Hacker News Reader

Comment by lm28469 | Hacker News Reader

> I suppose the problem is that, if you're not a car enthusiast, a $30k Toyota hybrid is still a better deal, even if it drives like shit.

I'd buy a used $5k piece of shit over that any day. I'm as interested in cars as I am in hammers, as long as it gets me from a to b I absolutely don't give a shit.

$30k is like 5+ years of saving for a lot of people, even in the west. That's a lot of money for a liability.

For the price of a modern EV you can buy a flat in many region of the developed world too...

View on HN

Tbh, that is exactly my situation. I have a 3rd or 4th hand Ford from 2007 or so that I got for $2k about two years ago. It is parked in my garage and I seldom use it. I bike to work, I use public transport whenever I can.

I would buy an EV, I love those things. But between fitting a charger in the garage and getting a reasonably priced 2nd hand EV I would have to expend like $20+k. Which is much MUCH more than what I would save up in fuel through its lifespan. Not really happening unless I get some help from the government to purchase an EV and my town hall puts up some chargers near.

I have an old Nissan leaf that I bought for $5k and it gets about 60 miles per charge from the driveway.

You solution is ideal and I don’t think you should change a thing. I’d love to see more personal car sharing, both electric and gas. Electric cars with a range over 200 is a big waste of battery that should go towards something else, like a bicycle.

Even my old car is the equivalent of 50 electric bicycles.

I don't know how often you use it, but make sure it doesn't sit too long as that can actually harm the vehicle.

If your price tolerance is $5k and you are as interested in cars as you are in hammers, you're not the customer they are chasing right now. In the US folks are spending $48,000(!) on average on a new car. I'm not saying that's financially sound, but that's the price point where they need to make EVs compelling right now. I do believe EV tech will rapidly drive the price for cars down and the reliability of those cars up. So someday I think a used EV will be your no-fuss $5k purchase. We're just not there yet.

So the suggestion is to buy a flat near b instead? I can't think how else that comment is relevant.

All I'm saying is that when the HN crowd talk about "cheap" cars for the vast majority of people it's deep into the "will never be able to afford" price category.

Even the shittiest EV you can get from Dacia is above most people budget, it does o-60mph in like 20 seconds and can't go faster than ~75mph

EVs are still relatively new, the idea of a budget version is a good sign even if it's still some way off mass appeal. Although if you look at what low-end new cars cost these days, it's actually not a lot more for the Dacia Spring and you might be able to break even pretty quick once you factor running costs in.

There's literally nowhere I can legally drive at 75mph. I'm glad EVs are being more sensible about top speeds. My 40 minute daily commute has a top speed of 70mph and an average of just under 20! That's the reality of urban speed limits and heavy traffic where something like the Dacia might fit well. But I agree, it is under-powered and won't be a fun drive carrying even one person, let alone carrying five. The next generation should be more interesting.

In the US, loans are commonly used to amortize costs over a period of time, allowing people to buy things even when they do not have the cash to pay the purchase price.

Is this something I'm supposed to look at with envy ? My grand parents didn't have to get a loan to buy a basic cars, my parent neither, they were far from rich.

But alas, now people get into debt for TVs and smartphones, so what do I know, I must be a boomer!

Yeah, outside of some sort of emergency situation, there is no chance I'd be willing to take out a loan to buy a car.

You can get some pretty great interest rates on auto loans at certain times, due to promotions or unusually low fed rates. I could have bought my car with cash but happily took a loan with a sub 2.5% interest rate.

Aside from low rates though I agree that there's not much point in getting a loan if you're able to comfortabely buy the car with cash, although many/most car buyers don't have that kind of financial flexibility.

You can earn 5%+ risk free now, so borrowing at 5% to 7% to buy a car is just good business. There is no early repayment penalty, so at the least, you get to keep access to liquid funds for a negligible cost, or you can invest your money to earn a better return elsewhere.

If you're comparing to paying cash for a purchase you were going to make anyway. If you're comparing borrowing at a break-even rate to buy a new car vs paying cash for a lightly used car, borrowing is not what I'd describe as good business.

Sure, but doing those sorts of balances are more hassle and pain than they tend to be worth to me (and it still involves risk). Others who don't find such things unpleasant certainly have a different result in their cost/benefit calculations.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com