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Approximate General Production Model S Canadian Timeline

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Hi everyone,

I am production # 352 in Canada. I wish I were closer to the front of the line but unfortunately I did not discover this vehicle until fairly recently. I desperately need a car but am trying to hold out for the Model S.

Problem #1: I having been taking the TTC (public transit) to work every day to save money towards a large down payment at the time of receipt. My wife is driving the only car we have right now and I take two hours each way to get to work. This has been the case for more than six months already. (For anyone who is wondering, we make a good living and have run the numbers several times; the Model S is well within the budget. Let's concentrate on the timeline issue, please.) Many nights I teach and must wait until 11PM for the wife to be done playing hockey. (I am done teaching at 10PM.) I can see you're playing a tiny violin, but it's tiresome to wait for a ride nonetheless.

Problem #2: We purchased our current car in 2009 and have 140,000km on it now. The longer we wait to get the Model S, the more money we waste on fuel and the more we pollute.

Problem #3: After committing to the Model S my wife and I have not spent a dime. We have paid every loan we had back in their entirety (the car above is paid off now, too) and saved our six months' expenses in case of emergency. (Our mortgage is the only loan we have left and we've now paid more than 50% of it off; much of it in the last few months.) I work up to three jobs on any given day and we've cancelled our cable internet, Netflix, magazine subscriptions, etc. We have only our heat, hydro, water, car insurance and mortgage to pay every month. If I don't reward myself somehow I am going to lose my mind. The fact that the Model S is potentially still another year away is driving me nuts.

Question:

How far off do you kindly people think I am? Is it worth waiting or should I lower my expectations and buy something other than an S... I don't know how much more waiting I can take.

Opinions are most welcome but let's keep it civil. :)
 
How far is your commute to work? I'd consider getting a bike or maybe a scooter. Scooters get 100 MPG and put out less pollution than your car will. Plus, they're incredibly inexpensive.

Other than that, it sounds like you may be over-saving. Turn back on that Netflix and enjoy some movies, or go out and enjoy some entertainment once a week. Those kinds of things can certainly be within a budget that still includes building up a savings account. You've got the safety net in place (most folks don't have their finances together like you do) and aren't on the verge of something really bad happening. I'd say enjoy the luxury, rather than over-working yourself.
 
How far is your commute to work? I'd consider getting a bike or maybe a scooter. Scooters get 100 MPG and put out less pollution than your car will. Plus, they're incredibly inexpensive.

The Mythbusters put paid to that. Motorcycles etc. do use less fuel and therefore produce less CO2, but are much worse than cars for all other types of pollutants.
 
The Mythbusters put paid to that. Motorcycles etc. do use less fuel and therefore produce less CO2, but are much worse than cars for all other types of pollutants.

Except for electric motorcycles, which I highly recommend (Zero is a great company, balancing affordability with performance, it's what I drive and they've treated me well). The only problem is winter driving, but I only work seasonally outside the home so it's perfect for me.

As for saving up, I think it's wise. Paying money to watch dumb TV shows is a waste in my opinion (library card is cheaper), and the less debt and monthly payments one has the easier it is to make more money and have less financial stress. There is plenty of free entertainment and enjoyable experiences (sorry, /sermon) :)

Obviously I think that waiting for a Tesla is worth it, otherwise I wouldn't have kept my Signature reservation.
 
It might be safer for people reserving now to look at what dates the new Americans are getting, though. They are definitely going to do the early Cdn P's in "early" 2013 because some of them have had reservations for years, but it wouldn't make sense for new Canadians to be "skipping the North American queue". So from what I gather that means about 6 months out.