Down payment matters, but it was only ~$6K - not an insane amount (and I'll get it back in state rebate and tax credit). I also got $20K for the trade in. The point being that you don't have to be rolling in it to afford a Tesla.
Also, I'm not leasing.
Haha, I'm with you. I'm hardly in the earnings territory (or cash territory) of some of the members here. That said I'd been saving for two years for a Tesla, ended up putting down significantly less than I had in the "Tesla Fund". I decided I was fine with a 1k/mo payment (had been saving more than that) and once I realized that's what my payments were going to be and I was already saving more than that, figured I may as well be driving the car around
Anyway, now for this weekends' Tesla moments.
1) On Saturday morning stopped by my parents house who had some family friends visiting. They had stayed at the Westin Hotel in Norfolk, VA the day before and saw whole mess of Teslas pull up (the convoy for the Electric road Trip). I offered them a quick ride in mine as they hadn't been yet. We load up and I back out of my parents driveway and stop the car. I asked the woman (sitting in passenger seat) and her husband if they were "ready". She says, "uh, yeah" and I punch it. You should have seen here holding on for dear life (I "only" have a 60D, mind you). We were rapidly approaching a sharp turn in the road and she was like "we're running out of road!". I slowed down and she was just laughing and laughing, big 'ole grin on both their faces, they then chattered about it when we came back into the house and my parents had knowing smiles on their faces.
2) Also Saturday, met up with some of the crew from here and other local fans for drinks/dinner at the hotel near where Tesla was doing their electric field trip event, had a great time! Also found a new restaurant to try out, the owners were there and sounds like they really know food.
3) Sunday, preparing to leave my sisters house in Williamsburg, their neighbors come over as I was loading up and started asking all sorts of questions. Apparently the husband had been following tesla for a year or so and looking into them. Great knowledge spreading opportunity.
4) Later Sunday, on the road trip up from Williamsburg to Philadelphia. Starting in one of the tunnels at baltimore (not the 95N one). I noticed a car shoot by me in the right lane, and then suddenly start rapidly dropping back. It was two younger kids in (I think) a Scion from Jersey. The kid in the driver seat was no *sugar* holding a hardcore camera (probably DSLR) and totally doing a photoshoot of "Thor".
I was in autopilot and we were in a tunnel so I didn't try to speed match with them, but I did open the sunroof and give them two thumbs up (look ma' no hands!). They stayed with me for the next several miles, was almost hoping they'd follow me when I pulled into Newark so I could get their email address. I bet some of those pictures will come out bad-ass, so if any of you are in jersey and have your friends (or friends kids') tell you about a blue facelifted Model S they saw Sunday, get those pictures and I'll get you a beer!
And here's the odometer as of halfway through Maryland. I picked him up August 11th. That's almost 2k miles in 2.5 weeks!
