[earlyretirement]

[quote=spdrun]Can you disable “find my car” for when you don’t want to be “found?” Just asking …

I’d rather NOT have my car phone home every few seconds — would it still operate if you disconnected the 3g antenna?[/quote]

Yep. You sure can. Just a matter of turning it off in the car once you’re in with the keys. If you want to go in James Bond stealth mode you can do that too so the App can’t track you.

The 3G antenna is always on though….. You can’t turn that off but you can disable the ability for the Iphone/Android App to track you.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=FlyerInHi]Nothing wrong with rewarding yourself.

The smart phone app is pretty cool. How is the car connected to the Internet?
Do you pay a separate subscription? Or does it come built in like a kindle?[/quote]

Yeah, I agree. You have to throw yourself a “bone” from time to time. Since the kids were born I haven’t bought myself anything big. We do take a lot of fancy trips around the world and that is where the bulk of our spending goes but I don’t consider that something material. I consider it almost an education showing my kids different places, cultures and societies around the world. I wouldn’t change a thing that way.

Any time I’ve saved up money I’ve just turned around and bought another investment property. I just bought another apartment earlier this year and the ROI has been great so I figured it was time to treat myself.

The Iphone/Android App is SUPER cool!! The car is always “on”. The car is connected with an always on 3G signal that works VERY well. So far, Tesla includes it free but someday they will probably charge for it. But for now, it’s free and always on.

Totally amazing. For example, if I’m sitting in a restaurant and it’s too hot, 5 minutes before I leave for the car I can set the temperature to be 65 degrees and it will be at the temperature I want when I get there.

You can always see in real time the exact address your car is at. You can follow it in real time if your spouse is using the car you don’t have to ask “are you almost home”. You can see them on their path. See how fast they are going, see the route they are taking. Just amazing!!

Or if you are at a Blink charger, you can hook up and go eat, drink read the paper, etc. and you can see exactly how many miles are charging, how much to go to fill up the battery, etc. The Blink chargers are fairly slow at 15/20 miles per hour charge but it’s GREAT at the malls as there are usually spots near the front of the doors to park so you have that added benefit plus charging in what you used to get there. It’s only $1 per hour at Blink chargers so that isn’t bad at all. The lowest I’ve gotten was 15 miles in an hour for $1.

When they start charging for the hotspot I’ll probably just use my Iphone hotspot as internet. The car is set up for Bluetooth and also wi-fi works great on it as well. So I can always get a connection on my Iphone. But honestly, the 3G signal is so good.

Also the Slacker account is TOTALLY cool! No more paying for songs. You just push a button and say the name of ANY song and it instantly goes to it. For example, “Play Yellow Coldplay” will bring that up. It works with any song.

The technology is totally incredible. Plus it’s cool because when Tesla updates the software (which they will constantly do to make improvements) you don’t have to take it to the center to get it updated. It just downloads while you sleep so you wake up to cool new features. Kind of like an iPad.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=FlyerInHi]Man, expensive car.

For that kind of price I’d rather buy an investment condo that will return me money every month. But I guess, I won’t be enjoying life as much.

I have a Toyota Camry, a Nissan Frontier and a Toyota Tacoma. I never bought a luxury make.

Electric is pretty cool. My condo allows people install electric chargers at their own expense but nobody has done that yet. Are those things too big to fit in a parking space? Post a picture of your SDGE setup.[/quote]

Ha, ha. Well, I already own several investment properties. I agree that cars are a HORRIBLE investment. I’m typically NOT the type of guy that buys expensive cars. I have been pretty prudent with investments all my life.

I’ve always maintained the attitude that cars are the WORST investment you can make. And this is by far the most expensive car I’ve ever purchased. Previous to this the most expensive was my car that I bought when I moved here which is an Audi Q7 TDI which wasn’t cheap. But this Tesla by far is more expensive and the expenses are still piling up with it.

