My obsession with Tesla

[WSUCoug1994]

As a car dork and an undercover environmentalist I have been obsessed with Tesla's since they first came out.  I even had a $5K deposit on the first generation Model S's until I came to my senses.  Over the last few months, as the 2013 model S's and 2017 Model 3's (introduction of the 3's appears to have hammered the second hand market for S's) have made their way into the used market - they are now making it into the $30,000 range.  I am finding it hard not to obsess about these cars....especially now that the prices seem "reasonable".

Not really sure what the point of this post really is as I don't need a "new" car, I am not going to buy a "new" car but man I would love to have a "new" car.

lol - I sound cray-cray

[fell-like-rain]

Yeah, I don’t know if I see the appeal. It’s an electric motorized wheelchair instead of a gas one- whoop-dee-doo.

And on the environmental front, a gas-powered car takes 6 tons of co2 to produce, and emits 18 tons over the course of its life. An electric car takes 9 tons to produce and emits 10. So it’s only cutting total emissions by 20%. Why not save $30,000 and just bike to work once a week?

[WSUCoug1994]

I think the EPA would disagree with your CO2 number for the lifetime of the gas powered car.  In my research the CO2 number is higher for the production of the electric vehicle because the battery development produces as much (8-10 metric tons) as the manufacture of the car (8-10 metric tons).  But once you calculate the supply chain for fuel and other factors it grows in the 50-60 metric tons for ICE averaging 12K miles a year.  I am also 100% renewable energy at my house (solar) which ends up putting the C02 emissions conservatively at less than 25 metric tons.  I will take the 20% improvement at a minimum but I think it is likely much greater than that.

I also get that not everyone loves cars the same way that I do.  FWIW - I work at home and don't have a commute.

[JLee]

Yeah, I don’t know if I see the appeal. It’s an electric motorized wheelchair instead of a gas one- whoop-dee-doo.

And on the environmental front, a gas-powered car takes 6 tons of co2 to produce, and emits 18 tons over the course of its life. An electric car takes 9 tons to produce and emits 10. So it’s only cutting total emissions by 20%. Why not save $30,000 and just bike to work once a week?

Not everyone lives in a part of the country where biking is feasible.

[Bernard]

I had a similar urge. I'm married to a wonderful woman. She's smart, sexy, sleek, intelligent . . . I really hit the jackpot with her. Yet I've fantasized over an 18-year-old with big boobs and certain skills that would top my wife's. Best of all, if I pay her $1,000 per month, she'll see me at least once a week. That would only be $36,000 in 3 years, the equivalent to the price of a Tesla Model 3. Should I "invest" the money into something that will make me happy or put an additional $1K per month in my investment accounts?

Only you can decide what you want in life. If owning a new Tesla Model 3 will get you off, by all means, order one. If I were in your shoes, I'd wait for these cars to become much more affordable on the used car market. I wouldn't mind buying a 2019 Model 3 for $10K in 2024, provided it doesn't need a new $10,000 battery pack, that is.

[JLee]

I had a similar urge. I'm married to a wonderful woman. She's smart, sexy, sleek, intelligent . . . I really hit the jackpot with her. Yet I've fantasized over an 18-year-old with big boobs and certain skills that would top my wife's. Best of all, if I pay her $1,000 per month, she'll see me at least once a week. That would only be $36,000 in 3 years, the equivalent to the price of a Tesla Model 3. Should I "invest" the money into something that will make me happy or put an additional $1K per month in my investment accounts?

Only you can decide what you want in life. If owning a new Tesla Model 3 will get you off, by all means, order one. If I were in your shoes, I'd wait for these cars to become much more affordable on the used car market. I wouldn't mind buying a 2019 Model 3 for $10K in 2024, provided it doesn't need a new $10,000 battery pack, that is.

There are so many things wrong with this post that I don't even know where to start, so I'll just say if you think you can buy a 5yo Tesla for $10k you are out of your mind.

[fell-like-rain]

Yeah, I don’t know if I see the appeal. It’s an electric motorized wheelchair instead of a gas one- whoop-dee-doo.

And on the environmental front, a gas-powered car takes 6 tons of co2 to produce, and emits 18 tons over the course of its life. An electric car takes 9 tons to produce and emits 10. So it’s only cutting total emissions by 20%. Why not save $30,000 and just bike to work once a week?

Not everyone lives in a part of the country where biking is feasible.

