Right. I think the environmental argument for EVs rings pretty hollow until we've exhausted the world's extremely large supply of used cars (and built commuter rail just about everywhere even marginally economical; the US circa 1920 would be a good reference point).

If there was a gross over abundance of used cars, they would be extremely cheap. They aren't cheap.

Shifting new sales from gas to EV is also likely to be more effective than wishing for more transit.

It’s not that simple: the economics of used cars are tied to export patterns and to cultural norms. In other words: used cars aren’t (relatively) expensive because they’re actually scarce goods; they’re relatively expensive because Americans generally like buying new cars and therefore don’t support a larger used car market.

Besides, it’s a relative comparison: a used older car is still going to be cheaper. We’re talking about Teslas, which are luxury sport vehicles.

My observation is about the dynamics of the used car market (reliable cars that are out of warranty still command relatively high prices), it's not a comparison to the cost of new, high end electric vehicles.

My point was that the firm prices in the used market actually reflect demand for those cars and they aren't just tragically going to waste, a counter to your disgust at our supposed refusal to use them up. If they are getting exported and used up, that still prevents them from being available cheaply here.

> it's not a comparison to the cost of new, high end electric vehicles.

Sure, but the point of this entire thread is making this comparison.