Clearly still using components from Lucas Electric, though.
Not so sure about that. The electric car worked. It didn’t work perfectly, but it did work.
Yeah, if it had Lucas electrics all he had to do was drive around for 20 minutes and then the motor would have stopped all by itself!
Mini-rant: We’ve been waiting for the Cadillac Lyriq that we ordered a year and a half ago. Kind of frustrating, but so it goes. We get a call from the dealer that they have an “orphan” Lyriq inbound–do we want it? It’s not really the spec we want, or the color, but at this point… probably. He says the MSRP is $81k. Say what? Our car was originally specced as a '23 at $67k, then a '24 at $75k. He sends the window sticker, yup $81k. The cutoff for the tax credit is $80k. Why in the world would GM not either price it at $79,999 or go for the gusto and make some real money? Pass.
Ultimate first world problem, I truly realize. I wish Elmo wasn’t such a turd, because there are some really good deals on Teslas and we could have one in a month.
So, since this thread is “general” car talk that, to me, means anything about cars whatsoever, I feel I can broach this question without the fear of thread hijacking. If I’'m mistaken, please forgive me.
I love my Honda HR-V, but it is more than 2 1/2 years old, so I’ll probably be car shopping in another 3 years. What to buy? I could just get another HR-V because it is perfect for me, but I could take the big step and go either hybrid or total electric. I’ve always rejected the latter 2 choices because, in the past at least, their cost was significantly higher. I always felt that you would have to drive it for years in order to save enough gas money to justify the added cost. Then, there was the problem with driving range and finding powers sources on long trips.
So, my question is, are my concerns still valid reasons for staying totally gas, or have circumstances changed enough to warrant taking the big step? I’m just looking for opinions, not directions. LOL
And Tesla drops prices again last night… Jalopnik
In another 3 years the landscape will be dramatically changed. I don’t think at that point there will be any question that you would go electric what with the almost universal adoption of NACS and a flood of new models and new tech at all price points. If Tesla can make a profit on a Model 3 at $39k (net $31,500 after tax credit), then things are really changing.
Thank you! 
So, decided the maximum you’re willing to pay such that you won’t mind it’s not the spec or colour you want, and make that offer. If they accept, great, if not then you didn’t want it anyway.
With any car purchase there’s the tradeoff between cost of ownership just sitting there and per-mile cost of operation.
If you drive 3K miles per year it doesn’t really matter whether the cost per unit of fuel/electricity is zero or is huge, nor whether your vehicle is highly efficient or highly inefficient. You simply won’t consume enough of that stuff for the dollars to amount to much versus the cost to buy and insure (and depreciate) the vehicle.
OTOH, if you drive 30K miles per year, the operating cost overwhelms the ownership cost. That’s where MPG efficiency or the even cheaper electricty-as-power-source really comes into its own as a discriminator.
You know what your intended mission is, I don’t.
Speaking for me I have a high end very inefficient ICE that I used to drive enough that the cost of operation was significant.
Now in retirement I find myself approaching the time for a new (or newer; I often buy late model used) car, and as much as I like the idea of EVs qua EVs, the one argument that doesn’t hold water for me is the low marginal cost of operation. Just because I don’t drive all that much anymore, and I expect over time that will continue to decline, albeit slowly. The good news is that reduced driving rate will also extend the reliable life of my existing ICE.
Unrelated to all the above I agree with the other commenters that unless you live rural or in a particularly backwards US state, concerns about range and charger availability are mostly pre-2020 concerns today. And the situation will only become more EV-favorable everywhere over time. Albeit at differing rates in differing places.
The problem is the tax credit is expressly tied to MSRP. So they would have to knock $7500 of a hot car to make it worthwhile.
Ah I see - that sucks! Must be quite a specced-out version, this site suggests the top MSRP is just under $70k. So I’d say the main fault is with whoever chose options that took it just over the crucial threshold (and is very possibly why they stopped their purchase). For the same reason, the dealer may have to take a big hit on it.
$41,000 for a minor dent repair on a Rivian, his insurance company wanted to total the vehicle. The owner saved thousands by using a paintless dent removal shop. I was impressed by the results.
VERY interesting, and something I hadn’t even thought about!
I do about 12,000 miles per year and will continue to do so for another 25 years so, according to this insightful formula, MPG operation should have a high level of importance. Couple this with Tride’s comments, and it would seem that I should give it very serious consideration. In any event, as Dead_Cat said, I can always say the heck with it if the circumstances aren’t favorable.
That said, it’s unclear what the implications of using cast unibodies could be. Casting could theoretically cut costs and weight, but the porosity of cast metals could reduce strength, and therefore safety. Additionally, there is the question of repairability, as cast bodies might be more difficult to fix in the event of major damage, such as a crash. Body Shop Business describes repair options for cast metals as “limited,” so it’s possible any significant damage could total a vehicle with a cast unibody.
So a minor reduction in car prices–accompanied by a massive increase in insurance premiums to cover either massive repair bills or reimbursement after totalling the car?
Unless you live in a super salty rust belt, why are you getting rid of perfectly good Hondas at 5-6 years? I have a 23 year old Accord and a 15 year old CR-V. They work fine.
The best bet to savings money overall is probably by buying a lower number of cars. Maybe 15 years is too much for you, but hold onto that HR-V for 10 years.
They work fine because you drive like a sane, civilized human being. I drive like Mad Max in, “The Road Warrior”. In fact, when I’m off this Monday for Columbus Day, I’m going to “Just Tires” to buy 4 new tires because they are going bald after just 2 1/2 years. LOL
Back in the late 90s I was driving a 12mpg big Bronco. Gas was $2.25/gal. I walked to many things and took the train to work. 3K miles per year was normal. Gas spiked to $5/gal. I did not care since I didn’t use very much per year.
A year-ish later for other reasons I moved to the far burbs and changed jobs and was driving 70 miles per workday which was M-F every week. Ouch! The economics of that Bronco versus newer more efficient alternatives changed overnight. I replaced it a couple months later.
Yeah, our cars are 13 and 15 years old, and doing just fine.
My experience with Lucas electrics is if the vehicle would start you were fine. Getting it to start was the problem.