I took my friend for a ride and his Neighbor asked "why on earth did he buy a Tesla"

[Unpilot]

Why did I buy a Tesla?

From a cold financial analysis there is no way I could justify buying a Tesla.

however I think helping a technology move forward that is important and necessary is a good thing to do. The green tech that Tesla is pushing forward is something I truly believe in.

Of course there are other ways to be "green" but this is one way I choose to do so.
I know that about half the electric energy in Illinois is supplied by coal so an electric car is not as clean as it could be however the grid will continue to receive more and more of its supply from renewable sources and a normal car will never get cleaner....the Tesla will.

The safety features of the car cannot be overstated. And as new software is pushed to the car it will get safer. I drive many late nights when I return from work and the current state of driver assistance is amazing for these drives.

Coming from a "car guy" background the acceleration and handling is amazing!

but ultimately I believe life is about experiences and the Tesla is a hell of an experience.

 

[Red_DS]

I’ve been asked this. My answer is simple, “This is the 21st century. I want a car that feels like it.”

 

[KidDoc]

Why did I buy a Tesla?

From a cold financial analysis there is no way I could justify buying a Tesla.

however I think helping a technology move forward that is important and necessary is a good thing to do. The green tech that Tesla is pushing forward is something I truly believe in.

Of course there are other ways to be "green" but this is one way I choose to do so.
I know that about half the electric energy in Illinois is supplied by coal so an electric car is not as clean as it could be however the grid will continue to receive more and more of its supply from renewable sources and a normal car will never get cleaner....the Tesla will.

The safety features of the car cannot be overstated. And as new software is pushed to the car it will get safer. I drive many late nights when I return from work and the current state of driver assistance is amazing for these drives.

Coming from a "car guy" background the acceleration and handling is amazing!

but ultimately I believe life is about experiences and the Tesla is a hell of an experience.

If you are in the market for a luxury sedan like I was in 2014 you can pay 60-80K for an Audi S7 or BMW 7 or Mercedes or you can buy an S85 for 86K minus the $7500 tax credit like I did. Subtract the gas cost (was running $3.50/gal at the time), oil, various repairs and if you plan to keep the Tesla for 8+ years it is a comparable financial decision. I basically justified it as a two car purchase (instead of buying a new car every 4 years) if I keep it for > 8 years and the cost of repairs is not excessive.

So far it is working in my favor and I think it will continue to be a good decision financial, environmentally, and for life experience and just plan fun!

 

[Krugerrand]

but ultimately I believe life is about experiences and the Tesla is a hell of an experience.

That's it, right there. We each get to choose what we want to experience in life, how we want to live our lives, how we want to spend our money etc...

And if you are any kind of a 'car' person, you will appreciate a Tesla.

 

[AMPd]

“Cuz I wanted to”

That’s my answer

 

[Tiger]

In it's performance class and safety, there are few true competitors. However, things remaining to whish for are +400 mile range and better build quality / less issues after delivery.

• Rumored 130 kWh Model S in light of Roadster announcement
  
• Elon Musk claims a Tesla with a 600-mile range will be available by 2017
• Tesla Brings Back the Roadster: 0-60 in 1.9 Seconds, 620-Mile Range - ExtremeTech
• Tesla will NOT have a 600 miles range vehicle in two years
• Charged EVs | Tesla’s batteries – past, present and future
• Tesla Model 3 Is Changing Auto History | CleanTechnica
  
• Would you buy a 500-mile range electric car that charges in one minute?

 

[nkwazi]

Ampd +1

 

[ev-now]

I try to keep my cars at least 10 years (current pack are 18, 11 and 3 years old).

Even if you only plan to keep a car 4 years, there's going to be a whole load of EV's on the road in 4 years.
If you are buying (not leasing) and planning on >4 years, you really want to be buying electric IMHO.

Then again - "it's so much fun" is a good answer too

 

[Derek Kessler]

Because I wanted to.

If we were to justify our purchases purely on cost and utility then we'd all be driving base model Civics and CR-Vs and F-150s. The market for nicer things exists to fulfill the "I want" that goes beyond "I need." It's my money and I shall spend it as I please.

