Slate isn't building the truck for us

[AL-Derby]

Trucks do not have 4 doors. If you need 4 doors, buy a station wagon.

I didn’t say I wanted 4 doors. I had a 84 Toyota xtra cab and that was great. If I take the dogs along I don’t put them in the bed. Not that it’s a deal killer either. So you can Keep the station wagon.

 

[Driven5]

The average worker drives 12k-15k mi/yr. Let's call 12k of that 'non-truck' use that could reasonably be done by a more efficient vehicle. With at 20mpg (combined) truck and $3/gal (current US average is less than that) for gas, that's $1800/yr in gas. Figure insurance alone probably costs around $1200/yr, and take out another $100 for average annual registration. With the remaining $500/yr difference used exclusively on fuel to actually drive the commuter car, it would need to get 72mpg

(combined) fuel economy. If the commuter vehicle were a sedan getting only 32 mpg (combined), it would have to replace >23k mi/yr of driving to do the same. An EV might be able to do it with home charging, but even assuming the purchase price of a 3rd vehicle isn't a financial strain, the 3rd vehicle fuel 'savings' still wouldn't actually cover any of it's own additional maintenance and depreciation.

With gas prices currently on the rise, it got me wondering at what point buying that additional 32 mpg fully-depreciated and unmaintained (POS) commuter even begin to actually make financial sense for that 'average' modern truck driver. It turns out that point isn't reached until gas exceeds $5.78/gal sustained over the full ownership life of the truck.

Trucks do not have 4 doors. If you need 4 doors, buy a station wagon.

 

[MadKemist]

Good luck finding one that isn't an SUV.

I didn’t say I wanted 4 doors. I had a 84 Toyota xtra cab and that was great. If I take the dogs along I don’t put them in the bed. Not that it’s a deal killer either. So you can Keep the station wagon.

And I didn’t either.

I’m not sure why people are mad at me for having an opinion. I don’t like four door trucks. If you happen to feel four door trucks are what you need, good on you.

 

[Driven5]

Nobody is 'mad at you for having an opinion'. But if you don't want to be confronted, don't be confrontational. It's not just what you say, but how you say it, that matters.

"Trucks do not have 4 doors. If you need 4 doors, buy a station wagon. "

"I don’t like four door trucks. If you happen to feel four door trucks are what you need, good on you."

If you don't see the difference between the two, there's really no helping you.

 

[SparkYellow]

My primary commuter gets 35 mpg and is worth about $5K, well maintained at 177K miles. My ex commuter gets 38+ mpg, is worth about $2K at $202K miles. She is getting a head job that will cost me another $3K (already $3.5K in). Both of them were purchased new (in 2011 and 2017) and priced around $22K. If Slate doesn't happen, I will continue my journey with ICE.

I like everything about Slate and haven't found any deal breaker yet. If Slate were designed as a hatchback or small SUV, I wouldn't want it even for under $20K. If the Slate truck were designed to look like Telo, I wouldn't want it either. If Telo designed their truck to look like Slate but with Telo spec, it'd be more than what I need and am willing to pay.

Love how you folks can dive deep on any topic. I am just floating happily above the surface. 😂

 

[MadKemist]

Nobody is 'mad at you for having an opinion'. But if you don't want to be confronted, don't be confrontational. It's not just what you say, but how you say it, that matters.

"Trucks do not have 4 doors. If you need 4 doors, buy a station wagon. "

"I don’t like four door trucks. If you happen to feel four door trucks are what you need, good on you."

If you don't see the difference, there's really no helping you.

 

[MadKemist]

Dude I really do not understand what you are upset about. I respect your opinion towards me and my opinions. I’m sure my phrasing doesn’t help.