Heading to $0 value? Not sure if makes sense to keep...

[HuntingPudel]

Vehicles are expensive. They depreciate a lot initially and then depreciation slows. It’s long been known that the best way to maximize your value on a vehicle is to take care of it and keep it as long as possible. Whether it’s a MME, a Honda Accord, or a 67 Fastback.

LOL I must be an idiot. I bought my ‘72 Blazer in the ‘90s for more than it sold for new.

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[RickMachE]

LOL I must be an idiot. I bought my ‘72 Blazer in the ‘90s for more than it sold for new.

You have the brain of a dog.

 

[superdave80]

Is the battery pack designed to be serviced at the cell level in the field? I thought all they could do was swap it?

Yes, it can be serviced at the cell pack level. The big question will be if you can find someone close enough to you to do the work.

 

[jgcom]

If you bought the car to drive it until it no longer serves your needs, then the current market price shouldn't matter. Market timing is a game that has few consistent winners.

 

[Ride_the_lightning]

If you bought the car to drive it until it no longer serves your needs, then the current market price shouldn't matter. Market timing is a game that has few consistent winners.

Look, I’m annoyed that it’s depreciated faster than other vehicles too. I didn’t plan on trading it quickly, but turns out we need a 3-row vehicle, cause kids. Life circumstances change, and we can’t always predict it. I was hoping for average depreciation, but it’s been above average. I certainly didn’t expect the crazy prices of 2021/2022 to continue.

So now I’m stuck putting my child in the front seat occasionally which isn’t safe (3 boosters won’t fit in the back when I have to drive one of their friends to an activity). When I bought the Mach E I hadn’t considered that 3 adults can fit in the backseat, but 3 children under 8 cannot because of child seat designs.

 

[RickMachE]

Look, I’m annoyed that it’s depreciated faster than other vehicles too. I didn’t plan on trading it quickly, but turns out we need a 3-row vehicle, cause kids. Life circumstances change, and we can’t always predict it. I was hoping for average depreciation, but it’s been above average. I certainly didn’t expect the crazy prices of 2021/2022 to continue.

So now I’m stuck putting my child in the front seat occasionally which isn’t safe (3 boosters won’t fit in the back when I have to drive one of their friends to an activity). When I bought the Mach E I hadn’t considered that 3 adults can fit in the backseat, but 3 children under 8 cannot because of child seat designs.

I believe some have posted about putting 3 seats across, but you'd have to find those posts.

As to predicting life circumstances, I believe you can. See, if you didn't and she didn't...

 

[devmach-e]

For a guidance of what will happen, you might want to look to old Prius and old Teslas... Nobody puts new batteries in these... in the rare case that the battery has an issue, the few faulty cells are replaced with used cells in a similar state of health to the ones in your car.

This is generally accomplished by swapping our the current battery with a used one that has had the faulty cells replaced as I mention above.

This costs relatively little.

The disinformation that people are facing $30k bill to replace their batteries has to stop. it is nonsense.

I had a 9 year-old Prius where the traction battery died (over 200K miles, so well out of warranty). Took it to a shop that specialized in hybrids and rebuilt battery packs. We had the option of replacing it with a rebuilt pack for $2K, or a factory fresh one with a 12-month warranty for $3200. We chose the $3200 option because the shop had started to see some issues with the rebuilt packs they were getting. This is not to say that rebuilt packs are garbage, but based on their experience, the factory fresh pack was a better choice in terms of predicted longevity. I suspect that if I am faced with a similar choice with the Mach-E, the price delta between a factory pack and a rebuilt pack will be much larger than $1200, and the warranty offered better on a rebuilt pack, and may make the rebuilt pack a better choice. But that's not a problem I have to worry about for another 68K miles or 6 years.

 

[SD Marc]

this is an even more interesting equation with the Options / balloon scheme.
When my option expires at 48 months the cost to buy the vehicle will likely be more than it is worth (opposite problem I had on my last lease where I bought & sold it and pocketed $5k!!!).
I honestly don’t think we will be a 2 car household in another 4-5 years… so I’ll be faced with the dilemma of bridging the 2-year gap. Or figuring out if we can go to 1 car a little early.
My other dilemma is the other car is a mini convertible. Super fun to drive but limited in # of passengers and what we can haul. Not sure we can be a 1-car household with just that, and if I try to sell that car I very well might end up being a 1-person household

 

[azerik]

People will still buy a 100k+ mile EV. That battery needing replaced? Why? The batteries arn't failing in these cars. If it's the degradation you're worried about I still have 87% of my FFE's 100k mile battery. That equates to.. well I don't look because I'm not trying to hypermile the old girl as it's 100k old. Roughly I have 80% of my 100 mile range in that car most of the time. Good enough for another 50k at least.

