A sincere effort from a hater to adapt to living in a world with Teslas

[JimBob 909]

I intend to keep our ICE Thunderbird for a very long time, even though I have our second Tesla on order (Model X ordered Nov 2020) But, what I find objectionable about gas/performance cars is the noise. These little rice rocket cars are so friggin loud it's absurd. So are performance Mustangs, Hell Cats etc. Can't wait for them to go away. The OP is correct, the interior finish of most high end cars blow our Model S away for luxury feel. I would love to have Jaguar class interior in the either of the Teslas. Can't afford to reupholster the entire car. But I still love our Model S, and it has stalks.

 

[bo3bdar]

I also am bothered by the smoke. A couple weeks last summer were a bear and conditions trapped me with my plane in Redding on a trip back from real estate shopping on the central California coast. Had to leave the plane there and drive a rental home and fly back with a friend to retrieve the pane a month later. Stressful PIA and $$$ too.

With that said I am not concerned about global warming per se or CO2 and that would not affect my car buying decisions.

The smoke and the fires are getting to be serious problems. I live in N. Cal. and 2 years ago, we had an unbearable heat wave and smoke at the same time. No AC, and would normally spend time outside, but couldn't go outside because it was too smoky to breathe.

During that cycle I did an interesting thing that might amuse other Tesla drivers- I used my Model 3 as an 'escape pod' to allow me to survive that scenario without having to leave the area. If you pull out the rear seat, then lower the back seats, you get a fully flat surface for the trunk. I put a sleeping bag in there, and set the car to be in Campfire mode with the AC on low. That combined with the air filter, gave me a clean and cool area and I could sleep and weather the storm. Still plugged into the wall, and no CO emissions in the garage.

When looking into cars, the Model 3 giant battery was also attractive to me to handle the safety power shutoffs that PG&E is now doing. Last time I got one it was 5 days out of power, and all my freezer food was ruined. It was not a deciding factor, but it was an attractive option that I can plug in an inverter to the car, and get 1500W out of the car to run the critical parts of my house. (Yeah, yeah, voids the warranty, blah, blah. Tesla FUD.) Tesla needs to step up their game and make this a built in option. It's stupid to not allow me to use the power in my battery when I need it. And I'm going to do it whether my corporate masters say it's OK or not.

The Eco aspect of owning the Model 3 is not zero for me. If it didn't drive like a champ I wouldn't have done it, but all things considered I'd rather help the problem than make it worse. Leaving a dying planet to our grandchildren is not exactly a genuinely conservative approach.

 

[OxBrew]

The smoke and the fires are getting to be serious problems. I live in N. Cal. and 2 years ago, we had an unbearable heat wave and smoke at the same time. No AC, and would normally spend time outside, but couldn't go outside because it was too smoky to breathe.

During that cycle I did an interesting thing that might amuse other Tesla drivers- I used my Model 3 as an 'escape pod' to allow me to survive that scenario without having to leave the area. If you pull out the rear seat, then lower the back seats, you get a fully flat surface for the trunk. I put a sleeping bag in there, and set the car to be in Campfire mode with the AC on low. That combined with the air filter, gave me a clean and cool area and I could sleep and weather the storm. Still plugged into the wall, and no CO emissions in the garage.

When looking into cars, the Model 3 giant battery was also attractive to me to handle the safety power shutoffs that PG&E is now doing. Last time I got one it was 5 days out of power, and all my freezer food was ruined. It was not a deciding factor, but it was an attractive option that I can plug in an inverter to the car, and get 1500W out of the car to run the critical parts of my house. (Yeah, yeah, voids the warranty, blah, blah. Tesla FUD.) Tesla needs to step up their game and make this a built in option. It's stupid to not allow me to use the power in my battery when I need it. And I'm going to do it whether my corporate masters say it's OK or not.

The Eco aspect of owning the Model 3 is not zero for me. If it didn't drive like a champ I wouldn't have done it, but all things considered I'd rather help the problem than make it worse. Leaving a dying planet to our grandchildren is not exactly a genuinely conservative approach.

Good point about the escape pod, even easier in our Y.

I thought if you get a powerwall and an auto transfer switch to disconnect the grid that you can back feed your house, use the energy in your Tesla along with the powerwall?

Not cheap, for sure, but I think it's possible.

 

[bo3bdar]

Good point about the escape pod, even easier in our Y.

I thought if you get a powerwall and an auto transfer switch to disconnect the grid that you can back feed your house, use the energy in your Tesla along with the powerwall?

Not cheap, for sure, but I think it's possible.

You can definitely do that using a Powerwall, but there is no provision to using the power in the car battery itself. No currently made Teslas have the ability to deliver AC back from the car. They don't even include the hardware necessary. CyberTruck will have AC outlets.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

Wiki - Tesla, TSLA & the Investment World: the Perpetual Investors' Roundtable
The real reason that the media has portrayed TSLA and Elon in a negative light for years, and why many people have swallowed the lying FUD. Zero Tesla advertising dollars going to the media, but lots of money from every other brand. When your paycheck depends on something, it’s difficult to see the other side. Hmmmmm. I’ve seen this personally in a friend who wants an EV, but is waiting for a Subaru. She absolutely hates Elon. Why? Most people don’t know the CEO of any other car company, often any other company either. I use products daily and I don’t even know what company produces them, let alone who the CEO is.

