We Bought our 2021 Tesla Four Years Ago

 

Tesla 4 Years Old - 26000 Miles

September 17th - 2021 - Our New Tesla in Jacksonville FL

I would like to tell you I learned a lot of new things about electric cars in the last 4 years - but all that changes stays the same. 

I have owned 84 cars - trucks - buses - campers - cycles. This red one has simply been the best. We keep it in our garage and plug it into a 220 outlet - just like the one you use with a clothes dryer. I installed it myself. 

The car can hold a charge of 350 miles if you fill it to 100%. I seldom fill it to the top - unless we are going on a long trip. We have put 26000 miles on it in those four years  - about 6500 miles a year. 

We bought it online. You select the options you want on the page - and pay a $1000 down payment with your credit card. They give you plenty of warnings when it will arrive at the dealership. We were visiting Keith in Paris when we got notification and had to delay our pickup a few weeks. Finally the day arrives - after 40 years wishing for an electric car - we had a dandy. 

Our car cost $56000 with tax. There were no rebates. We waited in line 4 months to get it. When we picked it up - we made a bank transfer from Wells Fargo to Tesla. We did not even go in the building - you see the car in the spot where it waited for us. We could have gotten it cheaper - $13000 was for the bigger engine and battery. That package included two motors and AWD. There was no haggling - take it or leave it. Today the cars cost less and you have the pick off the litter.

After about two years - a message appeared on our dash - your accessory battery is failing. Two days later - Tesla came to our home and put a new battery in for free. The only other things I have done - I put air in the tires - I filled the windshield washer fluid - I washed it religiously. I replace a cabin air filter myself. Although there is now a dealer in Tallahassee - I have yet to visit it. 

PERFORMANCE

It is simply the best car I have ever had. It has 500 horsepower and all wheel drive. It can go 0 to 60 in 4 seconds. It can top 140 MPH. But the best part is that it does it silently. No roar - no vibration. It has giant disk brakes - that are hardly ever needed. When you leave off the "gas pedal" it stops from the torque of the regenerative brakes - making more free power. Your tires last longer and brakes last forever. It has the best Michelin tires on it and they still look new. 

FAVORITE FEATURES

I love the electric air conditioning. It runs off the giant traction battery. You can turn the AC on whenever you want - whether you are driving or sitting waiting for your wife to shop. You can even turn it on to heat or cool your car in the morning from the breakfast table on your iphone. My dream is to have a camper with this battery and heat pump air conditioner in it. It would be great when sleeping in the hot Florida summer nights. 

I love the quiet of the car. No loud exhaust - no spinning tires - no revving fan - just a giant controlled wave of power pushing and pulling you ahead. The kick in the pants you get is similar to the feel the astronauts got in a Saturn 5 Rocket - relentless acceleration. 

POLITICS OF THE CAR

I hate the politics of Trump and Musk. First they are enemies - then friends - then they hate each other - then they are shoveling cash into each other's pockets. It has affected electric car rebates - production - resales - prices. The car I paid $56000 cash now is only worth $30000. No amount of savings on the cost of electric versus gasoline can make up $26000. 

COST OF OPERATION

When plugging in your car at home - you pay about 3 cents a mile. If you charge at a Tesla charger on the road - it cost 9 to 12 cents a miles. they charge your car in minutes. That is still less than gasoline costs. 

More and more of our electric power is generated by solar - wind - hydropower - etc. But we still make most of our electric power by natural gas - oil - and coal. So pollution is still being made somewhere - not at the car exhaust pipe - but at some power plant's smokestack. 

It is so much nicer just plugging the Tesla into the outlet in your garage. In the morning you have a full charge. Good for 350 miles. No smelly gasoline hands - no oil changes - many many less moving parts. 

WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN?

I probably have no choice. This car is like new with just 26000 miles on it. It has depreciated so much - I must just use it more to get my moneysworth. Since I have a habit of buying and selling so many cars - it is hard sitting on my hands. I highly recommend an electric car to everyone. They are getting better and better - and cheaper and cheaper. 

My friend Paul - Keith's father in law - bought on our advice. He bought a blue one with standard battery and standard engine. It saved him a bundle up front. He still has all the nice features and the power of a Corvette. 

My dream vehicle is a small camper van with electric motor and giant battery. It would have a bed - bathroom - and a heat pump that would heat and cool me while I sleep thru a hot summer night - without having to plug into an outlet. But until then we will stick with our red Tesla and Chevy Roadtrek camper van. 

If I were buying another electric car - it would probably be a Tesla because of the extensive charging system they have all over the world. It is so elegant - just plug and unplug - they bill your account. We never ran into a situation where we didn't have at least 100 miles left in the tank. No range anxiety at all in 4 years.