Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stickguy

we have a photo frame for that. It is a school bus, with cut outs for every year k-12 that fit the little wallet size picture (that we always have many spares of!). looking at the progression (especially since he is all growed up now!) is shocking. And frankly, makes me feel old!

robr2

As for speeches, one if the co-valedictorians (GPA were the same out 8 places) had a great message and I paraphrase:

I am off to one of the most prestigious colleges and some of you are off to work. Take advantage of what is offered you. If I do nothing with my chance at that college and one of you takes advantage of what is offered you, then you have done better than me.

driver100

robr2 said:

As for speeches, one if the co-valedictorians (GPA were the same out 8 places) had a great message and I paraphrase:

I am off to one of the most prestigious colleges and some of you are off to work. Take advantage of what is offered you. If I do nothing with my chance at that college and one of you takes advantage of what is offered you, then you have done better than me.

robr2 said:

As for speeches, one if the co-valedictorians (GPA were the same out 8 places) had a great message and I paraphrase:

I am off to one of the most prestigious colleges and some of you are off to work. Take advantage of what is offered you. If I do nothing with my chance at that college and one of you takes advantage of what is offered you, then you have done better than me.

Not often I would quote Joe Biden but I thought this line was a good one, speaking about his son Beau:
Success is when your children turn out better than you

Congratulations rob

roadburner

robr2 said:

Today was a bittersweet day - my son graduated from high school.

I know how you feel- time passes all too fast. I really hated to see my son leave for college. Make no mistake, I wanted him to leave the nest and succeed on his own, but I felt that a part of me left with him.

imidazol97

roadburner said:

robr2 said:

Today was a bittersweet day - my son graduated from high school.

I really hated to see my son leave for college. Make no mistake, I wanted him to leave the nest and succeed on his own, but I felt that a part of me left with him.

When my son left, I decided it was my job to make him independent just as the OSU orientation speakers said. I didn't suggest he come home to visit for either 6 or 8 weeks to make it easier for his new home in Lincoln Tower (next to Ohio Stadium in the TV shots) to become his home. I believe it was 6 or 8 weeks before we stopped by to take him out to eat with us. He adapted better than his mother did.

roadburner

My son sometimes comes home for fall break, but otherwise he only comes home during the school year for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break.

stever

Need advice buying car

driver100

stever said:

Need advice buying car

I think Mr S covered all the bases.

The only thing I wonder about are the odds of a new car dealer giving a warranty for a 10 year old car with 100k on it. It would be nice if you could find one, but, I don't know if you can get a warranty for that vintage of car/miles combo.

Also, a 10 year old car with that many miles is going to be a rarity for a new car dealer to even be selling....just a guess - since I haven't looked for one of those for a very long time.

verdugo

abacomike said:

Just got home from the hospital a second time.  They called me because Dad was causing such an uproar they couldn't control him.  The doctor ordered sedatives which seemed to calm him enough so I coul go home and get some rest.

It seems his heart goes in and out of atrial fibrillation which could cause blood clots.  They have to wait to make sure he can handle Coumadin which thins his blood so clots can't form.  His nosebleeds have been controlled but could restart if he goes on blood thinners.  Sort of a "catch 22"!

They also started him on beta blockers to reduce the a-fibs.  Not a pleasant situation right now.  Spent 11 hours at the hospital today.  When I am there he is more lucid and cooperative but when I leave he pulls his IV's out and tries to get out of bed.

I hope I can get him home soon so he settles back to a more calm state.  If he remains agitated, I may have to put him in a rehab for a week or so.  I am at a loss right now.

My nephew has been in contact with Dad's cardiologist.  My nephew is an intervention cardiologist.  He said my Dad's treatment is consistent with his symptomology.  So that was a relief.

Thanks all for you good wishes and prayers.  I will know fairly soon what the next step is.

