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LEAF to Volt to Roadster

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Hi all,

I've been posting in Roadster forums for a couple of weeks since I'm in the midst of a Roadster CPO purchase, but just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself here.

My occupation should be obvious, but think psychology rather than psychiatry.
I grew up in Chicago, have lived in Phoenix for 9 years, and hope to retire in Hawaii, where other family live, one day. I put PV solar panels on my first house in the Phoenix 'burbs in 2009, unexpectedly moved after the crash (but kept the panels on the house which I still own and currently rent), and put up another set of solar panels on my new house in Phoenix in 2011. It just makes sense, especially in sun-drenched Phoenix; although the heat does interfere with efficiency. The reduced emissions are important to me and let's be honest - having a $0 electric bill a few times a year is just great, and I love seeing the meter run backwards. What a concept!

I kind of fell into driving EV's, but am now hooked. I bought a 2011 orphan LEAF in 8/2011 and was actually pretty happy with it - range limitations and all - until I started realizing how quickly the battery was degrading in the Phoenix heat. I ended up selling that car after 10 months while my girlfriend leased another one for 24 months. We just wanted to keep driving gas free but without worrying about the battery degradation, so we snagged the shortest possible lease with the intention of seeing what's new and wonderful in EV world in 2014. 2 months prior, we had sold our other ICE car and bought a Volt, with which I'm actually still very happy. I was actually quoted and photographed in an NYT article (along with other plugin owners) in 10/2012 regarding this experience if anyone cares:

Early Converts to Electric Cars Remain Committed, With Caveats - NYTimes.com


I've been planning to continue full BEV once the LEAF leased ended and was looking at Model S's. However, once I saw the Roadster CPO's, I decided to take the plunge. As beautiful and wonderful as the Model S is, I found sitting in it, the car was just too big for me and I'm not a luxury sedan guy at this point in time. I used to drive a Honda S2000, which was an incredibly fun car, and I missed it dearly. The Roadster was an opportunity to get that kind of fun back but gas free. Then I took Roadster test drive and was blown away. It felt like a roller coaster! My stomach dropped with that initial acceleration and I could not stop smiling the whole drive. It's not as if I actually know what this feels like, but it's how I imagined driving an Indy car would be - low to the ground in the cockpit; unimaginably powerful acceleration; tight handling with a great feel for the road. What a beautiful machine!

I didn't mean for Revenge of the Electric Car to pick out my next 3 cars for me, but it oddly seems to be happening that way. Looking back now, as poor an experience I had with the LEAF, it did get me hooked on driving electric. However, I now believe the Tesla premium is well worth - it if it is within your means. I'm trying to talk the girlfriend into a Model X next to pair with the Roadster. She's not sold on this Falcon doors…yet.

I saw my CPO Roadster in person for the first time over the weekend. Reconditioning started today. It cannot be completed soon enough!
 
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