Would you buy a used Slate truck?

[AngryMedic]

Imagine this... ten years down the road, and a new an improved version comes out. A ton of people are buying the new version flooding the market with cheap EV trucks. Would you buy a used slate that had a ton of mods done on it?

 

[sodamo]

Ten years down the road, and a new an improved version comes out. A ton of people are buying the new version flooding the market with cheap EV trucks.

Can’t answer your poll as written, but Maybe, without the caveat.
But, if the electrical infrastructure has made progress, I’d say this would be a great market. Since Slate announcement I have been mindful of the number of old style small pu on the road. Those will need to be replaced.

 

[cadblu]

Generally people buy used to save a few bucks. With a low entry point it doesn’t make much sense to buy a used Slate truck.

 

[Duke Slater]

With EVs, it kind of depends. Will we be able to see the state of the battery? If the previous owner supercharged it to 100% everyday, then no. Not a chance. If they took care of it and charged to 80% from home everyday, then sure. Absolutely. Don’t know if Slate will offer a battery health test option on their app yet.

This is kind of the CARFAX of the EV world. You wouldn’t buy a used gas car without making sure it got regular oil changes, right? A used car with 50K miles sounds alright, but not if it has NEVER gotten an oil change. That would make you walk out on a deal.

With EVs, it’s the battery health level. No idea how much Slates will depreciate. Will a 50K mileage Slate be $15K? $10K? Less? No one knows yet.

 

[Luxrage]

Generally people buy used to save a few bucks. With a low entry point it doesn’t make much sense to buy a used Slate truck.

It comes down to HOW cheap we're talking. Would I buy a used dubious Slate if I could get it for $1000 or under? Absolutely. Even if it only got 40 miles of range that would be a great around the town clunker. If they suffer from the same depreciation as other EVs in that time period you could definitely find some bargains.

 

[sodamo]

And if batteries become upgradable, replaceable, repairable…

 

[Adam W]

I personally wouldn't want a 10 year old used car, Slate or otherwise, at this point in my life. But I will be happy to pass my well-taken-care-of Slate to someone less fortunate when the time comes, and give them a good deal on it too.

 

[RetiredOnPaper]

Assuming the normal "tire kicking" one should do with a used car, I say yes. If Slate becomes as popular as I suspect; The used frame (unibody), motor and battery pack, will alone have value. For example if I had one right now, I would build a "Woody"...add a surfboard and there you go...not to shabby for a Michigan guy.

 

[SLATEchad]

Imagine this... ten years down the road, and a new an improved version comes out. A ton of people are buying the new version flooding the market with cheap EV trucks. Would you buy a used slate that had a ton of mods done on it?

Depends entirely on the mods. If it’s using slate parts or quality third party that are going to be designed for DIY installation then yes. I would just remove them if I don’t like them.

 

[SLATEchad]

It comes down to HOW cheap we're talking. Would I buy a used dubious Slate if I could get it for $1000 or under? Absolutely. Even if it only got 40 miles of range that would be a great around the town clunker. If they suffer from the same depreciation as other EVs in that time period you could definitely find some bargains.

I doubt they’ll depreciate at the same rate. Part of the reason so many EV’s depreciate as they do is because they’re stupidly expensive and there’s a general resistance to them thanks to large scale misinformation campaigns. Hopefully it’ll depreciate more in line with typical new car depreciation (also not great). Who knows though… I plan on buying it to keep and likely give to my daughter as her first car when the time comes a few years down the road.