You're a very good person and have infinite amounts of patience. It's obvious you're a ver good son, but I can also see how you were an excellent school adminstrator/principal/teacher.

verdugo

Interesting read. "Costco’s warehouse clubs have become big sellers of cars"

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-04/costco-moves-the-metal

What was interesting to me is that Costco doesn't make money off the car sales. They see it as a member recruiting and retention tool.

isellhondas

Oh, they make money!

The charge stores a yearly fee to be the "Costco Store" in the area. The store where I worked was the Costco Store for the area for Honda. A lot of stores don't want anything to do with them because they want to dictate all of the terms and they expect cars to be nearly given away.

Sometimes Costco shoppers hear the price and say "That sounds good, write it up" but often they simply take that number and shop it to death and the Costco Store ends updoing all of the work, test drives etc only to lose the sale for a few lousy bucks.

I would let customers out by saying..." Now, that is the Costco price. That is the MOST I can charge you according to our agreement with Costco. If you hear anything less, let me know because Costco doesn't care if we sell you this car for LESS"

That would drive a price shopper nuts and a lot of times, they would return and buy from us.

verdugo

isellhondas said:

Oh, they make money!

The charge stores a yearly fee to be the "Costco Store" in the area. The store where I worked was the Costco Store for the area for Honda. A lot of stores don't want anything to do with them because they want to dictate all of the terms and they expect cars to be nearly given away.

Sometimes Costco shoppers hear the price and say "That sounds good, write it up" but often they simply take that number and shop it to death and the Costco Store ends updoing all of the work, test drives etc only to lose the sale for a few lousy bucks.

I would let customers out by saying..." Now, that is the Costco price. That is the MOST I can charge you according to our agreement with Costco. If you hear anything less, let me know because Costco doesn't care if we sell you this car for LESS"

That would drive a price shopper nuts and a lot of times, they would return and buy from us.

Thank you for the perspective from the other side.

abacomike

Well, they are moving Dad to ICU and are planning to put a pacemaker in him.  His heart monitors are showing more atrial fibrillation sand his heart rate has dropped into the 30's several times in the last hour. Will update everyone when I know more.

robr2

Today I was stuck in traffic due to an accident. When I got up to it, there was a Camry cab that had been rear ended by a 911 on a 40 (more like 60) mph road.

nyccarguy

@verdugo - It turns out 2 of the 3 Subaru dealers (1 in NY, 1 in CT) I was working with were the "costco dealer." You can see which dealer is the area costco dealer on costco's website. As I was in the final stages of negotiations I mentioned that I was a costco member, so what does that do to the price. The 2 costco dealers told me that it gave me another $100 off. The dealer I ended up buying from (the one I test drove at) wasn't a costco dealer, but was a AAA dealer. Mentioning I was a AAA member got me an extra $300 off his price. That last $300 wound up being the difference that gave the dealer I bought from a $100 edge.

The dealer by me in Stamford quoted me the cheapest selling price, but his $379 Conveyance Fee ended up making his price $100 too high.

driver100

Our nephew got a new Honda Civic about 2 months ago. He is very gas and green conscience so he bought a manual, and didn't want air conditioning, but that's the way it came so he did get a/c.

It got totalled, he was slowing down to turn left and a lady behind him ran into him. His car was a write-off The lady said she sneazed and didn't have time to stop. I would bet she was on a cell phone.

He had one week to find a replacement and he got a Toyota Tacoma truck. He is a University graduate and works on experimenting with plants...tomatoes, apples etc....works for the government. He does gardening and landscaping and he makes bird houses, so the truck is really better for him, even though it will use more fuel. But, he says since he can make money using it the truck will cost less. I was glad because that is the opposite of "false economizing" It is using money wisely.

In fact, it is the driver method for spending wisely, don't just look at the initial cost....look at the cost over 5 or 6 years. Now the truck will actually allow him to make even more money.

driver100

abacomike said:

Well, they are moving Dad to ICU and are planning to put a pacemaker in him.  His heart monitors are showing more atrial fibrillation sand his heart rate has dropped into the 30's several times in the last hour. Will update everyone when I know more.

