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What’s the resell market like for EV? I wouldn’t ever buy new and with the change in maintenance I’m wondering how viable just going to a mechanic to checkout a

What’s the resell market like for EV? I wouldn’t ever buy new and with the change in maintenance I’m wondering how viable just going to a mechanic to checkout a craigslist car purchase will be as EVs make up a greater share of vehicles on the road.

Marsymars 8y ago
If long-term reliability really is good for EVs, it should be cheap for manufacturers to offer long-term warranties, transferable between owners, as a point of differentiation over their competitors. As-is, EVs don't (yet?) have better warranties than ICE cars.
snark42 8y ago
> What’s the resell market like for EV? Leaf's are pretty cheap relative to new, I think some buyers remorse is leading to a flooded market but I'm not sure. Tesla's aren't that much less than new (although I was looking at "certified" ones through Tesla.) I decided there wasn't much reason to buy used. Maybe in 3-5 years it will be different.
- rsynnott 8y ago
  I suspect part of that is just how much better the current model Leaf is than the old ones. In a rapidly changing market, you can’t expect much resale value. Of course, this implies the next problem; it’s never the right time to buy an electric car, because next year’s range is going to be a lot better..l
  - tomatocracy 8y ago
    Right. The logical thing to do is to price it up as a lease without option to purchase / long-term hire contract and compare that to other competitors.
- btilly 8y ago
  Tesla's aren't that much less than new (although I was looking at "certified" ones through Tesla.) I decided there wasn't much reason to buy used. The reason to buy used is that there is no waiting list so you can get it now. Which implies as a corollary that if Tesla was able to fill current demand for new cars, then the price of used Teslas would drop substantially.
rootusrootus 8y ago
Resale is extremely weak, even for something like a Model S. Think 50% or less going to auction after three years, and some cars in particular (looking at you 500E) going for 1/6 what they were sold for brand new. Once the technology stabilizes a bit and becomes more common, resale probably won't be any worse than everything else.
- floatrock 8y ago
  That's true only if you compare sticker prices. In reality, a $32k bolt has a $7.5k federal rebate, a $2.5k california rebate, and various city and utility rebates. So a $32k MSRP is actually around $20-22k. With that in mind, a $16k 3 year old Bolt is actually not that bad.
  - Marsymars 8y ago
    Meanwhile in Canada, there are no EV rebates (in most provinces), and due to the depreciation of the dollar and Tesla's USD-based pricing, buying a new Model 3 is now only $400 less than the Model S was at launch four years ago.

Marsymars 8y ago

If long-term reliability really is good for EVs, it should be cheap for manufacturers to offer long-term warranties, transferable between owners, as a point of differentiation over their competitors. As-is, EVs don't (yet?) have better warranties than ICE cars.

snark42 8y ago

> What’s the resell market like for EV? Leaf's are pretty cheap relative to new, I think some buyers remorse is leading to a flooded market but I'm not sure. Tesla's aren't that much less than new (although I was looking at "certified" ones through Tesla.) I decided there wasn't much reason to buy used. Maybe in 3-5 years it will be different.

rsynnott 8y ago
I suspect part of that is just how much better the current model Leaf is than the old ones. In a rapidly changing market, you can’t expect much resale value. Of course, this implies the next problem; it’s never the right time to buy an electric car, because next year’s range is going to be a lot better..l
- tomatocracy 8y ago
  Right. The logical thing to do is to price it up as a lease without option to purchase / long-term hire contract and compare that to other competitors.
btilly 8y ago
Tesla's aren't that much less than new (although I was looking at "certified" ones through Tesla.) I decided there wasn't much reason to buy used. The reason to buy used is that there is no waiting list so you can get it now. Which implies as a corollary that if Tesla was able to fill current demand for new cars, then the price of used Teslas would drop substantially.

rootusrootus 8y ago

Resale is extremely weak, even for something like a Model S. Think 50% or less going to auction after three years, and some cars in particular (looking at you 500E) going for 1/6 what they were sold for brand new. Once the technology stabilizes a bit and becomes more common, resale probably won't be any worse than everything else.

floatrock 8y ago
That's true only if you compare sticker prices. In reality, a $32k bolt has a $7.5k federal rebate, a $2.5k california rebate, and various city and utility rebates. So a $32k MSRP is actually around $20-22k. With that in mind, a $16k 3 year old Bolt is actually not that bad.
- Marsymars 8y ago
  Meanwhile in Canada, there are no EV rebates (in most provinces), and due to the depreciation of the dollar and Tesla's USD-based pricing, buying a new Model 3 is now only $400 less than the Model S was at launch four years ago.