.

I've driven 32,000 Kms since last January in the 24 kWh leaf.

The problem with short range plug ins like the volt is that people realise How Little they drive in one go and wish they bought the fully electric because they like the ev drive a lot more, Especially 2 car households it should work out even better.

The 30 kWh leaf should see 140-160 Kms at 100 kph and can recharge 100 Kms in 25 mins. It charges faster than the 24 kWh from the fast chargers.

jony_dols

cros13 wrote: »

The Volt/Ampera is a decent car. The biggest problem with selling it in Ireland was always that Opel figured they'd see low volumes and have to price it way out of the market.

The Ampera DOES qualify for a VRT credit on a sliding scale: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/vrt-guide.html#section2f

However they'll pick the OMSP out of their arse as usual.
From looking at the registration stats I d'int think any have been registered here.
I've seen a few Amperas about Dublin but they've all been UK regs.

Pity, you'd think that if Opel bothered to make a right-hand drive model for the UK, they'd have shipped a few over.

I'm looking at a 2013 Electron model with 60k (Mls) on the clock; 12,600 sterling. Seems like a fair deal and a lot of car for the price.

So just to wrap my head around it; 27g/km is it's C02 emission, so it would be in the 14% range, which is then applied to a pencil pushers magic number, probably 18-20k. It's a PHEV, less than 3 years old, so it would be eligible for a 2k grant...so that should make VRT payable to be between the 500-1000...is that right?

Deleted User wrote: »

Sorry, no I don't know anyone. Who has imported one.

If you're on the fence about ev or plugin then maybe wait 2 years which should see the first of the 300 km fully electric cars arrive.

I've driven 32,000 Kms since last January in the 24 kWh leaf.

The problem with short range plug ins like the volt is that people realise How Little they drive in one go and wish they bought the fully electric because they like the ev drive a lot more, Especially 2 car households it should work out even better.

The 30 kWh leaf should see 140-160 Kms at 100 kph and can recharge 100 Kms in 25 mins. It charges faster than the 24 kWh from the fast chargers.

Actually took the 30 kWh on test, last week. Managed to do my 150km commute, doing 90-100 on the motorway, with 15% battery left to spare. Great car, that can go the distance and is a pleasure to drive....however the Pursestrings has a leaden foot, so range is consistently an issue and the thought of waiting 30 minutes at a fast charging point is incomprehensible to him.

The Ampera can do around 40MLS on battery (have read people hitting as far as 70MLS), before petrol generator kicks in, so I can do commute up on battery and then use a granny cable to charge from the mains close to the parking spot, to get back down. Outside of my use of, it has the petrol for longer trips down south or out west and the battery is always there the for the tip around..so it seems like a relative fit.

DrPhilG

A guy from my gym has one of these, in the North though.

Nice looking car, haven't managed to get a run in it as yet.

Actually thought about one myself in my early ponderings about EVs.

NIMAN

Its a nice looking motor imho, and I did give it serious consideration last time I changed, but the lack of a 3rd seat in the back would be a killer for me with 3 kids.

cros13

Service is also a possible issue. Unlike a pure EV, you have regular service intervals on the Ampera. You may have to go up North to get it serviced.

Indeed a very good point !

Yawlboy

There is a white one registered in Wexford I believe. I've seen it once in the metal, lovely looking car. I can't remember what website I saw it on but I think its owned by a company involved in Solar power generation. They have a leaf as well, had a solar shelter. I'll try and dig it up.

ei9go

I recall seeing the Opel Ampera on the Irish website but the price was around 45K Euro so the OMSP might be quite high on an imported one.

You'd probably buy a new 30 Kwh leaf as cheap as a 2nd hand Ampera ? Or you could lease a Leaf.

cros13

If you do want to go the PHEV route there are a lot of Outlander PHEVs coming off lease in the UK around now.
They have an established service network here and I think the OMSP is a known quantity.

jony_dols

Some good points raised here.

