Tesla Motors Club
My Tesla story so far.
I've been a car enthusiast for many years, and I've read the car magazines to keep up with the news in the industry. So read about the Roadster and thought it was an interesting breakthrough, but still an expensive weekend toy for wealthy people. Obviously there are some here who would disagree but that was my impression at the time.
Then in March of 2009 Tesla unveiled the prototype the Model S. A practical sedan, 300 mile range, all electric, starting at $50,000! I'm going to buy one!
Of course it took a few years, and the price drifted upwards, but finally the Model S hit the road at the end of 2012. I read the very positive review in Car and Driver magazine and knew that this car would be important.
In March of 2013 I visited the Tesla Gallery in Houston, learned some more about the car, sat in it and played with the touchscreen and of course the huge panoramic roof. By now I was hooked, but not yet ready to take the plunge.
So I started reading more, playing with the Design Studio, and of course learned a lot by reading the TMC forums. All of this just made me want a Tesla more and more. But it was still a lot of money, and there weren't a lot of charging options in Texas. I decided I'd wait two years to save up for a down payment, and watch the development of the charging network, and maybe see what the time frame for the more affordable Gen 3 car looked like. Also I bought some TSLA stock. It turned out March of 2013 was a good time to buy stock!
So for the rest of 2013 I saved my money, and watched the stock rise, and watched the Supercharger network grow, and played with the Design Studio, and read the forums. And realized that the Gen 3 wouldn't be out until 2017 or 2018. The Model S is really a bigger car than I need, but I don't want to wait that long...
So I began leaning strongly towards buying an S85. The performance would be comparable to my current ride (2008 Mustang GT) and I could get one reasonably equipped for a bit over $80,000. I think I can do that.
Finally, spring of 2014, still saving up, one year away, time to think about what maneuvers I need to make in my investment portfolio to make this happen. Up to this point I'd been deliberately avoiding the test drive events, because I was sure if I drove one, I'd want it, and I wasn't ready to want it that badly yet. But it seems a bit strange to make all these preparations for buying a car without knowing how it drives. And there were all these Experience Tesla events in Texas this spring. So finally I signed up for the Houston event on May 31, and test drove a beautiful multi-coat red S85.
Well if you're on these forums you know how the test drive went. So smooth! Speed without drama. All the sound and fury of my Mustang just seems passe now. The Model S goes fast but it doesn't yell "look at me, I'm going fast!" the way gasoline sports cars do.
Don't get me wrong, I still love the Mustang, and I'm going to keep loving it for one more year. But there's a large and growing piece of my heart that's eager to love a Tesla Model S.
I've been a car enthusiast for many years, and I've read the car magazines to keep up with the news in the industry. So read about the Roadster and thought it was an interesting breakthrough, but still an expensive weekend toy for wealthy people. Obviously there are some here who would disagree but that was my impression at the time.
Then in March of 2009 Tesla unveiled the prototype the Model S. A practical sedan, 300 mile range, all electric, starting at $50,000! I'm going to buy one!
Of course it took a few years, and the price drifted upwards, but finally the Model S hit the road at the end of 2012. I read the very positive review in Car and Driver magazine and knew that this car would be important.
In March of 2013 I visited the Tesla Gallery in Houston, learned some more about the car, sat in it and played with the touchscreen and of course the huge panoramic roof. By now I was hooked, but not yet ready to take the plunge.
So I started reading more, playing with the Design Studio, and of course learned a lot by reading the TMC forums. All of this just made me want a Tesla more and more. But it was still a lot of money, and there weren't a lot of charging options in Texas. I decided I'd wait two years to save up for a down payment, and watch the development of the charging network, and maybe see what the time frame for the more affordable Gen 3 car looked like. Also I bought some TSLA stock. It turned out March of 2013 was a good time to buy stock!
So for the rest of 2013 I saved my money, and watched the stock rise, and watched the Supercharger network grow, and played with the Design Studio, and read the forums. And realized that the Gen 3 wouldn't be out until 2017 or 2018. The Model S is really a bigger car than I need, but I don't want to wait that long...
So I began leaning strongly towards buying an S85. The performance would be comparable to my current ride (2008 Mustang GT) and I could get one reasonably equipped for a bit over $80,000. I think I can do that.
Finally, spring of 2014, still saving up, one year away, time to think about what maneuvers I need to make in my investment portfolio to make this happen. Up to this point I'd been deliberately avoiding the test drive events, because I was sure if I drove one, I'd want it, and I wasn't ready to want it that badly yet. But it seems a bit strange to make all these preparations for buying a car without knowing how it drives. And there were all these Experience Tesla events in Texas this spring. So finally I signed up for the Houston event on May 31, and test drove a beautiful multi-coat red S85.
Well if you're on these forums you know how the test drive went. So smooth! Speed without drama. All the sound and fury of my Mustang just seems passe now. The Model S goes fast but it doesn't yell "look at me, I'm going fast!" the way gasoline sports cars do.
Don't get me wrong, I still love the Mustang, and I'm going to keep loving it for one more year. But there's a large and growing piece of my heart that's eager to love a Tesla Model S.