Would you trade up for a longer commute?

[smp22]

Hi All. I've lived in the city all my life and my career is here. But I've always wanted to live in the country and lately I'm getting really tired of the city. The long commutes have always been the detractor. Right now, the price delta between a house in the city and one in the country is huge here - I could essentially trade my house in the city for a house in the country and a Model S. I've been thinking about this for a while.

I wanted to get owners thoughts on this. I dislike commuting. However, even living in the city my commute is realistically 30 to 40 minutes a day. I'm thinking about bumping it up to an hour to hour and a half. This hinges on being able to convince my boss that I can do 5 days of work in 4 long days - which I'm optimistic about.

I figure if I'm going to be spending 3, sometimes 4 hours in the car a day (traffic) I want to be in the nicest and safest car I can be in. Also: autopilot.

Am I overestimating how much grief autopilot will save me for long daily highway commutes?

The picture I have in my mind is inhaling audio-books 4 days a week while I'm in the car, working long days and getting three days of bliss at home with the family every weekend. I get a lot of vacation time and being further north also puts me closer to our favourite recreational areas.

Am I crazy?
I would essentially be trading a tiny house in the city and subway commutes for a large, luxurious house in the country, a Model S and a really long commute.

It kind of doesn't seem crazy to me, but then why isn't everyone doing it?

 

[calisnow]

...
Am I overestimating how much grief autopilot will save me for long daily highway commutes?...
Am I crazy?...why isn't everyone doing it?

No you are not crazy - Autopilot has changed my life and helped me fall in love with Southern California again (we have notoriously long commutes and horrible traffic). You are also not overestimating how much easier Autopilot makes commuting - it saves your sanity and your energy. Personally I find long drives with Autopilot on to be very enjoyable - watching the world go by, listening to audiobooks or just contemplating life.

And to answer your last question - people are doing it. I think the rise of autopilot systems is going to drive even more suburban growth because more and more people will be contemplating making the same move you are.

My best advice to you is to do this: Rent a house on Airbnb AND rent a Tesla on Turo for a week or two - test out your plan and see how enjoyable it is to you.

 

[Tam]

...The long commutes...

Long commutes would drive me nuts but people have been doing that with their ICE and without Autopilot for years.

The thing is they don't have a choice because it's cheaper for them to live outside of a metropolitan and do long commutes to make a living.

On the hand, you do have a choice because you can afford to live in a metropolitan and you wonder what if you are put in a situation as others that is what if you have no other choice but long commutes.

Autopilot can only help to some extent but not completely. Autopilot might not work too well in inclement weather. Long commutes is still long commutes!

Thus, I agree that @calisnow's idea of trying out a long commute routine for a few weeks is a great idea!

 

[smp22]

Thanks for the replies - the "give a try" idea is a good one.
I was hoping to hear back from owners that have done something similar.
I've never invested a lot of money into a car - right now I drive an old 3 series and have never purchased new. Living in the city it didn't make sense. But I'm tired of the city and we've been "commuting" 1.5 hours to our sailboat almost every weekend this summer. The properties I'm looking at make that a 20 minute drive.

Also, edit original post - 30 to 40 minutes one way is my commute now, not daily. Daily is double so 1 to 1.5 hours. I would be doubling that figure if I moved up north.

 

[suraj1194]

I already did this. Compared to a regular ICE, autopilot works wonders. I get to work far less stressed, both mentally and physically. And my commute is longer than yours.

 

[smp22]

And my commute is longer than yours.

How long is your commute?

 

[suraj1194]

Almost 200mi roundtrip

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

I don't know what the statistics or odds are, but it seems like every few more miles added to your commute also increases the probability of accidents, weather delays, and greater depreciation to the car.

I used to commute 90 to 120 minutes daily. Never again. Now I have clients all over the place, but I may only see them once or twice a month.

I underside the charm of the country, but it might be best to do the trial thing out, but for at least a month, and in Winter.

Good luck, and based on your current commute, a Tesla still makes sense.

 

[demundus]

Almost 200mi roundtrip

I do about 80 round trip and I'm at my limits in terms of sanity. I love to drive, but is it worth the 2-3 hours of you life EVERY DAY? May not seem like much when you talk about it, but wait till you live it...

 

[Wknapp0924]

I did 140 round trip for two years. I gained 30lbs and I only worked and watched tv. That was with being in a ride share. It's a tough life for sure, but I only did it with the Tesla for the final two months and it was awesome! I actually cancelled my ride share because I preferred driving myself.

 

[JonW]

I've been commuting 120-130 miles roundtrip for over 10 years. It sucks about 2-2.5 hours out of my weekday. As a result, this last year I've been working from home 1-2 days a week to have a break from it ... until July 22, the day I took delivery of my Model S. Now, I rather enjoy the commute (I haven't wanted a break from the commute since) and, what's more, my wife says I come home much less stressed. Having had this commute for so long, I can't imagine what a short commute would be like. Since my Model S, I can't imagine doing it in a non-Autopilot car ever again. There are lots of reasons I'd prefer a shorter commute, but it's gotten a lot easier to live with since July 22.

