The #1 issue, for me at least, is that the route to work is posted 45mph and now the alternate route is too. That's not so useful when the car tops out at 35mph. I've tried it. It's not safe. For routes that top out at 35 it does just fine, but we're not doing enough of that to make it worth keeping.
The big issue from the buyer's perspective is that the CV Joints on the drive axles are trashed. I don't think this was so much due to the joints being all that bad, but the boots that are supposed to protect them had cracks down in the folds of the rubber where it was hard to see, probably for a long time. Bummer.
I'm pretty good with electrical stuff but this kind of mechanic-ing sorta thing is beyond me. I've had quotes from the mid $300 range (assuming parts can be found) to beyond $1000. You wouldn't think this was all that big a deal, but it's not like this critter shows up in anyone's part-compatibility book. Since most of the rest of the running gear is Suzuki parts, it's reasonable to assume these are as well, but I have no real idea how to deal with that. As a result working on the drive-shafts is likely to be a chore. A chore I don't need right now. It's working well enough for test drives, but not for any sort of daily use.
What else needs work? I'm dealing with the window seal right now. The mirrors are already done, the rear hatch is sticking sometimes and the windshield wiper system is still looser than I'd want. Other than that it's doing pretty darn good. Oh, the main red gel-coat 'paint' is fine but that silver 'accent' paint they put over it looks pretty bad. Some adjustment required...
Pricing:
From what I can tell, with everything working well, this rig should fetch $3800-$4500 depending on battery condition. If we assume the lower figure and take off $1000 for the drive-shaft issue we come up with $2700-2800.
If we do it the other way and look at the new battery pack, battery heaters, the trick charger and battery monitoring systems, those parts alone come up over $2300 and I figure the rest of the car is worth at least $500, no? Heck, the trick three phase AC motor and drive system is like $1500 on it's own so $2700 seems pretty reasonable that way too.
So, read back through all the historical posts to see if you're a good match for this vehicle.
Overview: Seats: 2 No, you can't fit a third person behind.
Even in a baby-seat.
Max speed 35mph (OK maybe 38 but 25-33 is more comfortable)
Range: 20 miles, maybe 25 under good conditions (I think it was originally quoted at 30, but that's crap.)
...besides, how far do you want to go at that speed ... ;-)
Originally sold for around $10K
