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Honest question - can you rent a car for the trip? Whole my kids were growing up we had a big people-mover vehicle. They grew up, we stopped using it, send I s

Honest question - can you rent a car for the trip? Whole my kids were growing up we had a big people-mover vehicle. They grew up, we stopped using it, send I sold it. Recently I had a group visit and we wanted to see the sights. I simply rented (a much more modern and nicer) people mover for a week. Renting local, away from the airport, was really cheap. My daily drive is negligible. For road trips I'll just rent a car. I can also rent a truck if I need to carry stuff, or something with a towbar to drag stuff. Being "cheap " 350 days a year leaves a big budget for renting the edge case.

Arainach 3y ago
Except that an EV isn't cheap. Buying a $50-60K EV over a $30K IC does the opposite of leave budget to spend $1000 on a road trip rental.
- aydyn 3y ago
  Then dont buy a 50-60K EV? buy one thats 30K or less?
  - bogota 3y ago
    Why not buy one under 10k? How about 5k?
    - aydyn 3y ago
      How about a million k.
    - bdcravens 3y ago
      The average new car transaction in the US is $48k. I do suspect we'll start to see lower priced EVs in the used market in coming years however.
      - LtWorf 3y ago
        Or not… what's the point when spent batteries give you very little range, and replacing them costs more than the entire vehicle?
  - NavinF 3y ago
    He was comparing like for like. I don't think anyone will deny that EVs are more expensive
    - aydyn 3y ago
      like for what like? give an example.
      - strix_varius 3y ago
        Did you not read the article? A major point in the article that this thread is based on is that electric cars are 28% more expensive than ice cars. If you're going to spend $30k you can get an excellent ice or an entry level ev.
      - Arainach 3y ago
        KIA Niro: $26,840. KIA Nero EV, $39,600. Plus taxes, fees, and loan interest. If you splurge on the Niro EX trim to get a few features that you don't really need but can't decline on the EV, that brings it to $29,540 - still $10K (25%) less. https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicles https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicles Chevy Blazer: $35,400. Chevy Blazer EV: $56,715. https://www.chevrolet.com/ https://www.chevrolet.com/ Subaru Outback: $29K. Subaru Solterra: $45K. No one makes a direct Sedan comparison that I am aware of, but: Tesla Model 3: From $39K. Subaru Impreza $23K.
        Dalewyn 3y ago
        >Subaru Solterra: $45K. All the Subaru Solterras at the local Subaru dealer were going for north of $66,000.00 when I was down that way a few months ago. Sincerely: Hell naw.
        OJFord 3y ago
        Is that order from factory vs drive it away pricing though?
- Ma8ee 3y ago
  I use an electric cargo bike. It's a really expensive one that cost almost $7000. You can get a perfectly usable one for less than half that price. I use it for what most people use their car for in 90% of their trips, including picking up 2 kids from daycare and school. And I use it year round, including days like today when it is -11 degrees C (12F). I don't pay fuel. I don't pay insurance. I don't have to finance a car. When I need to move something big or heavy I rent a full size van or a box truck for about $100 for the day. Most people pay more than that just for car insurance in a month. And then I get a vehicle that is exactly what I need, including a lift gate when suitable. I rent a nice sedan when picking up my in-laws at the airport and a big station wagon when going on holidays with the family. And I'm still ahead thousands of dollars every year compared to the average car payment which is more than $500 per month even for a used car.
  - paweladamczuk 3y ago
    What bike model do you have? And what addons are you using for the trips with kids?
    - Ma8ee 3y ago
      Riese & Müller Packster 70 Family. The only add on is a rain cover.
  - vidarh 3y ago
    I don't drive, and instead spend what sometimes seems like a fortune on Uber. But in the UK the average monthly spend on a car is ~500GBP when include the amortized cost of the car itself. Even when my son was swimming competitively and we had to Uber him around to 6 training sessions a week plus often competitions many miles away, I only briefly averaged 400GBP/month in total transport costs (though with the caveat that I work from home; had I commuted full time it'd have added ~200/month to get in to the centre of London, but then again I'd likely have spent that even if I had a car because commuting in to the centre with a car is a nightmare) And I got to sit and relax and read or talk to my son or listen to music and not have to pay attention to the road. I get that some enjoy the actual act of driving and/or driving a comfy, fancy car, but for many, it's a really expensive enjoyment and I suspect a lot of people have not considered just how much they could "paper over" edge cases and issues with public transport (yes, I know this is not a viable options for huge parts of the US) or choices like yours with Uber or rentals.
- hysan 3y ago
  We recently went through our first car purchase in over 5 years. Even when you choose a cheaper EV (so worse in non-range aspects) or even compare used, the math still doesn’t work out. EV + rentals for trips costs more over a 5-10 year span even after accounting for the gas and maintenance savings. So I’m kind of confused why people are suggesting rentals for trips as an alternative. You don’t even break even.
seanmcdirmid 3y ago
Yes, for the mainland locations at least. We would fly to Kalispell and rent a car for glacier, nice airports exist for Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. We would be skipping the great American road trip, however, which isn’t really practical in a rental. Glacier is only 9-10 hours away from us by car, so it is definitely road trip feasible. I might wait to go to glacier for a year or two since the charging infrastructure should be better by then. There wouldn’t be much point to an Alaskan road trip with a rental. Again, just fly and rent a car I guess, but we could get up to Prince George maybe.
katbyte 3y ago
It can add up quick, and there is all sorts of headaches around it and it’s super expensive if you get something that your allowed to take offroad. Imho renting via a car share is great for the occasional city truck need but for recreation it’s much better to own.
- imhoguy 3y ago
  And availability, one who rented a car in a peak season knows it well.

