This week's EV bargain that I'm not buying

Surely if the market is dead, bargains should be appearing regularly ?

New so ones are now 38k…

While the price drops for new EVs is fantastic for the market overall, I wonder is a factor for consumers in overall uptake.

Could the model 3 drop again?

I was looking to buy very recently and could only find '19 Model 3s coming anywhere close to early 20's. For the spec, year etc. I ended up going with a far newer ID.3. Yes software issues - but pros and cons worked out better. People are expecting far too much for used Model 3s, but maybe also others are still paying that?

So you think the sellers aren't in any rush and just holding to see if they get a good price to move?

I shifted a 231 Model 3 back in January and got 35K for it from a dealer. I thought I did pretty well for that at the time considering Highlands were due to dock the next week. I may have gotten a grand or two more if I'd pushed but any more and you're into new car territory.

You were fortunate. The data is the reality

Don't confuse fortunate with the market

Another 2017 Ioniq under 10k. 90k miles, in black. I'm in no major panic at the moment, so just keeping an eye on things to see if they keep moving downwards. Always had a 10k Ioniq in mind, so might look at this guy if it's still around when I'm up in Dublin next week for a work thing.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ioniq-1-owner-irish-car-full-hyundai-history/36738624

a model 3 in china is 30000 euro new, id4 77kw 27200 euro new,

If they can make a profit in china at those prices, I bet there is still a little bit of wiggle room left.

What Tesla has created in my case is a car for life, i.e. I can't see any circumstance where it would make sense not to just keep on driving the currently owned copy of a Model 3. It will eventually be relegated as the "banger" (a car frequently marked in the carparks by others) when it can't do what it currently does, i.e. drive long distances that the other car leaf can't do.

The Irish market is special in the way the cars are graded based on the digits on the numberplate and this combined with large number cars financed privately on PCP has created a monster where there will be many cars handed back after the term at bargain money. The same cars are then marked up, and the 2nd owners are very likely to be fleeced as well. However, for savvy customers this has created a window of opportunity to bargain hard for the PCP returns that are not selling that are filling up the fields. Those are the only real bargains, i.e. cars that have practically halved in price in 3 years but still have maybe 80% of their usable life left. I think a Model 3 definitely falls in this group.

And for the PCP: In my opinion it would make lots of sense to just pay the lump sum and just keep on driving. You have already paid a huge money and are now selling a hardly used car well under what a sane market price should be. But it only makes sense for the cars that are well designed and don't frustrate their owner with crappy software and wheels falling off.

The car for life is less profitable than the new car every 18-48 months type. Ford found this out in the late 40's. The reg plate in Ireland is unique, yes, but the cycle exists in the rest of Europe and the US too. Even in places where theres no year on the plate.

After everyone buys an EV for life, that doesnt need servicing, what does tesla sell then?

I 100% won't be paying that balloon. I'll be handing the car back, and that's only if I can't hand it back with zero owing before then. Remember that I paid 10k deposit for the car initially, and the taxpayer paid 5k, that 15k is now gone. Luckily the interest rate on the PCP was low (3% approx from memory) so arguably with inflation it was zero percent borrowing costs. I don't want a car for life. I currently own 7 cars and like to swap, buy and sell a lot. This is the longest I've held a car for in some time, and it's only because of the stupid price drops. Because I haven't been able to sell, there is one second hand EV not available for someone to buy (an EV bargain?), so they may have to buy an ICE. Thanks for that butterfly effect Elon!

I have a colleague with a high mile Model S which he will not sell because of the free charging.

With no servicing needed and efficiency of about 13kWh per 100km a new well sorted Model 3 standard range is getting to be the sort of car that you just keep because you get little benefit from changing.

Note also that the owners of the small EVs like the Twingo and e-Up! absolutely love them from an ownership perspective.

I have one Colleague who bemoaned losing his Twingo because somebody drove in to it and wrote it off and he can't currentlz replace it like for like. It did everything expected of it with no drama.