Author Topic: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues  (Read 9819 times)

mwulff

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« on: November 05, 2016, 02:05:56 AM »
Hi everybody,

What you are about to read is true and the names have not been changed to protect the innocent. :)

Now it is a fact that Mr and Ms Wulff has a car-loan at 2,68% APR with an 96 month payment plan. Now after the first 12 months we are 2/3rds done with the loan and we get a letter from our bank stating (paraphrased):

----------------------------
Dear Mr and Ms. Wulff

We are entering the autumn and the holiday season is coming up. We here at "Micro-bank" know that money can be tight and therefore we would like to offer you the option of putting your monthly payments on your car loan on hold for 6 months. This means that you can enjoy $5250 more for yourself this holiday season.

You could use this money to go on vacation or maybe buy those dream gifts for your significant others.. bla bla bla bla..

If you would like to take advantage of this "free money" offer please call your local advisor to set it up..

Yours truly
Micro-bank.
--------------------

At this point I'm just sitting in my office and chuckling away. 'Free money'?? Seriously. And the my devious mind takes over and writes this reply:

---------------------
Dear XXX, Micro-bank.

Thank you for your letter. We completely agree that worrying about car payments for six months is a bummer, so we have wired 6 months worth of payments into the loan and will continue our regular monthly payments as per our loan agreement.

It was a great suggestion and we wish you a happy holiday.

Mr and Ms Wulff.
----------------------

Now I'm just waiting for a reply. But it felt really good to just intentionally misunderstand their letter. It's not as if they waived the interest rates for 6 months, just the payments.

Stachey

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1020
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2016, 10:37:06 AM »
LOL  I love it!

Maybe that will shut down the bank with their "offers" for a while.
One can only hope.

Shalamar

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 49
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2016, 01:15:23 PM »
I remember getting letters like that from MasterCard.    Ha!   Even during my least Mustachian days, I still knew bullshit when I smelled it, and I didn't take them up on their generous offer.

Paul der Krake

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5854
  • Age: 16
  • Location: UTC-10:00
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2016, 01:31:03 PM »
6 months worth of vehicle payments amount to over $5,000?

Please tell me this is a professional vehicle that actually makes you money, like a delivery truck or something.

gimp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2016, 10:20:57 PM »
Local dealer told me that I could save $50/month off my car payment if I traded my car in.

The only way that math works is if they give me a free car and send me $50/month.

Because, ya know. Zero payment. Save $50/month by trading the car in. That means -$50 and a new car.

Jesstache

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 240
  • Location: Central OR
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2016, 11:39:53 PM »
I got a phone call from a local dealer saying my 2006 Honda Pilot is in high demand and was I interested because they're making "really generous offers" for trade-in.  I said I wasn't interested at all.  Then he said, "Are you sure? Even if we could get you in a nicer, newer car for the same monthly payment or even less."  I said, "That's not possible, I paid cash for it three years ago... unless you want to straight trade my car for a newer one with fewer miles? (It has 63k miles). He stammered a lot and mumbled a bit before saying goodbye.  Ha! It was fun for me, probably not for him.

Metric Mouse

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5278
  • FU @ 22. F.I.R.E before 23
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #6 on: November 06, 2016, 12:36:14 AM »
I got a phone call from a local dealer saying my 2006 Honda Pilot is in high demand and was I interested because they're making "really generous offers" for trade-in.  I said I wasn't interested at all.  Then he said, "Are you sure? Even if we could get you in a nicer, newer car for the same monthly payment or even less."  I said, "That's not possible, I paid cash for it three years ago... unless you want to straight trade my car for a newer one with fewer miles? (It has 63k miles). He stammered a lot and mumbled a bit before saying goodbye.  Ha! It was fun for me, probably not for him.

Ha! I can imagine there are a lot of these calls going out to people with cars older than say 2010.  It took me a minute to figure out that 2006 Honda Pilots really aren't in high demand...

mwulff

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2016, 01:36:56 AM »
6 months worth of vehicle payments amount to over $5,000?

Please tell me this is a professional vehicle that actually makes you money, like a delivery truck or something.

