This Volkswagen ID.Buzz cost its owner $11,000 in just 398 miles
That high-end luxury vehicles that trade on being new and shiny take massive depreciation hits as soon as they roll off the lot is a lasting truth in the car business. At least one VW buyer is finding that out the hard way, having just watched their 1st Edition 4Motion ID.Buzz sell at auction for more than $11,000 under MSRP with just 398 miles on it.
At least.
After teasing a modern Bus for nearly two decades (the ID.Buzz was introduced as a concept at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, and was the fourth Type 2 Bus- or Bulli-inspired concept from VW since 2001), Volkswagen had high hopes for the all electric minivan. Unfortunately price-gouging dealer markups and a drastic over-estimation of the van’s lasting cultural impact more than twenty years after the launch of the first-generation New Beetle and a hefty $70,000+ price tag conspired against its mainstream success.
The good news, if there’s any to be had, is that early “flippers” are getting badly burned – and, while there’s no indication that the owner of this particular ID.Buzz was hoping to get an early example of a hot car from a dealer and flip it for a profit, their experience could and should serve as a warning to others.
The van, itself
The van was listed on BringaTrailer.com (all photos, above, are from the listing), and sold last week for $61,500. The included window sticker, which is typically considered a “must-have” for car collectors, shows initial delivery to Fremont Volkswagen of Casper, Wyoming, and lists all the features and equipment that brings the final sticker price to a staggering $72,385.
For that price, VW saw fit to throw in a set of woven floor mats. But, in fairness, the reality of this could have been much, much worse for the original buyer.
$35,000 dealer markup
Back in December, Hot Cars ran a story about Volkswagen of San Bernadino marking up a nearly identical 1st Edition ID.Buzz from its $72,668 sticker to a jaw-dropping $107,668 – fully $35,000 of dealership price-gouging markup, despite calls from VW corporate pleading with its dealer body to not do that.
“McKenna Volkswagen Cerritos has another 1st Edition listed for $97,815. That’s still $25,000 added on top of the MSRP for no reason,” wrote Amanda Clein, back in December. “No matter where you look, the electric bus is marked up at a bunch of dealerships. King Volkswagen in Maryland has one 1st Edition available. This one is finished in a cool orange color but is still being subject to a $10,000 markup”
No word yet on whether this particular van gets the three year Electrify America charging deal, or whether the rear seat still has the original, “pre-recall” rear seating configuration, but at least this much is certain: if you participated in a cynical, ID.Buzz-shaped cash grab in recent months, it probably cost you big time.
May the ghost of Woodstocks past forgive you for even trying.
SOURCE | MORE IMAGES: BringaTrailer.com, via Carscoops.
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The State of California is moving to ban the sale of Tesla cars amid claims that the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have misled buyers about the self-driving capabilities of their cars. We’ve also got market-leading news out of Vietnam and a pricey, pricey lesson for one VW ID.Buzz buyer on today’s lesson-learning episode of Quick Charge!
We also ask what this might mean for the recent Uber/Lucid autonomous taxi tie-up and go through a full rundown of the fastest depreciating EVs on the market (and yes, there are four Tesla models in the top 10 … because the Cybertruck was too new to qualify).
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Sunrun is putting tens of thousands of home batteries to work in Puerto Rico as the island’s electric grid faces a summer of high temperatures and energy shortfalls.
The company says it’s now dispatching energy from over 37,000 residential batteries to help grid operator LUMA keep the lights on. That stored power is being used to prevent rolling blackouts when demand spikes and centralized power plants can’t keep up.
Sunrun’s emergency power contribution has grown more than tenfold since last summer. LUMA expects more than 75 energy shortfall events between now and October, with each dispatch sending electricity to the grid for four consecutive hours. During several recent evenings, Sunrun and other virtual power plant (VPP) operators provided enough energy to offset a 50-megawatt generation gap, LUMA said.
Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said Puerto Rico’s aging infrastructure and intense weather patterns make home battery support increasingly critical:
It’s going to be a very difficult summer, which is why Sunrun has ramped up our dispatch capabilities, using tens of thousands of home batteries to support the grid and people of Puerto Rico.
She added that distributed power plants like Sunrun’s serve the same role as natural gas peaker plants – offering fast, reliable power during high-demand moments – but with clean energy.
Sunrun customers enrolled in the VPP will get paid too. Each participating battery earns about $200 minimum for the season, and customers who allow more of their stored energy to go to the grid earn even more. Sunrun also earns revenue for operating the VPP.
Read more: The US’s largest virtual power plant now runs on 75,000 home batteries
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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Volkswagen is advertising ID.4 leases starting at just $99 a month. It’s hard to find any car lease these days for under $100 a month, but for $45,000 electric SUV, it’s almost unheard of.
Volkswagen offers ID.4 leases as low as $99 a month
The Volkswagen ID.4 was the third top-selling EV in the US in January after the 2025 model year went back on sale.
Volkswagen’s electric SUV starts at $45,095 with an EPA-estimated driving range of 291 miles. It’s available in five different trims: Pro, AWD Pro, Pro S, AWD Pro S, and AWD Pro S Plus.
The base 2025 VW ID.4 Pro RWD is equipped with 282 hp from a single rear electric motor. Inside, it features a 12.9″ infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and Volkswagen’s new ID.Cockpit digital instrument display.
Upgrading to the AWD version will gain a tow hitch and an additional 53 hp, for a combined maximum of 335 hp. The added power comes at the cost of some range, with an EPA-estimated range of 263 miles.
Volkswagen was already offering 2025 ID.4 leases as low as $129 a month, but some dealers are listing it for even less this month.
A California dealership, Volkswagen of Garden Grove, has the 2025 ID.4 Pro RWD listed for lease at just $99 per month. The offer is for 24 months with $2,995 down. According to the dealer, the offer includes a $5,000 cash back bonus, good on a new ID.4 purchase or lease.
We thought the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 was a good deal with leases starting at just $179 per month, but for $99, now that’s a steal.
Looking for deals on the Volkswagen ID.4 near you? You can use our link to find and view offers on the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 in your area (via a trusted affiliate link)
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