Sure, if you’ve chosen to live in some Phoenix exurb, you’re probably not biking to work 30 miles through 100 degree heat. But I talk to folks all the time who claim it’s impossible to bike in my city, and yet thousands of people do it year-round. So “feasible” is often subjective.

Biking is just an example, really. The point of the statement is that buying an electric car may be a feel-good thing, but there are often ways to reduce your carbon footprint that are easier/cheaper/more effective. (Like a solar installation or working from home, as the OP mentioned)

[undercover]

The Model S in particular is more like a school bus than a car to me. It's actually huge. I'm not particularly keen on Model 3's looks either, but it's a step up. The sparse interior begs the question as to why humans are even interacting with steering wheels at all these days. It looks like a machine built for transporting people and things but not for driving. I'd be much happier with a small, economical sports car if I really loved to drive (and I do occasionally).

I see a lot of people that are obsessed with EVs more interested in the tech side and the number crunching than the actual driving itself. I can totally understand that. Whether it be the charging tech, logistics of road trips, the automatic driving systems/software, or whatever else, I totally get it.

There are so many things wrong with this post that I don't even know where to start, so I'll just say if you think you can buy a 5yo Tesla for $10k you are out of your mind.

Haha...that really was a train-wreck of a comparison.

[Freedom2016]

Yeah, I don’t know if I see the appeal. It’s an electric motorized wheelchair instead of a gas one- whoop-dee-doo.

Have you ever driven a Tesla? It's awesome; the 0-60 acceleration is bananas. I don't get the comparison to a motorized wheelchair at all.

We don't own one... but I get the appeal. For sure.

[undercover]

Yeah, I don’t know if I see the appeal. It’s an electric motorized wheelchair instead of a gas one- whoop-dee-doo.

Have you ever driven a Tesla? It's awesome; the 0-60 acceleration is bananas. I don't get the comparison to a motorized wheelchair at all.

We don't own one... but I get the appeal. For sure.

MMM basically refers to anything above a bicycle as being about as lazy as riding in a motorized wheelchair or cruising down the road on a leather couch. It's just a hyperbole meant to challenge your notion of what's necessary to get around without stupidly overdoing it, nothing more.

0-60 in 3 secs is cool and all, but who needs it, or even really cares? Anyone can go fast in a straight line with the accelerator to the floor and there's nothing impressive about it at all from a personal point of view since it requires zero effort other than handing someone a bunch of your hard earned cash.

[bmjohnson35]

I get the appeal, but the cost is still too high for us.  Hoping to go FIRE next year and a purchase of this nature doesn't align.  I rather increase my travel budget. I do believe that battery tech is going to break open in the next 10-15 yrs and an electric vehicle may make more sense at that time.  I have read a lot of articles about increasing density, lower cost batteries and more compact and efficient motors.  For now, I find a 5 to 10 yr old low mileage well maintained vehicle the best bang for the buck. 

BJ

[WSUCoug1994]

All of your logic flies in the face of my fanboydom.  lol.  I wont ever do it - more just sharing a illogical dream to own one.  I have 10 year and 16 year old cars that each have 150k+ miles on them and both were bought used.  Not nearly as fuel efficient as the cars out today but both of these cars will be driven into the ground.  We don't drive a lot so it will take some time before I can even consider a new ride but a man can dream.....

[dsw]

I can't imagine myself ever buying a Tesla, but here's a general question on the environmental gains of a more energy efficient car. We generally talk in terms of gasoline mileage (or in this case gas vs. electric), but I rarely see anyone do a comparison that includes the actual manufacture of the car. The materials that go into the car plus the energy involved in all the stages of manufacturing seem to me like they would be fairly significant factors. My default thinking is that the most environmentally friendly thing I can do is to keep my old car and not cause a new one to be built. I don't actually have proof of this though.

Hypothetically, if my old gasoline powered car gets 25 miles to a gallon, how much would I have to drive and how much better mileage do I need before it would be environmentally beneficial to justify the consumption of all the metal, plastic, energy, water, transport, and whatever else that goes into the manufacturing process? That might be too difficult of a question to address in this thread (and it doesn't even cover all the complexities of the transaction), but it is what I think about whenever discussions of environmentally friendly cars come up.

Given the amount I drive, I suspect there will never be much of a benefit to my buying a new car. I am genuinely curious about the equation though.

[WSUCoug1994]

I can't imagine myself ever buying a Tesla, but here's a general question on the environmental gains of a more energy efficient car. We generally talk in terms of gasoline mileage (or in this case gas vs. electric), but I rarely see anyone do a comparison that includes the actual manufacture of the car. The materials that go into the car plus the energy involved in all the stages of manufacturing seem to me like they would be fairly significant factors. My default thinking is that the most environmentally friendly thing I can do is to keep my old car and not cause a new one to be built. I don't actually have proof of this though.