But I LOVE LOVE LOVE technology and this car is about as good as it gets for me. I already own many investment properties and I haven’t bought myself anything since I’ve had kids so I figured it was time to reward myself a bit.

I’ve NEVER enjoyed driving until buying this car. I’ve been the type that would rather take planes and I HATED driving. But now I really love the experience and find excuses to drive every chance I get now.

The set up for the meter doesn’t take much room in a house. I’m not sure how complex it is for a condo but I just had lunch today with a guy that installed one in his garage. It sounded like a nightmare (you can read his follow up post to my post here: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/21255-My-experience-getting-a-dedicated-EV-TOU-2-electric-meter-with-SDGE-in-San-Diego ) But he managed. But as you can read from his post, his situation was also a nightmare getting the dedicated meter.

Sure, I’ll post a photo tomorrow of the meter but honestly it’s just a second meter next to the first one. But I’ll post a photo.

Oh yeah, another benefit is you can drive the Tela in the HOV lanes in California. Technically/legally you are supposed to wait until you get your license plates and then apply but I still haven’t gotten my plates yet.

I’ve been driving in the HOV lane alone anyway as I figure any cop will know the Tesla. And I’m happy to report so far I’ve been on I-5 and I-15 three times when I’ve ever had a cop go by me or I’ve gone by them and they just waved! I don’t have the HOV stickers on my car and probably won’t put them on as they are so ugly. But I figured I’d post about that side benefit of owning a Tesla and being able to ride in the HOV lanes.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=spdrun]The center console in cars is an artifact of a transmission and/or exhaust hump. Tesla Model S doesn’t have one — personally, with the width of the Model S, I’d just as soon have a 3-person bench seat in front, sculpted as buckets on the left and right sides.

I like the straight-across dash. Reminds me of my uncle’s old Citroen DS :)[/quote]

The center console that is coming out this Fall should work well.

http://shop.teslamotors.com/collections/model-s/products/drop-in-center-console

It was supposed to come out this summer but they delayed it.

The car IS wide and long. People don’t realize just how much room there is. More than a 7 series BMW. One of my friends that is 6′ 6 was amazed this weekend he could fit in it.

The 17′ screen is mind blowing! It’s hard to believe it’s legal to operate that thing while you’re driving. LOL. I mean, other cars I’ve owned you can’t even play with the navigation (except voice commands) while you’re driving but this thing you can search on Google, read the weather, watch your stocks, favorite websites, all while you’re driving.

[earlyretirement]

Hey AN. Yeah, the interior at first bothered me on the dozens of visits to the UT Mall as I thought it wasn’t nearly as luxurious as other $100k+ cars. However, I have REALLY come to appreciate the minimalistic design. I went with the black leather, the Obeche matte finish wood on the dash and the upgraded leather dash. It really looks beautiful.

The only thing that I think they need to change/add are these things to make them standard in future versions which I think they probably will:

– No lighted vanity mirrors. There ARE lights near them but they really need to add lights automatically when you open them.

– CENTER CONSOLE should come with any $100k car. Having to pay upwards of $1,000 to add a center console isn’t fair to me. My wife loves it as she can put her purse there and I’ve spoken to other owners where their wives also love it. But it’s not practical and they need some storage room. That will come out this fall and I’m told it will be $700 to $1,000 so that will be another grand down the drain.

– They need to add some storage on the side of the doors as there are none.

– They didn’t have any rear cup holders. They have come up with some solution to add them but I had to pay $150 (just ordered them as they just came out this week) and they don’t look that great but oh the joys of being an early adopter.

– The third row rear seating doesn’t have ANY AC vents back there. The area is only for kids but it’s hard to believe they didn’t put any air vents back there. Fortunately San Diego doesn’t get too hot besides a few weeks a year. I bought some after market battery operated fans that fit back in the back and that along with getting it dark tinted to 15 works really well. But they really need to fix that for future versions.