Wow, that is a big step considering your fathers age! Best of luck, hope it all goes well. Those pacemakers are incredible, they can make a huge difference. I know a 90 year old who has one and she is as active as can be, for a 90 year old!

bwia

nyccarguy said:

@verdugo - It turns out 2 of the 3 Subaru dealers (1 in NY, 1 in CT) I was working with were the "costco dealer." You can see which dealer is the area costco dealer on costco's website. As I was in the final stages of negotiations I mentioned that I was a costco member, so what does that do to the price. The 2 costco dealers told me that it gave me another $100 off. The dealer I ended up buying from (the one I test drove at) wasn't a costco dealer, but was a AAA dealer. Mentioning I was a AAA member got me an extra $300 off his price. That last $300 wound up being the difference that gave the dealer I bought from a $100 edge.

The dealer by me in Stamford quoted me the cheapest selling price, but his $379 Conveyance Fee ended up making his price $100 too high.

I tried the Costco buying program but it is not competitive especially on new models. A buyer can do much better on his own, and besides, their participating dealers tend to be second and third tier dealerships catering to bottom feeders.

Consumer Reports has a similar buying program but it too is not competitive. I have not tried the Edmunds program so I am not sure how it measures up.

nyccarguy

@robr2 - Congratulations to your son on his high school graduation! You mst be beaming with pride. I knw what all of you are saying about time flying & my oldest isn't even 9 yet.

sda

nyccarguy said:

@robr2 - Congratulations to your son on his high school graduation! You mst be beaming with pride. I knw what all of you are saying about time flying & my oldest isn't even 9 yet.

So true! In May I turned 56 and am blessed to have a 13 yr old daughter. She is a pleasure, pain, and daddy's girl. Her standard statement is dad are you looking at cars, again? Really? I will be at the age of retirement when she enters college. She will probably hit me for a wedding soon there after! I will gladly provide---but don't rush things!

fezo

Well, the report is my daughter is fine. Good as new. The guy with he cheaper body work is supposed to be giving me a price for the repair tomorrow. It it's under $5K he's got a deal. I'll rent for the couple of weeks i will take to fix. Y\The end is in sight. Tomorrow I try my Tesla. If i come home in one shoot me. Two years I tell ya.. The 5 will hold until then.

stickguy

wait, I missed something. It is a total, right? so are you taking the lower check + the car, and fixing it yourself?

Seems like a much smarter idea is to just buy a well maintained Volvo. But what do I know?

stickguy

oh, great news on your daughter. They made plenty of Camry's, but just one of her.

driver100

stickguy said:

wait, I missed something. It is a total, right? so are you taking the lower check + the car, and fixing it yourself?

Seems like a much smarter idea is to just buy a well maintained Volvo. But what do I know?

Yeh fezo, excellent news about your daughter. The last I heard the car was a write off but I think you wanted to see if you could get it back.

My nephews 2 month old Civic (10000 miles on it) was rear ended and the car was a write-off. Apparently, not too much damage to the outside. I am guessing that because of the platform body and the tolerances needed, like within millimeters, it couldn't be put back together. Are you sure the car will be road worthy once repaired?

stickguy

just MHO, and I know it ran well, but dumping 5K into a 200,000 mile Camry, that will have a salvage title along with being compromised from that hard a shunt, on top of buying back the car, seems like a lot. Better hope it runs great for years to come, since it will have a street value after that of what, 1K?

isellhondas

bwia said:

nyccarguy said:

@verdugo - It turns out 2 of the 3 Subaru dealers (1 in NY, 1 in CT) I was working with were the "costco dealer." You can see which dealer is the area costco dealer on costco's website. As I was in the final stages of negotiations I mentioned that I was a costco member, so what does that do to the price. The 2 costco dealers told me that it gave me another $100 off. The dealer I ended up buying from (the one I test drove at) wasn't a costco dealer, but was a AAA dealer. Mentioning I was a AAA member got me an extra $300 off his price. That last $300 wound up being the difference that gave the dealer I bought from a $100 edge.