 

[suraj1194]

I do about 80 round trip and I'm at my limits in terms of sanity. I love to drive, but is it worth the 2-3 hours of you life EVERY DAY? May not seem like much when you talk about it, but wait till you live it...

I already do. I don't do it everyday. Just every other day. And I don't do it at a continuous stretch since I stop by multiple offices en route. Works out ok so far. It's temporary, not something I intend to do for several years.

 

[RogerHScott]

I've never invested a lot of money into a car

If you read these boards you'll see the refrain over and over that Tesla owners spent 2x or 3x as much on their Tesla as on any
previous car (true for me, for example). Fundamental fact: it's not "just your next car" or "just another car".
As for your original question, I can't directly address it since I don't have a commute, but extrapolating from other experience
it seems totally possible that a Tesla could transform a commuting experience. The one thing it can't do, however, is get you back
those hours of your life.

 

[Apricot]

I sure wouldn't make that trade. I've got about a 2 hr commute (but not every day), and it was soul-sucking before my recent move to Tesla Autopilot Blissland. But 3-4 hours is a lot of life hours in the car... I personally wouldn't do that. I'd hang in there until I could do several days from home or completely change job situations...

 

[Tam]

..I've never invested a lot of money into a car...

It's off-topic but that's the same way with me prior to Tesla.

My most expensive one was 2006 Prius which was 3 times cheaper than my current 2012 Tesla.

Prior to Prius, I had 1998 and 1987 Ford Escorts base models with AM radio, manual transmission and without air conditioning.

I couldn't care as long as I could get to a destination but Tesla changed me so I saved up and got my current Model S and I have been very happy with it for the past 4 years!

It's been a work horse that's been hauling heavy loads and taking me around with its longest trip that was 500 miles one way (San Diego to Sacramento, CA.)

Make sure you order better sound system if you plan to spend a lot of time in your car.

 

[smp22]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Really appreciate the personal insights, just what I was looking for. I have my concerns, but the only way I'm going to go forward with a plan like this is if I can get my work week down to 4 days. I have 5 weeks off work and we get christmas, that's 6 weeks. With a 4 day work week the math boils down to 186 days at work out of 365 days a year. That's about half.

I am an avid reader. Right now the only time out of my day I can dedicate to reading is the time I spend on public transit. I wish I could read more, but how?!!!
(audio books in the Tesla!!!)

 

[smp22]

FWIW. The distances I'm considering are 60 miles to tops, TOPS, 90 miles. So thank you for posting distances.
I'de like to keep it down by the lower end of the spectrum.

 

[sandpiper]

Am I crazy?
I would essentially be trading a tiny house in the city and subway commutes for a large, luxurious house in the country, a Model S and a really long commute.

It kind of doesn't seem crazy to me, but then why isn't everyone doing it?

Another option might be to move to a job out of the city. I know that's might be easier said than done. As cities go, Toronto is better than most, but I wouldn't live there at the point of a gun - for all of the very valid reasons that you point out. To each their own of course.

And yes... that sort of a commute seems a little crazy to be honest. That's a lot of butt-time in a car every day - even a nice one.

 

[MDMGSO47]

The picture I have in my mind is inhaling audio-books 4 days a week while I'm in the car, working long days and getting three days of bliss at home with the family every weekend. I get a lot of vacation time and being further north also puts me closer to our favourite recreational areas.

Am I crazy?
I would essentially be trading a tiny house in the city and subway commutes for a large, luxurious house in the country, a Model S and a really long commute.

Not Crazy! I opted for the big house in the country near a recreation area (on the golf course at the country club), audio books (Audible is awesome), and the Tesla with AP. The only difference is in the length of the commute. My daily commute is 30 minutes (15 minutes each way) either to my downtown office or to the airport.

 

[WannabeOwner]

I think one of the best bits of AP is bumper-to-bumper traffic. Its hard to make objective comparison between Before and After Tesla ... but I think all that edging forwards, stopping, edging some more ... was very tiring. Tesla will just follow the car in front in such situations and you can tune out a lot more than, say, driving at 70 MPH. You do still have to be alert, of course:

Car in front edges right over to the side to get a view past the vehicle in front, Tesla will see a gap ahead and go for it!!

Car in front will get to the front of the queue and then pull out - and you will immediately accelerate and follow.

Car in front will change lanes to avoid a broken down car, and you will accelerate into that stopped vehicle

Those are the only three edge cases I know if, and it is important to be aware of them (and any others?) before getting comfortable with it, but for the rest having the car do all the edge-forwards and steer-a-bit is so much less tiring.

I think you are talking of 60 miles distance in 1.5 - 2 hours, so I presume you will have some bumper-to-bumper in that.

I recommend living to the East (or South) of your work - so you are not driving into the sun Morning / Evening in Spring / Autumn.