[Dux 007]

I have an offer to buy a Karma with about $4K miles for $55K, Single owner who recently passed away, and know nothing more…yet. I have read the buyer checklist & more here, but I’m not a buyer yet and am actually looking for pre-purchase advice & opinions. I’ll need to make a decision this week.

I was not in the market for this car, but was presented with the opportunity so I’m debating. You all have a stunning car….and I’m wondering is this a fit for me? Your responses & advice are greatly appreciated!

Driving: I drive 30 miles to-from work, a mix of traffic & open road. I also drive all through Southern California traffic at a clip of 25K miles/year. Would this car be “wise” as a daily driver?

Repair tolerance: I own an exotic so I know all about quirky issues and am used to paying about $2,500/year for maintenance, but am not looking to pick up something that is bound to break. Forums tend to be issue laden (which is an important reason they exist), but happy drivers tend to be more quiet….how “reliable” are these cars?

Location: I work across the street from where the Orange County Fisker Dealer used to be, so I am close to LorMax.

Fears: As beautiful & desirable as they are, and beyond the manufacturer being gone with questionable future, significant to me is that people are selling their Fiskers at deep discounts to "get out". Your members in the forum banner are a good example of this. Why are owners leaving? Is it preemptive & driven by fear, or because of vehicle issues?

As current owners, I appreciate any/all feedback sharing your experiences, advice on what you would consider, and weigh in on your decision making process if you were in my shoes.

Thanks Karma Crew!

 

[Lormax]

The majority of my clients are routine maintenance, so I wouldn't say things are bound to break, so to speak.

I get the occasional client that's looking to sell, though I get many more contacts about buying one. There's actually quite a bit of interest in the car, proven even more that you're also an interested buyer. Finding the right car is definitely key though.

Is the car you have the offer on local here in SoCal? If so, I'll be happy to do an inspection and discuss the vehicle in detail with you. Feel free to PM me or contact me through my site. Thanks!

 

[Sandy Eggo]

I think the Karma dumping ended about 4 months ago. The prices have stabilized and even bounced off the bottom (when the market was flooded with dealers dumping inventory and the non-believers running scared). At $55k and assuming the car checks out, I don't think you have a whole lot to lose in terms of depreciation. In fact, with the bankruptcy buyout, things may even begin to 'look up' for Fisker (but don't hold your breath).

I've had nearly 4,000 trouble free miles. Only thing I've paid for is a regular oil change service from Lormax and some new front wheel lug-nuts to stop that annoying low speed clicking noise.

 

[Dave_Car_Guy]

I drive 30 miles to-from work, a mix of traffic & open road. I also drive all through Southern California traffic at a clip of 25K miles/year. Would this car be “wise” as a daily driver?

From this point, you are a perfect candidate. At 30 miles per day, you can run this virtually all the time on electricity, which I have found is about 1/3 to 1/5 the cost of running a similar car on gasoline (depending on your electricity rates). There are a number of threads herein that discuss electric cost, the opportunity for good rate plans, solar, etc.

However, your 25K miles per year statement suggests that you drive more miles off-commute (30 miles a day x 365 days would be 11K miles a year, so you must also be driving over twice that much including pleasure/weekend/etc). With that in mind, unless all your trips are in 40 mile increments with charging in between, you'd be driving a lot on gasoline. While that is still efficient and it doesn't sound like a big deal, I'd say that many Karma drivers are happier when driving in electric mode, rather than gas mode. It's partly the sound factor, partly the idea that you want to be taking advantage of the electric capabilities. Some Karma drivers here will conversely tell you it doesn't matter - they are happy to drive in both modes. You should just know which type of driver you might be when considering this car.

For me, the car is beautiful and comfortable, so driving many miles in either mode is fine with me. I think it's a great daily driver.

 

[Nin ja]

I do not drive mine daily, but during good weather I do drive to work and back. I enjoy the stealth mode more then the ice (mainly cause I hate the noise). Since my dealer dropped Fisker , I drive it less and it's become my "Sunday" drive to and from the golf course or nights out to dinner - I do not feel comfortable as an everyday till I know more about the Fisker bankruptcy - to me the car could only go up in value , so I'm keeping my car in good condition...

 

[Dux 007]

You guys are awesome...really appreciate the feedback.

As someone whose not ever looked at an electric of any kind, thanks Dave for your assessment. Although not new to any of you, as someone who drives a lot, the lack of "range anxiety" is a key advantage for me.

While it will be interesting to see what happens to prices, this would not be a garage queen purchase, and I'd really like to be able to enjoy putting on the miles over the next several years. I'm not so concerned with re-sale. Unfortunately as a new-ish car, and no one (that I know of) has had the chance to drive the car for 50, 60, 70K miles and know it will perform.

