Electric car depreciation

[Bobby Dazzler]

Many threads on MBClub end up going off track and end up being about the savage depreciation of EVs, except the EV depreciation thread which went off track and ended up being about management employee relations in British manufacturing.

I love this place.

 

[st13phil]

low productivity per-hour-worked in the UK compared to other Western countries became a growing problem in the seventies

And a significant reason for that was lack of investment in tooling and automation in the UK manufacturing sector.

An example: In the 1980’s BL were still producing cars with welded side assemblies, with all the attendant lack of precision, additional labour requirements and poor corrosion performance that entailed. Meanwhile, Honda and others had been using single-piece side pressings for years. The main reason BL persisted with the fabrication approach was that they wouldn’t invest in the tooling for single-piece panels.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

They’re great value secondhand, just like the previous generation ICE 500. I’ve been looking at them for my daughter. The range is pretty good on them too.

I really shouldn’t be allowed to take unaccompanied test drives because every time I do - and without exception - I end up buying the car, I can’t help myself…



…and this afternoon I wasn’t too far away from a FIAT dealer just as they were about to close, so I popped in and walked out with this track weapon.

It’s a FIAT Abarth 500e 795 Compezione Turismo Performance Pack facelift with Monza Record, Monte Carlo wheels with the very rare panoramic roof delete.

I’d never have believed it, but it’s even faster than the Mercedes-AMG ForFour Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Navi facelift Powered by Brabus.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

No, I don’t. And I didn’t say that they don’t.

My point is about direct legislation regarding the products the automotive sector is allowed to produce & sell, not about the indirect effects of social & taxation policies.

BTW, regarding “off shoring” manufacturing, my experience is that you are forever chasing the next cheapest destination. It works for some sectors / products much better than others, and as events over the last four years have shown, it creates vulnerabilities that are not understood until they crystallise.

You’re limiting “offshoring” to moving production within an organisation overseas.

My point is that the West has offshored coal and motorcycle production to different organisations in lower cost, less bureaucratic states.

That phone you’re looking may have an American brand, but it was really built by Asian organisations that run lean and fast.

You aren’t prepared to pay the price of kit made in Surrey.

 

[SpikyMikey]

I really shouldn’t be allowed to take unaccompanied test drives because every time I do - and without exception - I end up buying the car, I can’t help myself…

View attachment 154722

…and this afternoon I wasn’t too far away from a FIAT dealer just as they were about to close, so I popped in and walked out with this track weapon.

It’s a FIAT Abarth 500e 795 Compezione Turismo Performance Pack facelift with Monza Record, Monte Carlo wheels with the very rare panoramic roof delete.

I’d never have believed it, but it’s even fasteđr than the Mercedes-AMG ForFour Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Navi facelift Powered by Brabus.

Bawaahahaha!
You almost had me going there.
Completely believable until you said it's faster than the Mercedes-AMG ForFour Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Navi facelift Powered by Brabus.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I really shouldn’t be allowed to take unaccompanied test drives because every time I do - and without exception - I end up buying the car, I can’t help myself…

View attachment 154722

…and this afternoon I wasn’t too far away from a FIAT dealer just as they were about to close, so I popped in and walked out with this track weapon.

It’s a FIAT Abarth 500e 795 Compezione Turismo Performance Pack facelift with Monza Record, Monte Carlo wheels with the very rare panoramic roof delete.

I’d never have believed it, but it’s even faster than the Mercedes-AMG ForFour Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Navi facelift Powered by Brabus.

Lucky daughter !

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Bawaahahaha!
You almost had me going there.
Completely believable until you said it's faster than the Mercedes-AMG ForFour Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Navi facelift Powered by Brabus.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Bawaahahaha!
You almost had me going there.
Completely believable until you said it's faster than the Mercedes-AMG ForFour Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Navi facelift Powered by Brabus.

This is no ordinary FIAT 500e, this is a FIAT Abarth 500e 795 Compezione Turismo Performance Pack facelift with Monza Record, Monte Carlo wheels with the very rare panoramic roof delete.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Lucky daughter !

Let’s hope she blooming drives this one. I bought her a new Smart when she was 16 so she had almost a year to learn to drive (a manual) before turning 17 years old - so she could immediately apply for her test - but 4.5 years later she’s driven it four times on a car park.

We bought it for her because our other cars are automatic or unsuitable for learning, and I thought it would be best to pass her test in a manual so that she can drive other manual cars later. We had to try hard to find one as factory order had just changed to EV only, and most NOS were autos.

She thinks she can’t drive a manual - which is tragic really because she was a natural - but she really needs to learn how to drive and pass her test now. If she’s not keen on driving a manual then trying her in an automatic seemed the best way to do that, and an EV will do just that.

Even if she doesn’t drive it then it will give me an opportunity to find out whether there is any substance to the many concerns countless concerns repeatedly constantly aired declared in this forum about depreciation, range, battery longevity, etc. I sense I will drive it a lot

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Let’s hope she blooming drives this one. I bought her a new Smart when she was 16 so she had almost a year to learn to drive (a manual) before turning 17 years old - so she could immediately apply for her test - but 4.5 years later she’s driven it four times on a car park.

