How Can I sway the better half?

[sub]

Thanks all, if none of your suggestions work I still thank you for the entertainment value. I'm contemplating sending her the link to this thread so keep it coming. I have done nothing but live all things Tesla since our Test drive sometime in May, and she gets an update daily. She is aware of the safety rating, I made sure she saw that one and we do have a daughter.

I know about the i3, can you say laughable? I even went down to our local Chevrolet dealer to check out the volt this weekend. Doesn't make any sense for us since we need the car for longer trips, the short batter range is not very helpful. This has been said before, but I would be embarrassed to be a car salesman and know that little about a product.

She admits herself that we are "car snobs" and we can't do an econo box. We are not attention seekers either but the model S wouldn't be an issue since everyone she works with knows she wants one (just doesn't want to pay for it).

Other cars we would consider if non electric? Probably a newer used BMW wagon or I've been looking at the 335 Diesel for the better mileage. I would get either as a CPO so I had some warranty coverage.

We have been thinking about the Model X, and were planning to wait for that, but with the issues with our current old Car she feels we have to do something. On some of her trips she is one some deserted back roads and it scares her a bit in our current car.

If I can't sway her i'm probably going to have to bite the bullet and buy a newer used gas (preferably Diesel) and drive it for 1-2 years until I can convince her to do the Tesla.

 

[dsm363]

My wife recently got a new job with a hefty raise but she is traveling more, probably 1000-1500 miles a month (reimbursed by employer). Our current vehicles are a 13 year old 3 series wagon and a 20 year old Landcruiser that I use for towing and snow duty as well as short trips around town as my DD. Both vehicles have 150k+ miles.

Double check this but I think she can write off is 55 cents/mile for work (for both an EV and ICE of course) and since your fuel costs is close to zero with solar it might make the math even better against a gas car.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Lots of good points above.

About the cost of the car itself, @sub, many of the folks here (including myself) came from a world of never owning cars costlier than something like the 3-series before buying the Model S. Given the enormous difference in the total cost of ownership - both fuel and maintenance - it really works out in the Model S's favor for folks such as yourself who keep their cars for a long time.

...I had an 8kwh system installed on our house 3 months ago (cash, not leased) so that when we do get our Tesla it's free driving. I love not having a power bill also, PG&E already owes me a nice check...

You are probably already aware that when your annual true-up period ends 9 months from now, PG&E will cut a check for the excess power you generated only at the wholesale rate of a mere 4 cents per kWh rather than the nice, bloated numbers that they show as a credit in the monthly statement (those numbers are misleadingly computed based on the TOU schedule). So, you are far better off consuming atleast some of that excess power that you are generating by way of an EV rather than letting PG&E sorta' rip you off. Not sure this line of reasoning will help your case with your wife but, just wanted to toss this in there...

 

[sub]

I not sure how your electricity rebate is structured but here in Palo Alto the amount you get back is half of the lowest they will charge you. They are motivating utility users to zero our annual bill electricity bill but not to overproduce. So you may have additional financial incentive to use more electricity charging a car than for buying gas.

My wife is the primary driver (and funder) of our Model S and LOVES it. Neither of us want to drive a gas car again. Since my commute is short and our solar power working so well I went and leased an electric Fiat 500e for my daily needs. We take the Tesla up to Tahoe etc no problems.

Not sure about this, I should look into it. We live up in the foothills near Yosemite so all the shorter mileage electrics wouldn't even get us to the next town and back. I'm self employed and work from home for the most part, but I could use the Model S for some of my "business" miles, I already write off miles on our current vehicles.

 

[paulkva]

Another possibility is to try a contrarian approach, i.e. show her that even a "nice" new ICE doesn't really compare to the S. We test-drove a number of other cars, and my wife found significant things she disliked about every one of them, across a wide price range... except the Model S. So depending on the other cars you're considering, you might want to try another test-drive in an ICE car. The one I tried after the Model S just felt so noisy and clunky and threw off so much heat, it was completely underwhelming. It was a Lexus IS350, which among gas-powered cars I consider to be really nice and fun to drive, but the Model S just completely spoiled me.

We definitely both had to wrap our heads around the higher price point, since all our prior new-car purchases were well under $30K.

 

[TylerCA]

You are certainly asking the right questions. I have personally seen a handful of my employees become over leveraged in the recession and it's not a pretty sight. My rec is to ensure you have sufficient funds to last you 12+ months after the vehicle purchase should anything bad happen.

 

[stevezzzz]

Sub, you could also consider a used 85:

2013 Model S 85 kWh For Sale $69k

Like a lot of others, the owner is moving up to a loaded P85.

 

[brianman]

Resale market of the S is quite good and will most likely be quite good for quite some time. I'm quite good at using the word 'quite'.