Hypothetically, if my old gasoline powered car gets 25 miles to a gallon, how much would I have to drive and how much better mileage do I need before it would be environmentally beneficial to justify the consumption of all the metal, plastic, energy, water, transport, and whatever else that goes into the manufacturing process? That might be too difficult of a question to address in this thread (and it doesn't even cover all the complexities of the transaction), but it is what I think about whenever discussions of environmentally friendly cars come up.

Given the amount I drive, I suspect there will never be much of a benefit to my buying a new car. I am genuinely curious about the equation though.

Check out this guy - I have no idea if he knows what he is talking about but he seemed to but some work into it.  It doesn't directly answer all of your questions but I found it interesting. 

https://thecorrespondent.com/7056/why-electric-cars-are-always-green-and-how-they-could-get-greener/741917761200-afaa6e5d

[FireHiker]

I get the obsession; Teslas are EVERYWHERE in my neighborhood. My seven year old daughter is OBSESSED. No, we aren't getting one...my husband and I work together and we have a one mile commute. There is no logical reason for us to have one; we have two Hondas we own outright (older Civic and newer CRV, which amazingly get the same gas mileage). But, I still look at all the Teslas in my neighborhood with longing even if I won't be buying one, so I understand and can commiserate on the obsession. Just don't tell my daughter...I play it VERY low key with her, ha ha. She needs no additional encouragement!

[WSUCoug1994]

I get the obsession; Teslas are EVERYWHERE in my neighborhood. My seven year old daughter is OBSESSED. No, we aren't getting one...my husband and I work together and we have a one mile commute. There is no logical reason for us to have one; we have two Hondas we own outright (older Civic and newer CRV, which amazingly get the same gas mileage). But, I still look at all the Teslas in my neighborhood with longing even if I won't be buying one, so I understand and can commiserate on the obsession. Just don't tell my daughter...I play it VERY low key with her, ha ha. She needs no additional encouragement!

Your secret is safe with me. lol.  Nice to know I am not alone....

[dsw]

Check out this guy - I have no idea if he knows what he is talking about but he seemed to but some work into it.  It doesn't directly answer all of your questions but I found it interesting. 

https://thecorrespondent.com/7056/why-electric-cars-are-always-green-and-how-they-could-get-greener/741917761200-afaa6e5d

Oh this is really useful. I haven't had a chance to read through in detail, but I already like the fact that they acknowledge the uncertainty inherent in this sort of analysis. Thanks for the resource!

[matchewed]

Please don't feed the shysters, it just makes them more likely to keep hawking their dubious claims.

[RangerOne]

There is no doubt Tesla's are cool cars to people who appreciate tech. They are more than just electric cars. They are a show case for what a car can be when created by a dedicated tech company. They have features that you simply cant really find anywhere else when it comes to their autonomous driving. And they have a simple unique design to match their focus on tech.

But a car is more of a tool than a toy for me so I can't help but dislike the proposition of owning one on the following grounds:

1. There high tech features are still buggy. From autonomous driving too phone based entry a lot still goes wrong in software with these cars.
2. Getting a car serviced is reminiscent of dealing with Apple. ( This is both good and bad, mostly bad too me )
3. Even with their impressive charging stations, charging is still far less convenient than gas.
4. Even the model 3 cost to damn much, relative to someone who thinks paying $20k is blowing too much money on a commuter car.
5. Tesla's cash flow is questionable. They are in better shape than Uber but given their ability to spend money I wouldn't be surprised to see them go belly up at some point. And god knows what happens to car servicing if that happens.

I will happily jump on an electric car once the tech behind them matures and they become more ubiquitous. I don't do the early adopter thing with critical life tools.

[catprog]

There is no doubt Tesla's are cool cars to people who appreciate tech. They are more than just electric cars. They are a show case for what a car can be when created by a dedicated tech company. They have features that you simply cant really find anywhere else when it comes to their autonomous driving. And they have a simple unique design to match their focus on tech.