Because of this, the one piece missing for me is a guestimation as to build quality & reliability...which was a question you all became satisfied with when you chose to purchase a new brand...albeit with a warranty. Lor- If it's a go, I'll be coming to you for a pre-purchase "inspeKtion".

So, I'm back to my, "Why are owners leaving their new cars?" question. I think it's a positive sign for everyone here that demand has increased lately, but the root of my question is not about demand, and more about understanding something that may impact my decision. I hope I'm not asking the "elephant in the room" question, but why do you think owners are leaving? Is it rooted in fear of the unknown, or are they tired of dealing with mechanical issues, or something else?

 

[Nin ja]

You guys are awesome...really appreciate the feedback.

As someone whose not ever looked at an electric of any kind, thanks Dave for your assessment. Although not new to any of you, as someone who drives a lot, the lack of "range anxiety" is a key advantage for me.

While it will be interesting to see what happens to prices, this would not be a garage queen purchase, and I'd really like to be able to enjoy putting on the miles over the next several years. I'm not so concerned with re-sale. Unfortunately as a new-ish car, and no one (that I know of) has had the chance to drive the car for 50, 60, 70K miles and know it will perform.

Because of this, the one piece missing for me is a guestimation as to build quality & reliability...which was a question you all became satisfied with when you chose to purchase a new brand...albeit with a warranty. Lor- If it's a go, I'll be coming to you for a pre-purchase "inspeKtion".

So, I'm back to my, "Why are owners leaving their new cars?" question. I think it's a positive sign for everyone here that demand has increased lately, but the root of my question is not about demand, and more about understanding something that may impact my decision. I hope I'm not asking the "elephant in the room" question, but why do you think owners are leaving? Is it rooted in fear of the unknown, or are they tired of dealing with mechanical issues, or something else?

I think there are many post to the quality of the car on this forum, but to sum it up from my experience , the karma is a concept car that was rushed to market because of bad management - so the answer to your question is complicated because there are emotions involved. I would make a comparison to illustrate - take any super car from the late 60 to early 80 and that the best way to describe a karma - a work of art on wheels, with the performance on par with those brands + the complication of advance technology that was not fully vetted... Forrest Gump would say - a box of Godiva; each one is a surprise

 

[Sigurd]

Y

So, I'm back to my, "Why are owners leaving their new cars?" question.

Some people are moving on after 2 years of ownership. This is normal for a lot of people. Other's don't have the constitution to put up all the turmoil of the company.

I'm keeping mine.

 

[smggsm]

I do not drive mine daily, but during good weather I do drive to work and back. I enjoy the stealth mode more then the ice (mainly cause I hate the noise). Since my dealer dropped Fisker , I drive it less and it's become my "Sunday" drive to and from the golf course or nights out to dinner - I do not feel comfortable as an everyday till I know more about the Fisker bankruptcy - to me the car could only go up in value , so I'm keeping my car in good condition...

no need to be worried these cars very well build if you have latest updated battery ,RDM ,Muffler etc,, ..i do drive mine daily i have white standard and silver eco chic my other car panamera v6 2012 ..
i put 4500 on the white and 4000 on the silver ,, memorial day weekend i took the family in silver to Disney land , Hollywood, la, Beverly hills 3 days trip over 600 mile ...wife and kids really enjoyed the car.. let me tell beside people take pictures while you drive, cruising in 6000 lb beast its its something really new to me i love the suspension and how it handle speed , corners and bumps averaging 80-90 mph.. i was impressed with the power in grape vine driving to 8000 feet .. compare it with 2012 panamera v6 the wife usually complain how rough the suspension and seats noise etc.. in fisker she didn't complain a bit .. we usually take her Cayenne diesel for long trips ... this time i gambled and first time i won

i think the karma design and build need to get more credit, yes there is few bad ones many factory buy back lemons ( i think people panic BK.. nothing wrong with most of them ) .. richard li know what he is doing this car/technology has very good future for many people like me WITH range anxiety, 2 kids, drive less than 30 mile..,. and love to have one family car
if you need to buy one the best place so far **fisker silicone valley** all their fiskers updated new parts rdm batteries, muffler , software and all eligible for tax credit .. ,, matt @ fisker silicone did fantastic job keep them all updated new parts and all recalls done ..they even replaced the muffler for me for both before delivery ..and second trip update my software for free ..its now flawless

talking about glitches:
blue tooth streaming its much better than both Cayenne and panamera. its always connect to the iphone .. in Porsche need to turn on and off many timed to get good connection its very glitch y .. yes 2013 Cayenne and 2012 panamera has many software flaws my panamera 20k dashboard, steering wheel replaced valley ripple digit temp melted the leather can you believe it ?? yes it happen an they didn't want to honor the warranty .. :-/

so far both cars no issues the silver 11k and the white 5k miles "KNOCK ON WOOD"..
6 months now im totally convinced fisker is reliable daily drive and family var .. im keeping the fisker and selling the panamera...

