So Mrs. Toe and I have been watching reruns of Northern Exposure some nights since normal activity is somewhat constrained these last few months. There was an episode where Chris the local radio DJ used part of an inheritance to take a half interest in Holling's bar. This didn't work out too well for various reasons, which led to an interesting segment of one of Chris' radio blurbs where he said:
Happiness doesn't come from owning things, it comes from being part of things.
About 15 seconds after I heard that, I hit the pause button on the DVD player and turned to Mrs. Toe and said: "You know, buying and owning a Tesla has both ends of that covered. You are not only being part of the transformation to a more sustainable future, you also get to drive one the best vehicles ever created".
Having followed Tesla from the day I read about the Model S Alpha prototype in Scientific American to this day, much of what Elon and Tesla have been doing is a big part of my life for the last 10 years. Probably many others here fall into the same category.
I couldn't afford the Model S or Model X, but I stood in line for 4 hours on March 31st 2016 to get on the Model 3 reservation list. Got the Model 3 almost exactly two years to the day later. This replaced a 2015 Kia Soul EV that had a 92 mile range with a car that gets 300 miles of range. This was by far the most expensive car I ever purchased, even after the $10k overall rebates that I got. Mrs. Toe wasn't really a big fan of this at the time, and sometimes reminds me of this when the phone as key doesn't work, or the screen is blank after getting in the car (e.g. G** D*** $60,000 car doesn't even work!), mostly in jest though she doesn't like the ride for some reason.
I sometimes tell people in conversation that she is the one who suggested that I get the car. I tell people that I told her that I was going to give Elon Musk and Tesla $60,000 no matter what, and it's only a question of whether I get a car in return or just donate the money. Mrs. Toe relented and said I should just take the car and not simply donate. Mrs. Toe has a very practical side, obviously.
So today is my 60th birthday, and I rewarded myself for making it this far by taking a test drive in a Model Y yesterday. Everyone has reviewed this so I can't really add much, though I will say two things: 1) acceleration with the dual motor is jet like even compared to my RWD Model 3, 2) Car rides much higher and feels more spacious, crazy head room front and back, and I'm 6'4".
Been trying to figure out if I can somehow manage to donate another $60,000 to Tesla before I retire in (hopefully) two more years, or cut back to working less. All the numbers in the various spreadsheets seem to be moving in the right direction, thanks to some good decisions over the years made by Mr. Musk, despite the unending chorus of naysayers, whom I ultimately managed to ignore.
Running the numbers looks like maybe $60,756 at 2.65% for 60 months costs $1,084 per month plus another $110 for insurance. Mrs. Toe really liked the Model Y test drive, and is looking at her spreadsheets now too. She likes the white with white interior, while my choice would be the red with the 20" gemini wheels. Her choice would be $3,000 less.
Would like to end the story by saying we pulled the trigger, but we are waiting for battery day since there is good chance that something divulged there could affect the Model Y range or price. We may end up going in on it together, with the Y replacing the Soul EV which Mrs. Toe is driving as her commuting car. I think the 3 looks better, so would like to keep it. It could come down to the same thing that happened on Model 3 order day: Drinking a sufficient amount of my favorite wine and getting up the courage to hit the order button despite it not being the most financially sound decision, but another step in the process of being part of something.
RT
Happiness doesn't come from owning things, it comes from being part of things.
About 15 seconds after I heard that, I hit the pause button on the DVD player and turned to Mrs. Toe and said: "You know, buying and owning a Tesla has both ends of that covered. You are not only being part of the transformation to a more sustainable future, you also get to drive one the best vehicles ever created".
Having followed Tesla from the day I read about the Model S Alpha prototype in Scientific American to this day, much of what Elon and Tesla have been doing is a big part of my life for the last 10 years. Probably many others here fall into the same category.
I couldn't afford the Model S or Model X, but I stood in line for 4 hours on March 31st 2016 to get on the Model 3 reservation list. Got the Model 3 almost exactly two years to the day later. This replaced a 2015 Kia Soul EV that had a 92 mile range with a car that gets 300 miles of range. This was by far the most expensive car I ever purchased, even after the $10k overall rebates that I got. Mrs. Toe wasn't really a big fan of this at the time, and sometimes reminds me of this when the phone as key doesn't work, or the screen is blank after getting in the car (e.g. G** D*** $60,000 car doesn't even work!), mostly in jest though she doesn't like the ride for some reason.
I sometimes tell people in conversation that she is the one who suggested that I get the car. I tell people that I told her that I was going to give Elon Musk and Tesla $60,000 no matter what, and it's only a question of whether I get a car in return or just donate the money. Mrs. Toe relented and said I should just take the car and not simply donate. Mrs. Toe has a very practical side, obviously.
So today is my 60th birthday, and I rewarded myself for making it this far by taking a test drive in a Model Y yesterday. Everyone has reviewed this so I can't really add much, though I will say two things: 1) acceleration with the dual motor is jet like even compared to my RWD Model 3, 2) Car rides much higher and feels more spacious, crazy head room front and back, and I'm 6'4".
Been trying to figure out if I can somehow manage to donate another $60,000 to Tesla before I retire in (hopefully) two more years, or cut back to working less. All the numbers in the various spreadsheets seem to be moving in the right direction, thanks to some good decisions over the years made by Mr. Musk, despite the unending chorus of naysayers, whom I ultimately managed to ignore.
Running the numbers looks like maybe $60,756 at 2.65% for 60 months costs $1,084 per month plus another $110 for insurance. Mrs. Toe really liked the Model Y test drive, and is looking at her spreadsheets now too. She likes the white with white interior, while my choice would be the red with the 20" gemini wheels. Her choice would be $3,000 less.
Would like to end the story by saying we pulled the trigger, but we are waiting for battery day since there is good chance that something divulged there could affect the Model Y range or price. We may end up going in on it together, with the Y replacing the Soul EV which Mrs. Toe is driving as her commuting car. I think the 3 looks better, so would like to keep it. It could come down to the same thing that happened on Model 3 order day: Drinking a sufficient amount of my favorite wine and getting up the courage to hit the order button despite it not being the most financially sound decision, but another step in the process of being part of something.
RT