Everything else I’m really happy with. I upgraded to the Premium sound which cost $2,500 more but the sound quality is really good. Better than my upgraded Audi Q7 with Bang Olufsen speakers. I mainly upgraded so I could listen to Sirius as I listen to Bloomberg, CNBC along with some other financial stations while I’m in the car.

But the car drives like a dream and I’m sure that future generations will be amazing. Battery technology will keep improving. Depending on how things go, I’ll probably order a Model X next year. But I’m NOT the type that can order a car without test driving it.

But I was having lunch today with another Model S owner from the Tesla forum and he saw one at the Headquarters and he told me it was AMAZING!

[earlyretirement]

[quote=no_such_reality]How’s that seat do in a rear end collision? I can’t tell if it’s about the same distance from the rear as a 3rd row minivan (about 2 feet) or if it’s much closer to the rear of the car.

They’re beautiful cars if you can afford one, but $80K before tax incentives is pretty steep compared to sub-$20K and $150/month in gas for many really good sedans.[/quote]

@ no such reality, it’s supposedly the safest place in the entire car! I had that concern before I bought but Elon Musk, the CEO has 5 kids and that is why he originally designed them in the first place. They reinforced that back area so it’s the strongest part of the car.

No, it’s not too close to the back but the thing that makes it so strong is the reinforcement. The car is a tank! Literally the safest car they have ever tested!

http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/releases/tesla-model-s-achieves-best-safety-rating-any-car-ever-tested

They couldn’t even get it overturned without help. The car is so heavy with the battery on the bottom.

They ARE pricey. And the price is kind of gimmicky on their website as they back out the $7,500 federal tax rebate already which I don’t think is fair from a marketing standpoint as you still have to come up with the money at closing.

Plus, add on extras and the car adds up quickly. With TTL I spent $125,000 on mine. Plus several thousands more adding on various things like premium floor mats, tinting for the entire car, I’m going to get the XPEL wrap on the front as the paint is VERY soft. (I will however get back $10,000 of that. $2,500 from the State of California for a rebate program they have. Checks take about 2 months to get. Then I’ll get $7,500 credit on my federal taxes when I do my taxes for 2013 tax year).

Then it’s probably wise to prepay the annual service check ups and 4 year extended warranty which adds on another $8800.

People aren’t really buying these to “save money”. LOL. Yeah, you WILL save money in gas but not that much money. LOL. The people that I personally know buying them are people that love cutting edge technology, love cars, want a performance car or all of the above.

I was never a “car guy” but I LOVE LOVE LOVE technology and to me this is as cool as it gets. It feels like driving a spaceship. The power and acceleration is unreal.

For those of you that haven’t seen it in the showroom, you can do a walk through here:

http://www.teslamotors.com/models/walkthrough

Plus there is an iphone/Android app so I can control my car from anywhere so for example if it’s hot out and I want the car to be 65 degrees when I leave the restaurant I can control that from my App. Just amazing technology.

Most younger people know the car/model already but I’ve had several older people ask me “is that an Aston Martin”. LOL. I’ve gotten that about 4 times. And speaking of Aston Martin, I thought this video review was pretty cool from the UK of the Model S smoking an Aston.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=spdrun]Why do you even need an SUV in San Diego — doesn’t the Model S sit seven people in a pinch?[/quote]

We definitely need an SUV as we have 2 young kids (and plan to have another). We do a lot of sporting stuff with 4 bikes and also have driven to Lake Tahoe to go skiing. We have roof racks that hold a lot of stuff when we go to the mountains.

The SUV has third row seating as well. I’ve been happy with the Audi Q7 TDI. I went with the diesel option and it gets really great gas mileage for being so heavy.

But yes, the Model S if you get the $2,500 rear seat option (which I did) has room for 7. But only kids can ride in the back until about 12 years old or so. But the kids LOVE it and always want to ride back there. But with the trunk and the frunk, there is TONS of room.

I think we will always keep an SUV around as we find use for it when we need more room. I think the battery technology still has room for improvement but the Model S shows what is capable these days.

