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Start the clock on my MS

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Half Dollar Bill

Traveller, teacher, poet, accountant, innkeeper
Oct 19, 2013
1,970
3,697
Freeport Maine
Start the clock on my MS and our continued adventures

Just received the email from my delivery specialist this weekend that the car will soon enter production and delivery is on track for early December. S85, Green, grey, black, pano, tech, air. Ordered & confirmed 10/1. VIN 10/22.

We’re losing a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We’ve been loyal Jeep customers for 20 years and I’ve considered continuing to fix up our current ride but I’ve reached the point where it just seems impractical. Our first inclination was to look for a Jeep replacement but we were disappointed that we’d only be trading up from 15mpg to 25mpg. Really wanted to get something that got much better mileage, so that led to a search of hybrids and a disappointment that there wasn’t anything spectacular out there.

So it was about that time that I had a fleeting thought about Tesla. Fleeting because 100K for a car seems like a luxury purchase. So I went back to looking for a more practical car but in the back of my head I was working the math. I primarily use the car for everyday commuting, 40 miles each day round trip, and infrequent longer trips to friends and family – within the range of the 85kWh battery, though. With those constraints, I really don’t need an SUV and eliminating a weekly gas purchase became more reasonable.

So I found the forums and started to read up. One of the first things that kept pushing me forward was the car’s simplicity compared to ICE vehicles, eliminating or reducing the maintenance issues that happen as vehicles age. Then came the test drive and the realization that the MS is just soooo much fun to drive. I’ve rationalized that the car is still a luxury purchase, but it’s practical instead of extravagant.

Financing kind of took care of itself because we’ve lived frugally. My 25[SUP]th[/SUP] anniversary present from my employer was a push lawn mower. Not that I’m ungrateful – our old mower died just as the new one was being delivered, but I decided I deserved something a little better so I’m going to sell off some stock and tell everyone at work that the car was my anniversary present from our aunt Sally.

[FONT=&amp]I know these will probably be the longest six weeks of my life. The payback is that I’m looking forward to what I hope is the best car I’ve ever owned.[/FONT]
 
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Welcome and congrats! Amazing how similar our stories are! I too ordered on 10/1 but finalized the following day. I received my VIN on 10/22 as well. I can relate on the financing story in a way. We live frugally like you but a purchase like this is frowned upon in the extended family as an unwise investment. I am lying and saying we sold stock to buy. Life is too short and I'd like to lie a little now. Looking forward to posting my pics around the same time as you. :smile:
 
Congrats.. I am teetering on the *almost* ready to buy ledge myself. A big thing for me is living in the now and we've worked hard and saved well to this point and this by no means changes our retirement plans... The thing for me is, what if I don't get to enjoy retirement years for whatever reason. I should really make sure I am enjoying the years before as well and that is what is leading me down this path... Can't wait to see that grin on your face and the pics.. Good for both of you...
 
I am teetering on the *almost* ready to buy ledge myself.

Oh boy RainmakerJL. If you are "teetering" then you are in the wrong place my friend. But we love having you here!

It's a slippery slope you know...First, you just lurk on the forums. Next, you find yourself ignoring your loved ones in order to check out the latest posts and delivery photos. By the time your family has taken notice of your absences you've already gone ahead and created a forum ID. At that point there is no turning back and YOU are hardcore - building different models online, imagining how your routine drives would feel in a MS and scheduling test drives. Before you know you are scheduling delivery and are suffering from the permanent Tesla Grin[SUP]TM[/SUP]. I've seen it happen ~27,000 times. It's too late for us not long before the rest of the world succumbs. All we can do now to console our obsession is mash the pedal to the floor and breathe cleaner air. Poor us.
 
Congrats and welcome! The wait is indeed rough, but it's definitely worth it in the end. There are plenty of people here coming from a history of non-luxury non-sports cars, myself included. Practical luxury -- I like that. On another recent thread I saw it called a balance between "mid-life crisis" and "practical family car." I joke with people that it's my mid-life crisis car, but I'm not in any sort of crisis. :) I *am* about the right age for a mid-life crisis though...
 
