Having sold my backup BMW i3-REx to my brother, I began looking for a “beater” Model 3 and found one on eBay. I did inspect it only to realize, I don’t want an auto loan over buying outright: Comprehensive Insurance - bought for the bank, it provides safety for the bank but only for what the insurance company claims is the much lower value of the car. In effect leaving me exposed to additional cost even if the car is written off at the insurance company “low ball.” eBay motors became a seller’s market - the one car that looked to fill my wants had in effect the seller’s price. No doubt picked up at auction for a song, there was no negotiating a tolerable price. I’ll still keep a weather eye for a good-enough ‘beater’ but only as my cash reserves build up. When my ready cash matches ‘good-enough’, the itch for a backup EV will be solved. Pick two: GOOD; FAST; CHEAP. Bob Wilson
Afraid you will have to wait for the "mid-east politics" to settle down and people get back to buying gas cars for the demand for used EVs to abate.
Why don't you just get an ICE beater. It'll handle the downtime better than a idled EV? Every-time I drive my ICE beater; I'm looking for a gas tank leak. It gets thirsty every 275 miles, whereas my Prime is doing close to 1K per a tank. Don't ask me how big my beater's tank is.
Look for a high mileage 2018-2019 Model 3 with a tear-stained battery replacement estimate in the glove box........ I'm thinking that a pack remanufacture is well within your grasp which might make for a very low 5-figure car.
people are buying new bolts for up to $10,000. off of msrp, and still some very good pricing on used. chevrolet-bolt-ev-of-the-year-2026
There may be a dozen such companies - but maybe try "swapalease" dot com - the largest of them all. We got out of our model X lease 1½yrs early & eventually the bank that help the new leaseholder with paperwork gave him a great deal that let him picked it up for dirt at end of lease. Good thing about it is if you decide the ride ultimately doesn't meet expectations, you can just walk away - presuming the racked up mileage isn't outrageous. https://www.swapalease.com/lease/search.aspx
I am replacing my former 2017 BMW i3-REx: 108 mi EV range - enough for all my urban driving. 88 mi ICE range - enough when traveling between truck stops to drive 1.600 mi in 31 hours. I already do most of my own Tesla maintenance and having a second one ensures I can still get tools or parts as needed if either is under my repair work. An ICE beater shares none of the advantages of an EV with 2-3 orders of magnitude more moving parts that wear themselves out, higher operating costs, and really kinda fecal to drive around. Another BMW i3-REx would make more sense than an ICE beater. Bob Wilson
A failed thermal valve cooked the original traction battery that Tesla replaced for $9,000. How much would a new engine and transmission cost on a pickup? I have decades experience with ICE vehicles and know the cost of parts and direct labor. I have no interest in getting in that hamster exerciser again. Yes, I am well aware of the EV alternatives but none of them have the automated driving function I use daily. At 76, Supervised Self Driving (formerly known as Full Self Driving) lets me live an independent life. Others are geofence approximations that do not meet my requirements. Worse, the Unobtainium WAYMO experiment. I appreciate the suggestions and hopefully made clear why some fail to help me live an independent life as I age. Bob Wilson
