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Owning a Karma in Chicago

6571 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  supratrboo
So I've been occasionally looking at this forum and the discussions on here, but I just finally made an account. I'm looking to buy a car in the early part of next year and the Karma has been on my radar since it first came out in 2012. I just have a couple questions about the Karma.

1) Does anyone know any information about the below VIN numbers?

YH4K14AA1CA000534

YH4K14AA9CA000393

2) Are there any legit mechanics who can work on the car in Chicago? I live in the Des Plaines/Park Ridge/Glenview area, so anywhere closest to the North Shore/Northern part of Chicago would be ideal. Even the Schaumburg area would work.

I'm not too concerned about the Chicago winters. The Lexus GS and Mercury Grand Marquis my family has aren't the best in the snow, but it's do-able and I'm used to it. I'm assuming the Karma will probably act the same.

3) Also, any general options about which car looks better (silver w/ black rims vs black w/ black rims) would be appreciated. I keep going back and forth. The only reason I'm leaning toward the silver is because it's MUCH closer to my house, cheaper, and less miles.

Thanks for reading all of this and any feedback/opinions are much appreciated.
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Also, I hear that parts are becoming available due to The New Fisker starting production soon. Is this true? That's another big concern in case it is involved in an accident.
Parts are available body parts are still hard to come by . Inventory in Europe should be released soon and Fisker is working with the suppliers of the body parts to come back online.
So I've been occasionally looking at this forum and the discussions on here, but I just finally made an account. I'm looking to buy a car in the early part of next year and the Karma has been on my radar since it first came out in 2012. I just have a couple questions about the Karma.

1) Does anyone know any information about the below VIN numbers?

YH4K14AA1CA000534

YH4K14AA9CA000393

2) Are there any legit mechanics who can work on the car in Chicago? I live in the Des Plaines/Park Ridge/Glenview area, so anywhere closest to the North Shore/Northern part of Chicago would be ideal. Even the Schaumburg area would work.

I'm not too concerned about the Chicago winters. The Lexus GS and Mercury Grand Marquis my family has aren't the best in the snow, but it's do-able and I'm used to it. I'm assuming the Karma will probably act the same.

3) Also, any general options about which car looks better (silver w/ black rims vs black w/ black rims) would be appreciated. I keep going back and forth. The only reason I'm leaning toward the silver is because it's MUCH closer to my house, cheaper, and less miles.

Thanks for reading all of this and any feedback/opinions are much appreciated.
@Deano91 - both are lower VINs (e.g. earlier production cars) but a best practice regardless of VIN # is to have someone qualified to service Karmas complete a thorough inspection on the car prior to purchase. The silver with black has a warning light for the key fob battery, but definitely need to ensure there aren't any other active warnings (which are best pulled by a Fisker code reader if possible).

Be sure to read this entire thread, it's a great starting point for those looking to buy a Karma:

http://www.fiskerbuzz.com/forums/13-fisker-karma/4473-fisker-karma-buyers-checklist-3.html#post70441

There are many owners in IL and perhaps @Grebechini or @supratrboo can provide some feedback to you on who/how they get their Karmas serviced.

As for color combos, I think they are all beautiful cars. Of the 2 you listed, I think the silver with black rims looks really nice. It also looks like they wrapped the chrome with black matte, including the HZ trim and the bottom trim in the front bumper and rear bumper. I've never seen the bottom trim wrapped like that, but I have to say with the black rims it's a good look.

Good luck and just take your time to ensure you find the right one. It's still a buyers market with prices and inventory.
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@Deano91 - both are lower VINs (e.g. earlier production cars) but a best practice regardless of VIN # is to have someone qualified to service Karmas complete a thorough inspection on the car prior to purchase. The silver with black has a warning light for the key fob battery, but definitely need to ensure there aren't any other active warnings (which are best pulled by a Fisker code reader if possible).

Be sure to read this entire thread, it's a great starting point for those looking to buy a Karma:

http://www.fiskerbuzz.com/forums/13-fisker-karma/4473-fisker-karma-buyers-checklist-3.html#post70441

There are many owners in IL and perhaps @Grebechini or @supratrboo can provide some feedback to you on who/how they get their Karmas serviced.

As for color combos, I think they are all beautiful cars. Of the 2 you listed, I think the silver with black rims looks really nice. It also looks like they wrapped the chrome with black matte, including the HZ trim and the bottom trim in the front bumper and rear bumper. I've never seen the bottom trim wrapped like that, but I have to say with the black rims it's a good look.

