Quote:
Originally Posted by ldjessee00
Yet people buy new vehicles all the time... and if they didn't, no used vehicles would exist. As I stated, there are many things that go in to the decision to buy a new vehicle, if you never buy new, that is your decision for your reasons, but if you do not see that someone else could make a different decision, then no reason to discuss that further.
As for the solar panel over the bed, as it will be mostly in my case (the bed will be empty enough to keep the cover over it most of the time), if it could add even 7 miles a day, that is half my commute. Worth it to me.
My house roof is shaded by trees on both the east and the west, and in winter, to the south (due to the low angle of the sun) for part of the day (in the winter, most of the day), making the analysis of adding solar panels to my roof always come out not cost effective.
The solar panel on the truck when I drive to work I could park it so it would get direct sunlight the entire time I was at work.
Tesla has stated that as their autonomous software starts to roll out more features, they will charge more for it. And given the automotive industry to charge huge amounts for the smallest options ($2,500 for a improved radio, which is kind of a waste for someone like me who used to work on helicopters and doesn't hear well enough to make that additional money worth it), I am not sure if the autonomous features will follow general software pricing. Also that they expect people to use this software option to generate income, I think there is a good chance they will keep the price as high as they can.
I can understand why people do not want to buy full self driving.
As I age and have seen medical issues and/or medicine make driving dangerous, I can foresee a time within this vehicles lifespan that I might be in a condition where having self driving might be handy. Even if it never fully drives from point A to point B, the help it could provide making it safer for all driving and/or cover some of the highway driving would be worth it to me.
|
I'm not looking for you to justify what you want, as no explanation is necessary, nor do I have any negative opinion of those wealthier than me that spend money differently than I would.
Perhaps I misunderstood "This is the math that has me ready to approach the family comptroller (my wife) with putting $100 down" as a financial justification, because there is none. Now I'm interpreting that to mean your estimate of what it would cost for the various options you're contemplating, which is perfectly reasonable.
I still maintain there's next to no reason to get a solar cover for the Tesla unless you live in the wilderness and there's a good chance that it could save you from certain death if you happened to run out of juice and were outside of cell range. $2,500 can purchas 25,000 kWh of electricity at my rates, which in the CyberTruck I estimate will get you 50,000 miles. If the extra cost is financed, there's the compounded interest on the loan that makes it more expensive, and at the very least there's the compounded interest of the cost that you're missing out on. So the extra $2,500 ends up costing you $5,000 in opportunity cost. Finally, it's better for battery health to not be fully charged, so you're better off letting the truck sit slightly discharged while at work. As I say, if it makes you happy, get it. I'm just saying there would be no way for me to derive pleasure\value from it given all the negatives. 1 more thing to break or get vandalized, and a little more weight. Plus if you're having to run things by the comptroller, take that off the list once the negotiations start as your "compromise".
If it were my property, I'd want sunlight to reach my house, so I'd consider cutting back some trees, though I have no idea what the situation looks like at your place. Solar is pointless where I live anyhow, so it's a no-go for me regardless.
Tesla has a history of reducing prices after capturing early adopters, as any business does. It's highly probable that full self driving will become less expensive over time as the cost of the technology comes down, and they attempt to capture larger segments of the market. That, and they aren't the only (or even best) autonomous player in the market right now. Their prices will have to compete with the others.
I'm very grateful that there are people that purchase new vehicles and subsidize new technologies so frugal people like me can reap the trickle down benefits at a delayed date.
Perhaps when I'm older I'll value the money less and the cutting edge stuff more.