The ELR coupe was Cadillac’s first attempt at a plug-in hybrid — the second being the equally rare CT6 PHEV — and it was a spectacular flop. Only on the market for three years, only 2,958 ELRs were ever made. Now, more than eight years after the last ELR rolled off the production line, they’re starting to show up for cheap, and I may have found the cheapest ELR to date.
A number of reasons have been given for the ELR’s failure, from its high price to its platform and powertrain that were shared with the lesser Chevrolet Volt PHEV. Initially, in 2013 (the first model year) Cadillac slapped a $75,000 MSRP on the ELR, which spooked buyers and sent GM back to the drawing board — it was about $35,000 more expensive than a Volt. And who can forget that Super Bowl ad?
There was no 2015 model year ELR. It returned for 2016 with some styling tweaks and an MSRP that was more than $10,000 cheaper, but that still didn’t help. In early 2016, Cadillac announced that the ELR was going out of production.
Now the ELR has gotten ridiculously cheap. Thanks to a tweet (h/t to @mike_m_klotz) I was able to find the cheapest ELR I’ve ever seen at a dealership in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The dealer is called Pulse Autos. If you ignore the typical buy here pay here lot look and feel of the website, you’ll see they have a silver 2014 ELR with an excellent Kona Brown interior in stock for just $13,990. That’s a lot of car for a price that would otherwise get you into something like a heavily used Honda Fit.
Now granted, this isn’t the most perfect example of an ELR, but at this price, you can’t really expect it to be. There are a few issues, like the fact that it has over 126,000 miles on it, a lot for a pricey PHEV. The dealer also hasn’t made its Carfax report available, opting to go for a CarStory report that says everything and nothing at the same time.
The most glaring problem are the wheels. A keen-eyed observer on Twitter pointed out that the wheels on this thing are mismatched. The ELR had an optional luxury package that added chrome wheels — this ELR has wheels from the Luxury Package on the back, and the standard wheels on the front.
But still, this can’t be beat, especially for someone looking for a cheap, interesting commuter, or even a second car for a family member. Its 37 miles of all-electric driving range is plenty for around-town jaunts. The only downside to its powertrain are the long charging times, which even with a 240-volt charger can still be as long as five hours.
If this ELR doesn’t work for you, there are a few others that can be found for under $20,000. They’re even showing up on auction sites. Another 2014 ELR just sold on Bring A Trailer for $15,500.