[quote=BoomerAang]Thanks for the information ER. The thought crossed my mind to get a separate TOU as well, but I thought it would be too much of a hassle and would be a good payout considering our usage. We were typically in tier 1 for usage, so I will see where we are at after getting an EV this month.

I couldn’t afford the Model S, but opted for the poor-man’s Tesla (Rav4 EV).[/quote]

You’re totally welcome BoomerAang! I really had trouble finding information on doing this. The positive thing is SDGE reached out to me this morning as they read my post on one of the forums I posted this on. They asked if they could use my post internally to improve communications within their company.

So net net the post should improve things internally so other people have an easier time going through the process. I also asked them to look at my numbers and see if I made the right call going with the dedicated meter and they did believe that I did.

Besides the summer, I don’t use high amounts of electricity in tier 3 and 4 and I use the bulk of my power in peak times. So adding the entire house TOU 2 rate I don’t think would have made sense.

This way, I can simply pay the super off peak rates for my EV use. That use would have been at the higher tier 3 rates. So although it was a hassle and I spent $1,500 getting it installed with the permits, I think over the long haul it will be worth it.

I would have spent $400 anyway getting the HPWC (high power wall charger) for my Tesla installed and they did that. So net it was $1,100 more to get the 2nd dedicated EV TOU 2 meter installed with the permits.

I’ll try to keep detailed records now and monitor the usage with the miles used.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=UCGal]Thanks for the write up and details.

We’re looking at an EV car in our future (to go with our hybrid SUV which will take us on vacations and longer trips.)

We’ll be timing it all when our roof needs replacing – EV car, Solar Panels, new roof, all concurrent. Right now I can’t justify solar since we’re barely into tier 2… it doesn’t pencil out. Plus our cars are reliable and I don’t like the idea of replacing something that is reliable and functional.

But 4-5 years down the line – we’ll be reviewing our options again.[/quote]

You’re welcome. I’ve NEVER been interested in EV’s until I test drove the Model S. I went to the UTC store literally dozens of times and I said to myself that I’m not an early adopter and I’ll wait until next year to buy one.

But then I test drove it. Long story short…I put a deposit down the same day. But it’s easily the best car I’ve ever owned. The car is a game changer.

I can’t justify solar either. We do use quite a bit of electricity in the summer but the rest of the year we don’t use much and I calculated it will be better to do what we have done with the dedicated meter and only charging super off peak.

I am enjoying the Model S so much that I think we will replace our other SUV (Audi Q7 TDI) next year to a Model X (Tesla SUV) when it comes out so that we will be completely with EV’s.

This technology really is amazing and it should only get better as battery technology improves.

[earlyretirement]

Ha, ha. Yeah, there are people that have never seen a Tesla or know what they are. Typically older vs. younger. But more and more being sold here in San Diego the past few weeks. I’ve noticed more and more people with them driving around. I’m the 3rd one in my development to buy one in the past few weeks.

I went with the 85 Performance Model S. With the dual chargers. I got the High power wall charger. It charges the battery at a rate of 60 miles per hour so it’s only a few hours and it’s fully charged.

I just set my timer on my car to start charging at 1 AM and it’s easily fully charged by the time I wake up in the morning. I typically only drive about 50 miles per day but since I’ve got it, It’s more like 100 miles per day. I find excuses to drive it. It never takes more than 2 hours to charge back those 100 miles.

Really really amazing technology. The car is amazing.

You can go to Tesla’s website:

http://www.teslamotors.com/charging#/installation

To estimate how much it would be to charge and how long it will take.

For example, with the TOU meter and charging of peak, it takes less than 1:42 minutes to charge 100 miles. And at 0.14 cents per kWh it will only cost $4.61 in fuel/electricity.

[earlyretirement]

Here are my gems:

Cam’s Floor Covering Specialists
CA License #833448
Carlos Mercado
Phone: 619-884-9697

Hardwood flooring specialists. Several stores actually subcontract out to Carlos. It’s probably cheaper just going through him directly once you pick out your wood. His guys are GREAT and he actually did Philip River’s house as well.

