Ugh. I get it. It's not sexy. In fact, it's pretty much the only effective birth control out there. But what can I say? It's practical. It makes the most sense for my family. I'm not unapologetic...when we first bought it, my husband said the only way he'd sign the paperwork is if we got a personalized license plate that said "LAME". (Incidentally, we were turned down for that license plate - something about being derogatory towards people with handicaps. And other minivan owners). However, the thing makes sense. Yes, the dreaded word....PRACTICAL. We have two girls under four years old. They're NUTS. Like screaming howler monkey nuts. They have friends that we drive around, all requiring car seats. Playdates, preschool, family trips...these things all require seats with seatbelts. And two cupholders for every person (kidding. kind of). It just makes sense.
on the other hand, I can't lie. It makes me a little sad. It's honestly not the uncoolest car I've ever owned. In 1998, I bought a avocado green MANUAL TRANSMISSION Subaru. And I loved that car - it plowed through snow like it was going out of style. It was, however, incredibly uncool. And I'm really ok with being uncool, then and now. The one thing I do miss when driving an uncool car is that feeling off WOW, I have arrived. Like when you're walking up to and thank damn, that is an amazing looking car. And it's MINE. You definitely DO NOT get that feeling walking up to a minivan. It's more like, hey...this is a nice looking car. It can (and does) carry loads of crap. It can (and does) carry loads of people. But wow. It's a minivan.
Unfortunately for my marriage, I have a slight car issue. My perfect car would be like a smaller version of an Escalade with minivan doors (but still seats 7 comfortably, along with ample cargo room). Pretty impossible right? Right. Therefore, I've spent pretty much my entire adult life trying to find "the car". I've never found it, because it didn't exist. It was like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man of my mind...it existed, but only in my wildest dreams. Or if I was under attack by all that was evil in the world and needed a champion.
My husband and I fight about the dumbest things. We once got in to a 2 day argument about the size of turkey we were going to buy for Thanksgiving. So, about every two years when I get sick of my current car, I'd get the itch. He'd see it coming from a mile away. I'd send him a link to a car..."isn't this nice?" "Do you like it?" "I think I like it in red". Then the hounding would start. "If we put down x amount, payments would only be x". "We can get approved for financing right now and buy in 6 months like we were talking".
What can I say? I'm impatient. When I see something I like, I want it. NOW. Instant gratification.
We fought. Over and over. About cars. To this date, I can't actually bring up a car without my husband physically wincing. He absolutely, 100%, irrevocably cannot stand the car buying process. Not just me and my incessant talking about it, but the actual process as well. Finance shopping. Car dealerships. Salesmen. Paperwork. Everything about it makes him mad. ESPECIALLY signing the final paperwork for huge amounts of money. So my car issue is pretty much the bain of his existence. That and garbage. There's always a bag of garbage for him to take out (sorry but that's a husband's job).
So we bought the minivan. After buying so many cars, researching everything to death I finally found peace with "my car issue" and figured out that I'd never truly be happy with any car. So, I decided that a minivan was the way to go. It makes the most sense. It's the most practical. It's a Honda, so it'll never be any trouble. We have kids now, so my priorities are different...I don't want to waste money on another car that's going to leave me feeling empty. The agreement is that I have the minivan for 5 years (barring being totalled in an accident of course) or until our friends who just got married and want to have kids in the next couple of years are ready to buy it. Done. Weight off of my (and my husband's shoulders). 5 years of no car fights - we might actually survive my "issue".
Until we went out to dinner one night...and I saw it. The most beautiful car I've ever seen. It wasn't the Tesla Model S, but it was a luxury all electric car. I won't say it here, because my loyalty is now to the Model S, but it starts with an F and ends in Sker.
It was SO pretty! Seriously, it was the coolest looking car I'd ever seen (at the time) and so unique. I went home that day and researched it...It was ALL ELECTRIC? ZERO EMISSIONS? AND IT LOOKS THAT COOL? I was in love. It replaced the car I've dreamt about my entire life (Aston Martin) as "the car I'll buy if I ever win the lottery".
I followed news releases. I researched when it might IPO so we could buy stock in it. I was convinced that it was the next big thing. Then some bad press came out about it. They had tons of problems, not only in manufacturing, but in actual road tests by REALLY influential websites like Consumer Reports. Finally, hundreds of ready to deliver vehicles were destroyed when Hurricane Sandy hit the East coast. The company is now swirling the drain, the man behind the creation stepping down.
I was (still am) a little heart-broken. I'm not what you'd consider "super green", but I think electric vehicles just maybe be one of the big solutions to our oil dependency. I'd like to see my girls raised in a sustainable America, where products are again produced by American workers and sold to American families. I have a dream. My family has a goal. We shop local farms, not because it's the thing to do, but because it makes the most sense.
But the beautiful car I'd fallen in love with didn't seem to be breaking the kind of ground I was hoping for.
However, my research led me to other electric cars. I researched the Volt, following the news...crossed that one off of my list because while the concept is cool, it still relies on gas. What's the point of that? The Nissan Leaf is 100% electric, so that might have been an option. Hrmmm, but it's small. REALLY small. And well, it's also a Nissan, which means another country will mostly be benefiting from it's sales, not our own.
But wait, what is this? Tesla? Don't they only make slick little roadsters? Wait, they're making Sedans too? LUXURY SEDANS?
The Tesla Model S sedan has now become my new love. It fits all of my requirements. It's cool, unique, environmentally friendly, produced in America (although some production is now moving to Europe) and best of all, it's NOT $100K+ like the other one. Or at least, it doesn't have to be.
I sent my husband a link. Surprisingly, he didn't (entirely) cringe. He said, "I like the idea of an electric car". He asked how much it was. Starting at $50K? He didn't get mad! In fact, I think he was a bit relieved...a car that he can get behind that is HALF of what my other dream car was...progress!
So begins my journey to research. While production is ramping up (at the time of this post, Tesla is now delivering 500 cars per week for the last three weeks straight) it still takes at least 6-10 months after a deposit is put down. Believe it or no, my husband is in NO hurry to put down the $5K deposit. And I'm ok with that. We're only in to year one of the five year agreement on the minivan. But oh, there's a light at the end of the minivan tunnel. And at the end of that light is a Model S. My goal with this blog, is to not only share my journey throughout the process (no matter how long that process might be) but also to share my research on the car as well - ESPECIALLY for families who might be looking to make the switch.
So, if you're still here...stay tuned. More info on the Model S is coming!
No comments:
Post a Comment