 

[henderrj]

Funny, everytime I see somebody with a different new car I think "why didn't they buy a Tesla?"

 

[EV-lutioin]

I can't even stand the smell of exhaust anymore. Once I got a Tesla the whole fume belching ICE thing seemed ridiculous. Imagine how much cleaner city air would be if all those thousands of cars were EVs. And since Tesla is the only game in town when it comes to long range EVs, it's my car. Oh, and there's the part about Tesla taking a shuttered car plant and turning it into 20,000 well paying jobs. When you think about it, it's downright unpatriotic to buy anything else. That's why.

 

[Ken7]

Your friend's neighbor is a dope.

 

[Joe F]

Take your friends neighbor for a ride, then let him out to change his shorts. He might get the idea.

 

[Reciprocity]

Why did I buy a Tesla?

From a cold financial analysis there is no way I could justify buying a Tesla.

however I think helping a technology move forward that is important and necessary is a good thing to do. The green tech that Tesla is pushing forward is something I truly believe in.

Of course there are other ways to be "green" but this is one way I choose to do so.
I know that about half the electric energy in Illinois is supplied by coal so an electric car is not as clean as it could be however the grid will continue to receive more and more of its supply from renewable sources and a normal car will never get cleaner....the Tesla will.

The safety features of the car cannot be overstated. And as new software is pushed to the car it will get safer. I drive many late nights when I return from work and the current state of driver assistance is amazing for these drives.

Coming from a "car guy" background the acceleration and handling is amazing!

but ultimately I believe life is about experiences and the Tesla is a hell of an experience.

Solar on il is not terrible. Lots of good incentives. Net metering and a program call srec where utilities have to pay you to consume solar. Between fed, srec and net metering, you can pay for over half the setup. The other half can be financed for 10 years with a cheaper total cost the your original electric bill. Rates are already pretty good in il, but with solar it's about half the price.

 

[Unpilot]

Your friend's neighbor is a dope.

Actually she is a 80 year old lady. I think she might be from an era that thinks a car that cost what a house used to is crazy.
I never met her before we pulled in her driveway.

 

[Unpilot]

Solar on il is not terrible. Lots of good incentives. Net metering and a program call srec where utilities have to pay you to consume solar. Between fed, srec and net metering, you can pay for over half the setup. The other half can be financed for 10 years with a cheaper total cost the your original electric bill. Rates are already pretty good in il, but with solar it's about half the price.

Yeah if I was to stay in present house for more that three years I would go full Tesla and get solar and a powerwall.
But I only plan on staying another 3 years.

 

[Dr. J]

Actually she is a 80 year old lady. I think she might be from an era that thinks a car that cost what a house used to is crazy.
I never met her before we pulled in her driveway.

Well, there you go! That explains it. I'm not near that old and feel that way sometimes.

 

[Uncle Paul]

The electricity from coal argument is suspect. Coal generation plants are usually located far away from urban areas where citizens breath the exhaust. ICE vehicles pump the fumes right into the heart of the congested areas. People breath this concentrated pollution in and get sick more and die earlier.

Better to have no pollution at all, but locating it far from the populated areas is better than having it in the city center.

 

[Eclectic]

Two reasons:

The perk of being able to use HOV lanes;
Performance.

Couldn't care less about the purported environmental issues or the cult of Musk. When you have a nasty Bay Area commute, anything that helps to shorten the time on the road is something with a lot of value. We could have bought a Focus or Prius or some other plug in, but I have a thing for fast cars.

 

[Unpilot]

The electricity from coal argument is suspect. Coal generation plants are usually located far away from urban areas where citizens breath the exhaust. ICE vehicles pump the fumes right into the heart of the congested areas. People breath this concentrated pollution in and get sick more and die earlier.

Better to have no pollution at all, but locating it far from the populated areas is better than having it in the city center.

I agree however when I am thinking of potential reason one may think opposite what I do...well I like the Iron man idea better than the straw man.
Coal as a fuel for power plants is decreasing renewable's are increasing.
In Illinois the ratio for coal goes down each year.