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> And I wouldn't buy (let alone pay extra for) any first gen vehicle. I generally agree with this. I'm curious where you draw the line though. This isn't For

by mulmen 5y ago

> And I wouldn't buy (let alone pay extra for) any first gen vehicle. I generally agree with this. I'm curious where you draw the line though. This isn't Ford's first EV and other manufacturers have been building them for years. At what point should we acknowledge this is as a mature technology? I wouldn't hesitate to buy a car with a new ICE, what will it take for EVs to reach the same level of trust?

sokoloff 5y ago
I didn't read GP's comment as particular in any way to EVs. I'm not generally in the market for new cars (terrible value), but to the extent I consider them, I'd much rather buy a second-generation (or minimum, second model year) than a first-off car.
- mulmen 5y ago
  What do you mean by “generation” though? Take the Camry for example, that is a “new” car every ~8(?) years. That can’t be what you mean by “generation” so I assume you just mean “a few years after release”?
  - sokoloff 5y ago
    Anytime there’s a significant refresh of the model (when the Mustang got the Coyote motor, Corolla switched from rear to front drive, etc), I’d avoid the first year of that generation as well, but I’d particularly avoid the first year of a first-gen car. My post above could have been much more clear. For a body refresh with an already proven engine/trans combination, I wouldn’t be as concerned (which is what I was trying to get at, albeit clumsily).
mholm 5y ago
Not the commenter, but first gen vehicles have a particularly bad history of unreliability, even in ICEs. Later incremental model years tend to be the more reliable version of the car by a noticeable amount.
- mulmen 5y ago
  Ah I think I misunderstood. My most recent purchase was a mid-lifecycle refresh of an existing model, I guess that is what GP meant.
artificial 5y ago
Every so many years a new platform arrives. The generations built upon it iterate. The later iterations address issues and are considered superior. “The window seal on the driver side no longer potentially develops a leak, the headlight daytime running LED burnt out due to poor semiconductor fab you can see the new part number, the entertainment system revamped to support carplay” etc. The down side is once they’re mature the body style changes and the cycle repeats.

by mulmen 5y ago

sokoloff 5y ago

I didn't read GP's comment as particular in any way to EVs. I'm not generally in the market for new cars (terrible value), but to the extent I consider them, I'd much rather buy a second-generation (or minimum, second model year) than a first-off car.

mulmen 5y ago
What do you mean by “generation” though? Take the Camry for example, that is a “new” car every ~8(?) years. That can’t be what you mean by “generation” so I assume you just mean “a few years after release”?
- sokoloff 5y ago
  Anytime there’s a significant refresh of the model (when the Mustang got the Coyote motor, Corolla switched from rear to front drive, etc), I’d avoid the first year of that generation as well, but I’d particularly avoid the first year of a first-gen car. My post above could have been much more clear. For a body refresh with an already proven engine/trans combination, I wouldn’t be as concerned (which is what I was trying to get at, albeit clumsily).

mholm 5y ago

Not the commenter, but first gen vehicles have a particularly bad history of unreliability, even in ICEs. Later incremental model years tend to be the more reliable version of the car by a noticeable amount.

mulmen 5y ago
Ah I think I misunderstood. My most recent purchase was a mid-lifecycle refresh of an existing model, I guess that is what GP meant.

artificial 5y ago

Every so many years a new platform arrives. The generations built upon it iterate. The later iterations address issues and are considered superior. “The window seal on the driver side no longer potentially develops a leak, the headlight daytime running LED burnt out due to poor semiconductor fab you can see the new part number, the entertainment system revamped to support carplay” etc. The down side is once they’re mature the body style changes and the cycle repeats.