Happy Wednesday everyone!
While counting down the days for Christmas, I was thrilled to share with you my newest purchase - a blue FIAT 500e hatchback (2015) . We reserved this electric car about a month ago from Carvana and placed the order during the Thanksgiving holiday, and finally picked it up a week after. I was so excited and worried about what the car would be like in person on our way to Carvana office last Friday, but right after I saw it I fell in love with it immediately and couldn't wait to take it home with me.
This all electric car is great for driving in a big city like Houston, where the roads are narrower and the parking lots are tinier. Besides, it never requires a visit to gas station and saves a lot of money on gas. With a mile range of 80, I can drive around in the city without worrying about charging it. In general, it takes about 4 hours to get it fully charged on a 240-volt outlet in an electric car charge station, while around 24 hours for plugging in a standard 120-volt household current. Thanks to hour apartment, I can get it charged in the station while parking in the garage overnight.
As you can see, the car is very cute and small, with its length of 142″and width of 64″. The exterior color is blue (my husband always says it's baby blue) and interior is black, which I prefer to the white one since it's easier to keep it clean over time. With a design of two car doors with four seats, it's very comfortable for two people since there is plenty of room in the front seats area. Though the room for the back seats might bel a little tight, especially for the passengers having long legs. However, I like how easy it is to reach my purse and other belongings without stretching my arm too much.
The seats are leather wrapped, with the driver's seat adjustable. As a auto-transmission car, this 500e functions similarly as any single transmission cars, with its transmission gear being replaced by push-buttons. There is more room for storage if you fold the backseats, but I usually leave the them up since there is plenty of room for storing my groceries and shopping bags.
One thing you need to get used to driving this 500e is about the brake pedal, which is energy-saving regenerative braking. So the battery will be recharged whenever the brake pedal was pressed. The first time I drove the car, it took me a while to get used to the brake pedal, as I had somewhat grabby feeling whenever it was hit. But I feel perfectly fine now after getting used to it. I also love how quiet it is. The sound during acceleration and deceleration always makes me feel like I'm driving a spaceship.
The was the first time that we purchased a car online. We have visited a few dealerships that are selling used FIAT 500 in Houston, but they were always unavailable due to it's popularity in Houston. My husband found out this online vehicle purchasing website and that's when we learned about the electric version of FIAT 500e, since the 500e is available for sale only in California and Oregon.
We started looking for a 500e from Carvana after my husband did research on this website and decided it's trustworthy. When this blue car showed up in the "Carvana on demand" section, my husband went ahead and reserved it for me since he knew this would be a great color for me, even though the available time was in 21 days. However, we only waited for about 10 days before the vehicle was ready for inspection and photographing. About three days later, we got an email saying the exclusive review was ready. We placed the order immediately after reviewing the photos and a week later the car was ready for pick up. Thanks to Carvana, I had a great experience purchasing a car without worrying about bargaining the price in a dealership! I will post another review three months later for anyone who is interested in purchasing this model.
Thanks for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Juicy Couture dress (old) & Kate Spade New York Satchel (old)