(Actually it's interesting to see car prices in the US seem quite high when converted to AUD - e.g. the base Tesla price in the US is supposedly 48k, equivalent to 72.5K AUD, but they're advertised for 66.5K here. In years past I'm fairly sure that wasn't the case, though it's still true that on a PPP basis they're more expensive here.)
Should they be priced out of the economy completely?
You can pay for more.
"Full Self Driving" costs 15k, but is really not worth it for most of us.
It can also be rented for $200 a month if you want to see what it is like to be driven around by a really bad uber driver. Which of course, that is something we all want to try. But don't spend $15k on it. :)
I think you missed a zero.
Is there a reason you aren't considering the Leaf or the Bolt?
Was this a typo? There is no way this is true.
I paid $32K total because I bought them both with 2 years on them.... and I received $13.5K back from insurance for the Rogue Select that I paid $14K for because of how wild the market was during the height of COVID.
Not sure exactly what buying a $60K vehicle is supposed to do for me. The cars had Airplay, cruise control, and AC. What else am I supposed to want?
You buy a $60K car to signal your wealth. It's why women buy $6K handbags.
In 2020 I was involved in a rearend accident, but I didn't think much of it because my car was still drivable even though I couldn't use the back door. Insurance company said they were just gonna cut me a random check if I didn't bring the car in to the shop. Apparently there was frame damage at very rear driver side which totaled the vehicle.
So I was in a scramble to buy another car. I had multiple options, both new and used, but my rental was a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. Loved that car. Anyway, when I set out that morning to buy a new car, I was looking for a NEW car. Talked to a dealership about a $33K special edition SUV with all the bells and whistles. Special color, moon roof, etc. But along the way, I saw a used car dealership and pulled in when I saw they had a bunch of SUVs in the lot. They had the exact same make, model, and color as the car I was driving. I don't do a lot of driving. The car had every single feature I wanted and low miles. So when they told me the price, it was a no-brainer. Picked it up the very next day.
Although FSD is technically impressive, it is not a must-have feature. I have played with it a few times, but to be honest, the car is so much fun to drive that I WANT to do it myself.
Just get a regular 3 or Y, both are great value with the tax rebates floating around now. The money saved on gas, oil changes and dealer servicing soon makes up the difference in cost.
To put it into perspective - A Toyota 2023 Corolla Hybrid SE Infrared full loaded with AWD will cost me 30K. A Toyota 2024 Camry XSE Hybrid costs $3750 all in with all of the upgrades.
Hard to justify 30K+ more for an electric vehicle - unless that is what you want an are willing to pay for it. But at this point - you can't justify the expenditure at all.