We bought it for her because our other cars are automatic or unsuitable for learning, and I thought it would be best to pass her test in a manual so that she can drive other manual cars later. We had to try hard to find one as factory order had just changed to EV only, and most NOS were autos.

She thinks she can’t drive a manual - which is tragic really because she was a natural - but she really needs to learn how to drive and pass her test now. If she’s not keen on driving a manual then trying her in an automatic seemed the best way to do that, and an EV will do just that.

Even if she doesn’t drive it then it will give me an opportunity to find out whether there is any substance to the many concerns countless concerns repeatedly constantly aired declared in this forum about depreciation, range, battery longevity, etc. I sense I will drive it a lot

Quite !

Lucky Daddy !

 

[st13phil]

We bought it for her because our other cars are automatic or unsuitable for learning, and I thought it would be best to pass her test in a manual so that she can drive other manual cars later.

As an aside, a driving instructor we know says that a majority of young pupils are now wanting to learn in an auto rather than have the flexibility of being able to drive a manual transmission car in the future.

 

[markjay]

As an aside, a driving instructor we know says that a majority of young pupils are now wanting to learn in an auto rather than have the flexibility of being able to drive a manual transmission car in the future.

That is my experience as well. Young people's argument is that in future there'll be no manual transmissions any more, so why bother learning how to use it? My guess is that in 30 years' time, when ICE cars are confined to collectors' stock and to a few crackpots who still drive the car that they bought new in 2035 (no offence meant to anyone on the forum who may fit this description....), the requirement for a specific license for manual cars will be cancelled anyway.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

My well-heeled 26 year old daughter sees no need to learn to drive, let alone own a car, while my son, who has been driving for nine years, still doesn't know how to change plugs and oil, or adjust points.

"The lad" thinks nothing of cycling 112 miles (180 kms) on a Saturday morning, before tucking into a good lunch.

"The times, they are a changing."

 

[Londonscottish]

I really shouldn’t be allowed to take unaccompanied test drives because every time I do - and without exception - I end up buying the car, I can’t help myself…

View attachment 154722

…and this afternoon I wasn’t too far away from a FIAT dealer just as they were about to close, so I popped in and walked out with this track weapon.

It’s a FIAT Abarth 500e 795 Compezione Turismo Performance Pack facelift with Monza Record, Monte Carlo wheels with the very rare panoramic roof delete.

I’d never have believed it, but it’s even faster than the Mercedes-AMG ForFour Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Navi facelift Powered by Brabus.

Excellent! Let us know how she gets on with it.

WRT test drives, in the last 21 years I've had 6 of them and bought 4 cars. It's dangerous. This is why I NEVER go to a hifi dealers listening room. Ever. I've learnt.......

 

[Londonscottish]

My well-heeled 26 year old daughter sees no need to learn to drive, let alone own a car, while my son, who has been driving for nine years, still doesn't know how to change plugs and oil, or adjust points.

"The lad" thinks nothing of cycling 112 miles (180 kms) on a Saturday morning, before tucking into a good lunch.

"The times, they are a changing."

My 17 year old daughter is very focused on learning and will no doubt pass soon. My son is a bit random and got right to the point where he was ready but couldn't fit the test in around his other commitments and missed his chance before going off to uni.

One of the reasons for having the 500 1.2 is to give them the chance to practice. If and when I replace it with a 500e that'll be over - I assume the insurance will be a fair bit more plus it's an auto.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

WRT test drives, in the last 21 years I've had 6 of them and bought 4 cars. It's dangerous. This is why I NEVER go to a hifi dealers listening room. Ever. I've learnt.......

To counter that, I doubt that i buy one in twenty vehicles that I test drive.

I'm curious about kit: "look at this great wall to wall screen" but some things just don't feel right - like the size of the latest E class, or hard suspension.. And then there are the faults.

 

[markjay]

...my son, who has been driving for nine years, still doesn't know how to change plugs and oil, or adjust points.

Earlier this week I met with a friend of my daughter, a young Norwegian lad whose family has a classic car collection back home. He explained to me how to crank-start an engine... funnily enough I used to know how to do this, but I forgot (and it can break your arm if you do it wrong).

 

[st13phil]

My guess is that in 30 years' time .... the requirement for a specific license for manual cars will be cancelled anyway.

It's been the case in most US states for years that there's no differentiation between licences to drive an auto or a manual transmission car meaning you can take a test in an auto and then drive a manual, but British legislature tends to be more pernickety about these things (arguably with good reason).

 

[davymead]

I’ll leave this here

View attachment 154703

A close friend owns a Cygnet with its Bill Amberg luggage included, tucked away on the Island and never used along with a row other ‘investments’.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

As an aside, a driving instructor we know says that a majority of young pupils are now wanting to learn in an auto rather than have the flexibility of being able to drive a manual transmission car in the future.

When we bought the Smart we thought we must be in the cusp of never needing to drive a manual but I thought the flexibility to do so worthwhile. With the passage of time it is becoming less and less relevant.