But a car is more of a tool than a toy for me so I can't help but dislike the proposition of owning one on the following grounds:

1. There high tech features are still buggy. From autonomous driving too phone based entry a lot still goes wrong in software with these cars.
2. Getting a car serviced is reminiscent of dealing with Apple. ( This is both good and bad, mostly bad too me )
3. Even with their impressive charging stations, charging is still far less convenient than gas.
4. Even the model 3 cost to damn much, relative to someone who thinks paying $20k is blowing too much money on a commuter car.
5. Tesla's cash flow is questionable. They are in better shape than Uber but given their ability to spend money I wouldn't be surprised to see them go belly up at some point. And god knows what happens to car servicing if that happens.

I will happily jump on an electric car once the tech behind them matures and they become more ubiquitous. I don't do the early adopter thing with critical life tools.

3.Plug it in when you get home and you don't need to go out of your way to a gas station.

[HBFIRE]

There are so many things wrong with this post that I don't even know where to start, so I'll just say if you think you can buy a 5yo Tesla for $10k you are out of your mind.

I don't think it's too far fetched to think a 2019 model 3 will go for ~ 10 K 5 years from now.  The technology will be vastly better on the new models and the batteries will be much improved with better range.  No one is going to want the old stuff.  It will be like buying an iphone 5 years later.  This is one of the reasons I'm waiting until the segment reaches a mature point like smartphones did over the last few years.

[use2betrix]

My brother bought one of the expensive Model S’s a couple years ago. One of the $80k or so ones.

A couple months ago, his AC went out and he started having issues with the trunk latch. He went in for an appointment and they diagnosed the problem and then set up an appt for a week or so later when the parts were in to have it fixed. Mind you, in that week it was middle of July in Phoenix, he spends a good amount of time in his car, driving his daughters around, etc., with no AC.

He finally had the appt and they had issues fixing the AC and latch. So - they had to keep the car, and they didn’t have a loaner for him.

They ended up taking over 2 weeks to fix his very expensive car. I think they ended up getting him a loaner after 3-4 days.

That is completely unacceptable for any type of car manufacturer, let alone an expense luxury car company, with a vehicle that is still under warranty. His wife drives a Porsche SUV and their customer service and loaner program is on an entirely different level, and her (used) car was significantly cheaper and is not under warranty.

[HBFIRE]

Yep, the reliability and build quality is still highly questionable due to Tesla being such a new player at manufacturing.  I'd also be concerned about what would happen with servicing if Tesla goes belly up which could definitely happen.

[TomTX]

5. Tesla's cash flow is questionable. They are in better shape than Uber but given their ability to spend money I wouldn't be surprised to see them go belly up at some point. And god knows what happens to car servicing if that happens.

You haven't been paying attention lately. 3 of the last 4 quarters have been cash flow positive for Tesla. Cumulative cash flow for the last 4 quarters was something like $1.3 Billion. First quarter 2019 was a big negative cash flow, but still better than 2018.

You can go back and say 2018 wasn't cash flow positive overall, but it wasn't negative by much, and it was noticeably better than 2017.

If you want to do comparisons, Tesla is doing much better on free cash flow than the similarly valued General Motors, who burned $9 Billion in cash over the last 4 quarters. Has the New GM ever been cash flow positive other than a couple tiny 4th quarter blips?

I only picked GM because there are frequent comparisons on stock value, with GM producing far more vehicles and the poster usually aghast that Tesla is worth as much as GM. Hadn't actually looked at how badly GM is burning cash til now.

[PaulMaxime]

I love my Model 3. It's awesome. It wasn't a big expense for me personally to buy it. Paid cash.

It's definitely and extravagance but it's amazing.

[HBFIRE]

You haven't been paying attention lately. 3 of the last 4 quarters have been cash flow positive for Tesla.

This is true.  But Tesla has also had back-to-back quarters of negative revenue growth, increasing losses, and growing cash burn.  Latest Aug estimates are showing decreased demand for the Tesla 3, not a good sign.  I love their cars though, they are bad ass for sure.

[TomTX]

You haven't been paying attention lately. 3 of the last 4 quarters have been cash flow positive for Tesla.

This is true.  But Tesla has also had back-to-back quarters of negative revenue growth, increasing losses, and growing cash burn.  Latest Aug estimates are showing decreased demand for the Tesla 3, not a good sign.  I love their cars though, they are bad ass for sure.

Negative revenue growth? Not year-on-year when you compare the same quarter.

1Q19 had over a billion dollars more revenue than 1Q18. 2Q19 had over$2 billion dollars more revenue than 2Q18. Going back further, 4Q18 had $4 billion dollars more revenue than 4Q17. 3Q18 had nearly $4B more revenue than 3Q17.

Quarter-on-quarter? Sure. 4Q is always a good one for selling cars, 1Q is always a bad one for selling cars. Across the industry. No surprise there.

