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QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Apr 4, 2017 -> 08:57 PM)
Tesla just overtook Ford and GM for the most valuable car company in the US. Didn't even notice their stock is up over $300 a share now. Told my dad to buy 4 years ago or so when it was around $110.

 

They will go down has having the best business plan, especially in regard to marketing, than any company in the 21st century.

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QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Apr 4, 2017 -> 08:49 PM)
I am projected to have it by then, but of course if they have hiccups that would be cutting it close.

 

So there is a tool out there that uses a ton of different info to guess when people will get their Model 3, based on reservation date/time and trim and region and other stuff. Anyway, the last time I used that tool (a few months ago) they had my projected delivery date as like March 24th or something.

 

Well, now, since production seems to be ahead of schedule and they are ramping up faster than most thought (and the fact that AWD and performance models will be delayed), my projected delivery date has jumped to December 30th, 2017. Which would on the one hand suck because I would have 3-4 less months to grow my down payment, but on the other hand would be awesome because I could immediately claim my tax credit on the car for my 2018 taxes since I would be able to include it on my 2017 statements.

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QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Apr 4, 2017 -> 06:57 PM)
Tesla just overtook Ford and GM for the most valuable car company in the US. Didn't even notice their stock is up over $300 a share now. Told my dad to buy 4 years ago or so when it was around $110.

I took a small position just like 3 weeks ago at $250

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ended up buying a used Audi Q5, loving it so far. Had a work event at the Field Museum last night and finally got to drive on Lake Shore Drive (one of my favorite roads to drive on) and had a blast with the windows/sun roof open.

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QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 09:57 AM)
Ended up buying a used Audi Q5, loving it so far. Had a work event at the Field Museum last night and finally got to drive on Lake Shore Drive (one of my favorite roads to drive on) and had a blast with the windows/sun roof open.

What year? I've been looking at that and the Volvo vc60 for my wife.

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QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 10:16 AM)
What year? I've been looking at that and the Volvo vc60 for my wife.

I went with a 2011, so definitely an older model. I looked at newer ones (online at least) but the price was right on this one and there wasn't a big difference in styling between them.

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QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 08:34 AM)
I went with a 2011, so definitely an older model. I looked at newer ones (online at least) but the price was right on this one and there wasn't a big difference in styling between them.

Nice Russ! Congrats!

 

I had a 2012 for a bit, and you are right, they didn't change much...enjoy!

 

Picture!

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QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 12:17 PM)
I dont think they change until the 2018 model, maybe its the 2017.

Its the '18 that is completely redesigned.

 

The first generation had very subtle changes from year to year...nothing really significant.

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Going to go finalize the purchase of our car tonight. 2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, with the Tech Package.

 

It will be very interesting to see how we do with the electric and mileage. In theory, this car gets 29 miles of electric-only, then goes to hybrid mode. My wife's round trip commute is about 28 miles, but they also have chargers at her parking lot. It should function like an electric car almost all the time for us, with her commute and some errands/kid stuff here and there. Might go months without getting gas.

 

I'll report back here in a few months to let y'all know how it goes.

 

These cars, by the way, are hard to obtain. When we went to purchase, there were only three Optima PHEV's in the entire Chicago area in stock, and only one was at our trim level (but not a color we wanted). They had to ship one from Ohio. Dealers say they get them in, but they can't keep them as they immediately fly off the lot. The plug-ins are about 4k more than the regular, but the tax rebate is almost 5k, so for the life of me I don't know why anyone would buy the regular hybrids.

 

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QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 02:32 PM)
Its the '18 that is completely redesigned.

 

The first generation had very subtle changes from year to year...nothing really significant.

Thats right, and although they made some nice changes, the AWD is different and now is mostly FWD. I'm not a fan of that.

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QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 12:35 PM)
Going to go finalize the purchase of our car tonight. 2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, with the Tech Package.

 

It will be very interesting to see how we do with the electric and mileage. In theory, this car gets 29 miles of electric-only, then goes to hybrid mode. My wife's round trip commute is about 28 miles, but they also have chargers at her parking lot. It should function like an electric car almost all the time for us, with her commute and some errands/kid stuff here and there. Might go months without getting gas.

 

I'll report back here in a few months to let y'all know how it goes.