It is a combined professional and private vehicle. So yes, we use it to make money.

Actually it is a Tesla Model S. Now before somebody explodes let me explain the curious tax structure in our country.

Before 2016 electric vehicles were tax exempt, after the 1st of january they were taxed.

So being the eco-hippies that we are we decided to go for the Model S in 2015 as a combined working/private car as the taxes would forever put the car out of our reach financially.

We have also set a very aggressive payback schedule and expect to have the car paid of in late 2017. Now the work we do with the car does not involve uber or any such things. It's door to door medical services and it's well payed. So in that respect the work aspect more than pays for the car (probably the tax deduction alone will do it).

But we could have done that in a Civic, it was just one of our personal goals to own a Tesla and this was the cheapest way to do it.

As an excuse I'll offer that we are a 1 car household that commutes to work on two electric bikes.

Metric Mouse

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5278
  • FU @ 22. F.I.R.E before 23
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2016, 01:41:12 AM »
6 months worth of vehicle payments amount to over $5,000?

Please tell me this is a professional vehicle that actually makes you money, like a delivery truck or something.

It is a combined professional and private vehicle. So yes, we use it to make money.

Actually it is a Tesla Model S. Now before somebody explodes let me explain the curious tax structure in our country.

Before 2016 electric vehicles were tax exempt, after the 1st of january they were taxed.

So being the eco-hippies that we are we decided to go for the Model S in 2015 as a combined working/private car as the taxes would forever put the car out of our reach financially.

We have also set a very aggressive payback schedule and expect to have the car paid of in late 2017. Now the work we do with the car does not involve uber or any such things. It's door to door medical services and it's well payed. So in that respect the work aspect more than pays for the car (probably the tax deduction alone will do it).

But we could have done that in a Civic, it was just one of our personal goals to own a Tesla and this was the cheapest way to do it.

As an excuse I'll offer that we are a 1 car household that commutes to work on two electric bikes.

I applaud you for aligning your priorities with your budget.  No doubt the Tesla is an enjoyable vehicle to have to work out of. :D

mwulff

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2016, 01:46:53 AM »
I applaud you for aligning your priorities with your budget.  No doubt the Tesla is an enjoyable vehicle to have to work out of. :D

I'll say this, if you are into cars, DO NOT take a test drive in a Tesla. It will ruin your current car, it will ruin any gas-powered car you have ever driven and it will ruin any car you may have dreamt of buying in the future.

The EV experience is that good.. :)

11ducks

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 573
  • Location: Duckville, Australia
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2016, 03:06:35 AM »
The place I got my car loan through (pre MMM, but 0% on a cheap micro car *ducks facepunches*), has been calling me nonstop, sending letters trying to get me to come to a VIP event. I finally picked up to a heavy handed sales associate trying desperately to get me to come on down for an 'amazing, incredible offer'. I said no, thanks, I already have a car and i'm happy with it  (I've got 1yr left on the loan). They persisted, in trying to pressure me to visit the car yard to look at amazing upgrades they could offer. I couldn't believe this was a thing, trying to convince people with almost new (2011) cars to upgrade to the latest model (no doubt with a hefty loan increase). I plan to drive my car until it explodes. Its less than inspiring that they think people will be dissatisfied enough with cars that are 4 years old to want to trade on them.

TomTX

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5345
  • Location: Texas
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2016, 06:14:50 AM »
6 months worth of vehicle payments amount to over $5,000?

Please tell me this is a professional vehicle that actually makes you money, like a delivery truck or something.

It is a combined professional and private vehicle. So yes, we use it to make money.

Actually it is a Tesla Model S.

I win! That was my first guess when I saw the payment schedule.

mwulff

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2016, 06:16:24 AM »
6 months worth of vehicle payments amount to over $5,000?

Please tell me this is a professional vehicle that actually makes you money, like a delivery truck or something.

It is a combined professional and private vehicle. So yes, we use it to make money.

Actually it is a Tesla Model S.

I win! That was my first guess when I saw the payment schedule.

I suspect there are more Model S owners on these forums than one might think. :) But well played sir.

