I’ve been daily driving my Evo IX SE since I bought it new in February 2007. I turned 40 recently and am fine with the car but decided to pull the trigger on a Tesla.

Originally I wanted a Model 3 RWD since it was the cheapest, but then I planned to keep my Evo and decided it might be a bit redundant to have two sedans, and figured the utility of the Model Y would make it a better idea. Then I figured the Long Range was the way to go, and it wasn’t that much more than the Model 3.

Paid for an in-transit Model Y Long Range in white with the upgraded 20” wheels, and it should be arriving in a week or so. My work parking structure has superchargers (and a lot of charging stations), so I won’t need to charge at home just yet.

 

Teslas make sense for the daily commute and you'll save a ton of money on maintenance and fuel. Keep the Evo for the weekends though

 

That's the plan. I got an e-mail earlier this afternoon saying that it would be ready for pickup on Thursday, so my appointment is scheduled. It's exciting, seeing how I haven't bought a car in 16 years.

Granted I have a bone stock Evo (and not a modded one), but I was surprised at how fast the Teslas accelerate, particularly for the Long Range models. Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't really see the point in the Performance models (even though they still look sweet). A buddy of mine who I play volleyball with had bought a Y Performance last year, and he said if he could do it all over again, he'd have just gotten the Y Long Range, since he did the 0-60 runs a handful of times before it got old.

 

I took delivery a couple of weeks ago. I still have the Evo. Pics from the day I got it:



I ended up driving to my dad’s house in Oxnard that same night, so I could claybar and wax it, then went back home the next day:



Part of what went into the decision was that I can charge it for free at work, since my office parking structure has ten Tesla chargers that are free (but are the slow ones):



Charging is slow at these, but I won’t complain when it’s free, and it for now saves me from having to buy any home plugs. Plus I can get more than I use up — my round-trip commute uses up around 8-10% depending on how I drive and if I make any other stops, but a day at work typically will get me 20-25% of charge. It’s normally better/faster than that, but once more people show up and also plug in, it slows down everyone else’s charge a bit. So if no one shows up, I could probably get 60% or more in a workday, if it stays at a consistent max of 8 kW and 40A, though during the regular hours of the day, it drops to 2 kW and 10A.

Charging aside, it pulls hard. Acceleration is quick. The tech is really cool, especially coming from an Evo IX. It obviously doesn’t handle the same, but I don’t even really drive fast even in a straight line these days since I’m in my 40s now.

 

That Evo sure looks good!
I guess the Tesla is okay though.
Seen any pics of the forthcoming Caterham!?!

 

Tesla is fun, I do love Autopilot (not FSD) for cruising on freeway. The power is fun below 60 but feels real flat and un-satisfying after a while 60+.

 

Which model? Admittedly I don’t think I’ve driven faster than 85 or so yet and still haven’t done a hard pull, but the Long Range model packs a good punch, though I can see the standard RWD one (whether 3 or Y) losing steam.

Even one of my younger buddies (maybe 33 or 34) who has a Y Performance said he doesn’t care for the extra power and much rather would’ve gotten a Y Long Range, but at the time a year ago really wanted/needed a new car and would’ve had to wait another month or two to get the Long Range and just went with a Performance since it was what was readily available.

 

I have a 21' Model 3 performance. The performance is only really faster under 60ish, so you can expect the acceleration drop is much more over 60 on a performance than a LR.

There are also plenty of dynos online to show the torque vs SoC (state of charge) that show how the power changes over speed.

 

I figured those (and any Performance model) are configured for headline-worthy 0-60 times, but it’s surprising that it’s weaker past that.

I remember contemplating the extra $2-3k for the Performance but figured I wasn’t going to use the speed and would probably be annoyed at having to buy staggered tires.

 

Oh man, love that Evo!

 

Still 100% bone stock too.

 

Beautiful evo 9! (it looks so small next to the tesla lol)

 

Model Y is the ugliest model in the entire line up. If I switch to an electric car/truck I would like to have one that can power my house with a bi-directional battery pack.

 

Supposedly Tesla has the hardware to do this. I don't know the logistics of why they don't. Could be the battery warranty possibly?

The other brands that do work with it, do they have similar 8yr/100k warranties or just the standard vehicle 3-4 yr?

 

Ford matches the 8yr/100k warranty with their F150 Lighting. Kia EV6 pushes it to 10 years/100k. Bi-Directional charging is a feature that EVs should all provide but only a couple manufacturers are bringing it to the table.
Its a lost opportunity in my eyes. EV customers are not prioritzing the feature.