Congrats on the purchase. I too had to rationalize the cost for what is basically a really nice Accord, but the test drive showed me how wrong I was. I had been considering a A7 since I love the styling on that car too and figured a 4 door was my next purchase after a lifetime of coupes, convertibles and trucks, but like you I looked at the long term maintenance on a ICE (especially a german one!) vs the Tesla and decided to join the club.
 
I have to say that I'm a little disappointed I didn't get an up-sell pitch from Tex. Maybe he's saving it for next purchase :smile:

I'm a little jealous Staze that you'll be getting yours first, but the west coast has its benefits. Blue probably would have been my second or third choice. I did like your reply to RainmakerJL, except that you left off that you begin to second guess your color choice every time you pass an MS in the wild.

And to RainmakerJL, the only thing I'd feel guilty about is that you didn't place an order in time to make it into production to claim the tax credit on your 2013 return. If you've made it this far, though, you're probably going to be hitting the "order" button soon.
 
Five days until I bring Evey home. Yup, I named her already, after a movie character. The Mrs thinks we can do better so we’ll see, but I’m happy for now.

We had company over the holiday and with it an opportunity to connect some dots. My brother parked his Chevy Traverse in our garage and it barely fit, less than 12 inches to spare. Made me think about the Tesla and I looked at the spec sheet to compare; mercifully it’s about 7 inches shorter than the Chevy, but still longer than our current vehicles. I might have to juggle the garage config a bit but I’ll worry about that once we get her home.



Made the final payment before the holiday so I just need to complete the registration paperwork with the state and county. I have to say that parting with the final sum wasn’t as traumatic as I anticipated; only the biggest check I’ve ever written. :smile: It was nice having the stock to sell but since it wasn’t something that was part of my everyday life I’m sure I’ll enjoy the car much much more.



I am wondering if I’m going to be a lucky beneficiary of the timing of the folding mirror switchover in the tech package. They weren’t an option when I locked in and I didn’t upgrade after they were announced but there’s been at least one post with a similar circumstance that got the upgrade without paying for it, so fingers crossed. I’m OK if it doesn’t happen too.
 
Picked up my girl today! Absolutely wonderful choice of weather in the metro DC area today: snow mixing with sleet and freezing rain. I was scheduled for late in the day but there were cancellations in front of me so the DS gave me the option to come early which I gladly accepted.

The customer in front of me asked what color I was getting and when I said green he said he saw it in the garage and liked it. Then the DS comes to get me for my orientation and my first reaction – ear to ear grin.

We go through the orientation and get to the internet where he pulls up the Tesla site. I log in and accept delivery right in the car! Couldn’t have been more perfect! The entire process was very smooth and the DS was great. He gets done mounting the front license bracket and I’m ready to go, eager to get on the road and get home.

Ten miles down the road I happen to glance at the console; my attention was focused on the road with the weather. There’s a warning about the tire sensors and needing to contact Tesla for service. I pull over and call the SC back and they indicate that I should return to have it checked. I get turned around and make it back without issue. I explain the warning, which had now mysteriously disappeared from the console and their initial reaction was that a tire was just low, so I go to the waiting area while they check it out. A few minutes later a tech comes in and indicates that a sensor was bad and needed to be replaced, which would take about 30 minutes. I’m happy to have them do it and as an unintended bonus get to watch the thrilling end of the Ravens Vikings game.

When the work is complete the DS comes back very apologetic and indicates that he’s put a tire repair kit in the back as an offset for my troubles. Me, I’m just happy that they were still around to fix the issue. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I did get the tech package upgrade with the folding mirrors without requesting them! It was a really great SC experience and I can’t speak highly enough of my DS Xander.

So the second trip home is just as uneventful as the first could have been. Car handled fine on the wet and slushy roads and I felt completely at ease. After setting up the Homelink and wifi and fiddling with the media options for a while, I’d had enough and was ready to call it a night. Decided to write up this post as a final task of the day and for giggles I checked the Tesla app on my phone and it was active. I have the car set to start charging at midnight so I’m sure that’ll be the first thing I check in the morning.

I would have loved to take pictures but the slush build-up wasn’t something I want to remember so those will come later. I must have said it at least a dozen times during the day; I am going to have so much fun with this car. Congrats to all owners that came before me and absolutely zero regrets for those that follow.