To Buy or Not to Buy.... a Used Mach E?

[MarcoZ619]

I’ve been pondering this question and there are many thoughts and questions that come to mind. I want to see if I can get input from all of you.



Just a little background on my situation, I have a 2005 Mustang that I bought used with 1k miles back in 2005. The previous owner only had it for a few months and I got a pretty good deal. 496k miles later the cars is still running(I’ve done some work to it to keep it alive) but it is time to get a new one. So I’ve been looking at EVs for a while and I finally decided to get a Mach E. I was unsuccessful to find a dealer that will sell it to me at MSRP so I decided to wait until the order banks opened up for the 2023 model. The day they open I placed my order, I knew the prices would go up and that I might have to wait longer to get it, which I’m ok with (No production date yet). But things are changing in the car market and I’m seeing opportunities to get a used 2022 model at a lower price.



Just today I saw on Carfax a 2022 premium extended range with 315 miles on “sale” for $62,990.00. It started at 67,990.00 back on September and they reduced the price 10 times already. This is not the only one, I’ve seen others with similar price and mileage.. One has 63 miles for 60,998. They seem to be lowering the prices because they can’t sell them. This one had 21 price decreases https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/3FMTK3RM4NMA27832



So my questions/thought (and hopefully you all can help me) are:

• What are the disadvantages of getting a use one?
• Would I get the Tax Credit if the original purchaser didn’t (like the 63 mile one)?
• Should I be worried about the previous owner’s driving/charging habits?
• What do I miss out of for buying a used one? (free mileage or blue cruise)?
• Are there places where I can get a pre inspections for EVs?

Can you all think of anything else that I should be concern or look into?

Thank you All!

 

[generaltso]

• Would I get the Tax Credit if the original purchaser didn’t (like the 63 mile one)?

I’ll take the one that’s easy to answer. No.

 

[Mach-Lee]

That's a standard range RWD premium. The original MSRP of that vehicle was only $49,875, so that's what I would offer for it. They want WAY too much money for it considering you won't get a tax credit.

Looks like it has the recall software applied very early. You won't get the tax credit which is the main reason why not to buy used. You loose the free charging but I think you'll still get BlueCruise.

 

[Monke]

The IBSM ER looks nice. The price is pretty close to ER MY2023 price with destination after assuming full tax credit. Don't CA has extra rebates? Please keep in mind that FL dealer can charge very high dealer fee and you would have to pay for shipping fee.

 

[Garbone]

I went from driving a 2006 Mustang to a 2012 Explorer (wife has the MachE since the 06 was her car) I would suggest waiting for your order. I am in a similar situation with my MachE, it is sitting in shipping limbo and I could try to pick one up at a dealer and get it sooner.

We charge at home so that free mileage took us on our summer vacation after a full year of ownership , pretty nice not paying DCFC and the Ford Points can get floor mats or window visors.

If the build dates are before June 22 (likely) then they have the older version HVJB.

The Tax credit is nice.

If I were going used EV, well I would not, considering the options. If you are in a real rush you could join clone nation and get a Model 3 RWD new for $48k, of course it would be better to wait until January to do that and get the new tax credit.


Here is the window sticker for that car.

According to @Bigfeets data it was built the week of May 16th.

 

[VindictivePantz]

I bought a used one, probably paid a bit too much (but the value's gone way up beyond what I paid for it since.)

I wanted the $7,500 credit, but could not find a 2022 for weeks with Illinois, and when they did finally start popping up, the dealers were marking them up so high it made no sense to purchase. Since the 2023 will not be fully eligible for the $7,500 tax credit and the price increases even at MSRP were offsetting that credit, I decided to grab used one.

Since I am in IL, I was able to grab a $4k "rebate".

In hindsight, I should've started my search earlier for a 2022 to maximize the cost savings, but have been very happy I pulled the trigger on the used one I found. The one I found was low mileage (not that it matters,) and in pristine condition. I've not had any issues with OTA updates, etc., and the only TSB that applies thus far is the half-posts issue you'll find discussed in the forum.

I will have the HBJVB issue at some point, but having this forum has helped me prepare for that inevitability.

 

[JSW]

I wouldn’t be too hesitant to purchase a used EV. You lose out on the tax credit, and there is the possibility of some battery degradation, but it’s unlikely to be material.

FWIW, my son recently purchased a 2018 Chevy Volt, and he consistently gets 55 miles on the used HVB. In my view, modern HVBs are durable and less prone to the mischief of the early days when owners needed to be more prudent with their charging habits.

For my own peace of mind, when buying the Volt earlier this year, I asked the owner to have it fully charged so that we could exhaust the HVB while test driving it (I told the owner I’d give him $20 for the electricity if we didn’t buy it). This gave us a decent sense of the HVB‘s capacity.

 

[4sallypat]

I am in So Cal and have been looking at customer abandoned '22 MMEs in IBSM - they are commanding $10K-$20K over MSRP.

Getting calls from my Lightning and MME dealer (different) every week about an incoming customer abandoned MME tells me that there are way more than my Lightning available.

I figure if I find a new MME I would be willing to pay slightly over MSRP ($5K max) to be offset by

1. $7500 tax credit,
2. $2000 CVRP,
3. $750 CCFR,
4. $500 Ford Pass points
5. and local utility rebate.

I do have a '22 forced into '23 order w/ PCO - order placed in September w/ Priority build 01 being built 12/5/22.

Knowing the EV battery has a very long time period (8 years), I would not worry about that.

The rest of the car has a remaining warranties and I would only get one if it was certified pre owned.

CPO makes is hard to conceal damages or repairs as it extends the factory warranties.

As for any incentives in CA, there are none for a used EV unless your utility company offers a rebate (SCE does).

If nothing shows up, I'll take my order w/ $6K PCO coming in early 2023, $2000 CVRP, and uncertain tax credit....

 

[ryi0205]

Double check, but I believe the $750 CA Clean Air Rebate went away couple of months ago and is no longer available. I couldn’t see it on the website anymore either.