Good luck and just take your time to ensure you find the right one. It's still a buyers market with prices and inventory.
Hi there- I can highly recommend Drew's Garage in Schaumburg Il - there is also a karma dealer in Schaumburg Patrick BMW that is still servicing the cars.
Low vin get it inspected and ask for all recall records.

Good luck, my baby is in storage in my garage at this point.
Deano91--
Patrick Fisker in Schaumburg is still one of the full srevice Fisker deaers left in the country.
I just had my Karma serviced there last week. If you have questions contract Brad (the SM) at there BMW location on Golf road and let him know I referred you. They will take good care of you.
If you would like to drive or go for a ride prior to purchasing a Karma let me know. My business is in Elk Grove and I have m Karma with me most everyday.
Also if you plan to drive in the snow...GET SNOW tires!
Let me know if I can be of assistance.
Glenn
Deano91--
Patrick Fisker in Schaumburg is still one of the full srevice Fisker deaers left in the country.
I just had my Karma serviced there last week. If you have questions contract Brad (the SM) at there BMW location on Golf road and let him know I referred you. They will take good care of you.
If you would like to drive or go for a ride prior to purchasing a Karma let me know. My business is in Elk Grove and I have m Karma with me most everyday.
Also if you plan to drive in the snow...GET SNOW tires!
Let me know if I can be of assistance.
Glenn
Thank you everyone for your responses. I appreciate it.
@Grebechini I may take you up on that offer. Would be nice to ride in one to see if I even like the drive without feeling the pressure of a salesman.

Two more questions (although there's probably many I haven't thought of):

1) How much were you able to get your dealer down on the price? What would be a reasonable number to counter-offer? The dealer is offering the silver car for almost $61K before taxes. I know it's not a car that's in huge demand, but I also don't want to counter with a number that's laughable.

2) Is the U.S./Illinois tax credit available for used cars? The car has been transferred from dealer to dealer, from what I read, so I'm not sure if that's considered "used" or not. It would be unfortunate if it was considered used cause there's barely any miles on it. Just figured I'd ask in case there's something I'm not aware of.

I apologies for all the questions. Just asking them as I think of them. If there's anymore information I should know about buying a Fisker/Chicagoland Fisker-Related Information, it's appreciated.
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Well on $ I'm not sure...I bought mine new at just a hair off sticker-
I seriously doubt the tax rebate is available for a used electric vehicle...especially if the original owner filed for it. If they did not and the program is tied to the vin # then there might be a possibility.
I would go the the IL.gov web site and look for answers to that.
Shoot me a PM if you want to take advantage of my offer for the drive.
@Deano91 and @Grebechini - I am up for a mini Karma meet if you guys want to do lunch or something and drive down to Patrick Fisker for a visit -- I echo Glenn on the Snow Tires, although I have another car to abuse for the winter, I wanted to keep mine clear of the fantastic salt roads that is Chicago winters. Let me know if you guys are interested in coordinating something, my business is less than 2 miles from The Fisker dealer.
I bet you could probably get $5k off the 61k asking price.

There are no tax credits for used electric vehicles
@Grebechini and @supratrboo I have midterms for my MBA coming up and then I'm going to Asia for a month right after Christmas. So, if we wanted to do that I wouldn't really be available till February haha. But I'm interested if you two want to.

Also, I found this other seller in IL. It does have 36,000 for $47K. That price is pretty high so I could probably get him down to at least $40K if not lower I feel. Plus, it's a higher VIN number (1561). The only downside is that there would be no warranty available, or at least none that I know of...

VIN: YH4K14AA9CA001561

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/621296787/overview/

Thought?
@Grebechini and @supratrboo I have midterms for my MBA coming up and then I'm going to Asia for a month right after Christmas. So, if we wanted to do that I wouldn't really be available till February haha. But I'm interested if you two want to.

Also, I found this other seller in IL. It does have 36,000 for $47K. That price is pretty high so I could probably get him down to at least $40K if not lower I feel. Plus, it's a higher VIN number (1561). The only downside is that there would be no warranty available, or at least none that I know of...

VIN: YH4K14AA9CA001561

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/621296787/overview/

Thoughts?
Also, is the warranty still honored by the Patrick BMW dealership? I saw the warranty is still active. If so, this car doesn't seem like a terrible deal. It does have a lot more miles, but it's a higher VIN which would help in the long-run I feel.
Also, is the warranty still honored by the Patrick BMW dealership? I saw the warranty is still active. If so, this car doesn't seem like a terrible deal. It does have a lot more miles, but it's a higher VIN which would help in the long-run I feel.
Read the warranty thread on the main page for more information, it is limited coverage.

I would be open to something in February depending on the weather.
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