Travis

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4219
  • Location: California
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2016, 09:22:41 AM »
I got a phone call from a local dealer saying my 2006 Honda Pilot is in high demand and was I interested because they're making "really generous offers" for trade-in.  I said I wasn't interested at all.  Then he said, "Are you sure? Even if we could get you in a nicer, newer car for the same monthly payment or even less."  I said, "That's not possible, I paid cash for it three years ago... unless you want to straight trade my car for a newer one with fewer miles? (It has 63k miles). He stammered a lot and mumbled a bit before saying goodbye.  Ha! It was fun for me, probably not for him.

I get these offers in the mail about every 3 months from my dealership.  The first one was barely two months after I purchased the car (2008 Prius).  It was hilarious to see that they wanted to offer me 66% of what I just paid cash for to trade my car in because they "need" used car inventory.  I only wish they had called me up with the offer.  "We would like you to buy a more expensive car so we can flip the one we just sold you at a massive profit twice in the same season."

Cassie

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7946
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #14 on: November 06, 2016, 05:01:12 PM »
We bought a 2010 Honda Accord 4 years ago and my dealer is doing the same thing. I to always drive my cars until they are dead or close to it. It must be a tool that works for them.

jjandjab

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 138
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #15 on: November 06, 2016, 05:39:32 PM »
We bought a 2010 Honda Accord 4 years ago and my dealer is doing the same thing. I to always drive my cars until they are dead or close to it. It must be a tool that works for them.

Or at least it puts the sales floor guys/gals to work doing something during the week... We recently bought a car and it was like a ghost town for the first 30 seconds we were in the showrooms and then everyone seemed to pounce at once from all sides. Probably trying finish their calls and get to the sales floor first!

gimp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #16 on: November 06, 2016, 09:31:53 PM »
Quote
I got a phone call from a local dealer saying my 2006 Honda Pilot is in high demand and was I interested because they're making "really generous offers" for trade-in.  I said I wasn't interested at all.  Then he said, "Are you sure? Even if we could get you in a nicer, newer car for the same monthly payment or even less."  I said, "That's not possible, I paid cash for it three years ago... unless you want to straight trade my car for a newer one with fewer miles? (It has 63k miles). He stammered a lot and mumbled a bit before saying goodbye.  Ha! It was fun for me, probably not for him.

Man, they expect people to have a payment on a ten-year-old car?

I'll say this, if you are into cars, DO NOT take a test drive in a Tesla. It will ruin your current car, it will ruin any gas-powered car you have ever driven and it will ruin any car you may have dreamt of buying in the future.

The EV experience is that good.. :)

Considering that my car is a quarter of the price of a base model tesla and a hell of a lot faster...

I don't think electric is going to win that fight.

If I wanted a tesla with ludicrous mode, for the same price I'd get a viper ACR. Much faster, much cooler.

mwulff

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #17 on: November 07, 2016, 12:06:52 AM »
Quote
I got a phone call from a local dealer saying my 2006 Honda Pilot is in high demand and was I interested because they're making "really generous offers" for trade-in.  I said I wasn't interested at all.  Then he said, "Are you sure? Even if we could get you in a nicer, newer car for the same monthly payment or even less."  I said, "That's not possible, I paid cash for it three years ago... unless you want to straight trade my car for a newer one with fewer miles? (It has 63k miles). He stammered a lot and mumbled a bit before saying goodbye.  Ha! It was fun for me, probably not for him.

Man, they expect people to have a payment on a ten-year-old car?

I'll say this, if you are into cars, DO NOT take a test drive in a Tesla. It will ruin your current car, it will ruin any gas-powered car you have ever driven and it will ruin any car you may have dreamt of buying in the future.

The EV experience is that good.. :)

Considering that my car is a quarter of the price of a base model tesla and a hell of a lot faster...

I don't think electric is going to win that fight.

If I wanted a tesla with ludicrous mode, for the same price I'd get a viper ACR. Much faster, much cooler.

Just out of curiosity, what car do you drive? There is very little on the road where we live that can even come close to normal Model S 85 kWh.

gimp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #18 on: November 07, 2016, 01:26:19 AM »
https://www.tesla.com/models/design

Base model is 60, not 85, so let's start there... at least, I'm looking at the model S.