The dealer by me in Stamford quoted me the cheapest selling price, but his $379 Conveyance Fee ended up making his price $100 too high.

I tried the Costco buying program but it is not competitive especially on new models. A buyer can do much better on his own, and besides, their participating dealers tend to be second and third tier dealerships catering to bottom feeders.

Consumer Reports has a similar buying program but it too is not competitive. I have not tried the Edmunds program so I am not sure how it measures up.

You are totally mistaken. The store where I worked is the highest volume Honda Dealer in nine states. Hardly a "second or third tier" store. They want stores who carry a lot of inventory and have a good reputation.

Any price can be beat. The Costco program is geared to shoppers who want a good deal without a lot of hassle.

Unfortunately, PRICE seems to be Number One for a lot of shoppers these days!

dino001

When did it mean something else? I can't recall.

isellhondas

Not everybody is hell bent on wringing every last penny out of a car deal. Not everybody enjoys spending days driving from store to store pitting dealer against dealer and spending hours in the process.

Some buyers actually care about the way they are treated and after the sale service.

Hard for some to believe but there are still people who want a good price along with everything else.

These people MAY end up spending 200.00 more than someone who drove 100 miles and made it a miserable process.

It's funny, the people who were the biggest price grinders always seemed unhappy even as married couples. I would see them years later slouching through the Service Dept, griping about the price of a service they had just paid for.

Just seems like a tough way to go through life and life is short!

But...that's me.

qbrozen

I gotta think those people apply the process to more than just cars. Such as driving an extra 5 miles to save 10 cents on cereal at a different grocery store. I have to believe most people don't stop to think about what their time is worth.

Completely off-topic example: Just a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I hired a landscaper to come mow my lawn every week. Do I want to part with the money? No. But for $35 per visit, he's giving me back a good 4 hours of my life each week. I would have paid even more! Is really a simple equation. I could do just about anything else productive (work on my cars, paint a bedroom, clean out my garage, etc, etc) for 4 hours and save/make way more than that.

roadburner

I like to watch the idiots line up five or more cars deep(with their engines idling) to buy gas at the one gas station in town that is five cents per gallon cheaper...

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

I gotta think those people apply the process to more than just cars. Such as driving an extra 5 miles to save 10 cents on cereal at a different grocery store. I have to believe most people don't stop to think about what their time is worth.

Completely off-topic example: Just a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I hired a landscaper to come mow my lawn every week. Do I want to part with the money? No. But for $35 per visit, he's giving me back a good 4 hours of my life each week. I would have paid even more! Is really a simple equation. I could do just about anything else productive (work on my cars, paint a bedroom, clean out my garage, etc, etc) for 4 hours and save/make way more than that.

After 2 years of mowing my lawn with a 21" Deck Self Propelled push mower, I decided to hire a landscaper this year as well. He charges $50 each time he comes. It is well worth the 3 - 3 1/2 hours it would take me on a Saturday afternoon (after work) or on a Sunday. I'm much happier spending time with my family.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:

I gotta think those people apply the process to more than just cars. Such as driving an extra 5 miles to save 10 cents on cereal at a different grocery store. I have to believe most people don't stop to think about what their time is worth.

Completely off-topic example: Just a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I hired a landscaper to come mow my lawn every week. Do I want to part with the money? No. But for $35 per visit, he's giving me back a good 4 hours of my life each week. I would have paid even more! Is really a simple equation. I could do just about anything else productive (work on my cars, paint a bedroom, clean out my garage, etc, etc) for 4 hours and save/make way more than that.