 

[Ira]

"If you need to buy one the best place so far **fisker silicone valley** all their fiskers updated new parts rdm batteries, muffler , software and all eligible for tax credit .. ,, matt @ fisker silicone did fantastic job keep them all updated new parts and all recalls done ..they even replaced the muffler for me for both before delivery ..and second trip update my software for free ..its now flawless"

Matt is definitely da man. When did you buy your Karma?

 

[smggsm]

"If you need to buy one the best place so far **fisker silicone valley** all their fiskers updated new parts rdm batteries, muffler , software and all eligible for tax credit .. ,, matt @ fisker silicone did fantastic job keep them all updated new parts and all recalls done ..they even replaced the muffler for me for both before delivery ..and second trip update my software for free ..its now flawless"

Matt is definitely da man. When did you buy your Karma?

the silver in july , the white i think august.. yes matt da man.. i was impressed of his knowledge and honesty.. bought both (as is) but they did oil change muffler software all for free.. the good news they have parts for now for their customers..

 

[Ira]

Yes, Matt has been generous with time and all for free.

 

[smggsm]

sorry panamera i have to let you go,, she look sad!!!!.. if any one interested pm me..
:-/:-/:-/

 

[Ira]

Some people are moving on after 2 years of ownership. This is normal for a lot of people. Other's don't have the constitution to put up all the turmoil of the company.

I'm keeping mine.

What are they moving on to? Whose the ugly sister?

 

[Lormax]

While it will be interesting to see what happens to prices, this would not be a garage queen purchase, and I'd really like to be able to enjoy putting on the miles over the next several years. I'm not so concerned with re-sale. Unfortunately as a new-ish car, and no one (that I know of) has had the chance to drive the car for 50, 60, 70K miles and know it will perform.

Because of this, the one piece missing for me is a guestimation as to build quality & reliability...which was a question you all became satisfied with when you chose to purchase a new brand...albeit with a warranty. Lor- If it's a go, I'll be coming to you for a pre-purchase "inspeKtion".

To touch on the long-term reliability, I have a LOT in the works right now to take care of some of the deal-breaker problems in the Karma. I now have 6 cars running with my rebuilt motors in them, none with issues (and each one warrantied as well). Other weak links in the car are being looked at currently and being re-engineered over factory. Through our research we've learned quite a bit about what may happen over time with the Karma's drivetrain and addressing this. I may actually be putting out a call for a car or two soon to use as a tester for some parts.

Some companies have said they'll have parts and such for the Karma and haven't delivered. I'm doing it right now. I have parts on the road right now. It really doesn't matter if Fisker closes its doors. I'm finding a way to keep these cars running without them.

 

[smggsm]

You guys
While it will be interesting to see what happens to prices, this would not be a garage queen purchase, and I'd really like to be able to enjoy putting on the miles over the next several years. I'm not so concerned with re-sale. Unfortunately as a new-ish car, and no one (that I know of) has had the chance to drive the car for 50, 60, 70K miles and know it will perform.

one of silicon valley customers her car with 45k mile with no issues only filter oil change and few regular maintenance issues ( this encouraged me to buy the 2nd fisker ) ,, i think one of lormax customers with high mileage too..

 

[smggsm]

To touch on the long-term reliability, I have a LOT in the works right now to take care of some of the deal-breaker problems in the Karma. I now have 6 cars running with my rebuilt motors in them, none with issues (and each one warrantied as well). Other weak links in the car are being looked at currently and being re-engineered over factory. Through our research we've learned quite a bit about what may happen over time with the Karma's drivetrain and addressing this. I may actually be putting out a call for a car or two soon to use as a tester for some parts.

Some companies have said they'll have parts and such for the Karma and haven't delivered. I'm doing it right now. I have parts on the road right now. It really doesn't matter if Fisker closes its doors. I'm finding a way to keep these cars running without them.

what do you mean you have parts on the road? you mean installed in cars ?

 

[Sandy Eggo]

sorry panamera i have to let you go,, she look sad!!!!.. if any one interested pm me..
:-/:-/:-/

She's one ugly b!tch next to those 2 beauty queens.

GLWS.

 

[smggsm]

She's one ugly b!tch next to those 2 beauty queens.

GLWS.

she look good with after market sport chromed muffler

 

[Nin ja]

sorry panamera i have to let you go,, she look sad!!!!.. if any one interested pm me..
:-/:-/:-/

My god your picture puts it in perspective - I have a friend who loved my karma, but was afraid to buy because of the instability of Fisker, so he bought the panamera. He's had it for 8 months or so and every time he sees my karma he drools and he complements my Fisker. We never had our cars side by side , now I can see why he drools. I got the fox, he's got the hound