#2: the real reason to buy a Tesla instead of any other car. Safety.

 

[CyberGus]

I might dislike Jeff Bezos, but there's still an Amaxon box on my porch every day lol

 

[FastDoc]

I intend to keep our ICE Thunderbird for a very long time, even though I have our second Tesla on order (Model X ordered Nov 2020) But, what I find objectionable about gas/performance cars is the noise. These little rice rocket cars are so friggin loud it's absurd. So are performance Mustangs, Hell Cats etc. Can't wait for them to go away. The OP is correct, the interior finish of most high end cars blow our Model S away for luxury feel. I would love to have Jaguar class interior in the either of the Teslas. Can't afford to reupholster the entire car. But I still love our Model S, and it has stalks.

I share your opinion about the noise on the ricers but I love the V8 rumble. I agree that some people seriously make it too loud. I have same feelings about some modified Harleys.

My opinion is by far the biggest failing (for the price) on the S was the interior. For the money I'd expect at least an E class interior and as it is now they are really miles apart. I'm OK with the exterior styling of the S, even though its a bit dated now it has aged well.

 

[FastDoc]

The smoke and the fires are getting to be serious problems. I live in N. Cal. and 2 years ago, we had an unbearable heat wave and smoke at the same time. No AC, and would normally spend time outside, but couldn't go outside because it was too smoky to breathe.

During that cycle I did an interesting thing that might amuse other Tesla drivers- I used my Model 3 as an 'escape pod' to allow me to survive that scenario without having to leave the area. If you pull out the rear seat, then lower the back seats, you get a fully flat surface for the trunk. I put a sleeping bag in there, and set the car to be in Campfire mode with the AC on low. That combined with the air filter, gave me a clean and cool area and I could sleep and weather the storm. Still plugged into the wall, and no CO emissions in the garage.

When looking into cars, the Model 3 giant battery was also attractive to me to handle the safety power shutoffs that PG&E is now doing. Last time I got one it was 5 days out of power, and all my freezer food was ruined. It was not a deciding factor, but it was an attractive option that I can plug in an inverter to the car, and get 1500W out of the car to run the critical parts of my house. (Yeah, yeah, voids the warranty, blah, blah. Tesla FUD.) Tesla needs to step up their game and make this a built in option. It's stupid to not allow me to use the power in my battery when I need it. And I'm going to do it whether my corporate masters say it's OK or not.

The Eco aspect of owning the Model 3 is not zero for me. If it didn't drive like a champ I wouldn't have done it, but all things considered I'd rather help the problem than make it worse. Leaving a dying planet to our grandchildren is not exactly a genuinely conservative approach.

When I lived in Fremont (1990's) I also did not have AC. The fog kept you cool in the summer. I honestly don't remember much problems with forest fire smoke at that time.

 

[Altes]

I too am a dyed in the wool car guy having owned a 385HP RX7, Ground up restoration of a 1971 Fairlady Z, e36M3. I became a mechanical engineer to get a job in the auto industry (I graduated in 1982, bad timing on my part). 5 years ago I bought a Tesla. Its the first non manual car I have ever owned and going in I was doing it just out of curiosity as I would NEVER own an "automatic" The two major impressions i walked away from during the test drive were A) Quickest car I'd ever driven and B) I wasn't bothered by the lack of the third pedal. After 5 years of ownership and 120K miles I can add C) Quietest and smoothest car I have ever been in D) Most tech oriented car i have ever been in. Its to the point now where I dont like ICE cars, noisy, lurchy, and the tech is HORRID (tiny 640x480 5in screen)
Thinking seriously about a Plaid for my next car

 

[FastDoc]

My S Class is also the first automatic car I have owned, other than flips I worked on in my younger years to help pay for college and medical school.

You have had some interesting cars, Altes.

I am not moved by tech other than what helps the car perform. Indeed I'm turned off by screens but as they seem to be cheaper to manufacture I'm sure that's the way all cars will be going, and to a degree, that's where they are already.

Another concern would be an EV being mechanically totaled after the battery starts to lose its useful range.

I know ICE cars wear out too, but well maintained a good car can easily go 1/4 million miles on it's first engine.

 

[Earl]

Another concern would be an EV being mechanically totaled after the battery starts to lose its useful range.

It will be interesting to see what happens at that point. Other than the pathetic Leafs which had terrible battery design, no mass market EV has gotten to that point yet. Even our original 13 year-old Roadster's original battery is still ok.
Like with Priuses, I suspect there will be cheap after market battery markets develop. Remember that there is likely to be significant residual value to an old pack, first for stationary storage, then for its recycled material content.
I guess the question will be whether the market values the battery or the age/mileage of the car. Does a car that is worth $5K but has a new $10K battery sell for $20K? There will certainly need to be a way for a prospective buyer to gauge the capacity of the battery. Maybe certified dyne shops will spring up that will run your battery from full to empty. You'll need a dyno range certificate (kind of like a house appraisal) before anyone would buy your used car from you.
We're going into interesting times.

