$24,950! Blank Slate Price announced

[EV Trek]

Thank you for joining to post! Welcome to the Zoo.

Where does one start the journey of 3-D printing useful objects (like Slate accessories)? As sophisticated as I am about so many things, this still seems like magic to my analog mind.

First watch 3d printing YouTube channels, reviews of printers and such, then there are several good Youtubers that design and print their own car parts.
I am on my 3rd 3d printer and it is my favorite so far, Bambu Labs makes it.
i designed an printed my own little Slates.

 

[E90400K]

So I read this EXTREMELY long thread (instead of working) and one thing I haven't seen argued regarding the price comparisons of the Slate to the Maverik is the long range maintenance cost. Sure the Slate is missing all those bells and whistles you get with the Maverik for a bit more expense, but how much will it cost to have the Maverik repaired over the next 10 years, when it's designed to only be repaired by "authorized" technicians and requires very custom parts that you can also only get from Ford.
I worked on the BMW assembly line for a year and the wiring they're using for most of the electrical looks to be 22 gauge wire, all bundled together running from the firewall to the back lights, under all the seats and carpeting. Sure, it handles the power requirements, but as it ages it work hardens anywhere that's flexing and becomes brittle. One wire breaks and the entire interior needs to be pulled, and the whole wiring harness replaced and rerun.
I imagine the Fords are the same way, so compare that price to what it will take to repair a Slate yourself. And 3D print pretty much any options you might want, supply your own hardware w/o data harvesting...
Ok, I was on the fence about getting one, but I think I just talked myself into it.
And yes, I registered JUST to post that.

Broken wires at flex points on automobiles after 10 to 15 years of use is common. Mostly such breaks occur at the trunk or hatch hinge line were the harness transitions to the trunk lid or hatch door and subjected to a lot of repeated flex events. I've had it happen on an Acura and two BMWs, though never a Ford. The Acura and BMW instances were when the cars were past 15 years old and near or over 200,000 miles.

I'm not sure why a Slate would be any less prone to have wires break or why a Maverick (because it is a Ford and/or a hybrid) would be more susceptible to wire breaks than a Slate. Most vehicles are designed with interior wire harness routing along the door sills or edges of the interior where the wires are not subjected to flexing.

Kind of a silly reason to not consider a Maverick.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

That credit is next to useless for most people. Do you think you will be paying 10k in interest?
Lets say you add accessories to the purchase, and get the price up enough that over the first year the average balance on the loan was 30k, and you got a real high interest loan, 10% you'd pay 3k in interest that year. If you are in the 22% tax bracket, you get up to 660 of that 3k back on the tax refund. If you get a better interest rate, both the interest paid and the refund drop. It's nothing at all if the standard deduction beats it anyway.

The people who are likely taking advantage of it are people who have lots of money, but it doesn't count as "income" it's all in stock options and unrealized gains. So they have less than 100k in income but can buy a 100k+ car and deduct the interest.

They knew when setting it up that that deduction was going to be of minor impact to the budget, and that 10k in interest limit is just nuts.

There you go again. Bursting bubbles with all of your math facts and logic.

Yeah, after getting a new CPA this year, I quickly realized that success in this country means that all the goodies and “free” stuff has to get paid for…legislating behaviors via tax policy has its limits. As he says, “They haven’t created a 100% tax bracket so that you can buy/donate yourself into a better April 15…so be sensible and live your life.” A CPA philosopher!

God bless America!

 

[mr.wolfie]

Broken wires at flex points on automobiles after 10 to 15 years of use is common. Mostly such breaks occur at the trunk or hatch hinge line were the harness transitions to the trunk lid or hatch door and subjected to a lot of repeated flex events. I've had it happen on an Acura and two BMWs, though never a Ford. The Acura and BMW instances were when the cars were past 15 years old and near or over 200,000 miles.

I'm not sure why a Slate would be any less prone to have wires break or why a Maverick (because it is a Ford and/or a hybrid) would be more susceptible to wire breaks than a Slate. Most vehicles are designed with interior wire harness routing along the door sills or edges of the interior where the wires are not subjected to flexing.

Kind of a silly reason to not consider a Maverick.

My thinking is not that they would have less breaks, it's that the work needed to repair such breaks would be MUCH easier and accomplishable by the owner. Also, less accessories = less wiring.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Broken wires at flex points on automobiles after 10 to 15 years of use is common. Mostly such breaks occur at the trunk or hatch hinge line were the harness transitions to the trunk lid or hatch door and subjected to a lot of repeated flex events. I've had it happen on an Acura and two BMWs, though never a Ford. The Acura and BMW instances were when the cars were past 15 years old and near or over 200,000 miles.

I'm not sure why a Slate would be any less prone to have wires break or why a Maverick (because it is a Ford and/or a hybrid) would be more susceptible to wire breaks than a Slate. Most vehicles are designed with interior wire harness routing along the door sills or edges of the interior where the wires are not subjected to flexing.

Kind of a silly reason to not consider a Maverick.

Thanks for increasing my paranoia about my X5 experiencing a terminal short. Adding to my calendar - two days prior to CPO expiring…must get different ride without all the pesky wiring risks?

 

[E90400K]

Thanks for increasing my paranoia about my X5 experiencing a terminal short. Adding to my calendar - two days prior to CPO expiring…must get different ride without all the pesky wiring risks?

Sorry dude...

 

[mr.wolfie]

Thanks for increasing my paranoia about my X5 experiencing a terminal short. Adding to my calendar - two days prior to CPO expiring…must get different ride without all the pesky wiring risks?

Tidbit of trivia for you, your drivers side door very likely has fingerprints in the paint of the window frame under the plastic trim ;-) 95% of the doors that came down the line had that, just the way they were lifted in production.

 

[BobbyMcGee]

I'm ready.

Finally, a sustainable ecofriendly solar oven to roast dogs

 

[ElectricShitbox]

Finally, a sustainable ecofriendly solar oven to roast dogs

Countdown to NYS banning tint on your dog dome, for "officer safety"

 

[Wmc8520]

This biggest take away for me on this price is that it builds credibility. They said mid-20s, and here we are, right under mid-20s. This doesn't just show us the price, it shows us the company. That's important when we're weighing buying a truck from a new company, and many will likely have to make the purchase before driving it in person. I think Slate has been remarkably consistent here, which is probably more important that exactly where the price lands.

It is a solid price but I don't consider $24,950 to be under mid-20's. Mid 20's IMHO is from $23000-$27000 so it is solid mid-20's not low or high mid 20's.

 

[Wmc8520]

Maverick XL hybrid starting at $28k. No?

Lowest price near me available is $32,185 for maverick xl hybrid

 

[atx_ev]

Lowest price near me available is $32,185 for maverick xl hybrid

lowest price on autotrader is 24K (plus 1K doc fee)

 

[danielt1263]

Maverick XL hybrid starting at $28k. No?

According to Ford's builder "Total MSRP" is $30,685. To that, you have to add the dealer fee which is $1-2k where I live.

 

[bloo]

lowest price on autotrader is 24K (plus 1K doc fee)

Not for a new one, it ain't.

 

[Nivek]

lowest price on autotrader is 24K (plus 1K doc fee)

Ah, the magical unicorn. 1 person can get a hell of a deal .