The 60 has a 130mph top speed and a 5.5 second 0-60mph. $66k
The 60D has a 130mph top speed and a 5.2 second 0-60mph. $71k
The 75 has a 140mph top speed and a 5.5 second 0-60mph. $74.5k
The 75D has a 140mph top speed and a 5.2 second 0-60mph. $79.5k
The 90D has a 155mph top speed and a 4.2 second 0-60mph. $89.5k
The 100D has a 155mph top speed and a 2.5 second 0-60mph. $134.5k

The 100D has a 315 mile range (EPA), the others proportionally less range.

In comparison, I paid $17,750 for my supercharged C5 corvette. It has somewhere in the neighborhood of 550 crank horsepower (vs 350 stock).

Performance comparisons:

C5 had a 4.8 second 0-60 stock at 350 horsepower.
C5Z had a 4.0 second 0-60 stock at 400 horsepower and a better suspension.
I have much wider tires than either the stock C5 or C5Z, and I can adjust my suspension to be better for launching/acceleration in some respects, though it's not fully up to or beyond the C5Z. (I drive around with it semi-stiff, stiffer than stock, less stiff than it can be.)
I did some pulls today on public roads, unprepped, with road-temp tires, and I'm fairly certain I was running around 5, and I'm a complete amateur. My launches aren't that fast on public roads for obvious reasons.
I haven't ever ran any quarter miles. Stock, it's low 13s; the C5Z is mid-12s.
My top speed, stock, is in the ~175 mph range depending on wind. With an extra 200 horsepower and no issues of gear limiting, I suspect I can hit a solid 190mph (comfortably above 300 kph).



All the base model teslas are >5 sec 0-60 and >13.5 sec quarter miles.
The mid-end performance teslas are around 4 sec 0-60 and around 12.5 sec quarter miles. Roughly the same as my car.
The high-end performance teslas are much, much faster than my car, and they'll walk it.
No tesla has anywhere remotely close to the top speed my car does.


So to summarize:

My $17,750 car (admittedly quite a bit more when it was new) will walk any base model tesla.
It will be roughly on par with the tesla that costs 5x more.
It will get completely walked by the tesla that costs 7.5x more.

However, absolutely none of them have my top speed. I'm not sure who would win on a half mile race, but I'd win in a standing mile basically by default.

Also, my car can do laps all day... the tesla can only launch a couple times before it starts to limp; it can only keep up a 155 mph top speed (for the highest end models) for a fairly short time. I can maintain 155 mph pretty much indefinitely, or until something mechanically fails (so probably not a good idea to do it on a public road that might have potholes and rocks). In sixth gear, my car is only spinning at ~2200 rpm at 100mph; it won't even get hot.

On the other hand, launching a tesla is much much much easier than launching my car. You just press a button and press the accelerator on the tesla. My car requires skill. Naturally, this puts me at a disadvantage, because I'm not particularly skilled - I much prefer rolling starts to hard launches.

Also, I have a very similar range to the P100D, except it only takes me five minutes to stop every 300+ miles. Start pumping, piss, come back, put the nozzle away, leave. Five minutes in and out. A tesla has to wait over an hour to full charge after 300 miles!



It might amuse you that today I passed a caravan of several high-end porsches and two ferraris. This is not at all unusual. I was out deep in the sticks... if you know where to look where I live, you'll find entire parking lots covered with teslas, and next to them, cars faster than teslas.

We do have tons of teslas, and they're great cars. But yeah, my car is faster than anything under $89k from tesla. At $89k, I can buy a viper or a C7Z and that will be faster. At $134k, I can buy a viper ACR and that will be faster to everything except 0-60. (I can always get a super fast 0-60 time by buying a tube chassis car, but that's cheating.)

mwulff

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #19 on: November 07, 2016, 02:34:51 AM »
https://www.tesla.com/models/design

Base model is 60, not 85, so let's start there... at least, I'm looking at the model S.