 

These cars, by the way, are hard to obtain. When we went to purchase, there were only three Optima PHEV's in the entire Chicago area in stock, and only one was at our trim level (but not a color we wanted). They had to ship one from Ohio. Dealers say they get them in, but they can't keep them as they immediately fly off the lot. The plug-ins are about 4k more than the regular, but the tax rebate is almost 5k, so for the life of me I don't know why anyone would buy the regular hybrids.

Sounds like a great option for you guys! I can't imagine you were able to negotiate much, but it sounds like you're getting exactly what you want, which is important.

 

 

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QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 02:35 PM)
Going to go finalize the purchase of our car tonight. 2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, with the Tech Package.

 

It will be very interesting to see how we do with the electric and mileage. In theory, this car gets 29 miles of electric-only, then goes to hybrid mode. My wife's round trip commute is about 28 miles, but they also have chargers at her parking lot. It should function like an electric car almost all the time for us, with her commute and some errands/kid stuff here and there. Might go months without getting gas.

 

I'll report back here in a few months to let y'all know how it goes.

 

These cars, by the way, are hard to obtain. When we went to purchase, there were only three Optima PHEV's in the entire Chicago area in stock, and only one was at our trim level (but not a color we wanted). They had to ship one from Ohio. Dealers say they get them in, but they can't keep them as they immediately fly off the lot. The plug-ins are about 4k more than the regular, but the tax rebate is almost 5k, so for the life of me I don't know why anyone would buy the regular hybrids.

 

I know someone who bought a Chevy Volt a few years ago, and he said he fills the gas tank on it like once every 4 or 5 months, when he takes a trip somewhere. He entirely daily commute to work and back was only like 18 miles, so he just charged every night and that was it.

 

 

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QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 02:35 PM)
Going to go finalize the purchase of our car tonight. 2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, with the Tech Package.

 

It will be very interesting to see how we do with the electric and mileage. In theory, this car gets 29 miles of electric-only, then goes to hybrid mode. My wife's round trip commute is about 28 miles, but they also have chargers at her parking lot. It should function like an electric car almost all the time for us, with her commute and some errands/kid stuff here and there. Might go months without getting gas.

 

I'll report back here in a few months to let y'all know how it goes.

 

These cars, by the way, are hard to obtain. When we went to purchase, there were only three Optima PHEV's in the entire Chicago area in stock, and only one was at our trim level (but not a color we wanted). They had to ship one from Ohio. Dealers say they get them in, but they can't keep them as they immediately fly off the lot. The plug-ins are about 4k more than the regular, but the tax rebate is almost 5k, so for the life of me I don't know why anyone would buy the regular hybrids.

 

Congrats.

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QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 22, 2017 -> 12:48 PM)
Sounds like a great option for you guys! I can't imagine you were able to negotiate much, but it sounds like you're getting exactly what you want, which is important.

Surprisingly, when I emailed basically every dealer in the Chicago area, there was some price discounting going on. In the end we paid about 3k under MSRP for the purchase price, even though they had to bring it in from some distance. A few dealers said they couldn't get one (translation - didn't want to mess with trading with another dealer), but most came back with an offer of some kind.

 

In fact the whole process with the dealer we bought from was surprisingly pleasant. Maybe I'm paranoid but I was expecting a lot of problems, but there really weren't any, and no pressure. I even remarked about that to the Finance guy, and he said nowadays, buyers have usually done most of the homework before they ever set foot in the dealership. So what's to gain from yanking on them? Just give them the info, because if they walk in the door, there's a high chance they will buy from you anyway.

 

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QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 21, 2017 -> 10:42 AM)
Nice Russ! Congrats!

 

I had a 2012 for a bit, and you are right, they didn't change much...enjoy!

 

Picture!

Took it up to Michigan this weekend, man I've got to use cruise control or I go wayy to fast in it =)

 

IMG_0633.jpg

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QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 24, 2017 -> 07:14 AM)
Surprisingly, when I emailed basically every dealer in the Chicago area, there was some price discounting going on. In the end we paid about 3k under MSRP for the purchase price, even though they had to bring it in from some distance. A few dealers said they couldn't get one (translation - didn't want to mess with trading with another dealer), but most came back with an offer of some kind.

