I’m just going to tear this band-aid off - we are now a Tesla household.
Repairs to the husbands 10-yo Nissan Rogue were starting to run us North of $1,000 every other month for yet another “normal” road wear fix, add to that we were looking at tire replacement this winter, he pushed the button.
Back story - last November I took delivery of a Rivian R1T. Our first EV; we had no idea what to expect, but over the year, came to appreciate the architecture and overall fuel cost savings, not to mention the exquisite build and ride quality. It took me about 6 months to get over “range anxiety” and learn how to plan longer distance drives. It made the decision for him to go for an EV easy.
This is also the first time in our 27 years together that it was the first such acquisition that was 100% his decision and effort, I finally got to sit back and just observe. It was… nice to abdicate. Heck; this is the first time I am not listed on a leasing or sales agreement! He’s happy with the choice, and I am happy for him. He has a solid daily-driver to get him back and forth to work, and we're still married.
On that, with the addition of the Tesla, we are now an all-EV household.
I will post more down the road about the overall experience of owning and driving and EV and getting close to carbon neutral.
Onward...
Rade
17 comments:
I certainly understand that how we spend our income is a personal choice, but setting aside your political views and purchasing a product from the man who helped create DOGE seems counter-intuitive. The rationale behind the purchase may have been for all the right reasons, but did Musk really deserve more money from the purchase. It is why I don't shop Amazon, or buy Apple products, or shop at Hoppy Lobby, or eat at Chick-fil-A. Again, my personal choice.
Hey, I'm surprised that a Nissan was wearing out like that. My 24-year-old Xterra is still humming along. (Raps knuckles on head for luck.) And my wife's 14-year-old Versa is, too. (Raps knuckles on head again.)
We do love Nissan's. Test drove an Aryia (recently discontinued) but weren't overly impressed with it (claustrophobic interior). We were sticklers for dealership / OEM repairs; no "Auto Zone" or "Pep Boys"; we wanted things fixed right with the real parts. Maintaining that level of repair is what became costly. We got good mileage for the effort, but... sure, I could DYI, but my expertise on car repairs more or less petered out in the early 1990's. Point, plugs, oil, carb, bulbs... not a problem. Solid state crap...
The Rogue gave us ten good years. Smooth runner, no issues (other than wear and tear). Never died on the roadside or needed to be towed. It was always "I want to get another year or so out of it!". Then (this year) the front bearings went, the AC began leaking, head gasket needed replaced, battery went, various mounting nits. Did the bearings in July and was told the tires had another 6 months on them, which would have been another $1,600. Husband had enough.
You're not a guy I would expect to "remove politics from the equation."
Well... at the end of the day... not my choice. We had the "Tesla? Really?" discussion, and I respect his decision.
Well, at least it's not one of those fugly Tesla trucks, lol.
The Providence Tesla site had row after row of the trucks. They had one in the showroom. He got behind the wheel, I said "Not no, but HELL no!"
Walking around it... the one on display... the one in the showroom... I could see so many things loose or falling off it. Cowling, trim, panels, etc. terrible fit and finish - it was a remarkable piece of crap. You REALLY have to be an idiot to think it is cutting edge engineering.
No EVs for me. Maybe 10 more driving years as I am 81. GMC truck has 274k on it still running great.
My dad's last truck was a little GMC. It had AC, which for him was a luxury! I remember visiting him and we'd go grocery shopping. Neighborhood streets, highways, 45mph. Blew past stop signs and over speed bumps. Made no never mind. Came to realize that he had cataracts, and the only thing he could see on the speedometer was the 45 at the top (it had a circle around it) and the traffic lights.
And I respect all of the above.
Well honey if it makes your husband happy! I'm as stubborn as a mule, I personally can't put any money in Elon musk's pocket, I think I hate him as much as Trump and Bezos.
Oh well. That‘s a line I could not have crossed.
I'm a little bit speechless.
Well, if I were not 27 years along with him... The decision did not come lightly; it was several months of research and test drives. He considers the car as a place holder to get back and forth to work in until Rivian releases their R2S in the next year or so. We did snagged all the EV tax credits before they evaporated, got the car at fire-sale prices (many are still welded to the lot), and even qualified for a State EV rebate. It solved the problem.
I happened upon this interesting exchange this evening and I'd like to point out this observation:
None of us will ever agree on everything, but this is the way to handle those differences of opinions. Good people expressing themselves with civility and decorum. No loud shouting, no name-calling, no vitriol. I think most of us would agree that we've seen enough ugly people screaming ugly words during the last 10 months. This was the opposite of that. This was good reading.
Thank you!
In parking lots and while driving, you are still making a statement. You couldn't have made it louder if it were a bumper sticker or flag.
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