EVs pile up on dealer lots

[brenthutch 444]

https://www.businessinsider.com/auto-dealerships-inventory-electric-vehicles-gas-cars-key-problems-2023-6
 

Early adopters have already bought in while normal folks buy traditional vehicles.

BTW I drove the electric Mercedes GLS while my wife’s was at the dealership getting inspected.  While the throttle response was instantaneous the overall performance was no better than a regular GLS 450, and certainly not worth the hefty premium given the lack of range and poor towing capabilities.

[billvon 3,120]

FINALLY we are seeing some inventory!  It's about time.  Getting sick of everything taking 6-9 months to get in.

[brenthutch 444]

6 minutes ago, billvon said:

FINALLY we are seeing some inventory!  It's about time.  Getting sick of everything taking 6-9 months to get in.

Early adopters fueled the initial spike in electric vehicle (EV) sales, but the next wave of consumers — the more price-sensitive "early majority" — is proving to be more elusive.

• Mainstream shoppers aren't willing to pay a huge premium over conventional gas-powered vehicles, 

[SkyDekker 1,465]

13 minutes ago, brenthutch said:

poor towing capabilities

Yes, cause the GLS is often bought for its towing abilities!

[brenthutch 444]

3 minutes ago, SkyDekker said:

Yes, cause the GLS is often bought for its towing abilities!

I tow a utility trailer and a boat with it.  With a capacity of 7700 lbs it is no slouch.  We are going to be renting a camper next summer and it will be more than capable 

Edited September 20, 2023 by brenthutch

[SkyDekker 1,465]

9 minutes ago, brenthutch said:

I tow a utility trailer and a boat with it.  With a capacity of 7700 lbs it is no slouch.  We are going to be renting a camper next summer and it will be more than capable 

And you want us to believe you specifically bought the GLS for its towing capacity.....

Edited September 20, 2023 by SkyDekker

[brenthutch 444]

20 minutes ago, SkyDekker said:

And you want us to believe you specifically bought the GLS for its towing capacity.....

No, my wife bought it because she is a Mercedes fan-girl.  But I have to say it is a nice bonus that it came set up for towing, not to mention the two inch receiver is perfect for our bike rack 

[normiss 898]

We just unloaded Andrea's Mercedes in favor of a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. 

I couldn't fathom a $600 - $1500 PCV valve replacement. The luxury SUV of the Grand Cherokee puts the Mercedes to shame as well.

Beautiful upgrade.

[brenthutch 444]

33 minutes ago, normiss said:

We just unloaded Andrea's Mercedes in favor of a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. 

I couldn't fathom a $600 - $1500 PCV valve replacement. The luxury SUV of the Grand Cherokee puts the Mercedes to shame as well.

Beautiful upgrade.

“Jeep is generally not recognized for its reliability, landing in 19th place among major automakers in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study”

 

[normiss 898]

1 minute ago, brenthutch said:

“Jeep is generally not recognized for its reliability, landing in 19th place among major automakers in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study”

 

Good thing one of my best friends is the former head of the Jeep division, credited with restoring their reliability and quality, and that the car came with a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty.

Repairs will be pennies compared to the MB, even doing them myself was expensive AF on the Benz.

I laughed when the local MB dealers were offering financing for maintenance programs. Oil changes with monthly payments?

Nope.

As with all Benz's, it was a great car....until maintenance and repairs.

 

I've had Jeeps before and not had any issues with them, unlike EVERY Chevrolet product I've had except one - the Firebird Formula 350.

I'm OCD about care and maintenance though - so I've had pretty good luck with most vehicles.

I just got the software updated on my car computer to actually talk to the new Jeeps, including the security gateway portion - I need to see what I can change/adjust/add on this new baby.

 

[brenthutch 444]

3 hours ago, normiss said:

Good thing one of my best friends is the former head of the Jeep division, credited with restoring their reliability and quality, and that the car came with a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty.

Repairs will be pennies compared to the MB, even doing them myself was expensive AF on the Benz.

I laughed when the local MB dealers were offering financing for maintenance programs. Oil changes with monthly payments?

Nope.

As with all Benz's, it was a great car....until maintenance and repairs.

 

I've had Jeeps before and not had any issues with them, unlike EVERY Chevrolet product I've had except one - the Firebird Formula 350.

I'm OCD about care and maintenance though - so I've had pretty good luck with most vehicles.

I just got the software updated on my car computer to actually talk to the new Jeeps, including the security gateway portion - I need to see what I can change/adjust/add on this new baby.

 

No argument from me on MB maintenance costs. I just had break pads, rotors and calipers replaced on my 11yo Honda Accord coupe and it cost about the same as my wife’s 50k scheduled maintenance on the GLS

Edited September 20, 2023 by brenthutch

[brenthutch 444]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12551439/used-electric-cars-price.html
 

“Dealers have warned that Electric Vehicles (EVs) are sitting on forecourts for 'months on end while they haemorrhage value', with some at risk of selling at a loss if the market does not recover.”

“Figures revealed earlier this week also showed that sales of new zero-emission vehicles to private buyers have fallen by more than 11 per cent.”

looks like it’s not just the US market that has tapped the brakes on EVs.