The 60 has a 130mph top speed and a 5.5 second 0-60mph. $66k
The 60D has a 130mph top speed and a 5.2 second 0-60mph. $71k
The 75 has a 140mph top speed and a 5.5 second 0-60mph. $74.5k
The 75D has a 140mph top speed and a 5.2 second 0-60mph. $79.5k
The 90D has a 155mph top speed and a 4.2 second 0-60mph. $89.5k
The 100D has a 155mph top speed and a 2.5 second 0-60mph. $134.5k

The 100D has a 315 mile range (EPA), the others proportionally less range.

In comparison, I paid $17,750 for my supercharged C5 corvette. It has somewhere in the neighborhood of 550 crank horsepower (vs 350 stock).

Performance comparisons:

C5 had a 4.8 second 0-60 stock at 350 horsepower.
C5Z had a 4.0 second 0-60 stock at 400 horsepower and a better suspension.
I have much wider tires than either the stock C5 or C5Z, and I can adjust my suspension to be better for launching/acceleration in some respects, though it's not fully up to or beyond the C5Z. (I drive around with it semi-stiff, stiffer than stock, less stiff than it can be.)
I did some pulls today on public roads, unprepped, with road-temp tires, and I'm fairly certain I was running around 5, and I'm a complete amateur. My launches aren't that fast on public roads for obvious reasons.
I haven't ever ran any quarter miles. Stock, it's low 13s; the C5Z is mid-12s.
My top speed, stock, is in the ~175 mph range depending on wind. With an extra 200 horsepower and no issues of gear limiting, I suspect I can hit a solid 190mph (comfortably above 300 kph).



All the base model teslas are >5 sec 0-60 and >13.5 sec quarter miles.
The mid-end performance teslas are around 4 sec 0-60 and around 12.5 sec quarter miles. Roughly the same as my car.
The high-end performance teslas are much, much faster than my car, and they'll walk it.
No tesla has anywhere remotely close to the top speed my car does.


So to summarize:

My $17,750 car (admittedly quite a bit more when it was new) will walk any base model tesla.
It will be roughly on par with the tesla that costs 5x more.
It will get completely walked by the tesla that costs 7.5x more.

However, absolutely none of them have my top speed. I'm not sure who would win on a half mile race, but I'd win in a standing mile basically by default.

Also, my car can do laps all day... the tesla can only launch a couple times before it starts to limp; it can only keep up a 155 mph top speed (for the highest end models) for a fairly short time. I can maintain 155 mph pretty much indefinitely, or until something mechanically fails (so probably not a good idea to do it on a public road that might have potholes and rocks). In sixth gear, my car is only spinning at ~2200 rpm at 100mph; it won't even get hot.

On the other hand, launching a tesla is much much much easier than launching my car. You just press a button and press the accelerator on the tesla. My car requires skill. Naturally, this puts me at a disadvantage, because I'm not particularly skilled - I much prefer rolling starts to hard launches.

Also, I have a very similar range to the P100D, except it only takes me five minutes to stop every 300+ miles. Start pumping, piss, come back, put the nozzle away, leave. Five minutes in and out. A tesla has to wait over an hour to full charge after 300 miles!



It might amuse you that today I passed a caravan of several high-end porsches and two ferraris. This is not at all unusual. I was out deep in the sticks... if you know where to look where I live, you'll find entire parking lots covered with teslas, and next to them, cars faster than teslas.

We do have tons of teslas, and they're great cars. But yeah, my car is faster than anything under $89k from tesla. At $89k, I can buy a viper or a C7Z and that will be faster. At $134k, I can buy a viper ACR and that will be faster to everything except 0-60. (I can always get a super fast 0-60 time by buying a tube chassis car, but that's cheating.)

I won't dispute your numbers except to notice that our Tesla gets 0-60 at around the 4.8-5.0 mark. That's a stock standard car. It's really quick and the performance delivery is far superior to any of the cars you mentioned (open for a debate over personal taste).

However when we leave the "insano-land" of track-cars, extended high speed cannonball runs, ultra fast quarter-mile runs or even 1-mile drag-race, we end up in a place where most of us don't break the speed limit by that much. We also tend to drive like regular people going somewhere, be that to the shops, family or a cross country trip.

