Okay, now that you’ve decided to start your own DIY electric conversion project, your next step is to find a good donor car for your EV conversion. Have you decided what type of car model you want to retrofit into an EV?

Most people will find this part quite challenging because there are literally thousands of different car models around. How would you choose?

One way that you can make your selection is to base it on the price of the car. Why not set a target for yourself and begin your search by identifying donor car below $1000.

If you are wondering how to find a car for sale under $1000, here are 3 tips that may help you.

1) Know what you are looking for.

The first step is to figure out what type of car that you need. Do you want a front or rear wheel drive vehicle? For DIY electric car conversion, it is best to choose a car with rear wheel drive because it is much easier to connect the electric motor to the transmission unit. For a homemade electric car, it is best to choose a donor car with a manual transmission.

2) Do your research on the make and model.

Do your own research and read as many articles and reviews on the car model as possible. Read reviews from current owners so it’ll give you an idea what to expect. You can also read car consumer reports to determine whether you have chosen a reliable vehicle. The consumer reports will usually give you the car performance, repairs history and also a list of problems with the car.

3) Dig out the history of the car itself.

Check out what is the history of the car you are planning to buy. Has it been involved in any accidents? Are there any modification done to the car? Get all the information you need from the seller of the car and then determine whether it is right or not for your EV conversion project.

Car Auction Sites In the United States

If you are from the United States, you’re in luck because you can actually find cheap cars from government and police auction sales.

Every month across the United States, thousands of vehicles are seized by different Government agencies (IRS, DEA, FBI) and the Police departments and auctioned off to the public at incredible deals. Due to certain laws, these vehicles are listed and sold at up to 95% off their original value. If you are lucky, you can get car deals way much better from any used car dealerships. You can save a lot of money if you know how to find these types of government auctions.

If you are planning to look for government auctions on cars, use the service provided by www.gov-auctions.org/. They have a search function that will list down all the cars available for auction based on the model and also location. Check out their service right now to find cheap cars!

==> Click here to visit Gov-Auctions.org now!

If you are planning to do your own DIY electric car conversion project, selecting the donor car is the fun part.

This is where you get to see the actual electric car…well only the outer shell. There’s still a long way to go before you’ll be buzzing away in your EV.

When you are selecting a donor car, here are 5 tips you can consider to make your choice easier.

1) The GVWR.

GVWR is short for Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This is the car ability to carry the extra weight of your battery pack without exceeding its legal limitations.

So what is the guideline for the right GVWR?

The key here is knowing how many batteries you will need. The number of batteries needed for your EV will depend on the power system you will be using.

The power system can be either 48, 96 or 144 volts. Therefore, the extra weight of the battery can ranges from 240 to 720 lbs.

Make sure the total weight of the battery is less than 50% of the GVWR of your donor car.

2) Aerodynamic.

One way to increase your EV driving mileage is to reduce its air drag. To do that, it is best to get a donor car with good aerodynamic.

How do you know if it has good aerodynamic features?

If it has rounded corners and shape like a tear drop on its side, air will flow through the car easily. If it is box shape, you might as well get an ice cream truck as your donor car.

3) Minimal rust.

Check your donor car for rust. If it has lots of rust patches or worst, holes on the body of the car you can see through, give it a pass.

Patching rust holes and painting it can be a pain and expensive. Why go through the hassle.

4) Manual transmission.

This is very important, get a donor car with a manual transmission. An automatic transmission does not work well with an electric motor. It needs constant high torque to spin the gears.

With a manual transmission, it is much easier and cheaper to bolt the shaft of the motor to the central core of the transmission.

5) Less electrical gadget is better.

You may want to get a donor car without too many electrical gadgets such as power steering and air-conditioner. This type of equipment will need additional power to work, which means you have to build a separate power unit.

You may have to compromise on some of the basic comfort of your donor car. If you live in a cold climate, there’s a way you can make a DIY heater for your EV.

Convert Your Own Electric Car

Want to know how to convert a conventional automobile into a plug in electric car? If you do, download the 20 DIY Electric Car Conversion Videos e-book.

The e-book will show you videos of homemade electric cars and the different components needed for the conversion project. Click on the link below to download the free e-book now!

==> Click here to download free e-book!

Looking For Used Cars

The idea for this blog post came to me when I was surfing the internet looking for second hand car. I was looking at a couple of used car directories. I thought to myself “Where else can I find cheap used cars?” And then a “light bulb” flashes on my head, why not look at car auctions!

That’s what I did. I started looking for information about used car auction on the internet. Initially my thoughts were to get a car maybe 2 or 3 years old for myself. And then it dawned on me, the same car can also be used for electric vehicle (EV) conversion!

As you may have already known, you need a donor car for your Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car conversion project. If you are looking for cheap electric donor car, why not go to used car auctions. The more I think about it, the more excited I become!

There are many advantages of getting a donor car from auctions compared to a used car dealer. Firstly, the cars from auctions are generally in better condition. Some of the vehicles are pretty new but the owner has to give it up because he is unable to service the loan. As far as we know, the used car dealers may have gotten the vehicles from car auctions themselves and selling it for a profit.

Getting Used Cars From The Government

From my research, here’s what I found. Some organizations have no choice but to get rid of surplus cars on their books. This is especially true for some US government departments.

But here’s the problem, there are so many states in the country with hundreds of car auction going on every day. How would we know which one to choose? Here’s what I found.

There is actually a web site that gathers all the government vehicle auctions information on one central database. The web site is Gov-Auctions.org. The first time I saw this web site, I was really existed. The government is trying to get rid of cars at auctions. This means you have the potential to get dirt cheap vehicle as an electric donor car!

Government Car Auction Information Web Site

Here’s the catch. The government car auction site is not a free service. You have to pay them a fee to access their database of all the auction sites. Nonetheless, the fee is very minor. Just imagine if you were to find a great deal at the auction, the money saved would have been more than enough to cover your investment. Check out the screen shot below on some of the cars up for auction.

Ideal Candidates For Electric Donor Car

I don’t know about you, but I am really excited about this! I have never done any bidding at car auctions before. It is a good place to learn. I will do more research on this. If you are in the process of searching for cheap electric donor vehicle for EV conversion, check out Gov-Auctions.org.

Related web sites:
1) Convert 2 EV and Electricity 4 Gas Guides Review – Top Electric Car Conversion Kit Manuals

2) Electric Car Motor – Choosing The Right Motor For Your DIY EV

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