I was onto Lochside Vauxhall in Fermanagh, they're kitted out for Ampera servicing. They deal cross-border as well, so they would take in a ROI trade-in for market price...He said he never had any southern interest about the Ampera, but he'd look into it i.e VRT.

Surely Revenue couldn't tack on that huge an amount? The depreciation in the UK is substantial (a 2012 model, 100K miles - £9790) and apparently there is little to no retail comparisons in Ireland.. plenty of grounds for an appeal, if they're unreasonable. Tried ringing Rev (to check myself) at 1.03pm today, but they have clocked off for the day?!?!!

The Mitsubishi PHEVs are coming down, but for £18K at the lowest end it's still too steep, probably better off going towards MadLads recommend, the 30kWh, if we are to splash.

cros13

The problem with a VRT appeal is you still have to pay the money before you can appeal.

jony_dols

cros13 wrote: »

The problem with a VRT appeal is you still have to pay the money before you can appeal.

Do they factor the PHEV discount into the VRT or is it a rebate down the line?

It could be the sort of thing that you could force the hand of Rev; The Outlander receives a 5k grant new, yet it releases considerably more co2/g. If you cause a stink are they more likely to lean?

cros13

jony_dols wrote:

Do they factor the PHEV discount into the VRT or is it a rebate down the line?

It's factored into the VRT. You have no argument with the grant. The grant requires both model AND the dealer to be registered so it's designed to lock out personal imports.

kanuseeme

NIMAN wrote: »

Its a nice looking motor imho, and I did give it serious consideration last time I changed, but the lack of a 3rd seat in the back would be a killer for me with 3 kids.

First post, enjoyed reading for many years.
Here is a product that might help with that,
Multimac child car seats are made in 3 widths of 4-seater and a 3-seater.
I don't know about the legality of it.

air

These are selling from around the £10k mark in the UK now.
I revenue's OMSP is anyway reasonable they could be a very attractive buy now with sterling where it's at.
The VRT rate is 14% with a further reduction of about €1000 (varies with vehicle age) on the VRT due to the PHEV grant - see Table 2 here

Soarer

air wrote: »

These are selling from around the £10k mark in the UK now.
I revenue's OMSP is anyway reasonable they could be a very attractive buy now with sterling where it's at.
The VRT rate is 14% with a further reduction of about €1000 (varies with vehicle age) on the VRT due to the PHEV grant - see Table 1 here

Think that should be Table 2 seeing as it's a PHEV. Table 1 is for normal hybrids.

Also, the oldest Ampera is 2012, so 4 years old. According to Table 2, that'd be a €1500 rebate on VRT...it's €1750 on a 3 year old car, and €2000 on a 2 year old.

So even if Revenue decided that the OMSP was a completely unreasonable €30,000....
VRT @ 14% is €4,200.
Less €1,500.
Equals €2,700 payable on registration.

If the OMSP was a more realistic €20,000....
VRT @ 14% is €2,800.
Less €1,500.
Equals €1,300 payable on registration.

air

Thanks, I've edited my post.
Even €20,000 sounds a bit steep given that it's available in the UK for £10k (€12k), even €15k of an OMSP would be being fairly generous to revenue.
They look a pretty compelling option at the moment anyway for those that need more range than a leaf can offer.

Soarer

air wrote: »

Thanks, I've edited my post.
Even €20,000 sounds a bit steep given that it's available in the UK for £10k (€12k), even €15k of an OMSP would be being fairly generous to revenue.
They look a pretty compelling option at the moment anyway for those that need more range than a leaf can offer.

Ah yeah. I was only giving a worst case, and a really worst case OMSP.

I'd imagine they'd probably aim around the €17k mark. But at €15k, you'd only be paying €600 VRT. Seriously tempting at that.

Is it the Electron is the top spec model?

air

Yes, a quick google shows that the trim levels are ‘Earth’, ‘Positiv’ and ‘Electron’ in order of increasing specification.
Indeed, they are tempting for sure now.

nugmeister

Is there not VRT exemptions on Electric Vehicles?

nugmeister

nugmeister wrote: »

Is there not VRT exemptions on Electric Vehicles?