When we get back into the real world the EV experience and particularly the Tesla driving experience is better. Ultra quiet, ultra smooth, autopilot takes the tedium out of road trips, ultra fast charging stops (faster than my: 'visit-rest room and stretch' routine most of the time) and no stops at a gas station ever, I come out in the morning, the car is charged and ready to go. Ohh and the car has already looked at my calendar and pre-heated the cabin.

Some downsides: The navigation system is crap though google maps and the big screen gives a nice "situational awareness" of the traffic flow around us. Also power consumption in winter is about 15-25% higher depending on snow and temperature.

I believe you are right about being able to sustain the top speed of 155. I'm not sure for how long it can keep that up, but it would burn insane amounts of electricity. I have never even tested the top speed of our regular S85 since there is nowhere I can do so safely. We did reach the high 190 kph on the German autobahn, but that is not a safe speed no matter what the conditions. Normally we just cruise at around 75 mph. So whether the car can sustain 120 mph or a 155 mph is really not relevant to me personally. Are there are no-speed-limit interstates/highways in the US? I have never seen one.

You're right in saying that the Tesla is not a good track-car. It is however a fantastic car when used in the real world.

But after driving fast BMW's for many years I would never go back to an ICE car. I would probably also not buy any american car except for Tesla, and even the Tesla sometimes feels a bit american with regards build quality.

TomTX

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5345
  • Location: Texas
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #20 on: November 07, 2016, 04:47:46 AM »

<lots of stuff relevant to track guys and guys who like to keep their ass in the seat for 12 hours straight>

It might amuse you that today I passed a caravan of several high-end porsches and two ferraris. This is not at all unusual. I was out deep in the sticks... if you know where to look where I live, you'll find entire parking lots covered with teslas, and next to them, cars faster than teslas.

We do have tons of teslas, and they're great cars. But yeah, my car is faster than anything under $89k from tesla. At $89k, I can buy a viper or a C7Z and that will be faster. At $134k, I can buy a viper ACR and that will be faster to everything except 0-60. (I can always get a super fast 0-60 time by buying a tube chassis car, but that's cheating.)

With limited exception* - faster is irrelevant. I know that some car guys obsess over it, but for 99.9% of the world it just does not matter. Quicker is the relevant metric for those wanting to show off.

*Dedicated track guys, being dramatically illegal, or vying for "fastest asshole on the Autobahn" title.

gimp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #21 on: November 07, 2016, 01:50:57 PM »
TomTX: I literally own a track car / weekend fun car, so... very relevant.

I didn't say "ICE > Electric," I said "my ICE > Tesla with some exceptions."

Because mwuiff said that tesla will make you never want to drive ICE, which ain't quite the case for me.

Don't get me wrong, I make a living off electric shit, I love that tesla makes great electric cars. I'm just saying that for the money they charge, I have no interest in one, and nothing they offer is worth the money to me.

I am just in the fantastic position of being able to have a dedicated fast car. I also had been out driving it all day, on empty roads, through canyons and twisties and straights, so pardon me for being a little gung-ho about how ridiculously awesome it is.

What does bug me is that telsa fanboys (not implying you guys are) are all like "the tesla is so fast, faster than your ICE car!!!" and then when I say "nope, mine is faster than just about any of them on most metrics" someone else pops up out of the woodwork to tell me that my figures are irrelevant. They're irrelevant to most people... so most people shouldn't be talking about precise 0-60 times, right? You can't have it both ways.
« Last Edit: November 07, 2016, 01:52:51 PM by gimp »

BDWW

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 733
  • Location: MT
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #22 on: November 07, 2016, 04:34:47 PM »
I got a phone call from a local dealer saying my 2006 Honda Pilot is in high demand and was I interested because they're making "really generous offers" for trade-in.  I said I wasn't interested at all.  Then he said, "Are you sure? Even if we could get you in a nicer, newer car for the same monthly payment or even less."  I said, "That's not possible, I paid cash for it three years ago... unless you want to straight trade my car for a newer one with fewer miles? (It has 63k miles). He stammered a lot and mumbled a bit before saying goodbye.  Ha! It was fun for me, probably not for him.