After 2 years of mowing my lawn with a 21" Deck Self Propelled push mower, I decided to hire a landscaper this year as well. He charges $50 each time he comes. It is well worth the 3 - 3 1/2 hours it would take me on a Saturday afternoon (after work) or on a Sunday. I'm much happier spending time with my family.

Wow; I have about 2.5 acres to cut and it never takes me more than 90 minutes- tops. Since I don't have any neighbors I usually only cut it every 10 days or so. That said, if I could get everything cut for $35 a visit I'd be tempted...

nyccarguy

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:

I gotta think those people apply the process to more than just cars. Such as driving an extra 5 miles to save 10 cents on cereal at a different grocery store. I have to believe most people don't stop to think about what their time is worth.

Completely off-topic example: Just a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I hired a landscaper to come mow my lawn every week. Do I want to part with the money? No. But for $35 per visit, he's giving me back a good 4 hours of my life each week. I would have paid even more! Is really a simple equation. I could do just about anything else productive (work on my cars, paint a bedroom, clean out my garage, etc, etc) for 4 hours and save/make way more than that.

After 2 years of mowing my lawn with a 21" Deck Self Propelled push mower, I decided to hire a landscaper this year as well. He charges $50 each time he comes. It is well worth the 3 - 3 1/2 hours it would take me on a Saturday afternoon (after work) or on a Sunday. I'm much happier spending time with my family.

Wow; I have about 2.5 acres to cut and it never takes me more than 90 minutes- tops. Since I don't have any neighbors I usually only cut it every 10 days or so. That said, if I could get everything cut for $35 a visit I'd be tempted...

You've got a riding mower though, right?

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:

I gotta think those people apply the process to more than just cars. Such as driving an extra 5 miles to save 10 cents on cereal at a different grocery store. I have to believe most people don't stop to think about what their time is worth.

Completely off-topic example: Just a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I hired a landscaper to come mow my lawn every week. Do I want to part with the money? No. But for $35 per visit, he's giving me back a good 4 hours of my life each week. I would have paid even more! Is really a simple equation. I could do just about anything else productive (work on my cars, paint a bedroom, clean out my garage, etc, etc) for 4 hours and save/make way more than that.

After 2 years of mowing my lawn with a 21" Deck Self Propelled push mower, I decided to hire a landscaper this year as well. He charges $50 each time he comes. It is well worth the 3 - 3 1/2 hours it would take me on a Saturday afternoon (after work) or on a Sunday. I'm much happier spending time with my family.

Wow; I have about 2.5 acres to cut and it never takes me more than 90 minutes- tops. Since I don't have any neighbors I usually only cut it every 10 days or so. That said, if I could get everything cut for $35 a visit I'd be tempted...

You've got a riding mower though, right?

Yes(thank goodness!)- two; a 54" ZTR and a 42" ZTR. If I had to cut it with a SP mower or lawn tractor it would easily take me 3-4 times as long.

qbrozen

I have 1 acre and a riding mower, but that's just a small part of the job. The trimming is what takes forever.

roadburner

qbrozen said:

I have 1 acre and a riding mower, but that's just a small part of the job. The trimming is what takes forever.

Anything I can't reach with one of the mowers gets either cut down or hosed with Roundup.

fezo

Yowzer! Test drove the Tesla today. What a hoot! You have to forget everything you know about dashboards because it's all digital but what a fun ride. 0-60 in 4.4 seconds without a sound. I didn't time that but when going onto the highway there's this truck coming up in the right lane - the kind of thing I'd normally let go by before entering. I floored it and was way ahead of it. Not even an issue. Steers great. Very low profile tires. Not sure on the one I drove but the ones in the showroom (which is in a mall) one had 45s; the other had 35. That's hardly any sidewall at all.

Good time. The one I drove sells for $108K. I think I'll wait.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

I have 1 acre and a riding mower, but that's just a small part of the job. The trimming is what takes forever.

Anything I can't reach with one of the mowers gets either cut down or hosed with Roundup.

