balthazar

This is the sort of thing that puts a large quantity of people off from an issue- stating huge aggregate 'savings' numbers using wildly tangential elements. - - - - - - - - - - It sure would be interesting to see how the ALA quantified / vetted 'lost workdays' as a component of "public health costs" since 1. there are a myriad of reasons behind 'lost workdays' and 2. the vast vast majority of those events are paid for by employers, not public health funds. Because it smells like 'number pumping' from here. Just be straightforward and honest. [article : https://www.yahoo.com/news/switch-electric-vehicles-virginia-dramatically-123114251.html ]

Backing is all well & good, but it's not the same thing as getting the product 'right' for volume production. Everything takes longer than intended these days, and in post 2019- even longer than that.

Cadillac sold 390K units worldwide in 2019. Interesting how we commonly read about Tesla's global sales and you have to hunt for U.S. numbers, but it's always the inverse when talking about Cadillac.

Ultium is lithium-ion (I know you know this). I've read industry insiders saying solid state for production is over 10 years out.

75(14) miles check-in. No issues. It was experiencing a handful of what folk call 'crank/no start' events (cranks on first try but doesn't start, then always starts on 2nd attempt), but it got a software update at its first oil change and hasn't done it since. It was no big deal. No recalls, no TSBs, no warning lights, no noises. Still hitting rated MPG- low 23s on average (rated 22/26). Best MPG to date was 26.4. Have not done a highway-majority tank yet. I filled up 3/24, prior fill-up was 2/28, so I am only 'charging' my truck once a month. I'm at 10 months & 1 week of ownership, only at 7500 miles. Work was slow in Dec-Jan, but I'm back doing 6 days a week now; so I think I'll be 'lucky' to hit 9000 miles by May 20. 😁

^ Well, look at that! 😉

^ Well, of course. Over-saturation and brand dilution.

IMO the panemera isn't ugly, it's just awkward in profile and somewhat bland. I have no interest in it stylistically. I do like the Taycan tho.

I wouldn't buy that Camaro either! I think some of the Chevy pricing is ridiculous, and there's a ton of them to chose from, from the '60s. Yes- there are plenty of sources for new SBC & BBC engines- it's not hard to find 'em. And new foundry-cast blocks, also. There's 2 new cast Buick big blocks out there, replicants of a motor only built 70-76. There's companies still manufacturing new Model T parts. Cripes - the repro BODIES now available is crazy- whole body shells.... that relatively new in the collector car world. This era of collectible cars continues to grow, as does values. Take it from a guy who'd been involved in it 35 years now- it's never been bigger. - - - - - I just saw something the other week; average miles driven in the U.S. is 14,400. Don't recall the source. Personally, I'm well under that. Only on target to do about 8500 this year. You simply can't say that with any degree of certainty.

That is ONE way a singular collectible can increase in value. Another is TIME. An engineless '69 Camaro wasn't worth 50 grand in -say- 1985. The contention of "only" here is incorrect. Think about it this way : if the half-life of a -say- vintage Camaro was 1 year, how could it ever have reached such (relative) high values today? Look at this POS; no motor, interior destroyed, rot & bondo. 43 bids, $16 grand... Doesn't make sense to me, but here it is :

Categorically false. To wit; the Camaro I posted above- it's 'worth' $54K with no powertrain. Make it drivable, and in a year it's not somehow going to be worth $25K. In-demand collectible valuations don't work that way. - - - - -

I’ve worked in 2 homes that were being rented at $7500/mnth and $8500/mnth. Just saying.

Are the late model prices you see for the Olds' you mention asking, or sold prices? The only true metric of valuation is a compilation of sold prices. - - - - - I don't know if you guys are up on what my Camaro example above actually sells for. Other than the hoss-kick in the front fender, the body on this car was rust-free, Had a usable, complete interior but it had no trans and only a bare block for a powertrain. The values allow for a substantial investment in restoring it (which doesn't cost X-times more over a 6-cylinder coupe). HOWEVER, I still question what taking a high-demand car like this and deviating far from original (BE powertrain) would do to said value. You buy a relatively great condition car like below for $55K, put another $50K into it for electrification..... would it only be worth $50K? $30K? It's NOT going to be worth $105K, I can promise you that. What could you insure it for, value-wise? Does it make fiscal sense?

The GP motor is out / getting rebuilt, so yes; it'd be a #5 at the moment. With a rebuilt Tri-Power motor and all mechanics gone thru, it would bring better than #4 based on how it's equipped and having a rebuilt, rather than an original running motor. I would agree on KBB- they don't do vintage pricing (which is why I used Hagerty), but a '99 Aurora isn't a collectible auto. There; their valuation is probably at least in the ballpark.

It's not remotely the same price range to buy & install a crate SBC into a -say- '70 Nova. It's literally just bolts in. That's not $10s of thousands of dollars, and any mechanical shop could handle it fine. It's totally different. You can pick up a brand new crate 440HP 350 from Summit Racing for $6100, and you & a buddy can bolt it said Nova in a weekend and be driving Monday.

Hagerty a year ago says my GP in #4 condition was worth $10,600. With the physical condition, miles, & options, that's probably in the neighborhood. Once the engine is rebuilt and the mechanics (brakes/ fuel/ tires) are redone, it'll edge upward from there. Complete, restored Tri-Powers are selling around $2500-2800 by themselves (the value of an entire running '99 Aurora). Even if it were running as is and only worth $10,000, I probably only have $2K invested in it. As for dumping money into it; as my first car I seem to be in some sort of love with it, but I would never put (a proportional) $166,000 into a $10,000 car- that's madness. [$50,000 into $3000 car].

#4 condition IS 'daily driven' condition. That's why I didn't use the 'garage queen' #1 concours-restored value here. Are you restoring the Aurora to garage queen condition in your scenario? Full strip & repaint? All NOS parts & new interior?

So $4 grand for just the motor, add in the parts and battery cost that are not included, then the labor to remove the original powertrain, then the labor to fabricate mounting pieces/hardware, and install the whole new powertrain, plus upgrade/change out the existing subsystems (A/C compressor drive is one example). A Ford IC crate motor bolts right into a factory Ford car (for the most part). A Tesla BE motor is a complete powertrain swap in a Ford car. Why do you guys think EVWest charges $50 grand to source the components / do the labor?

Simple; a '69 Z/28 in #4 'fair' condition is already worth around $45,000.

To be more accurate, the early autos were disproportionately for the wealthy, but make no mistake - there were numerous very spartan and relatively 'cheap' autos also. Ford wasn't alone and wasn't the first.

There will NEVER be a 'complete' replacement. And when there aren't any/enough BE semis to provide for city/urban delivery and people start seeing crazy shortages, IC trucks will be 're-allowed' into the cities. You cannot cut the supply before you have an alternative in place, ready to go. Politicians -stupid as always- are approaching the issue backwards.

KBB says a '99 Aurora's 'fair price' is $2800. Maybe it's just me, but it seems crazy to dump $50,000 into a car worth $3,000. Why not just buy a $54,000 Model 3 and start driving tomorrow? Full warranty, latest amenities, no cobbled together Frankenstein car (OK, maybe strike that last one)....