Ontario resident buys Chevy Volt sight unseen

Would you buy a vehicle without driving, touching or even seeing it? We know we wouldn't, but that's exactly what Lisa Osborne of Ontario, Canada did in late September.

The Windsor-area resident became one of the first Chevrolet Volt buyers in Canada after she drove all the way to a Toronto-area General Motors dealership last month to purchase the plug-in sedan. Osborne got the plug-in itch and, rather than wait until spring of 2012 for the Volt's arrival in Windsor, she hit the road and bought one of Chevy's plug-ins in Toronto, sight unseen. Osborne stated:

For me, I wanted a plug-in vehicle, period. I did not want to buy gasoline for two primary reasons – dependence on oil and the whole issue of peak oil – the idea we're outstripping supply rapidly. So, I thought the technology exists, I want to own a vehicle that doesn't have to operate on gas.

Why not the Nissan Leaf? Well, for Osborne, the Leaf's limited range was the deal breaker:

I didn't like the idea of an electric vehicle with no other backup energy sources. For me that's the Leaf. That means I can't drive my car to my cottage.

Courtesy of Ontario's government incentive scheme, Osborne will receive a rebate of $8,230 toward her Chevy Volt purchase, which totaled $49,578. Prior to purchasing the Volt, Osborne owned fuel-efficient compacts, including a Chevy Cobalt and a Honda Civic.