Guess A Tesla isn't in the cards for me, this time around

[3s-a-charm]

After 3.5 weeks of Model S ownership and my wife thinking I'm insane for wanting/buying such an expensive vehicle... she says, "If Tesla is making an SUV - order me one." Another convert!

 

[Kbsilver]

Oh and re:


Don't they all?? At least over here that practice seems to be more or less standard.

Not Japanese cars! On my son's former Acura, the oil filter was on the bottom back side of the engine, mounted horizontally pointing to the rear of the car. Not only did you end up having the dirty oil run down your arm after crawling underneath, it pours all over the halfshaft and the frame while dribbling out after removing the filter.

 

[AustinPowers]

Not Japanese cars! On my son's former Acura, the oil filter was on the bottom back side of the engine, mounted horizontally pointing to the rear of the car. Not only did you end up having the dirty oil run down your arm after crawling underneath, it pours all over the halfshaft and the frame while dribbling out after removing the filter.

Well, that is Japanese cars for you. I could never understand the poularity of those in the US anyway, but somehow marketing seems to overpower actual quality there. (not just with cars that is, by the way)

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

+1
I can only second that. Having driven Diesel cars all my life (most of the people I know have Diesel cars as well), I can attest to their being highly reliable, almost impossible to break, very fuel efficient, yet fun to drive. To quote Jeremy Clarkson (ok, he was comparing the electric SLS to the SLS Black Series at the time), I "would have to be soft in the head", to buy a gasoline car (or a BEV at the moment, where they are economically just not feasible, at least over here where you can never match an equivalent Diesel car). I only want a BEV because of the quiet ride and great acceleration, nothing else, even though I know I will have to pay through the nose for the experience. [My underline.]

If you have children and even grandchildren and can afford a BEV, given Anthropogenic Global Warming, that phrase makes zero sense to me. I am of course tempted to rephrase using Clarksons own words, but I will refrain...

I currently can’t afford a Tesla. And I need that kind of range to make a living at this moment. So right or wrong I currently drive a CNG powered VW Passat. 60% of all CNG for vehicles in Sweden is currently sourced from recycled organic waste. And according to one study (which I unfortunately can’t find right now) about 70% of all road vehicle traffic in Sweden could in theory be propelled by CNG from recycled organic waste from Sweden. Therefore getting to 100% CNG from recycled waste to power the current Swedish CNG vehicle fleet shouldn’t really be a problem if the powers that be really wanted to.

But of course – as soon as I can afford a Tesla or another BEV with equivalent range – I’ll make the switch.

 

[AustinPowers]

If you have children and even grandchildren and can afford a BEV, given Anthropogenic Global Warming, that phrase makes zero sense to me. I am of course tempted to rephrase using Clarksons own words, but I will refrain...

Don't get me wrong. I am right there with you basically when it comes to protecting the environment. Our house is heated by a heatpump, we use only highly energy efficient appliances, our electricity and water bill is lower by far than what is considered standard for a comparable household over here. We do everything we can to keep the environment as healthy and clean for our two kids and for everyone else for that matter. But we also have to make ends meet. A current BEV for us would be a luxury that is beyond a justifiable budget. And even if I could afford one right now, would it make any difference as long as 99 percent of the people I know would never even dream of sharing at least my enthusiasm for BEVs, let alone of buying? I at least have set my hopes on the next generation e-Golf or the Model 3 if possible. No one else I know has any plans like that. They have been rolling their eyes for years every time I mentioned Tesla or EVs in general. And even now that they know about the Model S, all they see is the ridiculously high price.

 

[neroden]

I remember reading some TCO spreadsheets and it put the Model S at about the same as a $50k car.

It depends a *lot* on how much you drive. Some people drive 100K miles per year, and they should very definitely get Model S rather than any gas car.

I did the math comparing the model S to a 40 mpg car at $4/gallon, and I did not get the same numbers as the original poster. But I think the Model S has gone up in price a little since I bought mine in February 2013....

NJ has the second lowest gas tax in the nation, but relatively high electric costs.

....and then there's that. I was working with 10 cents / kwh electricity.

If your electric prices are high enough, then before you get your Model S you should consider whether solar panels would be cost-effective. :biggrin:

 

[Merrill]

I also did a 10 year cost of ownership and at the time gas was $4 per gallon and my wife's suv gets 18mpg and we drive 10 to 12000 miles a year I came up with about $22,000 for gas as compared to $2000 for Electricity (we do have some solar that factors into that in the summer). Then factor the rebates and repairs, insurance is a bit more but all in all not as expensive as it seems.