EVs past the end of battery warranty

[FC]

Out of morbid curiosity, I check to see what the values were on eGolfs. I as astonished to see 2013-2015 cars going for $15-20k.

I liked our eGolf plenty for what it was 7 years ago when new. It had all the excellent attributes of the MK7, moved fine around town, and had enough range for our purposes. Residual at the time of trade-in was $13k and I deemed it not worth it considering its early EV shortcomings and the fat that given the 8-year warranty on the battery meant that whatever I paid had to be amortized over the remaining 5 years of warranty. I moved on.

To see 8 year old cars asking for more than that amazes me. We are talking about early VW EV technology completely out of warranty with replacement battery cost in the mid teens $k range. How are these cars worth more than $8k, or even just $5k? Even if the battery continues to work without major issues, the lower range on an already marginal range when new would be terrible. I don't get it.

[robg]

Originally Posted by FC

Out of morbid curiosity, I check to see what the values were on eGolfs. I as astonished to see 2013-2015 cars going for $15-20k.

I liked our eGolf plenty for what it was 7 years ago when new. It had all the excellent attributes of the MK7, moved fine around town, and had enough range for our purposes. Residual at the time of trade-in was $13k and I deemed it not worth it considering its early EV shortcomings and the fat that given the 8-year warranty on the battery meant that whatever I paid had to be amortized over the remaining 5 years of warranty. I moved on.

To see 8 year old cars asking for more than that amazes me. We are talking about early VW EV technology completely out of warranty with replacement battery cost in the mid teens $k range. How are these cars worth more than $8k, or even just $5k? Even if the battery continues to work without major issues, the lower range on an already marginal range when new would be terrible. I don't get it.

I know someone who bought one of these new and still has it. Even w/ a somewhat degraded battery it is still enough for 90% of his daily commuting needs. And I suspect its similar for others. Even with the latest crop of EVs, there's still not anything quite like it in the market...just a normal car with nice looking interior and exterior that just happens to be an EV. Perfect size, space, etc for a daily commuter while being low cost to run. I do think EVs like this one might have a higher "floor" for depreciation since they have lower running costs even when they're older. But would i pay over 15k for one now? ummm...no.

[FC]

Originally Posted by robg

I know someone who bought one of these new and still has it. Even w/ a somewhat degraded battery it is still enough for 90% of his daily commuting needs. And I suspect its similar for others. Even with the latest crop of EVs, there's still not anything quite like it in the market...just a normal car with nice looking interior and exterior that just happens to be an EV. Perfect size, space, etc for a daily commuter while being low cost to run. I do think EVs like this one might have a higher "floor" for depreciation since they have lower running costs even when they're older. But would i pay over 15k for one now? ummm...no.

Exactly. I am not against having an older EV with super crappy range. If I could pick one up for $5k I'd buy one. We do lot's of <10 mile errands. But it's a vehicle that is effectively disposable if the battery goes south and should be priced accordingly. $15k makes no sense.