Why I Didn't Get a Tesla ... Yet
Why I Didn't Get a Tesla ... Yet
The beginning of this week I started investigating the feasibility of purchasing a Tesla. I found the monthly payments were in my range. I found almost all the features were better than Slate's, my Ford Fusion Energi. I wanted the Tesla for it's eco-tech symbology, for it's 5.4/5 combined safety rating, for it's sleek white-painted form that reminds me of the sentries in Portal that ask, "Are you still there?". I wanted it for a million and one reasons.
To significantly slash the cost of a Tesla one can sign a "Business Lease", so I went and started my own business. Jakl LLC: Bringing love and tolerance to the SF Bay Area. It took about 15m on nolo's site. If the Tesla idea (temporarily) fell through I could still expense things for tech contracting which I already do on weekends; I just really wanted to commute to those contracting locations with a Tesla see?
Now Slate is only 1 year into his 2 year lease. I asked a friend at work if he was interested in adopting Slate. I also formed a personal connection with a guy at Swap-A-Lease who was excited to help me find Slate's new owner. My last step was walking into Ford Store San Leandro to confirm my choices. I dropped by at 10:30am this Saturday morning.
First part of the conversation was to test drive Slate's 2014 counterpart; I noticed the front no longer scraped every dip in the road and the Sync computer system was given plenty of unleaded coffee to improve responsiveness.
Second I needed to investigate how Ford might handle Slate's war-dent from last year's trip - it might be a pain point in lease swapping (I worried) even if it's but a wrinkle in the right rear door.
So for all my Ford needs I have a smart respectable friend there (no he's not a general car salesman and he's not fixated on my Twitter stock). He offered to swallow the cost of Slate's damage, and give me the 2014 model for a small bump in my monthly payments. He also introduced me to several of his friends at the office. One of them works non-profit for child education in East Bay. One guy loved that I do language work because he's studied Farsi and Urdu which I help Twitter support. He even had mementos around his office like what I purchased in Kyoto last month, and we geeked out over travel. They all assured me that if anything is wrong with Slate I can swing by and have repairs done at no cost (which I've done once before). After a full days worth of conversation and deliberation and a spot of haggling, I decided to putt my Tesla plans until all of Tesla's features exceed Slate's. I also knew that the Tesla would be more expensive and there wasn't a treehouse of professionals down the road waiting to save me from my car emergencies. To reach Ford I just take the street by my driveway for 15m and I'm there. These guys know my name, my face, my interests, my needs - wholesome and supportive is the vibe I can't ignore. (I got a very different impression of Fremont Ford for instance). The closest Tesla store is definitely not "biking" distance, I don't know the quality of its staff, but I will be visiting it soon to compare. When I do fall in love with a Tesla, I have my contact at Swap-A-Lease + Jakl LLC paving that path.
In the mean time I'm an incredibly happy kitesurfing camper, who still "all-electric"s to work, carpooling with a genius coworker.
- If you found this fascinating I'd love to chat more over a glass of kombucha green tea - just message me.@jakl
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla_model_s
The beginning of this week I started investigating the feasibility of purchasing a Tesla. I found the monthly payments were in my range. I found almost all the features were better than Slate's, my Ford Fusion Energi. I wanted the Tesla for it's eco-tech symbology, for it's 5.4/5 combined safety rating, for it's sleek white-painted form that reminds me of the sentries in Portal that ask, "Are you still there?". I wanted it for a million and one reasons.
To significantly slash the cost of a Tesla one can sign a "Business Lease", so I went and started my own business. Jakl LLC: Bringing love and tolerance to the SF Bay Area. It took about 15m on nolo's site. If the Tesla idea (temporarily) fell through I could still expense things for tech contracting which I already do on weekends; I just really wanted to commute to those contracting locations with a Tesla see?
Now Slate is only 1 year into his 2 year lease. I asked a friend at work if he was interested in adopting Slate. I also formed a personal connection with a guy at Swap-A-Lease who was excited to help me find Slate's new owner. My last step was walking into Ford Store San Leandro to confirm my choices. I dropped by at 10:30am this Saturday morning.
First part of the conversation was to test drive Slate's 2014 counterpart; I noticed the front no longer scraped every dip in the road and the Sync computer system was given plenty of unleaded coffee to improve responsiveness.
Second I needed to investigate how Ford might handle Slate's war-dent from last year's trip - it might be a pain point in lease swapping (I worried) even if it's but a wrinkle in the right rear door.
So for all my Ford needs I have a smart respectable friend there (no he's not a general car salesman and he's not fixated on my Twitter stock). He offered to swallow the cost of Slate's damage, and give me the 2014 model for a small bump in my monthly payments. He also introduced me to several of his friends at the office. One of them works non-profit for child education in East Bay. One guy loved that I do language work because he's studied Farsi and Urdu which I help Twitter support. He even had mementos around his office like what I purchased in Kyoto last month, and we geeked out over travel. They all assured me that if anything is wrong with Slate I can swing by and have repairs done at no cost (which I've done once before). After a full days worth of conversation and deliberation and a spot of haggling, I decided to putt my Tesla plans until all of Tesla's features exceed Slate's. I also knew that the Tesla would be more expensive and there wasn't a treehouse of professionals down the road waiting to save me from my car emergencies. To reach Ford I just take the street by my driveway for 15m and I'm there. These guys know my name, my face, my interests, my needs - wholesome and supportive is the vibe I can't ignore. (I got a very different impression of Fremont Ford for instance). The closest Tesla store is definitely not "biking" distance, I don't know the quality of its staff, but I will be visiting it soon to compare. When I do fall in love with a Tesla, I have my contact at Swap-A-Lease + Jakl LLC paving that path.
In the mean time I'm an incredibly happy kitesurfing camper, who still "all-electric"s to work, carpooling with a genius coworker.
- If you found this fascinating I'd love to chat more over a glass of kombucha green tea - just message me.@jakl
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla_model_s
I wondered how the electric car business was going. (I tend to be out of touch.) Glad to hear it's taking on momentum.
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