zero to toaster

 Works been getting hectic lately and I feel like I don’t have much time to sit idly by anymore. I try to fill my small time gaps by hanging out with friends more than working on my cars. It slowly wears me out but it’s a choice I made to surround myself with those I care the most about. With pandemic concerns slowly rolling back, that means work travel is starting to resume. To be honest and frank, airplane rides to me are some of the best alone time for me. I know it’s weird to say this when you’re completely stuck high up in an aluminum tube, breathing recycled air while rubbing shoulders with complete strangers but hear me out. To me, it’s the best time to think creatively, reflect on yourself and decide on your future actions. Being forced to think without internet (yeah, I’m too cheap to buy shit satellite internet in the plane) is a rarity since we’re surrounded by connected technology. Last week, I traveled to Charleston and this was one of those moments. I was shopping for a magazine to read when a stranger asked if I was a car guy while I was holding a car magazine. This really got me thinking, am I a car guy?

I think I’m a car guy. That's such a weird title to call yourself but it's the honest truth. I enjoy cars more than normal, appreciate all think mechanical when it comes to cars and have a pretty decent understanding about them. Sure, I don’t really know anything pre 1990 and I’m not going to learn about it. Sure, I can’t live without cars and yes, I have an addiction to buying stupid shit for the car. That entire thought process took up half my flight from ONT to ATL. The second half? I thought of the Tesla Model Y I just purchased.

Before purchasing the car, I did my research, asked all the other car guys that either have both project cars and Tesla or have moved from modified cars to a Tesla. I think in my circle of people I know, I haven’t found a single person that have A, regret getting a Tesla and B, surprisingly, sold their Tesla. I think that alone is all the proof I needed at the time to go and pick one up. It’s a crazy thought that in mid 2000s, roomba came out, blew our minds that it can vacuum a room by itself and 10 years later, a self driving car came out. 

The entire utility of that car checks almost everything I’m currently looking for and needing. It has ample cargo space, auto pilot, low maintenance, cheap cost of operation and relatively quick. I told myself after the i3 I would never get an electric car again unless it’s Tesla. It’s not so much I believe in the mission of the company but I believe in the charging network and range that Tesla offers. It’s understood that there are definitely more regular charging station with a non Tesla but when I had my i3, the stations were literally littered with Chevy Bolt’s charging in between their Uber and Uber Eats delivery. This means that for a car to truly be useable, I needed something with a quick charging station under it’s own network and that’s Tesla. As a car guy though, how do I truly feel about something electric? 

People scoff about electric cars taking over as if they’re afraid of the change it’ll bring. It’s really not that big of a deal since I still believe bio fuel and alternative fuel is still going to be have their boom in the future. As a person that enjoys many types of cars, I still see Tesla as an appliance more than the car. It’s not an ugly car but it’s doesn’t have the lines or driving dynamics that a normal car would have. I see it purely as an exceptional commuter that allows me relax and get from point A to B and occasionally use my toaster to outrun cars that try to cut me off when the light turns green. The range for the car is also 320ish max but that’s more than I usually drive in a day. If I need to drive any further than that, I would probably fly and fly I did... sorta.

I'm pretty impatient when it comes to a few things. I'm usually willing to pay a little more to get what I want quickly. Whether it be expedited shipping or paying some scalper mother fucker, I'll pay, sometimes. When I ordered the Tesla, they told it was going to take about a month and a half. I waited a whole week before calling my sales rep and repeatedly ask him in the most annoying way possible to find me a model close to what I ordered. Originally I only wanted a Model Y long range with the only option being black. I quickly succumbed to my impatience and started requesting even a performance by justifying the upgraded wheels and speed for $10k extra. Luckily they found one on Monday with just upgraded wheels and a tow hitch and requested to have this picked up on Saturday. Tuesday afternoon rolled by and I couldn't wait and booked the flight for late afternoon to go pick it up. The delivery was pretty nice, didn't have to speak to a single soul and listen to all their bullshit. The drive back was very easy with auto pilot and I stopped twice to charge, once with a quick dinner and another while watching Netflix on the laggy system. Overall, the drive back was pretty uneventful but it made that horrible 5 freeway drive actually bearable. I have about 2,000 miles on it now and I can see what the hype is all about. If you had an electric car, it' not a new experience but it's nice to see an UX interface consistently changing to better suit the customers.