Curious to see how much car each person is willing to pay for based on monthly after-tax income

  • LeifCarrotson@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    $6,000. Would pay $300/mo or so, which obviously puts me out of the new EV enthusiast price range.

    I drive a rusted-out 2003 Pontiac Vibe GT. Gets close to 30 mpg, but no, it’s not an EV. My wife is in a 2010 Ford Escape. Not the EV either, but both are paid off. When we did have car payments, they were $200/mo. But I’m supporting a whole family on that income, the mortgage is almost paid off, no other debt, and I’m quite a ways ahead on retirement savings.

    It would be bonkers to spend on the order of $3000/mo to lease, not even to own, a new car that costs as much as my house. Might spend that much once (Christmas bonus is coming up) to get an electric cargo bike, but that’s the closest I’m coming to today’s crop of electric pickups and hummers and giant luxury vehicles.

    Maybe in 5 years or so when the house is paid off I’ll buy a used EV that someone here just bought, anyone have a Bolt they’re looking to unload after a 60-month loan term? A Volt that’s been well taken care of? Where are my plugin-hybrids and midlife-crisis BEV roadsters at?

    Most importantly, why do all the current EVs have such a huge dependence on manufacturer warranties? A car is like a house, you buy it planning to sell it someday, right? If it doesn’t have a used market, half the new-car cost (already inflated for the current market of massive SUVs and pickups, and doubly so for massive electric SUVs and pickups) is unjustified.