Carpeting/custom rugs: Phillips Abbey Carpet in Oceanside. I dealt with Ken who was FANTASTIC. I actually went through them to get my hardwood flooring and he contracted the job out to Carlos listed above.

Quite honestly, my experience was so good with Ken and Phillips Abbey Carpet that I probably would just use them. I’m not sure how much they mark it up but he is a true pro. They made several custom rugs and he wasn’t happy with the quality so he re did them.

4001 AVENIDA DE LA PLATASTE 101
OCEANSIDE CA 92056
(760) 757-5033
(760) 721-9145 (fax)
http://www.phillipsabbeycarpet.com

Electrician: GREAT electrician is Heron Moriarty at Confort Air and Electric. I’ve used him many times for several things and he is a very honest guy with good prices. (619) 929-8297

Bathroom renovations: I renovated several bathrooms with Kerry Taylor at Taylor Pro. He has his own guys that he uses and he kind of manages the projects but he was so dependable and reliable and the bathrooms turned out GREAT!

I actually went over to Surfaces USA on Miramar road and bought several slabs of Carrera Marble myself and his guys picked it up and installed it. He didn’t care that I bought all my own fixtures/sinks/etc. myself from Amazon.com and he installed them. He doesn’t mark up the fixtures so he didn’t care where I got them.

Beware many contractors mark up the prices on the items so it typically is better you buy them yourself if you can.

Kerry W Taylor
(858) 997-4615
http://www.taylorprohs.com

Custom made shades or curtains or black out blinds: I used Smith Shade out of Lemon Grove and dealt with the owner, Ralph Smith who did a GREAT job making custom black out blinds for several of our rooms along with custom covers to hide the shade when they are rolled up. 619-299-2228 http://www.smithshade.com

Home Theatre and networking the house stuff: American Home Entertainment. I deal with Kjell Osness who is really great. 858-430-1701. http://www.aheav.com

Custom made closets: I went with California Closets and was really pleased with the custom closets. It’s amazing the computerized software they have. They will come out and give you a free estimate. He will just take the measurements and then give you all these options to choose from or you tell him what you want and they will design it for you.

We did 6 closets with them including a walk in his and hers closet and my wife LOVES her walk in closet they did.

There are others but these are the terrific guys I can think of off the top of my head. They really did a great job.

[earlyretirement]

I agree nothing is structural and even if you don’t have much experience, there are enough Piggs on this board that have used quality people that I think you can just do it yourself.

It’s fairly easy as long as you are using good people. You can save quite a bit of money yourself. I’ve done several renovations on my house and even for the materials, I’ve often times ordered the parts myself on Amazon.com (sinks, faucet fixtures, etc).

You can go to places like Surfaces USA on Miramar Road and pick out your own granite or marble and pay for it with no mark up and the contractor can go pick it up directly.

Renovations that aren’t structural aren’t too difficult. I do agree a GC is a good idea when it’s a bigger job.

[earlyretirement]

I’ve found Canada’s system EXTREMELY lacking and frustrating to deal with because their system is so much different vs. ours in the USA. There is so much information that isn’t public information like the system we have in the USA.

I haven’t found anything too comprehensive for Canada or dependable.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=sdnerd]Did you have them actually out to your property to look in person?

We were denied at first, because most companies use Google Maps and a lot of the pictures for 4S are fairly outdated and show a lot more brush/etc. They sent a person out, took one look, and immediately qualified us.

FWIW we use ANPAC. Absolutely blew away all our other insurance quotes. I’ve moved all our insurance to them after being long time AAA and Wawanesa customer.[/quote]

I spent weeks and weeks researching insurance companies. Many had NO clue what they were talking about and even when I contacted different agents at the same company (Statefarm) I’d get wildly different quotes.

