I have always liked cars. From my first ride in a go-kart at the outdoor Richmond Go-Kart track as a kid to the jalopy cars I owned in highschool, I have loved to buy, ride in, fix and customize cars. Once I started working and was able to buy new cars I ended up owning some nice ones. A factory order 2001 BMW X5 and BMW 323Ci Convertible that I still own. But I always wanted a Porsche 911. I even had the make, model, colour and features written down for over 10 years before eventually getting to the point I was able to buy it.
Then, finally, I was ready. I went to autotrader and started looking at my dream car – a Porsche Carrera 4S Targa or Cabriolet. I even set the year range so I could get Bluetooth. The searches I set up sent me notifications almost every day and soon I had a spreadsheet of more than 80 cars that fit my criterion.
Time to take the next step so I called a dealer to get a quote. Well, I figured I may have to deal with some attitude but nothing prepared me for the Bro-Douche I had to speak to. In almost every case the sales person I spoke to was not willing to set up a test drive “until they had a signed offer to buy the car”. Seriously? So basically, that means they only want existing Porsche owners, or people willing to agree to a price before even driving the car that is offered for sale. Hmmm.
And if that was not bad enough, it got worse. When I started to talk about a trade-in I was told my existing BMW 323Ci Convertible, which I had owned since I drove it off the lot, was only worth $6,000. “Try selling it on Craig’s List and you might get $8,000” says the sales person. It may have had over 125,000km on it but everything was original and I had taken care of it like it was one of my children. I was not about to give it away for $6k. That’s it. I’m keeping it.
Now, wait a minute. That means I’ll still have a convertible so I should probably look at some other kind of car rather than having two convertibles. How about I test drive that Tesla I have been reading so much about? The next thing I know, I am on their website booking a test drive, reading more about the car (and the cost, of course) and I figure out why I am attracted to it. Of the top five reasons I chose to buy a Tesla Model S, “no gas” was 5th.
- Performance: By far the most surprising thing about a Tesla is the pure, unbridled acceleration, and all its torque right off the starting line. To find that in what is a 5,000 lb beast of a car that carries 5 adults with luggage is truly unique.
- All Wheel Drive: I live in a cold climate (at least during the winter) and I like to go skiing so all wheel drive has always been a priority – well, perhaps not when I bought the rear-wheel drive BMW 323 – but ever since then.
- Advanced Technology: The car is loaded with technology, but like a giant iPad, it is all easily accessible, intuitive to navigate and completely accessible on the giant central console screen.
- Virtually Zero Maintenance: No oil to change, fluids to monitor (except the washer fluid and brake fluid), no gears to worry about or cooling system. And a material reduction in the number of moving parts that need to be replaced on every other car.
- No Gas: I have almost forgotten how to fill a car with gas.
And after owning the Tesla for four years now I remain completely in love with it. It is not enough that the thrilling ride means I now never (truly) complain about picking up and dropping off my kids as needed, every few months I get a completely free upgrade from Tesla. It is like downloading a new operating system for your iPhone. New features, a new look, and every once in a while a whole new thing – like Autoparking or Dog Mode – comes through and it is like getting a new car all over again.
Why aren’t all cars like this?
Whistlerborn's Blog 