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Has the 2017 Chevy Volt Just Rendered the Tesla Model 3 Obsolete?

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  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    Mr_Shiftright said:

    That's because you don't take it to a mechanic! Well, you do, but you know what i mean. Besides, 136K is still within statistical service life.

    Having owned cars that broke the 200K mark, and guided a number of customers and relatives vehicles to that measure and several over the 300K mark what I have to ask, just what is the statistical service life?
    Mr_Shiftright said:


    Would you really gear up to completely service and repair your own 10 year old Tesla? I don't think so.

    You really shouldn't be surprised at what I can handle with those already, even though I haven't even driven one yet. When they get to be ten years old, owners will be looking for alternatives and for someone who can save them and keep the machine going. It's funny how long it took for people to realize the faults that were glaringly obvious at first glance such as the hidden door handles. The first time I saw them I envisioned a situation where they could fail to extend. The center stack touch screen monitor, one big 17" screen instead of several smaller serviceable sections was just asking for trouble. Then you have the gull wing doors, there is plenty already being said about them. If you have even been to one of their show rooms and looked at that chassis cut away try and find alignment adjustment points beyond toe. The list goes on and on.

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    This is one of those debates without a conclusion because you can keep any car going for a bazillion miles if you choose to.

    "Statistically" means just what it says, in the same way that 'statistically' a human being will be dead at age 80-81, more or less.

    So for a modern car, around 175K--225K is a natural life span.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    Why is it that the conflict of interest for the consumer is ignored since the people who make a living selling new cars are the ones who try and tell them what their older, useful model is now worth? My 94 Ranger can do everything that a brand new truck will do, haul me and what ever fits in it to where-ever I want to go. It would cost tens of thousands to replace it with new or "newer" and there is every possibility a newer one would cost more to maintain, and insure etc.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The value of vehicles is determined by buyers, not salesmen or appraisers or even you. What it is worth to YOU is not necessarily what it is worth.

    So if someone just loves the heck out of their vehicle, I'm all for them keeping it forever if they want to.

    But there are times when people don't know the market at all, and don't know much about what things cost to repair, and for those people sometimes it is very good advice for them to bail out.

    Unlike an old house, which might become an appreciating asset, most old used cars are depreciating assets and thus their value is based on their utility alone.

    So compared to a 2026 electric car, an old miled-up Tesla with bad batteries might be a terrible investment.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    Mr_Shiftright said:

    The value of vehicles is determined by buyers, not salesmen or appraisers or even you. What it is worth to YOU is not necessarily what it is worth.

    That's the game that has been getting played on the consumers for decades. Nothing new with that.
    Mr_Shiftright said:


    But there are times when people don't know the market at all, and don't know much about what things cost to repair, and for those people sometimes it is very good advice for them to bail out.

    That's how many end up getting upside down on their new automobile loan, only to eventually end up with yet another older car that isn't supposed to be worth anything either.
    Mr_Shiftright said:


    Unlike an old house, which might become an appreciating asset, most old used cars are depreciating assets and thus their value is based on their utility alone.

    So say the people who make their livings selling new cars. Then MECUM comes on one of the cable channels and people wish they still had their old iron.
    Mr_Shiftright said:



    So compared to a 2026 electric car, an old miled-up Tesla with bad batteries might be a terrible investment.

    It is a bad investment right now, and that '26 will be too. Meanwhile my Ranger will still be on the road.

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Newer cars typically have more safety features, fun tech and they usually drive better.

    I hope to enjoy a new car again one of these days - my last new one was purchased last century. :)
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Even "holding onto your old iron" can be an illusion. Many a man stashed his zero miles '76 Eldorado or his brand new Delorean, waiting to cash in on that pot of gold in 20 years, only to be cruelly disappointed in the result.

    Your Ranger may or may not be on the road, because (god forbid) someone smashes into it, the insurance company is going to total it. Investing heavily in an old car with little market value is somewhat risky.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    So if someone just loves the heck out of their vehicle, I'm all for them keeping it forever if they want to.

    That would be my wife and her 1990 LS400. Some sill auto pundit wrote that year and model was one of the five best cars ever made. So she keeps it, even though we pay insurance etc and put less than 2000 miles a year on it. To me it is just wasted space in the garage.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I would predict a much higher rate of scrappage for old EVs than gasoline cars. Limited repair facilities, limited aftermarket and superior new products will all work against old EVs.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited June 2016
    Mr_Shiftright said:

    I would predict a much higher rate of scrappage for old EVs than gasoline cars. Limited repair facilities, limited aftermarket and superior new products will all work against old EVs.

    That makes sense, as someone else mentioned our throwaway electronics. My $4500 HP-110 laptop went to a collector for $15. I had a closet full of working laptops I gave to the church for a rummage sale. The storage full of computer stuff I gave to the surplus electronics store. A PU load went to the salvage people that put it all in containers and ship to China.

    Will EVs go the same way? Probably will. Though it seems electronics are starting to reach the point of diminishing returns. My last Dell laptop was over 10 years old and still worked fine, though very slow. My new HP screams by comparison. I need a fast computer more than a fast car.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well, old tech will always do what it was built to do. The 8-Track player will still play 8-tracks and your old laptop will still connect to the Internet in a pinch.

    So your aging EV will still motor around until it fries itself one day, and chances are you won't be doing an engine swap from a wrecking yard--not without a lot of help at any rate.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    My best example is the Dell Inspiron 14 inch I have carried around for well over 10 years. Love Win XP that is loaded on it. The biggest issue is Wifi connectivity. Many hotels have newer faster Wifi and the old Dell just did not get along very well with it. It is still running fine just stuffed in the closet. I could give it to a friend, but it would not make them happy. And most people do everything with their smartphone. I hate typing on the smartphone, so I bought an inexpensive HP on sale. It has a very nice 15 inch screen, ultra fast Wifi and a DVD recorder. All for $500. I cannot imagine needing anything faster. With my Netgear Nighthawk router/Wifi I get 65 Mbps download speed. I don't really need that much speed. But now my Utube videos play where they did not work so well with my 10 year old Linksys Wifi router.

    All said to agree that the Volt 7 second 0-60 is plenty. Who really can use a car with 3.5 second 0-60?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited June 2016
    Chatted up a Volt owner who said she's owned it for 3 years. Loves it. Used 50 gallons of gas in 40,000 miles. I didn't ask her how her utility bills were. :)
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Nice thing with a Volt is that the 50 mile EV range means you often don't have to "fill up" every night.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    That'd be every few days for us. And yeah, that would be very attractive.

    Though you know, you'd find excuses for cruising all over, since it's all "free".
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    "Twenty five percent of all Tesla shares are out on loan, according to data from Markit, figures the firm uses as an indication of short selling. Short selling occurs when traders bet that the share price will fall. Markit highlighted that short interest is now at an all-time high for Tesla since its IPO (initial public offering) in 2010." CNBC Financial

    That's about double the next most-shorted stock.
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