 

[Takumi]

It will be interesting to see what happens at that point. Other than the pathetic Leafs which had terrible battery design, no mass market EV has gotten to that point yet. Even our original 13 year-old Roadster's original battery is still ok.
Like with Priuses, I suspect there will be cheap after market battery markets develop. Remember that there is likely to be significant residual value to an old pack, first for stationary storage, then for its recycled material content.
I guess the question will be whether the market values the battery or the age/mileage of the car. Does a car that is worth $5K but has a new $10K battery sell for $20K? There will certainly need to be a way for a prospective buyer to gauge the capacity of the battery. Maybe certified dyne shops will spring up that will run your battery from full to empty. You'll need a dyno range certificate (kind of like a house appraisal) before anyone would buy your used car from you.
We're going into interesting times.

Does the market value the engine or the age/mileage of the car? The question's been answered. I doubt it will change.

 

[bo3bdar]

When I lived in Fremont (1990's) I also did not have AC. The fog kept you cool in the summer. I honestly don't remember much problems with forest fire smoke at that time.

Ah, nice. I lived in Cupertino in the 90s, and have been in San Carlos for the last twenty years. There was never a problem with smoke and fires during those times. There were fires during the fire season, but they were generally far away and not drifting smoke across 5 states. The only notable fire was the 1991 Oakland hills. We could have used AC maybe once a year in that era, really rare to get hot days.

Last few years has been dramatically worse, including that bizarro orange sky day. Even during the last big drought in 2015 or so, we didn't have the level of smoke and fires. Last 5 years were the hottest on record, this year is deepest drought since we started recording them in 1800s, Oroville hydro is offline for the first time ever because of no water, and fires now routinely burn 1M acres a year. I don't foresee this getting better any time soon, so I'm actually looking to leave the area sooner than later.

 

[FastDoc]

I'm sorry and interested to hear about your leaving California.

The good news is selling a house in San Carlos and moving to another state the world is your oyster. You can buy something nice pretty much anywhere with retirement money left over, I would imagine.

I'm a Californian living in exile. I love Washington but have always missed California (I'm from SLO, Bay Area, and Sonora (outside Yosemite)) and my soon to be wife and I are planning to move back.

Our eyes are wide open, we know California's problems. Politics, water, price being the biggest for us.

As the delta between politics in Washington and California dwindles towards zero, We figure we would be no worse politically but have better weather and outdoor opportunities and environment in general there. Again Washington is AMAZING but the winter weather is ass, and again the state has moved far to the left politically. Left of California I think.

Our theory is most of the negatives of California living can be mitigated with two factors.

1) Choose location VERY carefully. There are 'many' Californias, each as different form each other as one European country differs from another. Being somewhat of an expert in California geography we choose Paso Robles.

2) Bring a lot of money. California is a poor place to be below upper middle class. Thanks to the Lord we are blessed with wonderful jobs and we have made good financial decisions thus far and will soon be ready to retire.

I would VERY much appreciate your thoughts on this matter. I'm still somewhat nervous about moving, especially as so many good and intelligent and hard working people are leaving.

I don't like TX or AZ as much. I'm really a Californian.

 

[CyberGus]

I don't like TX or AZ as much. I'm really a Californian.

Dont mess w/TX

 

[FastDoc]

I respect Texas. TX has some strong advantages over CA which is why it is the landing zone of the majority of people fleeing CA. Ideologically its principles line up well with mine but I prefer California for other reasons. Still TX is still on my list of possibilities.

 

[Lucas007]

Hello an belated Happy birthday Good on your for opening up and believe me there are probably anti Tesla at first(me including) I am a gear head by blood, but that all changed after test driving a neighbors Model S. I could appreciate the power behind the armatures powering the wheel and the designs of them. I am currently waiting for a Model Y for the wife and at the same time rebuilding the engine on my ‘65 Mustang coupe so that tells you a lot about me. Hope you have a great day and God bless.

 

[FastDoc]

God bless you also Lucas.
I had a 65 with a 289 back in college.
It was just an old car at the time.
It’s #1 on the list of cars I wish I never sold.

 

[FastDoc]

I am very interested to hear about how you feel about the Mach E. The most controversially named vehicle in history.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I am very interested to hear about how you feel about the Mach E. The most controversially named vehicle in history.

I figured that Ford's main motivations of the naming was to use their most appealing brand to grab attention, and to emphasize that EVs are quick.

It has got attention, but people don't call it the Mustang EV, they call it the Mach E, so there's no confusion.

All reviews suggest that the Mach E is a good all-rounder. Not the best at anything, but no obvious inherent weakness.

At the moment it seems to have teething problems and those are exacerbated by the global supply problems.

I have friends who are interested in getting one. Tesla not a good fit to their personalities.