A lot of EV people forget that most of us don’t have $20,000 for a car, let alone a used one. The cheapest EV’s as of today around me are $19,000 and have between 80k-120k miles on them. I bought my 2007 car for $5,500 11 years ago and i’ve put roughly $2200 in repairs into it, $1700 of that was for a complete suspension rebuild, so it would be much lower. My last car i had for 9 years, i put maybe $300 in repairs on it, and that was just brakes and fluids.
So i personally wont be amazed by an EV that has less maintenance, i would love to have the ability to charge/fuel up at home, and not wait at gas stations, that would be an awesome thing.
Once one of my ICE vehicles costs too much to repair, i hope EV’s are more in the $10-15k range with lower miles. At that point the lack of gas would help offset the large investment up front. And yes, i know $15k is not considered a large investment for most EV drivers, but for those of us who don’t make more than $20 an hour, it’s a HUGE investment.
Yeah, but I should also offset the $5,500 by 11 years of (higher than normal) inflation, and also get more accurate numbers for the amount of money spent on gas ($25 seems a little low, doesn’t it?).
I think it’s fair to say that a used EV has a lower TCO than a used ICE car.
Sure there’s more upfront cost and we have to consider the boots theory but if you can afford to buy a used EV, it’s safe to say that it’s cheaper in the long run.
No, EV people don’t forget, but the nature of posting publicly is that some readers are closer to the fence than others. You’re the only who knows how close you are to that fence.
Dont forget your cost per mile of maintenance. ICE aint cheap to roll around forever. Emissions and tires/brakes will get ya. Idk, thought I had more substance when I started typing
Still too expensive for your average Joe, unfortunately.
Even with all the extra costs, I can still get an older ice car cheaper. I just bought an 07 Honda Fit for $1300, plus a few hundred for some suspension work I did myself. The thing runs like a champ, and I’m averaging 42.5mpg.
I wish I could have an EV, but it’s just not cost effective yet. I plan to put another 100k on this Honda before reconsidering the market.
A lot of EV people forget that most of us don’t have $20,000 for a car, let alone a used one. The cheapest EV’s as of today around me are $19,000 and have between 80k-120k miles on them. I bought my 2007 car for $5,500 11 years ago and i’ve put roughly $2200 in repairs into it, $1700 of that was for a complete suspension rebuild, so it would be much lower. My last car i had for 9 years, i put maybe $300 in repairs on it, and that was just brakes and fluids.
So i personally wont be amazed by an EV that has less maintenance, i would love to have the ability to charge/fuel up at home, and not wait at gas stations, that would be an awesome thing.
Once one of my ICE vehicles costs too much to repair, i hope EV’s are more in the $10-15k range with lower miles. At that point the lack of gas would help offset the large investment up front. And yes, i know $15k is not considered a large investment for most EV drivers, but for those of us who don’t make more than $20 an hour, it’s a HUGE investment.
How much money do you reckon you spent on gas in the last 11 years?
$25 per week over 11 years works out to be $14,300.
You’re absolutely right about the long run. The problem is the up-front costs. The proletariat is living off of the Epstein class’s table scraps.
Ya got a point, but it would need to be offset by charging costs.
Yeah, but I should also offset the $5,500 by 11 years of (higher than normal) inflation, and also get more accurate numbers for the amount of money spent on gas ($25 seems a little low, doesn’t it?).
I think it’s fair to say that a used EV has a lower TCO than a used ICE car.
Sure there’s more upfront cost and we have to consider the boots theory but if you can afford to buy a used EV, it’s safe to say that it’s cheaper in the long run.
I mean… a full charge costs me like $11 ish? Tesla stats tell me I drove 8300 miles last year And the total cost to me to charge was about $650.
If you can trust their calculator it says gas cost for a comparable car in my state was about $1350 for the same mileage, so $700 savings.
No, EV people don’t forget, but the nature of posting publicly is that some readers are closer to the fence than others. You’re the only who knows how close you are to that fence.
Dont forget your cost per mile of maintenance. ICE aint cheap to roll around forever. Emissions and tires/brakes will get ya. Idk, thought I had more substance when I started typing
I love the idea of EVs, drove one for awhile, but as a note, tires do wear out faster on EVs because they are heavier.
But yes gas is more expensive in most areas, and EVs save on brakes with regen.
and oil changes, and transmission fluid, and alternator rebuilds… the complexity of ICE vehicles alone will be their downfall.
All true.
Still too expensive for your average Joe, unfortunately.
Even with all the extra costs, I can still get an older ice car cheaper. I just bought an 07 Honda Fit for $1300, plus a few hundred for some suspension work I did myself. The thing runs like a champ, and I’m averaging 42.5mpg.
I wish I could have an EV, but it’s just not cost effective yet. I plan to put another 100k on this Honda before reconsidering the market.
I didn’t have the upfront cost of my car, really never have in my entire life - always got a car loan.
have you been paying cash for cars this whole time?
Near me there are multiple Chevy Bolts selling for around $10k.