 

In fact the whole process with the dealer we bought from was surprisingly pleasant. Maybe I'm paranoid but I was expecting a lot of problems, but there really weren't any, and no pressure. I even remarked about that to the Finance guy, and he said nowadays, buyers have usually done most of the homework before they ever set foot in the dealership. So what's to gain from yanking on them? Just give them the info, because if they walk in the door, there's a high chance they will buy from you anyway.

Very nice to hear!

 

Enjoy the new wheels!

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QUOTE (Tex @ Apr 23, 2017 -> 09:17 PM)
Congrats.

 

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Apr 24, 2017 -> 10:26 AM)
Congrats Matt. Sounds like the perfect car for you.

 

QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 24, 2017 -> 07:41 PM)
Very nice to hear!

 

Enjoy the new wheels!

 

Thanks all. This is primarily my wife's car, since I take the train to work, but I'll enjoy it when I get the chance. :lol:

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Apr 24, 2017 -> 01:15 PM)
Took it up to Michigan this weekend, man I've got to use cruise control or I go wayy to fast in it =)

 

IMG_0633.jpg

Audis are such a speeding ticket. They move between 40 and 90 mph effortlessly. Nice ride!

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We've had our new plug-in hybrid car for a month. Used by both drivers for almost everything. 1250 miles and have yet to put gas in it. Down to about half of a tank thanks to a couple longer city-suburb trips. Plus since we use this car for nearly everything, the other car is barely used. Our monthly actual gasoline cost has gone down to virtually zero from about two hundred dollars.

 

Based on our current electric costs, the equivalent cost we are paying is about 25 dollars a month to charge the car. If maybe we have to gas it up once every other month, at about 30 bucks a pop, that's a total cost of around $40/month for gas. So we are saving $160 a month.

 

We didn't even bother buying a fancy charger. Car came with a regular plug, charges it fully in about 7 hours. That's overnight for us anyway.

 

This is fantastic. Highly recommend it, if you do a lot of driving.

 

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QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 17, 2017 -> 02:15 PM)
We've had our new plug-in hybrid car for a month. Used by both drivers for almost everything. 1250 miles and have yet to put gas in it. Down to about half of a tank thanks to a couple longer city-suburb trips. Plus since we use this car for nearly everything, the other car is barely used. Our monthly actual gasoline cost has gone down to virtually zero from about two hundred dollars.

 

Based on our current electric costs, the equivalent cost we are paying is about 25 dollars a month to charge the car. If maybe we have to gas it up once every other month, at about 30 bucks a pop, that's a total cost of around $40/month for gas. So we are saving $160 a month.

 

We didn't even bother buying a fancy charger. Car came with a regular plug, charges it fully in about 7 hours. That's overnight for us anyway.

 

This is fantastic. Highly recommend it, if you do a lot of driving.

NSS, are you taking advantage of a time of use rate overnight or a special electric vehicle rate?

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QUOTE (iamshack @ May 17, 2017 -> 04:47 PM)
NSS, are you taking advantage of a time of use rate overnight or a special electric vehicle rate?

 

No, but I did some math on that. With the normal plug, the car charges in 7-8 hours, which is generally going to be overnight hours anyway. A level 2 charger does it in 2-3 hours instead, and can be programmed that way of course. But even now, we are getting some of the cheaper rate anyway. A Level 2 charger costs like $1500 installed, maybe more if the wiring is a problem, and I don't think I'd ever make up that cost, unless my math is wrong.

 

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ May 17, 2017 -> 04:50 PM)
That's awesome, I'm really hoping there is a bigger selection of electric plug-ins in 5 years or so.

 

The PHEV concept is becoming much more wide-spread now. Just from the research we did on cars, I know of at least these:

 

Chevy Volt

Ford Fusion Energi

Ford C-Max Energi

Kia Optima PHEV

Hyundai Sonata PHEV (not sold in Illinois though, so it's order only right now for us)

Hyundai Ioniq

Toyota Prius Prime

Audi A3 E-Tron

BMW 330e

Chrysler Pacifica PHEV

Mini Cooper E-C Countryman

*Also a handful of luxury or sports cars that I didn't bother shopping

 

I may be missing others. They get varying electric-only distances, ranging from 15 to 55 miles (Volt being best for that). But it's surprising how many of these cars are out there now.

 

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