Quite.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

There are (at least) two more arguments (but granted – they’re probably not strong enough…):

Buy buying a regular ICE-car like a BMW at a dealer, one are (however miniscule that support may be) supporting the North American Dealers Association (NADA), and their dealer model. And as you probably know NADA is also the ones who have been lobbying successfully to prevent Tesla’s business model of direct sales in Texas (and now I have forgotten the other states)…

And by such a purchase, one is also investing money in ICE technology, and therefore simultaneously divesting that amount of money from electric car technology…

<Pause, and taking a deep breathe…>

But, if all indeed appears to be lost, I think you should go ahead and show her this thread. I can’t really see a downside in such an ‘unbearable’ scenario…

 

[texex91]

Buy buying a regular ICE-car like a BMW at a dealer, one are (however miniscule that support may be) supporting the North American Dealers Association (NADA), and their dealer model. And as you probably know NADA is also the one’s who have been lobbying successfully to prevent Tesla’s business model of direct sales in Texas (and now I have forgotten the other states)…

I normally don't have the same view point as my Swedish friend, but in this case he makes a great point.

Ok, back to reading why GHG is not reality...:biggrin:

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

Ok, back to reading why GHG is not reality...:biggrin:

I know you don’t mean that. :wink:

 

[Liz G]

Yours and your wifes financial situation sounds a lot like my husbands and mine.

Based on my last car, which was a Subaru Baja which I got for $20,000, we will never be able to financially justify this car. But we make enough that we can afford it without making any sacrifices or skimping on retirement. With that said we decided the following:

1. You only live once.
2. We can never 100% guarantee our financial well being will remain the same. But we can manage it now and we can always sell the car if something bad should happen.
3. We are sick of paying for and pumping gas.
4. We can travel cross-country for free (in a year or two). So we will be able to mark a lot of items off our "bucket list"
5. Did I mention you only live once?

My advice take the plunge.

In the end you will regret not getting it more than you will regret getting it and having to sell it at sometime in the future should something require you to.

 

[LV2SF]

I can totally understand her hesitation. It is a leap to pay as much for a car as for your first house!

On the other hand, once you've reached the point in your life and career that you are well past 'need' as are we who are fortunate enough to even consider this car, what are we working toward? We must be mindful of our future fiscal responsibilities and have a plan for our financial well being but we should also live today as well. None of us know how long we'll be around.

But the Model S is so much more than just a mere vehicle. It is a breathtaking example of technology that performs like all of our race-inspired fantasies while being a practical family sedan as well. It is quiet and sleek and doesn't pollute our earth. It supports American jobs and reduces our dependence on foreign oil. It makes us smile to look at it. And we deserve it. That's what I believe may be the crux of the matter. It is a somewhat frivolous expenditure for 'just a car' and it's hard to treat ourselves at times.

As you stated. What's the worst thing that can happen? You won't be living in a box somewhere if it doesn't work out. You are at the point where you need a new mode of transportation. Allow yourself to transcend from simple transportation to the next level of your life where you are being rewarded and take the plunge. Each time she walks away from the MS realizing it's hers, somewhere in her subconscious she'll be saying "I deserve it!" because she does.

Good luck!

 

[JGard]

I wish my wife saw it that way! And to the OP, if you successfully convince yours to go with it, let me know how!

Right now I'm looking at a BMW 328d, since it's still a "fun" car yet should be a great commuter due to the diesel.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

OK, how about a woman's input? Since it seems you've covered it from all the dude angles try these: Sounds like she'll be spending quite a bit of time driving with her new job. The Model S drives like nothing else, it's effortless and actually calming. It has all but erased my former road rage. Point two, the lack of console provides the PERFECT place to put your purse. You can easily get to the contents without having to reach over to the passenger seat.

Good luck!

 

[texex91]

I wish my wife saw it that way! And to the OP, if you successfully convince yours to go with it, let me know how!

Right now I'm looking at a BMW 328d, since it's still a "fun" car yet should be a great commuter due to the diesel.

She won't like the Bimmer--in the shop too much.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/bmw-m6-owner-goes-hulk-over-defects-smashes-163648995.html

If you're going for an ICE, at least get an Audi diesel...just suggesting.

 

[Crispix]

It's been an agonizing process for a lot of us. It's more than I ever thought I'd spend on a car. So first make sure the finances are going to be ok, then go test drive with your wife. That's all you need to do, the rest takes care of itself.

 

[sub]

Thanks everyone. I sent her the link to this thread a few hours ago but she has been so busy at work I don't think she has had time to read it. I will make her read through it tonight hopefully. I would consider a used one if it was close and was very close to the build I would want, but there haven't been to many for sale from what I've seen. I only mention "selling" the car because that is what could easily be done in a worst case scenario which in reality isn't going to happen. I would make sure we never owed more on the car then what I could quickly sell it for until we paid it off, which would be way earlier than whatever financing term we started with. We typically have a sizeable cash position in our bank accounts but right now that isn't the case due to the spending on the Solar and investing in TSLA, so that makes her feel a bit uneasy.

I figure between reimbursement for work mileage and personal use mileage (not counting what I can write off for business) it will total $700-$1000 a month.

Didn't think of the purse in the center console area, that right there may close the deal

I know the newer BMW's have some maintenance issues as well (that is why I can't stomach buying one!) and would only buy one with CPO to at least cover most of the big issues.

 

[texex91]

I figure between reimbursement for work mileage and personal use mileage (not counting what I can write off for business) it will total $700-$1000 a month.

Didn't think of the purse in the center console area, that right there may close the deal

There are your two answers--bam!

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Since she'd be reading this:

Mrs. sub, buying this car would be one of the best decisions that you can ever make! Here's to seeing you join our fold