No, the Government fast changed no vrt to VRT - 5 K VRT rebate + 5 K grant on a new car.

Anything with an ICE will be subject to more VRT this includes range extended vehicles.

air

But there is a grant for it as a plug in hybrid, it's on a sliding scale as mentioned above.

zilog_jones

I paid about €1400 VRT earlier this year for a 2012 Prius Plug-in if that helps at all (49 g/km CO2, so Ampera may be a bit cheaper). The VRT calculator on the website was pretty accurate.

Soarer

zilog_jones wrote: »

I paid about €1400 VRT earlier this year for a 2012 Prius Plug-in if that helps at all (49 g/km CO2, so Ampera may be a bit cheaper). The VRT calculator on the website was pretty accurate.

How you getting on with that? Do you plug it in much? What sort of range do you get?

zilog_jones

It's going pretty well. The EV range is quite small - it has a much smaller battery than the Ampera (4.4 kWh vs. 16-17 kWh) - so I'm getting around 16-17 km, which is expected considering the driving conditions (mainly Cork city i.e. hills and narrow roads, so lots of starting and stopping) and probable battery capacity loss after 4 years (maybe around 5-10%). It suits my commute to work which is about 7 km each way. I charge it every night - again due to the small battery it's about 3 kWh and takes 90 minutes on a normal 230V 13A socket.

It's quite different from the Ampera in design, as the hybrid system is the same as the normal Prius and other Toyota/Lexus hybrids just with a larger battery and external charger. The electric motors and ICE can drive the wheels independently (or at the same time) and the motors are less powerful than the Ampera's, so it is more reliant on the ICE for higher speeds (EV mode speed limit is 85 km/h) or high power manoeuvres.

It's also reliant on the ICE for cabin heat (outside of the heated seats, but that doesn't stop the windows fogging up), which hasn't been so great in the winter - I'm usually getting around 150-200 MPG on my commute on cold mornings instead of the usual "999" (i.e. no ICE usage). The new Prius PHV will have a heat pump (like in the higher spec Leafs) to avoid that issue.

Soarer

That's good to read.

I'm the same as you in that my daily commute is small, approx. 6km each way. I do it 4 times per day though (collect the kid at lunchtime), so I could probably do the over and back, charge at lunchtime while doing homework, and do the over and back again in the afternoon.
I play ball twice per week, which is a 25 and 35km round trip respectively. So I could always charge it after work but before ball, and get at least the outward journey covered in EV mode.
Is there any issue with multiple charges in quick succession? I'd be assuming not seeing as there's no "quick charging", so it'll only charge as designed?

We already have a normal Prius at home, and I love driving it, trying to hyper-mile the bejaysus out of it. Combining that with a plug-in option would be awesome for me.

Edit: Also, is there only one spec of PHEV Prius?

zilog_jones

I don't want to derail this thread too much as it's about the Ampera, but you can start a new thread if you have more questions about the Prius Plug-in.

zenith90

jony_dols wrote: »

Just looking into it as an option....for some reason it never made it across the Irish Sea..despite favorable reviews and decentish sales in the UK. It's basically a right-hand drive Volt.

Anyone have experience with it, as a 2nd hand (full spec) model is relatively reasonable, across the drink?

Did you end up importing in the end jony_dols?

I'm considering a trip to the UK for an Ampera so would be interested if anyone on here has brought one in or owns one.

Regarding the VRT, I assume there is no problem applying for the VRT credit? The big question obviously is the OMSP. As the car is not listed on the VRT calculator, do Revenue provide estimates in such a scenario?

cros13

zenith90 wrote: »

I'm considering a trip to the UK for an Ampera so would be interested if anyone on here has brought one in or owns one.

I'd be very wary of the Ampera. For the price they are pretty poor value and servicing is going to require at least a trip north of the border. No Opel dealer in Ireland certified to go anywhere near them.

zenith90 wrote: »

Regarding the VRT, I assume there is no problem applying for the VRT credit? The big question obviously is the OMSP. As the car is not listed on the VRT calculator, do Revenue provide estimates in such a scenario?