[billvon 3,120]

On 9/20/2023 at 12:40 PM, normiss said:

Good thing one of my best friends is the former head of the Jeep division, credited with restoring their reliability and quality, and that the car came with a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty.

Which means that in right wing circles he is completely unqualified to have an opinion, because Ben Shapiro said something different on Youtube.

[ryoder 1,590]

On 9/20/2023 at 1:40 PM, normiss said:

I've had Jeeps before and not had any issues with them, unlike EVERY Chevrolet product I've had except one - the Firebird Formula 350.

 

Consider yourself lucky;

My current Wrangler (2006): At 30,000 miles it developed "death wobble". Took it to the dealer where I bought it, and the goddamned idiot mechanic tried to tell me it was an out of round tire. Anyone who knows anything about "death wobble" knows it has nothing to do with tires. Did some more digging around online and found a little independent repair shop in Denver who even had Youtube videos posted specifically about Wranger death wobble.

So I took it to them. The multiple instances of the wobble had resulted in damage to every joint in the front end, (except the kingpin joints), requiring them to all need replacement. And the steering box needed to be rebuilt.

My previous Wrangler was a 1993. At 80,000 miles the rear axle had to be replaced with a rebuilt unit.

[JoeWeber 2,941]

On 9/20/2023 at 11:50 AM, normiss said:

We just unloaded Andrea's Mercedes in favor of a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. 

I couldn't fathom a $600 - $1500 PCV valve replacement. The luxury SUV of the Grand Cherokee puts the Mercedes to shame as well.

Beautiful upgrade.

That's a crazy premium just to look cool in a Mercedes. How much is a PCV Valve replacement in a Tesla?

[brenthutch 444]

9 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

That's a crazy premium just to look cool in a Mercedes. How much is a PCV Valve replacement in a Tesla?

A PCV Valve still less than the premium one pays just to virtue signal in one’s coal fired  EV

[JoeWeber 2,941]

2 minutes ago, brenthutch said:

A PCV Valve still less than the premium one pays just to virtue signal in one’s coal fired  EV

And driving a Mercedes isn't signaling anything? You know, it well might be that EV's are a cul-de-sac off the super highway leading to a future not dependent on fossil fuels. But even if you believe that 1000ppm CO2 is both salubrious and an awesome goal the bottom line is still that fossil fuels will eventually be too depleted to mine economically. In your Luddite like world view we should just stay chill and enjoy the benefits now and let the future take care of itself. I can't buy that way of thinking because the risks to our one planet, and to your own kids, are too great. In the words of Marcus Aurelius: "That which isn't good for the hive, isn't good for the bee."

 

[billvon 3,120]

1 hour ago, brenthutch said:

A PCV Valve still less than the premium one pays just to virtue signal in one’s coal fired  EV

I charge my EV from solar and my power bill is $6 a month.  What's yours?

 

[JoeWeber 2,941]

2 hours ago, billvon said:

I charge my EV from solar and my power bill is $6 a month.  What's yours?

 

Do you honk your horn, your car horn, and how much does that cost per honk? How much per turn signal or, and here's the biggie, can poor people even afford to drive EV's at night? I've done the maths (thanks Olof) and anyway you cut it if you are poor you cannot beat the overall economies of a Mercedes no matter how elite you are. 

[JoeWeber 2,941]

19 minutes ago, Slim King said:

In think my gas powered car was at least $12,000.00 less than the battery powered one. So at $100 more a month for gas it will take 10 years to pay off the difference (Not even counting interest) AND by then an EV car owner  will have to buy new batteries for both his car and his home (In Bills case) .... So I'm coming out way ahead. It's good to crunch the numbers. However here in Florida a lot of retired people like myself have electric golf carts and they are very affordable and I can easily charge them at home too. 

12000/100=1200. 1200/50=24. 24=2 cases of wine. 2 cases of wine equals 12 days, more likely 10. No matter how you add it up you can divide it. Why is that so hard to understand?

[billvon 3,120]

11 hours ago, Slim King said:

In think my gas powered car was at least $12,000.00 less than the battery powered one. So at $100 more a month for gas it will take 10 years to pay off the difference (Not even counting interest) AND by then an EV car owner  will have to buy new batteries for both his car and his home (In Bills case) ...

So you can't answer the question.  Is your bill so high it's embarrassing?  No worries; we all have things we want to hide.

[billvon 3,120]

26 minutes ago, Slim King said:

My bill is about $50 every two weeks. Gas is much cheaper in the Free State of Florida. How much are  new batteries for your car and home?

$10K new for my daily driver, $3500 on Ebay for a reconditioned one.  Since they are both still under warranty, not too worried.

How much for a new engine/transmission for your gas car?

[JerryBaumchen 1,468]

Hi folks,

Interesting:  National Drive Electric Week

Jerry Baumchen

[billvon 3,120]

Just watched a podcast from a couple who drove from Detroit to Burning Man with an EV towing a trailer, something that (according to the right wing brain trust) is impossible.  Took them 3 days in each direction, given that they didn't do any prep beforehand for the trip, so lots of stops of Wal-Mart, REI etc.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

On 9/25/2023 at 10:08 PM, Slim King said:

In think my gas powered car was at least $12,000.00 less than the battery powered one. So at $100 more a month for gas it will take 10 years to pay off the difference (Not even counting interest)

I thought you were a rich rock star, why would there be interest?