In the end, I found that ANPAC was the best of the bunch. GREAT communications, best prices, really responsive. I switched my homeowners, renters policy, umbrella coverage and automobile policies over to them.

Brandi Kiesau
Phone: (858) 566 8555
Fax: (858) 566 4949

http://www.coverca.com

American National Insurance
9625 Black Mountain Road, Suite 206
San Diego, CA. 92126-4598

http://www.anpac.com

[earlyretirement]

Thanks BG. You sound like you’re well versed on these issues. Thanks for posting these links. I’ll try to check them out. I’m working on a new consulting gig which will keep me busy the next few months so not sure how active I can get but I’ll check these out.

It would be great if you could repost these on the KPBS comments section as the reporters DO read the comments section and follow up on them many times. It also gives them inspiration sometimes.

Thanks for posting those details.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=bearishgurl][quote=earlyretirement][quote=bearishgurl][quote=SK in CV]. . . The problem seems not to be the design of the MR laws, but rather abuse of the process. Should be a warning to us all, pay attention to the political process and get people elected who will make wise financial decisions and vote those who haven’t out of office.[/quote]

Good advice, SK. I’ve been saying the same thing on this forum for years. There seem to be a LOT of disenchanted people (primarily with how all levels of gubment are run) who appear to be completely ignorant of the process and/or don’t want to take time to get involved.

The letters Pigg ER is writing and the (press and elected official?) contacts he has made appear to have been a positive start. Even though fairly new to SD county, he seems to be quite eloquent in his posts and so is likely the same in person 🙂

I was very active in local politics for years but I’ve long ago run out of energy for this sort of thing :=0[/quote]

BG,

Yes, that is me posting on the various blogs and comments section of KPBS and other websites. Thanks for the kind words. I’ve written letters and emails to various officials as well as asking some media to investigate the matter further. It’s good to see some taking an interest in the matter but I really think it will take more of a national spotlight to shine on this potential fraud and abuse of our tax dollars . . . [/quote]

Oh, hey, ER, I haven’t seen you on any other blogs or websites as piggington is the only one I “make time” to pay attention to 🙂

My comment was directed at your prior posts where you stated you got a hold of KPBS and other investigative reporters and also wrote letters and spoke to your local rep’s office, etc, regarding PUSD’s misuse of MR bond income.

Keep up the good work! If anyone can eventually get some answers and possibly effect some head rolling down the road, you can 🙂

You seem to have a good enough understanding of the bond market and business, in general, and are eloquent enough to state your case to get the attention of folks who have the ability to get it out to the masses, using sound bytes in layman’s terms 🙂

Me, I understand how gubment works and the law governing state and local gubment operations and it’s not the way most people think (or would like to think) it should run. It doesn’t matter whether I agree with it or not because it is what it is. Over the years, I have learned to accept things for which I cannot change :=][/quote]

Ah ok…got it. Yes, I have a fairly good understanding of taxes/bonds/business, etc.

I also have a very clear understanding of how government works. I understand it’s typically an uphill battle dealing with government and enacting change is NEVER easy…especially when there is as much corruption/mismanagement as it seems is going on here.

The thing of it is that I’ve lived in other countries and the level of corruption in THOSE places makes San Diego corrupt officials look like saints and angels. LOL. So it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. In other places where I’ve been heavily involved in real estate, real estate development and taxes makes San Diego seem very easy and almost a cake walk.

In those countries the corruption and fraud goes all the way up to the President of the Country type level. So this doesn’t seem to be anything too difficult. The problem is that you still have to have people care about this issue and WANT change.

People here in San Diego surprisingly have this totally lackadaisical attitude about getting ripped off with their tax dollars, voting for voter approved tax increases via bond assessments without even having a clear understanding of how the tax dollars will be used for their intended purposes or even worrying IF the tax dollars generated will be used for their intended purposes at all. And also if there will be any oversight of such funds.

That’s a big problem I see here in San Diego. Many people just don’t seem to care. And ultimately that is TRULY pathetic and sad.

[Author]

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