The credit is automatically applied.

air

What would you consider a better value proposition in the PHEV category cros13?
They can be picked up for £9-12K which is a big saving from their original new cost price.

zilog_jones

Would you really need to take it to a main dealer for servicing? Surely it's nothing more than a typical ICE service, plus plugging it into a computer? I doubt any sort of battery conditioning or anything fancy is part of a standard maintenance schedule. You could probably get the GM-specific diagnostics cable and software if you really want.

cros13

air wrote: »

What would you consider a better value proposition in the PHEV category cros13?
They can be picked up for £9-12K which is a big saving from their original new cost price.

Apologies, last time I checked, a few months back, the Amperas on Autotrader were £12.5k-20k. At £9-12K it's a reasonable deal.

I'd still be wary on the servicing front and of issues if you needed crash repair etc.

zilog_jones wrote: »

Would you really need to take it to a main dealer for servicing? Surely it's nothing more than a typical ICE service, plus plugging it into a computer? I doubt any sort of battery conditioning or anything fancy is part of a standard maintenance schedule. You could probably get the GM-specific diagnostics cable and software if you really want.

True that the EV side of the drivetrain should be largely trouble-free. However, most would balk at the prospect of touching even the ICE side of a vehicle they knew little about with big scary yellow HV cables. The transmission mating the two powertrains is really complex as well. Though it's been reasonably reliable it's got a number of clutches and planetary gear sets involved in the mating of the two motors and driveshaft that requires regular inspection (every 25k km) and maintenance (fluid change - every 70k km). The real specialised maintenance is at 200k km when battery, motor and power electronics needs coolant drained and replaced.

Maybe I'm projecting a little. I do mad mileage so I'd have the car at 200,000km in under three years and in for transmission fluid and spark plugs every year. And also probably damage from road debris in between, so dealer support would be important to me. But everyone's situation is different...

Jonesy101

cros13 wrote: »

I'd be very wary of the Ampera. For the price they are pretty poor value and servicing is going to require at least a trip north of the border. No Opel dealer in Ireland certified to go anywhere near them.



What do you mean a poor deal? They seem a good car, good reviews, low VRT and all benefits of EV and no range anxiety!

Did anyone get one of these imported? Just realised they existed now and might import one from UK also.

raabbles

I'd avoid importing any ampera now as its future isnt looking very confident. Now that PSA has bought opel Id speculate the ampera might be cut partly because of low sales (new owners trimming the old fat ☺), but also because of the big focus on moving the citreon brand to being fully electric within 5 years, and some current peugeot models getting electric versions in the next 2 years. Europe market,with uk/ireland wanted by PSA to be included.

Also it looks like the PSA plan is to develop all the tech on Citreon then migrate that across to its partner brands..eg opel, peugeot so that mide be a hint that ampera development is going to end along with termination of dealer contracts.

air

The only major issue on them is the bearing issue and it's caused by poor alignment in manufacturing / assembly so it shows up early if it's wrong. The car can be still driven with it gone too so no issue (just noisily) so it's no problem getting it to a service centre or whatever. The only downside to the Ampera I can see is that used UK prices have gone up a lot in the last year (like all EVs). I've seen 2 Irish registered ones and spoken to one owner, he's delighted with his, gets it serviced in Dublin no issues.

emergencylime

I've noticed Ampera prices creeping up too. Was on target to have enough for one and now the goalposts have moved, any under £10.5k are gone before the digital ink is dry on the ad.

air

True, you could have had your pick at £8k a year ago.

n97 mini

raabbles wrote: »

I'd avoid importing any ampera now as its future isnt looking very confident. Now that PSA has bought opel Id speculate the ampera might be cut partly because of low sales (new owners trimming the old fat ☺), but also because of the big focus on moving the citreon brand to being fully electric within 5 years, and some current peugeot models getting electric versions in the next 2 years. Europe market,with uk/ireland wanted by PSA to be included.

