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.

 

[danielt1263]

I would not because I would still be using my 2027 Slate. I keep vehicles for at least 10 years.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

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?

Price!

If it's inexpensive, still has ok range, and is not polluted with a million meaningless options? Then yes. By that time we will have some pretty good reliability info.

 

[Benjamin Nead]

All I've ever bought have been used cars, for the past 50 years. Because a lot of new car buyers actually lease instead of buy outright these days, I keep an eye 2 to 3 years in the past to remember what's potentially interesting.

Leased vehicles seem to get watched carefully by dealerships and the lesee often has to do things like buy a set of new tires before bringing back and having it show up in the used lot. You now also have independent auto history tracking services, like Carfax, to keep everyone honest.

If I get the Slate as envisioned now, it will be the first time for me ever buying a vehicle as new. But, yeah, a lot could happen in 18 months.

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Here will be the cheapest way to buy a used Slate EV Truck, with a timeline that assumes the first batch of new ones will be out there in January 2027 and there are no federal EV incentives. This scenario also assumes that 150 mile ones will be $27K and 240 mile ones will be $30K when sold new . . .

Late 2029 to early 2030: The first batch of Slates begins to show up at dealerships. Roughly 40% to 50% depreciation is standard. So a 2027 150 mile one will be between $13K to $17K. Same Slate but with a 240 mile pack will be between $15K to $19K. Some of these price variances might indicate some nice accessories included in the deal.

This is good news for the used Slate buyer - and 2nd owner - 5 to 6 years into the future who snags a clean lease return and plans to simply drive it until it isn't worth it any longer. The one thing that the used Slate buyer will want to watch for is to make sure that they are the 2nd owner and not the 3rd or 4th.

Traction battery warranties for modern EVs are typically transferable to the 2nd owner. Most are now 10 years from the delivery date to the original owner (not the vehicle manufacture date) or 100K miles, whichever comes first.

So, owner number 2 could get "lucky" and have the original battery fail in 2037, but be eligible for a new pack under warranty. As to what that new pack will be - another identical NMC or something fancier that they're putting in all the new Slates is anyone's guess.

OK, that's it. But none of the above is applicable until 2030.

 

[Kit352]

I'm in for a maybe but not as it written. If it's in good shape and is priced well and without any major bugs I would have no problem buying used.

 

[5ohbrad]

If mods are fixable with a wrap (or peeling the old one off) and swapping wheels- I don’t see why not? These will make great first vehicles for kids on the used market or for people who just need a cheap small truck for trips to Home Depot. The Mustang, 911, Miata and Bug are all good examples of cars that evolved over time but early examples remain favorable for the purity of their designs.