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Isn’t the real difference the relative cost of repair? The post above yours at the time of this comment cites that battery replacement costs more than that of a

by bumby 4y ago

Isn’t the real difference the relative cost of repair? The post above yours at the time of this comment cites that battery replacement costs more than that of a new vehicle. It would be hard to find that in an ICE car (assuming it’s not an exotic or rare model).

jqpabc123 4y ago
It would be hard to find that in an ICE car (assuming it’s not an exotic or rare model). The cost to replace an ICE engine often exceeds the value of the car. In which case, the car is typically junked/sold for parts/salvaged.
- bumby 4y ago
  Possibly the value of the car at the time of replacement, but not the value of the car when new. The other comment indicating it was 1.3x the cost of their EV when new.
  - jqpabc123 4y ago
    Possibly the value of the car at the time of replacement, but not the value of the car when new. Does it really matter? Once the cost exceeds the replacement value of the car, only a fool would pay the money to do the work.
    - bumby 4y ago
      Absolutely. By orders of magnitude. This is one of those HN comments that comes across as in a bubble or tone deaf. There’s a difference in the utility and investment value. Lots of people are in the position where they can’t afford a $50k EV repair to keep a car roadworthy or $35k for a new car. Many more can stomach a $5k ICE repair. It may be the difference between getting to work and not for someone who can’t afford a new car. They will still get much more utility out of it even if it’s not worth it on paper. Not everyone is in a position where they can just decide to buy a new car because it’s the prudent financial decision.
      - jqpabc123 4y ago
        Not everyone is in a position where they can just decide to buy a new car because it’s the prudent financial decision. Regardless of your position --- salvage the old car (puts some money in your pocket) and replace it (with a similar used one if necessary) for *less* than the cost of the repairs to the old one. Take your significant other to dinner with the money you just avoided wasting on your broken old heap. Why would a reasonable person *ever* spend more on repairs than the money required to just replace the broken car with one that works? Irrational, sentimental reasons perhaps? Why spend $6K on repairs if you can buy a similar working car for only $5K? Why make your net "position" $1K worse with flawed logic? What part of this sounds "tone deaf" to you?
        analognoise 4y ago
        A 5K used vehicle might need a similar 6k repair at some nearby point. But a 6k repair to get a new engine/transmission is almost a new car (utility wise) - you know that for the next 100k miles you're probably set w.r.t. drivetrain. It makes sense to me?
        jqpabc123 4y ago
        By the time most cars need a replacement engine and transmission, the only thing available is likely to be used/salvaged or rebuilt. New ones are often out of production. And you certainly can't buy a whole new drivetrain and get it installed for $6k. The only people who attempt this are those who can do the work themselves.
        bumby 4y ago
        >By the time most cars need a replacement engine and transmission, the only thing available is likely to be used/salvaged or rebuilt. There are plenty of engines that go back 30+ years that can still be bought brand new. You're probably right about the "whole new drivetrain" not being able to be installed for under $6k though (depending on what you define as a whole drivetrain). But even a rebuilt engine can fairly easily last another 100k miles, depending on the vehicle and the quality of the rebuild.

by bumby 4y ago

jqpabc123 4y ago

It would be hard to find that in an ICE car (assuming it’s not an exotic or rare model). The cost to replace an ICE engine often exceeds the value of the car. In which case, the car is typically junked/sold for parts/salvaged.

bumby 4y ago
Possibly the value of the car at the time of replacement, but not the value of the car when new. The other comment indicating it was 1.3x the cost of their EV when new.
- jqpabc123 4y ago
  Possibly the value of the car at the time of replacement, but not the value of the car when new. Does it really matter? Once the cost exceeds the replacement value of the car, only a fool would pay the money to do the work.
  - bumby 4y ago
    Absolutely. By orders of magnitude. This is one of those HN comments that comes across as in a bubble or tone deaf. There’s a difference in the utility and investment value. Lots of people are in the position where they can’t afford a $50k EV repair to keep a car roadworthy or $35k for a new car. Many more can stomach a $5k ICE repair. It may be the difference between getting to work and not for someone who can’t afford a new car. They will still get much more utility out of it even if it’s not worth it on paper. Not everyone is in a position where they can just decide to buy a new car because it’s the prudent financial decision.
    - jqpabc123 4y ago
      Not everyone is in a position where they can just decide to buy a new car because it’s the prudent financial decision. Regardless of your position --- salvage the old car (puts some money in your pocket) and replace it (with a similar used one if necessary) for *less* than the cost of the repairs to the old one. Take your significant other to dinner with the money you just avoided wasting on your broken old heap. Why would a reasonable person *ever* spend more on repairs than the money required to just replace the broken car with one that works? Irrational, sentimental reasons perhaps? Why spend $6K on repairs if you can buy a similar working car for only $5K? Why make your net "position" $1K worse with flawed logic? What part of this sounds "tone deaf" to you?
      - analognoise 4y ago
        A 5K used vehicle might need a similar 6k repair at some nearby point. But a 6k repair to get a new engine/transmission is almost a new car (utility wise) - you know that for the next 100k miles you're probably set w.r.t. drivetrain. It makes sense to me?
        jqpabc123 4y ago
        By the time most cars need a replacement engine and transmission, the only thing available is likely to be used/salvaged or rebuilt. New ones are often out of production. And you certainly can't buy a whole new drivetrain and get it installed for $6k. The only people who attempt this are those who can do the work themselves.
        bumby 4y ago
        >By the time most cars need a replacement engine and transmission, the only thing available is likely to be used/salvaged or rebuilt. There are plenty of engines that go back 30+ years that can still be bought brand new. You're probably right about the "whole new drivetrain" not being able to be installed for under $6k though (depending on what you define as a whole drivetrain). But even a rebuilt engine can fairly easily last another 100k miles, depending on the vehicle and the quality of the rebuild.