Ha! I can imagine there are a lot of these calls going out to people with cars older than say 2010.  It took me a minute to figure out that 2006 Honda Pilots really aren't in high demand...

Very occassionally, there can be increased demand for older models. The 1997-2002.5 F series 7.3 diesels for instance. In 2003, Ford switched to a 6.0L, then in 2008 to a 6.4L, and they were both crap. So for awhile there prices on the used 7.3L were significantly higher than the newer 6.0/6.4 trucks. Companies and people looking for a dependable new Ford 3/4 / 1 ton truck were actively shopping for older gently used trucks.

TLDR, my dad sold his 7.3L powerstroke for significantly more than he bought it for after driving it for several years.

mwulff

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #23 on: November 08, 2016, 12:04:20 AM »
What does bug me is that telsa fanboys (not implying you guys are) are all like "the tesla is so fast, faster than your ICE car!!!" and then when I say "nope, mine is faster than just about any of them on most metrics" someone else pops up out of the woodwork to tell me that my figures are irrelevant. They're irrelevant to most people... so most people shouldn't be talking about precise 0-60 times, right? You can't have it both ways.

I think I actually stated that the EV experience is so much better than the ICE experience. This of course implied that this was the case for the majority of people, not particularly targeted at race-car people. I would but track-day/racing in the 0.001% of car usage.

Personally I don't care that much about 0-60 times. The Tesla is more than fast enough for any legal driving in any scenario. It's top speed is more than adequate. This holds true for the smallest Tesla.

That being said when you compare a 2 ton 5-7 seater family sedan with a 2 person dedicated sports car (partially made out of plastic - just knock the the area around the rear taillights) it's gonna have a nice advantage in 0-60 simply due to weight.

If Tesla ever brings out a new roadster or another 2 seater sports car then we can compare again :)

TomTX

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5345
  • Location: Texas
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #24 on: November 08, 2016, 05:49:03 AM »
What does bug me is that telsa fanboys (not implying you guys are) are all like "the tesla is so fast, faster than your ICE car!!!" and then when I say "nope, mine is faster than just about any of them on most metrics" someone else pops up out of the woodwork to tell me that my figures are irrelevant. They're irrelevant to most people... so most people shouldn't be talking about precise 0-60 times, right? You can't have it both ways.

I think I actually stated that the EV experience is so much better than the ICE experience. This of course implied that this was the case for the majority of people, not particularly targeted at race-car people. I would but track-day/racing in the 0.001% of car usage.

Personally I don't care that much about 0-60 times. The Tesla is more than fast enough for any legal driving in any scenario. It's top speed is more than adequate. This holds true for the smallest Tesla.

That being said when you compare a 2 ton 5-7 seater family sedan with a 2 person dedicated sports car (partially made out of plastic - just knock the the area around the rear taillights) it's gonna have a nice advantage in 0-60 simply due to weight.

If Tesla ever brings out a new roadster or another 2 seater sports car then we can compare again :)

I believe the Roadster 2 is tentatively planned for around 2020. Along with reserving the designation for "Maximum Plaid"