Also it looks like the PSA plan is to develop all the tech on Citreon then migrate that across to its partner brands..eg opel, peugeot so that mide be a hint that ampera development is going to end along with termination of dealer contracts.

What might or might not be made in the future doesn't impact on existing cars. If Nissan stopped selling the Leaf tomorrow it doesn't mean anything for all the Leafs that are out there, they're still the same car.

jony_dols

Just a long overdue update - my interest in the Ampera cooled off until last week, when by-chance I spotted one newly listed on Gumtree, in NI. As other posters were saying, the price on them has been a slow creep upwards in the last year or so (presumably because the supply of ex-company Amperas has dried-up and the initial fears of battery failure has proven non-existent), but at £9,700, for a 142 Positiv and only 16K Miles. I decided to take the plunge.

He priced to sell, but said he'd been fielding calls from all over the UK and Ireland in the 11 hours since posting and I could well believe it, she drove beautifully and was in new condition. Not much haggleroom, but managed £100 off the list. Collected on Fri, and drove back, managing 35 miles electric on the motorway (doing 60-65), and then the rest on petrol at around 50mpg.

Just booking her in for the VRT and scanning off for my ESB card, this morn.

Only issue is that; the new SEAI used/import charger grant doesn't apply to Ampera. Opel/Vauxhall never registered the vehicle with scheme. So unfortunately it's doesn't qualify, despite lower emissions than most other PHEVs on the SEAI list...

Alkers

jony_dols wrote: »

Just a long overdue update - my interest in the Ampera cooled off until last week, when by-chance I spotted one newly listed on Gumtree, in NI.

Well, how are you getting on with it now? I've been doing a good bit of reading on them lately and they seem the business. Can I ask how it went with VRT?

Can you use them with a fast public charger or is it only with a 3-pin domestic type plug?

n97 mini

Simona1986 wrote: »

Well, how are you getting on with it now? I've been doing a good bit of reading on them lately and they seem the business. Can I ask how it went with VRT?

Can you use them with a fast public charger or is it only with a 3-pin domestic type plug?

No fast charging. It has a type-1 socket (same as the original Leaf) so you can charge off an SCP with the right cable (type-1 to type-2), same as Leaf owners do.

Alkers

n97 mini wrote: »

No fast charging. It has a type-1 socket (same as the original Leaf) so you can charge off an SCP with the right cable (type-1 to type-2), same as Leaf owners do.

At a quicker rate than using the 3-pin socket (which takes 4-6 hours I believe)?

n97 mini

Simona1986 wrote: »

At a quicker rate than using the 3-pin socket (which takes 4-6 hours I believe)?

I believe so. The 3-pin will draw around 2.2kw (10 amps), vs 3.6kw (16 amps) using an SCP (or home charge point).

Dark and Long

Hey guys, Just wondering how you are getting on with your Ampera's now? I am looking into taking the plunge on one myself. Any info on how many miles electric only, on average, you are getting and MPG for petrol only would be helpful if you have it at hand. Thanks.

Alkers

Dark and Long wrote: »

Hey guys, Just wondering how you are getting on with your Ampera's now? I am looking into taking the plunge on one myself. Any info on how many miles electric only, on average, you are getting and MPG for petrol only would be helpful if you have it at hand. Thanks.

We've only had ours for a week or so and in the current weather with early morning commutes we're getting 60km electric range.
We've done one long drive on which we got between 40-45mpg (set off with empty battery) but otherwise it's hard to measure the petrol mpg as the car calculates fuel efficiency including the EV miles.

Dardania

Alkers wrote: »

We've only had ours for a week or so and in the current weather with early morning commutes we're getting 60km electric range.
We've done one long drive on which we got between 40-45mpg (set off with empty battery) but otherwise it's hard to measure the petrol mpg as the car calculates fuel efficiency including the EV miles.

Hi Alkers

Just to bump your response, I too am looking at getting one of these. They seem to offer the right mix of practicality a d potential low cost if I find a nice one in the UK.

Have you had any problems with maintenance in your tenure with it? Do Opel dealers entertain you for things like firmware updates?