[vparikh]

Electric cars are still a luxury good. I can afford to buy a Tesla Model that equipped with AWD, and auto pilot (for me the marquee feature on the Tesla) comes in at 67,000 before any state & federal incentives.

To put it into perspective - A Toyota 2023 Corolla Hybrid SE Infrared full loaded with AWD will cost me 30K. A Toyota 2024 Camry XSE Hybrid costs $3750 all in with all of the upgrades.

Hard to justify 30K+ more for an electric vehicle - unless that is what you want an are willing to pay for it. But at this point - you can't justify the expenditure at all.

[MisterBastahrd]

I won't pay 30K for a vehicle in the first place. I drove a Nissan Rogue Select for 6 years before it was totaled on the highway in a rear end collision. For the past two, I've driven a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

I paid $32K total because I bought them both with 2 years on them.... and I received $13.5K back from insurance for the Rogue Select that I paid $14K for because of how wild the market was during the height of COVID.

Not sure exactly what buying a $60K vehicle is supposed to do for me. The cars had Airplay, cruise control, and AC. What else am I supposed to want?

[Tagbert]

You bought them used. That is a different market and price structure. Most cars lose value drastically in the first year of ownership.

[MisterBastahrd]

Same exact market. I'm just not particular about whether the car is brand new or not, because I only need the following: Android auto, air conditioning, cruise control. Some of the other features like the rear camera are standard, and it's also got heated seats as a plus.

In 2020 I was involved in a rearend accident, but I didn't think much of it because my car was still drivable even though I couldn't use the back door. Insurance company said they were just gonna cut me a random check if I didn't bring the car in to the shop. Apparently there was frame damage at very rear driver side which totaled the vehicle.

So I was in a scramble to buy another car. I had multiple options, both new and used, but my rental was a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. Loved that car. Anyway, when I set out that morning to buy a new car, I was looking for a NEW car. Talked to a dealership about a $33K special edition SUV with all the bells and whistles. Special color, moon roof, etc. But along the way, I saw a used car dealership and pulled in when I saw they had a bunch of SUVs in the lot. They had the exact same make, model, and color as the car I was driving. I don't do a lot of driving. The car had every single feature I wanted and low miles. So when they told me the price, it was a no-brainer. Picked it up the very next day.

[DaveExeter]

It's called signaling.

You buy a $60K car to signal your wealth. It's why women buy $6K handbags.

[w0mbat]

Forget auto pilot, I have full self-driving, but only because I bought a secondhand Tesla in a private sale and it was already enabled.

Although FSD is technically impressive, it is not a must-have feature. I have played with it a few times, but to be honest, the car is so much fun to drive that I WANT to do it myself.

Just get a regular 3 or Y, both are great value with the tax rebates floating around now. The money saved on gas, oil changes and dealer servicing soon makes up the difference in cost.

[enlyth]

New cars in general are a luxury. Lots of people rely on their 2k beater to get to work, shop for groceries and drop off kids at school.

Should they be priced out of the economy completely?

[racl101]

Heck I make six figures and drive a $5000 Honda from 2010. I just can't justify spending so much money on a. electric car.

[CameronNemo]

That's fine. Someone has to drive that vehicle to amortize the carbon costs of production, right??

[wizofaus]

Ooh, where can I get a 2024 Camry for $3750?

(Actually it's interesting to see car prices in the US seem quite high when converted to AUD - e.g. the base Tesla price in the US is supposedly 48k, equivalent to 72.5K AUD, but they're advertised for 66.5K here. In years past I'm fairly sure that wasn't the case, though it's still true that on a PPP basis they're more expensive here.)

[vparikh]

Sorry meant to say $37,500

[seanmcdirmid]

> A Toyota 2024 Camry XSE Hybrid costs $3750 all in

I think you missed a zero.

Is there a reason you aren't considering the Leaf or the Bolt?

[CameronNemo]

Leaf and Bolt cannot be used for road trips with similar convenience to an ICE vehicle or Tesla Model 3.

[seanmcdirmid]

247 miles for the Bolt doesn't feel that shabby to me, you mentioned Camry so I guess you aren't into sub-compacts anyways? The Corolla (a sub-compact) has a range around 500 miles, so it is around .5.

[WorldMaker]

Not yet. The next retooled Leaf and Bolt models will have NACS plugs and similar if not equal convenience to Tesla's Model 3.

[_ea1k]

Where are you that an AWD Tesla costs $67k? Both the 3 and the Y offer a $48k AWD version with AP included.

[wizofaus]

I gather the auto pilot option costs another 15k.

[_ea1k]

Autopilot doesn't cost $15k, it is included.

"Full Self Driving" costs 15k, but is really not worth it for most of us.

It can also be rented for $200 a month if you want to see what it is like to be driven around by a really bad uber driver. Which of course, that is something we all want to try. But don't spend $15k on it. :)

[wizofaus]

Not sure what the OP meant then, but that would've explained the difference in price.

[thebruce87m]

Autopilot comes as standard. Autopilot is only lane keep and Traffic Aware Cruise Control.

You can pay for more.

[Tagbert]

That is a pure luxury option and you are not obligated to buy that.

[vparikh]

The full auto pilot option is $15,000 additional

[ar_lan]

> A Toyota 2024 Camry XSE Hybrid costs $3750 all in with all of the upgrades.

Was this a typo? There is no way this is true.

[vparikh]

Yes - I meant $37,500

[vparikh]

Sorry for the confusion everyone - I meant to say $37,500