Prett much my philosophy, too. I've got just under an acre and use a riding mower. I used to use a push mower for the places the Deere wouldn't fit. Now, rider won't fit? Grass is replaced by mulch or stones.

Cutting, trimming, sweeping takes about 90 minutes.

graphicguy

Fezo...maybe not next go round, but I'm betting I'll have a Tesla right at the end of the decade.

roadburner

I had some fun with a Tesla at the X6 launch. It came up behind me on a twisting mountain road. An octogenarian driven Escape held us up for a bit but when the road straightened out and we blew past the Escape it was Game On. I pulled away from him after the first few corners but I think that was totally a reflection on the driver and not the car.

carnaught

fezo said:

Yowzer! Test drove the Tesla today. What a hoot! You have to forget everything you know about dashboards because it's all digital but what a fun ride. 0-60 in 4.4 seconds without a sound. I didn't time that but when going onto the highway there's this truck coming up in the right lane - the kind of thing I'd normally let go by before entering. I floored it and was way ahead of it. Not even an issue. Steers great. Very low profile tires. Not sure on the one I drove but the ones in the showroom (which is in a mall) one had 45s; the other had 35. That's hardly any sidewall at all.

Good time. The one I drove sells for $108K. I think I'll wait.

Range anxiety kills it for me as much as price. Nice car, but not for my purposes.

Mr_Shiftright

I pushed the Tesla a bit and it pushes back---it's a heavy car. I have nothing bad to say about it though except a) the price tag and b) the back seat is a torture chamber--way too hard.

But I don't know...I like clickety-clack and that hot engine smell. I think the Tesla would get old quickly for people like myself. Nice ride, though, very nice. Mine had an MSRP of I think $131,000.

I'd liken it to the world's nicest Lexus but with a 9 gallon gas tank.

roadburner said:

I had some fun with a Tesla at the X6 launch. It came up behind me on a twisting mountain road. An octogenarian driven Escape held us up for a bit but when the road straightened out and we blew past the Escape it was Game On. I pulled away from him after the first few corners but I think that was totally a reflection on the driver and not the car.

stickguy

I could never drive a pure electric. the range anxiety would kill me.

driver100

stickguy said:

I could never drive a pure electric. the range anxiety would kill me.

Me too!

imidazol97

But the "range anxiety" shouldn't be a problem, they say. Indeed, they are building Tesla
charging stations where you can sit for 45 minutes while your Tesla battery is fast
charged. That should work? Right.

I recall all the ridicule about the philosophy of the Volt/ELR with the built-in generator
to be able to eliminate range anxiety while using electricity from distant power
plants 99% of the time. However, that's the way to go.

I couldn't live with an electric only vehicle. Especially after my idle pulley
tow experience last December: I waited a long time for a tow truck.
Imagine sitting in your EV in Detroit for nearly 2 hours waiting to be
towed to a charger?

nyccarguy

I think range anxiety wouldn't bother me in something like a TESLA where I know I'd have a gigantic cushion every day. Say in "normal" driving without taking drastic measures to maximize range I could get 200 miles off of a charge. I could technically get 3 days off of a single charge. There are TESLA chargers at the 1st rest stop in CT on the Merrit Parkway which is about 10 - 12 miles from my house. So at the most I'd be going 183 miles on a single charge. My wife's job is 2.5 miles from my house. She could easily go electric if she wanted.

The price of the TESLA is obviously what is holding me back. I know someone who can well afford it and absolutely LOVES Elon Musk, but he's not prepared to part with the money or his 2004 Infiniti M45.

I'm curious to see how my friend's P85D holds up.

stickguy

The volt model could work for me.

Speaking of tesla, on the way home from NH Sunday we stopped for breakfast, off the Brattleboro VT exit on I91. Not much there. A market and a few stores. But in the price chopper parking lot, a bunch off tesla charging stations! At least 10 I think. Was odd to see in that setting. Of course no cars at them.

bwia

imidazol97 said:

But the "range anxiety" shouldn't be a problem, they say. Indeed, they are building Tesla
charging stations where you can sit for 45 minutes while your Tesla battery is fast
charged. That should work? Right.

