Or that's what I'm calling it, anyway. Because EVs do indeed zoom.
Yes, we financed a new car, a thing I thought I would never do. But the cost of interest over the next five years -- the life of the loan -- is less than a third of what we've spent on gas in the last five years. Even after we factor in the cost of charging the vehicle, estimated electricity cost + interest is less than half of gas spending in the last five years.
Maintenance/repairs would go down anyway with a new car -- but without a gas engine, we shouldn't have to maintain anything but the brakes and tires over the first five years. (And with regenerative braking, even the brakes get less use, and thus less-frequent replacements, than with a gas engine.) Our battery is covered for life -- so long as we own the car, they'll replace the battery if there are issues, including just age.
Overall, with the tax incentives, I believe we're paying about what we'd pay for a certified pre-owned vehicle of the same caliber, but getting the benefits of both a new car and an electric engine. Long term, it's a smart decision, I think.
That doesn't make it the most frugal one. If it weren't for Spouse's travel, I'd have opted for smaller bells and quieter whistles; choosing the higher-end version cost us an additional few thousand dollars. But I'm not the one doing most of the driving, and it only seems fair that the person who is should get the features that make that more comfortable.
And of course, I've wanted to go electric for a long time: really, even before electric cars were commercially available, we knew that when they did become available, they'd be the better, more responsible choice. So to have switched to electric feels good.
What do you think? Are we crazy? Or did we do the right/smart thing, especially considering Spouse's travel?
Yes, we financed a new car, a thing I thought I would never do. But the cost of interest over the next five years -- the life of the loan -- is less than a third of what we've spent on gas in the last five years. Even after we factor in the cost of charging the vehicle, estimated electricity cost + interest is less than half of gas spending in the last five years.
Maintenance/repairs would go down anyway with a new car -- but without a gas engine, we shouldn't have to maintain anything but the brakes and tires over the first five years. (And with regenerative braking, even the brakes get less use, and thus less-frequent replacements, than with a gas engine.) Our battery is covered for life -- so long as we own the car, they'll replace the battery if there are issues, including just age.
Overall, with the tax incentives, I believe we're paying about what we'd pay for a certified pre-owned vehicle of the same caliber, but getting the benefits of both a new car and an electric engine. Long term, it's a smart decision, I think.
That doesn't make it the most frugal one. If it weren't for Spouse's travel, I'd have opted for smaller bells and quieter whistles; choosing the higher-end version cost us an additional few thousand dollars. But I'm not the one doing most of the driving, and it only seems fair that the person who is should get the features that make that more comfortable.
And of course, I've wanted to go electric for a long time: really, even before electric cars were commercially available, we knew that when they did become available, they'd be the better, more responsible choice. So to have switched to electric feels good.
What do you think? Are we crazy? Or did we do the right/smart thing, especially considering Spouse's travel?
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