I actually can't wait till they figure out they can build cheap 'power walls' out of these old batteries for places that need it. Why they don't still baffles me.

 

[zvez]

in my eyes the day I drive the car home, that vehicle becames worth zero dollars. So whenever I end up selling or trading anything I get above zero is a bonus.

 

[4sallypat]

If you bought the car to drive it until it no longer serves your needs, then the current market price shouldn't matter. Market timing is a game that has few consistent winners.

Well said and 100% correct.

 

[zvez]

People will still buy a 100k+ mile EV. That battery needing replaced? Why? The batteries arn't failing in these cars. If it's the degradation you're worried about I still have 87% of my FFE's 100k mile battery. That equates to.. well I don't look because I'm not trying to hypermile the old girl as it's 100k old. Roughly I have 80% of my 100 mile range in that car most of the time. Good enough for another 50k at least.

I actually can't wait till they figure out they can build cheap 'power walls' out of these old batteries for places that need it. Why they don't still baffles me.

When they start large scale recycling/rebuilding these batteries, that will be a huge deal.

 

[jay1122]

In hindsight, yes the car is depreciating harder compared to overall market trend. EV market went downhill. If you want the most bang for your buck at this point. Keep driving it. You could sell it right after you pass the battery warranty. Or take on the risk and continue to use it. It may drive another 100K miles without problem.

If you have the dough and it is time for you to shop new cars. It is possible to find less depreciating cars. Aside from the dirt cheap entry level cars like civic/corolla. Very few high end cars hold values well. Mostly are niche cars. A few that I can think of are, Porsche 911/718, C8 corvette, Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, LR Defender. I don't think any typical luxury SUV/car holds value well. The upcoming new land cruiser would probably do well in terms of depreciation.

 

[blkadr08]

Apologies in advance for the doom and gloom. But with the used Mach E market the way it is (and the EV market in general), I'm curious to hear other opinions on keeping our 2021 First Edition Premium Mach E with 50,000 miles. If this $60,000 car is worth ~$30,000 today and sinking, I'd love to know an argument for keeping.

If the battery will need to be replaced, and a new battery is going to cost $30,000, then it is so hard to justify outside of loving the car. What is the likelihood that there will be a lower cost replacement battery for the Mach E in the future? Will any company be interested and able to produce a battery replacement for the Mach E for $10,000 one day? Will future lower-cost batteries even be able to work with Mach E and its 2021 technology?

Are we all looking at the battery flat out dying at some point, or is our range just going to shrink and shrink? As crazy as it sounds, I could live with 75 miles of range one day. But I don't want to pay $30,000 for a new battery for a car that is going to be worth little to nothing in the future.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

If you want to turn $60,000 into $30,000 as quickly as possible, buying an automobile is a great method.

I don’t know the actual average depreciation of autos sold in the US, but I’m pretty sure you’ll find it’s in the neighborhood of 50% after three years (based on typical residuals for three year leases).

 

[DennisD]

I had a 9 year-old Prius where the traction battery died (over 200K miles, so well out of warranty). Took it to a shop that specialized in hybrids and rebuilt battery packs. We had the option of replacing it with a rebuilt pack for $2K, or a factory fresh one with a 12-month warranty for $3200. We chose the $3200 option because the shop had started to see some issues with the rebuilt packs they were getting. This is not to say that rebuilt packs are garbage, but based on their experience, the factory fresh pack was a better choice in terms of predicted longevity. I suspect that if I am faced with a similar choice with the Mach-E, the price delta between a factory pack and a rebuilt pack will be much larger than $1200, and the warranty offered better on a rebuilt pack, and may make the rebuilt pack a better choice. But that's not a problem I have to worry about for another 68K miles or 6 years.

I have had multiple "Prii" and have no issues thus far. The money invested to replace/repair is money well spent IMHO.

I just purchased a New 2024 Prius and it is by far the best car I have ever owned. They last forever and hold their value quite well. ( I usually buy 1 new car each year for my business)

I plan on keeping my MME for around 4 years and then I will decide what to do at that time. I am in kind of a different camp because I use it for a business. I could take the miles or depreciate it out. Either way, the money stretches much further with that and the "hit" is much smaller so I am not losing any sleep.

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