A what?! We normally don’t show 2012 vehicles here on Barn Finds, especially ones that haven’t been in a barn for 14 years, but I blame it on Chuck F for sending in this unusual tip! This 2012 Fisker Karma EcoSport plug-in hybrid is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Gulf Breeze, Florida, and they’re asking $17,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Chuck F. for the tip!
Sleek, slick, and chic. There was actually a trim level called EcoChic, the top trim level above EcoStandard and EcoSport, which this one is. You will have a very hard time drawing more stares driving almost anywhere in a Fisker Karma EcoAnything, no matter the trim level. This is one very cool design. Maybe not the oddly-smiling front “grille,” but man, this car is sexy. The biggest factory wheels I’ve ever had were on my Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and those were 21-inchers; these are 22s. “Shadow” or “Earth” is the color here, I think, according to page 14 of this very cool 2012 Fisker Karma brochure. This car is only 16.4 feet long, so it isn’t huge, but it has a huge presence.
I can’t help seeing a different shade on the trunk lid, but there’s no mention of it having been repainted. The original Fisker Karma was only made for a couple of years, 2011 and 2012, but things are more than a little murky. They weren’t a traditional EV like a Tesla or other 100% electric/battery-powered vehicles. Think Chevrolet Bolt (or Cadillac ELR), where it’s an EV but with a gas-powered engine providing backup power to charge the batteries, so a plug-in hybrid with a range-extending engine. I think it’s an interesting system. I know a few people with Chevy Bolts, and they swear by them, not swear at them, as more than a few Fisker Karma owners have done. Fisker is a Finnish company, so that just adds to the unusual factor. I mean, come on, Justin Bieber has a Fisker Karma! (crickets)
How’s that for an unusual interior? Here are the gauges. This is strictly a four-seater, with four bucket seats. Watch your skull as you crouch down and attempt to get in, as 374 onlookers are watching. Try to look as cool and smooth as the car looks, and you’ll be fine. The company went bust for the most part not long after this car was made, due to, yes, the batteries. A123 Systems was a company that provided the batteries, and the Karma had a couple of recalls regarding the batteries. Fisker didn’t help matters by not selling as many cars as they predicted, which in turn added to 123’s downfall. Both A123 Systems and Fisker are somehow still in business, however, in some form. Fisker has come and gone several times, and in 2012, they referred to the Karma as “The World’s First High Performance Electric Luxury Vehicle With The Freedom To Plug In Or Fill Up.”
We don’t get to see inside the trunk or any underside shots, but kudos to the seller for providing two engine photos! An engine in an EV?! Remember, this isn’t an “EV”, it’s a plug-in extended-range vehicle with a gas-powered engine providing power to charge the lithium-ion 10.1 kWh batteries once the plug-in range of around 40 miles is used up, for about a 300-mile total range. The engine is GM’s 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo inline-four with 260 pounds mixing with the two 120-kW electric motors and batteries, making just over 400 horsepower and a mind-blowing 1,000 lb-ft of torque rolling through a “Rear Differential Module and two rear-mounted electric traction motors” (according to Motor Trend), with paddle shifters, to the rear wheels. The EPA gave it a 20-mpg overall rating after the plug-in charge is gone, so it’s probably less efficient overall than your new F-150.
The Fisker Karma weighs a whopping 5,300 pounds but can still make it to 60 MPH in around 6 seconds. This car was a bit over $100,000 in 2012, much more than a Chevy Bolt, so $17,000 or offer seems like a steal today, if you can live with some possible iffy electrical issues and other things. The seller says the software has been updated to the current version, so that’s good, right? Personally, I think this would be a super fun car to own for just driving around town on the weekends. You would almost always have rock star parking, and you can’t say that about many other $17,000 cars. Have any of you heard of a Fisker Karma?
I totally forgot about these. It is a unique and good looking design. This was not a vehicle you’d normally see in a Walmart parking lot. Whether you like them or you hate them. EVs are here and one day will get to the age of being collectable. That is, if the batteries hold up. This has a lot of different styling cues that remind me of several other makes, and that’s not a bad thing. I’m wondering if it will sell? It looks like its in great shape and it would be nice to see it preserved.
Fisker is an interesting dude. He keeps resurfacing.
I think Hurricane Sandy might’ve been the final nail for them. I did see one of these in-person and they’re quite stunning.
https://www.reuters.com/article/business/environment/fisker-says-30-million-in-luxury-cars-destroyed-by-sandy-in-nj-port-idUSBRE8A6039/
My in-laws lived in Newport Beach CA and when we went to visit them on Sundays we would pass a Fisker Karma parked outside a driveway with the charger plugged into the garage. The license plate said “Fisker” and rumor had it the owner was a dealer (or maybe even Henrik himself), but the car eventually disappeared. The cars were $100K plus or minus so not for everyone.
Fisker received a US$528.7 million conditional loan in September 2009 from the Department of Energy’s US$25 billion Advanced Technologies Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM) and over $1 billion from private investors between 2009-2012 but filed for bankruptcy at the end of 2012.
A Chinese company bought it in 2014 and the Revero (based in Irvine CA and built in Moreno Valley CA) debuted in 2016 but all cars were recalled in 2019 and most of the employees let go in 2020. Henrik tried it again as Fisker Inc. in 2020 with the Ocean (released in 2023) but in early 2024 got into severe financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy again. There are Fiskers for sale out there but one would think parts and service would probably be hard to come by.
I was surprised at the low price on this,as these were not
cheap when new.There was a celebrity (Tom Cotter?) who had
one of these.
It’s the cost and risk of ownership that is baked into the price here. These are gorgeous vehicles and mechanically a great concept. But as somebody pointed out, finding parts and service would be difficult, and they’re not known as being particularly reliable.
Its power train was based on the Chevy Volt’s hybrid system….not the Bolt. The Bolt is all electric.
The biggest problem with owning one of these – and they are a very attractive car – is that aftermarket support and supporting repair documentation is sparse.