Tesla Model 3

^{Tesla Model Y. Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.}

There’s a lot of talk about whether someone should make their next car a Tesla. I’m like you in that I work hard for my paycheck, and there are few products I have purchased that truly give me Joy!

My Tesla is one of them!

I’m sharing my experience of buying a Tesla with you and walking with you through the steps.

FIRST DRIVE

The deciding factor for me was the demo drive. Tesla gave me a demo car on a Saturday morning after a nightfall of rain. The roads were sparkling and the car was pristine and I accelerated up a steep hill and around curves while the car held onto the road like rails. I had to adjust back to my combustion car after that and I missed the Tesla so much.

REASONS A TESLA MAKES SENSE

I wanted a Tesla, and I had to sell my husband on it because he wanted to wait.

I emphasized to him how Tesla rates #1 in Safety and Aces all the crash tests.

I told him how little we would pay to power the Tesla – about $6 – $12 at the Tesla Superchargers and only about $30 a month to charge at night at home.

I also let him know about destination charging for when we travel. Destination chargers let you slow charge for free at many hotels overnight.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET YOUR TESLA?

^{Tesla Model Y 7 Seater, Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.}

I suggest you order your Tesla on the premise that you will take delivery in one week. When I got my finances in order (I used a credit union, and Tesla also has a finance option), I went ahead and placed a new order for a Model Y. Ours was delivered a month later. I have heard that ordering a Model Y 7-Seater SUV may take longer (see image above) but is well worth the wait!

My friend recently ordered a Model 3 and Tesla scheduled delivery for the next week. Delivery times vary, and the important part is that you are ready with your financing, trade-in and have planned out your charging routine ahead of time.

TESLA WILL LET YOU TRADE IN YOUR OLD GAS CAR

Tesla will take your old gas car off your hands.

When you place your order for your Tesla, they will ask you if you have a vehicle to trade in.

My best advice is for you to compare Tesla’s offer to another car buyer’s offer. You can go with the highest bidder.

TESLA’S EASY TASK LIST IS MADE FOR YOU

When I ordered my Tesla, I received received “tasks” from Tesla to complete in stages.

Tesla does their best to make this painless and it is worth having 1) finances prepared ahead of time and 2) how you’ll insure the vehicle planned out. I recommend Tesla insurance as you can opt into it right from the Tesla App and their rates are usually lower. It activates right away and you can change out of it later if you have to.

RECEIVING THE BEAUTIFUL VEHICLE, FINAL STEPS

As a Texas resident, I went to the County Tax office to pay the taxes on the vehicle. The Tax Office held the license plate for the Tesla until I was paid up (this was in Oct. 2022 and may change).

It is hard to explain how awesome it feels to own a Tesla! It seems almost too good to be true!

In a future article, I’ll write about getting to know your Tesla. It took me awhile to get fully comfortable with my Tesla because it is very different from a combustion car!

𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘎𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘈𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘭𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘌𝘖 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘭𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐𝘚 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘰. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘺 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘭𝘢, 𝘐𝘯𝘤.

_{Black Tesla Model 3 by Zack @BLKMDL3 [used with permission]}

Every car looks promising when it is sitting on the dealer’s lot. It’s nice and clean, begging you to hop in and take a drive.

Getting started in life as a young person can seem like a vicious cycle when a car is involved. There’s a circle of making payments and sinking money into insurance payments, not to mention the nightmare that happens when your car needs repairs. Since gasoline prices are spiking, combustion engine cars cost a lot to operate. On the other hand, electric cars are becoming more common because they cost little to operate.

If you absolutely have to own a vehicle, then there is no better choice right now than a Tesla. I’ll argue this statement in this blog today based on the low cost of Tesla insurance, the ease of charging the battery, and zero maintenance.

Tesla Insurance is low cost

Tesla Insurance, which is based on real-time driving behavior, is available in Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas [Virginia and Oregon soon]. Real-time driving behavior means that the monthly rate you pay for insurance will drop lower if you drive safer, and will increase if you drive less safe. Tesla will help you drive safer, through their app and your usage of the vehicle’s autopilot software that comes with every car.

California has a different kind of Tesla Insurance, and it is not based on real-time driving [but this may change, each state has complicated laws].

Tesla insurance usually costs less than $100 a month, with the likely probability that it will decrease in price. Or, it could increase based on your driving habits.

I am unsure what you expect to pay monthly, but I was paying about $250 a month before I got Tesla Insurance. I thought I had a good rate until I experienced the kindness of Tesla.

Old fashioned style insurance companies cannot compete with the low price of Tesla Insurance. The antiquated way is to charge you more based on your age instead of your ability to drive carefully.

Charging a Tesla is low cost

Your Tesla, if you decide to get one, costs much less to charge than what you would pay to fill a combustion engine’s tank up with petrol.

I am not going to give specific overall dollar amount averages in my argument. Instead, I will explain what I pay. Since I charge at home, I do see a small increase in my electric bill. I set the charge time to when electricity rates are low. I don’t notice more than a $25 increase in my monthly bill since I got the Tesla. Supercharging my Tesla away from home costs anywhere from $15 – $20 for a full charge.

Maintaining a Tesla is also low cost

My Tesla has an electric motor that requires no maintenance. There’s a saying among Tesla owners, that annual maintenance costs are about $7 [cost of windshield wiper fluid]. Conversely, people pay a lot to maintain a combustion engine as there are so many moving parts, valves, and coolant needs.

My own view is that when you need to get your first car, there really is no better car to buy than a Tesla. Here is a brief comparison of Tesla versus combustion engine car:

TESLA	COMBUSTION
insurance costs much less in some states	insurance based on your age, costs are high
avoid the gas pump	subject to high gas prices
no maintenance	scheduled maintenance and constant repairs

A comparison of the costs of owning a Tesla versus a combustion engine car.

Overall, owning a Tesla is less expensive than owning a combustion car. This issue is important because your vehicle is one of the biggest purchases you will ever make so it needs to be one of the best you can get.

Why I wrote this article and who I wrote it for

A few nights ago, I signed up for Tesla insurance. I was really happy with the significant rate reduction Tesla gave me. My teenage kid was also happy. She explained to me that her friends are just starting out with jobs and their first cars. She told me they have constant car expenses like insurance [big one], gasoline, and huge maintenance bills [one car needed a whole new engine]. She asked me to consider blogging in a “style that might help her friends believe they could afford a Tesla.”

Interested in what people think about Tesla Autonomy? You can check that out here.