Would You Buy An EV From A Bankrupt Brand Like This Lordstown Endurance?
This electric pickup is going over the auction block to the highest bidder but it comes with big caveats
- This Lordstown Endurance is available at auction to the highest bidder.
- Buying it comes with some pretty big caveats, including no title and limited service options.
- The electric truck has a quad-motor drivetrain with 440 hp and a 109 kWh battery pack.
Automakers come and go all of the time (unfortunately), but not too many fall into what might be described as the uncanny valley of production. Brands like Fisker Automotive actually manage to begin production, but then go out of business shortly thereafter.
That same situation applies to this Lordstown Endurance and it has us wondering, would you buy a car from a now-bankrupt manufacturer?
Read: Fisker Cancels Roadside Assistance Leaving Owners High And Dry
To be clear, we’re not talking about brands like Saturn, Pontiac, Mercury, or Plymouth. Sure, those brands might be long gone, but as parts of larger organizations, they’re not as big of a risk. Parts are plentiful, production numbers were high too, and as a result, it’s easier to maintain them in the long run.
What we’re talking about are cars that made it into that uncanny valley. They were produced but startups in relatively low numbers. The company is either out of business or about to be. That leaves maintenance and care up to the owner with likely very little if any support available. For example, imagine owning this low-mileage Lordstown Endurance up for auction over at Cars&Bids.
It has fewer than 200 miles (~320 km) on the odometer, a quad-motor drivetrain, a 109 kWh battery pack, and 440 horsepower (328 kW). In theory, all of that sounds fine, but don’t forget that it has just 174 miles (280 km) of range and no simple way to get service should something go wrong. If there’s any issue with it, the owner is going to be stuck trying to figure it out.
Besides these potential issues, this Lordstown Endurance has one more caveat to ownership. It doesn’t come with a title. Instead, it’s sold with nothing more than a bill of sale. That’s right, it’s not technically street-legal which makes ownership even more of a pain. Perhaps keeping it off of the road and only using it for duty outside of those situations could prolong its life.
All of this brings us back to our original question. Would you ever buy a car like this one being auctioned on C/B from a now-bankrupt (or soon-to-be) automaker? Don’t stop at yes or no though. Tell us why you feel the way you do and be sure to vote on your favorite comments below!
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