I recall all the ridicule about the philosophy of the Volt/ELR with the built-in generator
to be able to eliminate range anxiety while using electricity from distant power
plants 99% of the time. However, that's the way to go.

I couldn't live with an electric only vehicle. Especially after my idle pulley
tow experience last December: I waited a long time for a tow truck.
Imagine sitting in your EV in Detroit for nearly 2 hours waiting to be
towed to a charger?

Range anxiety in a BEV is an archaic way of thinking. With a range of 250 miles a Tesla is unlikely to run out of juice. It is no different from using a smartphone. The phone is charged nightly while one is asleep.

If one uses the car for commuting to work, the car can be charged at work; if a charger is available, or overnight at home. For the occasional long distance trip, Boston to New York for example, the 200 mile distance is easily achieved on one charge. For longer distances, where the driver would be taking a break anyway, the car can be charged in as little as 45 minutes with a supercharger.

Only yesterday I was reading that by 2050 everything will be electrified. And the good part about this scenario is the power source will come from renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydro; and to meet peak demands, geothermal and hydrogen. Pie in the sky? not really--the savings from exploration, extracting, refining and distribution of oil and gas can be invested in building electric power plants.

robr2

stickguy said:

The volt model could work for me.

Speaking of tesla, on the way home from NH Sunday we stopped for breakfast, off the Brattleboro VT exit on I91. Not much there. A market and a few stores. But in the price chopper parking lot, a bunch off tesla charging stations! At least 10 I think. Was odd to see in that setting. Of course no cars at them.

It's convenient for New Yorkers and Fairfield County folk on the way to their "camps" in SW VT.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, all true, but put that cell phone in your freezer with Pandora playing on it---that changes the scenario quite a bit. You'd be lucky to get 175 miles at the extreme end of your range, with zero in reserve, and that's on a Tesla Model S 85.

For people in cold climates, range anxiety is real. That 200 mile commute round trip on a cold winter's day with heater and stereo might get dodgey. If the car was charged in a heated garage, that certainly could help. But if after one leg of the trip the car is going to park in freezing temps for 8 hours, there's where the trouble starts.

Tesla has a great product. I love the car. But Tesla can also shovel out an amazing amount of....well....."optimistic puffery".

bwia said:

imidazol97 said:

But the "range anxiety" shouldn't be a problem, they say. Indeed, they are building Tesla
charging stations where you can sit for 45 minutes while your Tesla battery is fast
charged. That should work? Right.

I recall all the ridicule about the philosophy of the Volt/ELR with the built-in generator
to be able to eliminate range anxiety while using electricity from distant power
plants 99% of the time. However, that's the way to go.

I couldn't live with an electric only vehicle. Especially after my idle pulley
tow experience last December: I waited a long time for a tow truck.
Imagine sitting in your EV in Detroit for nearly 2 hours waiting to be
towed to a charger?

Range anxiety in a BEV is an archaic way of thinking. With a range of 250 miles a Tesla is unlikely to run out of juice. It is no different from using a smartphone. The phone is charged nightly while one is asleep.

If one uses the car for commuting to work, the car can be charged at work; if a charger is available, or overnight at home. For the occasional long distance trip, Boston to New York for example, the 200 mile distance is easily achieved on one charge. For longer distances, where the driver would be taking a break anyway, the car can be charged in as little as 45 minutes with a supercharger.

Only yesterday I was reading that by 2050 everything will be electrified. And the good part about this scenario is the power source will come from renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydro; and to meet peak demands, geothermal and hydrogen. Pie in the sky? not really--the savings from exploration, extracting, refining and distribution of oil and gas can be invested in building electric power plants.