Arainach 3y ago

Except that an EV isn't cheap. Buying a $50-60K EV over a $30K IC does the opposite of leave budget to spend $1000 on a road trip rental.

aydyn 3y ago
Then dont buy a 50-60K EV? buy one thats 30K or less?
- bogota 3y ago
  Why not buy one under 10k? How about 5k?
  - aydyn 3y ago
    How about a million k.
  - bdcravens 3y ago
    The average new car transaction in the US is $48k. I do suspect we'll start to see lower priced EVs in the used market in coming years however.
    - LtWorf 3y ago
      Or not… what's the point when spent batteries give you very little range, and replacing them costs more than the entire vehicle?
- NavinF 3y ago
  He was comparing like for like. I don't think anyone will deny that EVs are more expensive
  - aydyn 3y ago
    like for what like? give an example.
    - strix_varius 3y ago
      Did you not read the article? A major point in the article that this thread is based on is that electric cars are 28% more expensive than ice cars. If you're going to spend $30k you can get an excellent ice or an entry level ev.
    - Arainach 3y ago
      KIA Niro: $26,840. KIA Nero EV, $39,600. Plus taxes, fees, and loan interest. If you splurge on the Niro EX trim to get a few features that you don't really need but can't decline on the EV, that brings it to $29,540 - still $10K (25%) less. https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicles https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicles Chevy Blazer: $35,400. Chevy Blazer EV: $56,715. https://www.chevrolet.com/ https://www.chevrolet.com/ Subaru Outback: $29K. Subaru Solterra: $45K. No one makes a direct Sedan comparison that I am aware of, but: Tesla Model 3: From $39K. Subaru Impreza $23K.
      - Dalewyn 3y ago
        >Subaru Solterra: $45K. All the Subaru Solterras at the local Subaru dealer were going for north of $66,000.00 when I was down that way a few months ago. Sincerely: Hell naw.
        OJFord 3y ago
        Is that order from factory vs drive it away pricing though?
Ma8ee 3y ago
I use an electric cargo bike. It's a really expensive one that cost almost $7000. You can get a perfectly usable one for less than half that price. I use it for what most people use their car for in 90% of their trips, including picking up 2 kids from daycare and school. And I use it year round, including days like today when it is -11 degrees C (12F). I don't pay fuel. I don't pay insurance. I don't have to finance a car. When I need to move something big or heavy I rent a full size van or a box truck for about $100 for the day. Most people pay more than that just for car insurance in a month. And then I get a vehicle that is exactly what I need, including a lift gate when suitable. I rent a nice sedan when picking up my in-laws at the airport and a big station wagon when going on holidays with the family. And I'm still ahead thousands of dollars every year compared to the average car payment which is more than $500 per month even for a used car.
- paweladamczuk 3y ago
  What bike model do you have? And what addons are you using for the trips with kids?
  - Ma8ee 3y ago
    Riese & Müller Packster 70 Family. The only add on is a rain cover.
- vidarh 3y ago
  I don't drive, and instead spend what sometimes seems like a fortune on Uber. But in the UK the average monthly spend on a car is ~500GBP when include the amortized cost of the car itself. Even when my son was swimming competitively and we had to Uber him around to 6 training sessions a week plus often competitions many miles away, I only briefly averaged 400GBP/month in total transport costs (though with the caveat that I work from home; had I commuted full time it'd have added ~200/month to get in to the centre of London, but then again I'd likely have spent that even if I had a car because commuting in to the centre with a car is a nightmare) And I got to sit and relax and read or talk to my son or listen to music and not have to pay attention to the road. I get that some enjoy the actual act of driving and/or driving a comfy, fancy car, but for many, it's a really expensive enjoyment and I suspect a lot of people have not considered just how much they could "paper over" edge cases and issues with public transport (yes, I know this is not a viable options for huge parts of the US) or choices like yours with Uber or rentals.
hysan 3y ago
We recently went through our first car purchase in over 5 years. Even when you choose a cheaper EV (so worse in non-range aspects) or even compare used, the math still doesn’t work out. EV + rentals for trips costs more over a 5-10 year span even after accounting for the gas and maintenance savings. So I’m kind of confused why people are suggesting rentals for trips as an alternative. You don’t even break even.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

Yes, for the mainland locations at least. We would fly to Kalispell and rent a car for glacier, nice airports exist for Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. We would be skipping the great American road trip, however, which isn’t really practical in a rental. Glacier is only 9-10 hours away from us by car, so it is definitely road trip feasible. I might wait to go to glacier for a year or two since the charging infrastructure should be better by then. There wouldn’t be much point to an Alaskan road trip with a rental. Again, just fly and rent a car I guess, but we could get up to Prince George maybe.

katbyte 3y ago

It can add up quick, and there is all sorts of headaches around it and it’s super expensive if you get something that your allowed to take offroad. Imho renting via a car share is great for the occasional city truck need but for recreation it’s much better to own.

imhoguy 3y ago
And availability, one who rented a car in a peak season knows it well.