The "growing cash burn" is an old chestnut. It really doesn't apply to Tesla today. They've got plenty of positive free cash flow (1Q excepted) and the biggest cash balance they've ever had. As of the last balance sheet, Tesla had $5 billion in cash.

Want to see bad cash burn? Go look at GM. Whew!

[WYOGO]

As an owner of a recent build standard range Tesla Model S, I DO completely get and understand the appeal. Despite the numerous circle jerk responses above, there are many valid reasons to own one. It does not have to be new, and will outlast gas equivalents, based for starters on the simplicity of the drivetrain alone.

The car handily outperforms virtually anything on the road, emits no local pollution and is a sheer joy to drive, look at and be driven around in (Autopilot). I purchased my S for several reasons including the following:

1. Pavement shredding acceleration and impressive performance.
2. The best balance of performance, practicality and prestige of any vehicle crosshopped.
3. Included free Supercharging on road trips and the full federal tax incentive applied for tax liabilities.
4. I chose to finance as at the time it was virtually free at less than a percent. 
5. Software updates adding/improving features and Autopilot functionality for road trips/highways
6. In over 18 months of ownership, zero maintenance required with the exception of tires.
7. Practicality of a hatch for transporting my bike inside the car easily and 30 cubic feet of storage.
8. Silent, odorless, vibration free driving with the best winter performance I have experienced in a car.
9. The vehicle costs less than $15 a month to power adjusted for free Supercharging access and assumes 17K miles a year of driving.
10. I could not in good conscience buy another gas performance car while supporting big oil/gas when Tesla is the only manufacturer to move us to a more sustainable future with an absolutely stellar product.
11. This is probably one of the safest vehicles ever built and my exceptionally low insurance rates reflect that based on the advanced safety tech and vehicle crash test performance.

Some disclaimers:

I cycle greater than 100 miles a week on my road bike with a minimum of 5000 feet of gain; average  is closer to 7000. I am over 3000 miles annually YTD. I am fit, strong and fast. I do not commute on my bike to work, because I don’t want to and don’t need to. I have no shower at work available. I come home a few hours some days for lunch, run random errands, leave early here and there as a salary employee. I travel to many national parks, road trip with my bike and drive through amazing parts of the west regularly. For this, and despite my love for cycling, a car is required.

I am under 40, with greater than a 60% savings rate, max all savings avenues pre/post annually including front door and my megabackdoor Roth, have more than 5 years living expenses invested in a taxable brokerage account and have already achieved financial independence to support my existing lifestyle. I will separate from service when my goals and my organizations goals no longer align. I anticipate this with be in approximately 2 but not more than 3 years.

People spend money on all sorts of things that add value for them. Some spend it on houses, some on children, travel, and other forms of entertainment. These are all different lifestyle decisions. Pay yourself first; identify those things that add value to YOUR life, seek balance and proceed accordingly. My Tesla is the only vehicle at any price point I have ever purchased without a single ounce of buyers remorse.

No, the excitement has not worn off yet.

[CatamaranSailor]

Love Teslas, have a mancrush on Elon Musk, will probably never buy one.

I do have an obsession with Rich Rebuilds YouTube channel though:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfV0_wbjG8KJADuZT2ct4SA

[Just Joe]

Rich seemed like such a hack in the earlier videos but lately I "get" him much better. He knows what has value and what doesn't. I wouldn't pressure wash the interior of a car (directly on the electronics) I hoped to drive though...

[Dragonswan]

As an owner of a recent build standard range Tesla Model S, I DO completely get and understand the appeal. Despite the numerous circle jerk responses above, there are many valid reasons to own one. It does not have to be new, and will outlast gas equivalents, based for starters on the simplicity of the drivetrain alone.

The car handily outperforms virtually anything on the road, emits no local pollution and is a sheer joy to drive, look at and be driven around in (Autopilot). I purchased my S for several reasons including the following:

1. Pavement shredding acceleration and impressive performance.
2. The best balance of performance, practicality and prestige of any vehicle crosshopped.
3. Included free Supercharging on road trips and the full federal tax incentive applied for tax liabilities.
4. I chose to finance as at the time it was virtually free at less than a percent. 
5. Software updates adding/improving features and Autopilot functionality for road trips/highways
6. In over 18 months of ownership, zero maintenance required with the exception of tires.
7. Practicality of a hatch for transporting my bike inside the car easily and 30 cubic feet of storage.
8. Silent, odorless, vibration free driving with the best winter performance I have experienced in a car.
9. The vehicle costs less than $15 a month to power adjusted for free Supercharging access and assumes 17K miles a year of driving.
10. I could not in good conscience buy another gas performance car while supporting big oil/gas when Tesla is the only manufacturer to move us to a more sustainable future with an absolutely stellar product.
11. This is probably one of the safest vehicles ever built and my exceptionally low insurance rates reflect that based on the advanced safety tech and vehicle crash test performance.


