Report: Slate Factory Delivery Under Consideration! Would Take Place In This Room

[AZFox]

About 3 hours for me. That's a motorcycle ride. The problem is how do I get the motorcycle home afterwards. Uhaul trailer, probably.

FWIW, the U-Haul trailer for motorcycles doubles as a utility trailer and weighs in at a hefty 870 pounds. 😮

Edit: Aerodynamics aren't spectacular either.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

FWIW, the U-Haul trailer for motorcycles doubles as a utility trailer and weighs in at a hefty 870 pounds. 😮

Edit: Aerodynamics aren't spectacular either.

That was my original question, I guess. 870# + bike weight = ? Towing capacity of Blank Slate is what? 1,000#?

 

[AZFox]

That was my original question, I guess. 870# + bike weight = ? Towing capacity of Blank Slate is what? 1,000#?

Uh-oh... The motorcycle needs to be a moped. 😁

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Uh-oh... The motorcycle needs to be a moped. 😁

Bus ticket receipt might weigh less?

 

[Doug T]

Here is a story from the Detroit Free Press about Destination Charges Destination charges are hidden fee automakers can't seem to explain

Highlights:

By Law, Destination Charges must be clearly stated. They are not required to be charged. They are not required to be equalized. Dealers often claim these additional requirements, but they are not in the law.

These fees give OEMs a way to include additional charges that are not in the MSRP and are not advertised. Dealers can claim that the fees are required by the government and cannot be negotiated.

Because Slate does not have a dealer network, it has to opportunity to be a different, more transparent car company. In my view, these common falsehoods are a result of the current dealer network system.

Finally, Slate can allow us to take delivery at the factory at a reduced cost.

 

[cadblu]

So, for many years of buying automobiles we all just accepted destination fees as the ‘cost of doing business‘ at a dealership.

Let’s not forget another one of my favorites- “doc fees” which covers the dealership's costs and time spent on administrative tasks for the sale, like processing paperwork and handling title and registration, e.g. clerical services, computer time, and messenger services.

I once purchased a BMW out of state (New Jersey) and paid a non negotiable doc fee of $799. NJ does not have a cap on doc fees, but many other states do have a cap. You can be assured that the dealership will charge the full amount, up to the cap.

In contrast, Tesla charges a $250 order fee that covers all documentation fees, Wondering if Slate will follow this example.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

So, for many years of buying automobiles we all just accepted destination fees as the ‘cost of doing business‘ at a dealership.

Let’s not forget another one of my favorites- “doc fees” which covers the dealership's costs and time spent on administrative tasks for the sale, like processing paperwork and handling title and registration, e.g. clerical services, computer time, and messenger services.

I once purchased a BMW out of state (New Jersey) and paid a non negotiable doc fee of $799. NJ does not have a cap on doc fees, but many other states do have a cap. You can be assured that the dealership will charge the full amount, up to the cap.

In contrast, Tesla charges a $250 order fee that covers all documentation fees, Wondering if Slate will follow this example.

Tesla set an interesting precedent. Doc fees are profit to the dealer. The claim that it pays for administration is utter rubbish, especially since it’s all done right in front of you or remotely. I’m rooting for Slate to really exploit the difference in fees to democratize the purchase for normal people. Ford’s not tryin to reduce fees that its collusion cast of dealers have so carefully crafted for last 40 years.

 

[KevinRS]

Yeah, actual cost to the dealer that is covered by "doc fees" should be way down in the computer age, They used to have to fill out the paperwork by hand or on a typewriter, with carbon copies, and physically deliver a copy to the state, etc. Now it's all going to be automatically copied over from the same inputs from when you apply for financing or whatever, and sent electronically. Now that states have "paper plates" that they print out that stay on the car until you get the permanent ones, they charge you separately for that too, as if it costs them like $90 to print it out on the special paper.

 

[Doug T]

These are interesting points about doc fees that I had never thought about before.. As far as I can tell these fees simply cover applying for a title, registration, etc. with your state of residence.

This strikes me as another way Slate can be a different kind of car company. In the spirit of Slate DIY, let the customer decide if they want to do these activities and not pay Slate to do them,. Avoid that cost.

A few years ago, I moved to Ohio from another state. I went to the BMV and applied for a title and registration. for my car, Not that big of a deal. I understand that not everyone wants to do this but let the customer decide.

 

[KevinRS]

There may be legal requirements for them to submit the registration of a new car sale, along with charging the proper state and local taxes. My hope would be Slate keeps the fee for doing that to a minimum, especially since WE will be filling out the "paperwork" online.
States probably don't like automakers selling cars unregistered, as some people would then just never register it, even though they are driving it on the street.

 

[danielt1263]

Nexus Auto Transport says shipping a car can cost from $250 to $775. I expect Slate would charge less than $1000 for most US locations. Maybe a little more in some of the bigger cities and likely quite a bit more for non-contiguous parts of the US (Alaska, Hawaii, and other US territories.)