financialfreedomsloth

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 198
  • Location: Belgium
    • financial freedom sloth
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #25 on: November 08, 2016, 07:02:07 AM »
The place I got my car loan through (pre MMM, but 0% on a cheap micro car *ducks facepunches*), has been calling me nonstop, sending letters trying to get me to come to a VIP event. I finally picked up to a heavy handed sales associate trying desperately to get me to come on down for an 'amazing, incredible offer'. I said no, thanks, I already have a car and i'm happy with it  (I've got 1yr left on the loan). They persisted, in trying to pressure me to visit the car yard to look at amazing upgrades they could offer. I couldn't believe this was a thing, trying to convince people with almost new (2011) cars to upgrade to the latest model (no doubt with a hefty loan increase). I plan to drive my car until it explodes. Its less than inspiring that they think people will be dissatisfied enough with cars that are 4 years old to want to trade on them.
The 0% autoloans have changed the landscape a bit. In the past there was a very strong case against buying a new car with finance because you had the depreciation that is always the highest in the first few years and the intrest rate on your loan. We always bought a used car and bought with cash.
But now I wonder if it is still the best route. A new car will still have the depreciation but nowadays you have 0% car loans with a small amount down. By keeping the rest of the money in the market I think it might be smarter to actually buy new and recoup some part of the depreciation via the gains on the money that remained in the market ... I did a rough calculation and on a 12.000 euro car with only 2.000 euro down and paying 1000 euro each year and after 5 years pay of the remining principal in one go (typical structure of a car loan in Belgium) and with 5% average market gains you would recupe 1 132 euro via the market and normaly have 4 more years of use out of the car (if compared against buying a 4 year old car for 8.000 euro). Buying a cheap car new at 0% interest is actually pretty mustachian IF you actually have the full amount to pay but prefer it working for you in the markets for some years. There is a reason MMM financed his new electric car and besides the extra deduction he got I think the 0% interest had a lot to do with it. The 0% intrest environment may impact some investments that used to be rpofitable but no longer are attractive now, but it does create new possibilities elsewhere, conventional wisdom need not apply ....

gimp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #26 on: November 08, 2016, 02:39:00 PM »
I think I actually stated that the EV experience is so much better than the ICE experience. This of course implied that this was the case for the majority of people, not particularly targeted at race-car people. I would but track-day/racing in the 0.001% of car usage.

Personally I don't care that much about 0-60 times. The Tesla is more than fast enough for any legal driving in any scenario. It's top speed is more than adequate. This holds true for the smallest Tesla.

That being said when you compare a 2 ton 5-7 seater family sedan with a 2 person dedicated sports car (partially made out of plastic - just knock the the area around the rear taillights) it's gonna have a nice advantage in 0-60 simply due to weight.

If Tesla ever brings out a new roadster or another 2 seater sports car then we can compare again :)

Please... it's fiberglass. It only _feels_ like plastic! :)

Forgive me for saying it, but the "experience" to me is perhaps different from the "experience" for you. Mine involves going fast. Also, fun noises and gear rowing don't hurt.

I'm excited for the Roadster 2, by the way. A tesla sports car from scratch could be nothing short of amazing.

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #27 on: November 10, 2016, 10:55:21 AM »
I suspect there are more Model S owners on these forums than one might think. :) But well played sir.
I drive one, and don't ever apologize. If your choices are in line with your values and priorities, within reason of course, they're yours to make.
For me, it was a long-considered decision, and I stand by it in light of the things that matter most to me.

Slee_stack

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 876
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #28 on: November 10, 2016, 11:08:37 AM »
I'm thankful that speed doesn't matter to me...at least not in or on a motorized vehicle.  Its one extra expense I can avoid.


I had a plain C5 once upon a time.  It was that car that made me realize that fast cars (and almost all motorcycles) were simply wasted on me.

Admittedly, I do like to be 'fast' under my own power and have spent a little unnecessarily on my self powered vehicles.  Now if only I could make better progress on the engine.  Its a real dog...

 

gimp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #29 on: November 10, 2016, 02:06:50 PM »
Yeah, if you're happy with exclusively using an econobox, you've avoided an expensive as fuck hobby. I agree entirely.

Have you seen those guys who make the super aerodynamic bikes? They got up to something like 75 or 80 mph with just human power pedaling! How amazing is that?

Metric Mouse

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5278
  • FU @ 22. F.I.R.E before 23
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #30 on: November 11, 2016, 01:38:53 AM »
Yeah, if you're happy with exclusively using an econobox, you've avoided an expensive as fuck hobby. I agree entirely.

Have you seen those guys who make the super aerodynamic bikes? They got up to something like 75 or 80 mph with just human power pedaling! How amazing is that?

What? Like, down a ski-jump slope or something?  I can't imagine that this would have any application in the real world - like someone buying a dragster for their commute because they 'like to go fast'.

Papa Mustache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1650
  • Location: Humidity, USA
Re: Bank offers 'free' money - hilarity ensues
« Reply #31 on: November 11, 2016, 08:04:03 AM »
Bikes are good. 50 mph on a bicycle is just as thrilling as multiples of that in a sports car.