No, the excitement has not worn off yet.

Can I get an amen?!

I owned my previous luxury land yacht for 8 years (bought it 2 years used) and loved it for it's style, sophistication, comfort and acceleration.  Then I decided I wanted updated everything. I was buying another car regardless so the manufacturing environmental impact is a wash as far as I'm concerned.  The Tesla batted it's headlights at me and I now own a used Model S.  It has style, comfort, spaceship level tech and whiplash acceleration.  As a bonus, every male on the planet knows about Tesla and total strangers will stop me to ask questions about my Jetson vehicle.  I love my car (and I hate to drive so looking forward to full autonomous driving).  I'll be working until I'm 60 for the golden pension, so this spendypants decision doesn't effect my working time one bit.  I'll just have less down payment on my retirement house but I don't care because the pension and SS will cover it.  I applaud Elon for forcing other car manufacturers to get out of denial and into the electric car game.  So don't hate the car, the driver or the game; play to win!

[undercover]

Despite the numerous circle jerk responses above, there are many valid reasons to own one.

I don't think anyone would deny that Tesla makes the best overall car on the market. No one has said otherwise. I mean I do think there are better cars if you're just out for pure fun but that's another discussion. It's just about where you are in life with your goals. It's about challenging what you really need, looking at the bigger picture, and what you should be focusing your time/money on. Clearly Tesla is doing the most interesting work in the car biz and should definitely be rewarded for it for people willing to spend that much money.

Nothing's free though. Nothing else is going to beat out an efficient $10k used car for a while, or just driving far less in general.

The way our cities are laid out is dumb and we should mostly be on e-bikes if we had our priorities straight and the proper infrastructure was there.

[catprog]

I had a ride in a model 3. I think the acceleration is scary.

[NorthernBlitz]

Yeah, I don’t know if I see the appeal. It’s an electric motorized wheelchair instead of a gas one- whoop-dee-doo.

And on the environmental front, a gas-powered car takes 6 tons of co2 to produce, and emits 18 tons over the course of its life. An electric car takes 9 tons to produce and emits 10. So it’s only cutting total emissions by 20%. Why not save $30,000 and just bike to work once a week?

I don't know if your numbers are correct, but I carpool 2x a week with a friend that lives close to me (I drive once and so does he). Doing this reduces both our vehicle emissions from going to work (>90% of my driving) by 20% (because we each drive 4x per week instead of 5x).

It hurts my podcast listening time, but it's nice to talk to a human every once in a while ;)

[NorthernBlitz]

Love Teslas, have a mancrush on Elon Musk, will probably never buy one.

....

This is how I feel about Tesla.

I'm very glad they exist.

But, I'll keep buying slightly used Toyotas and keeping them for 12 - 15 years.

I think that's a way better financial decision and buying and holding fuel efficient vehicles is probably also pretty good for the environment.

[dacalo]

Here is our Tesla story.

Wife and I are mustachians and bogleheads through and through. Don't care for expensive stuff, live below our means, invest in index funds/ETFs, minimize expenses, buy used, etc.

My wife's 2012 Honda Fit was totaled 4 months ago while it was parked in front of her employer's building by ironically, a Tesla Model 3. We received a check and we had to decide on getting another car. We always wanted to move to EV, but that plan was more like 5 years down the road. We would never consider buying a BMW, Lexus, etc. but for whatever reason, Tesla always intrigued us.

After talking through with my wife and after many sleepless nights, we bought a Tesla Model 3. Awesome awesome car. Yes, it's not very mustachian, but it has been perfect for my 70 mile commute. Since wife's work is closer, she is now driving our 2006 Mazda 3 which is still running well. We will eventually replace that with an EV as well. Even taking into consideration increase in car insurance, it has saved as $300-400 a month in gas already (CA = high gas price). I get free charging at work.

We will keep this car for a long long time and it's built for over 1M miles (battery is meant to last 200k-300k miles with 80% capacity but can be replaced with new ones for $6k). Gets constant updates over the air which improves the car. Don't regret it at all and still on pace to be FI as we planned.