Just sold my Ferrari to buy more TSLA

I think you are a very smart man. I agree 100%. I drove a tesla model s just before Christmas, and the effect that car had on me was huge. Nothing I have drivin since can even remotely come close. It is the future. I just wish they made the nice noises a combustion engine can make.

 

Lots of Teslas around San Diego, and I tend to agree with you.

Someone will figure out how to convert service stations into battery swap stations to end the range issue and, if/when they figure out how to generate clean power, that will be the final nail in the coffin. The performance and maintenance benefits are pretty compelling.

It also rewrites the rules for how cars are built... combine that with the flexibility and economies of additive manufacturing and we could all be designing our own cars and laughing at the days when people spent over $100K on something that couldn't break the 3 second 0-60 barrier.

 

I have put 15k miles on my Model S.

I still love driving my 348.

The 348 gives me the auditory satisfaction that I miss. To this day, it's looks, acceleration, handling and sound that make a great sports car.

Tesla is a great car but not a great sports car. It's like eating a gourmet meal, tastes good, looks good but no smell.

The Ferrari still tickles all of my senses; the Tesla is numb in one important area to me.

As a daily driver the S is awesome and guilt free, but as a thrill and pleasure car it doesn't touch the Ferrari...for me.

Kai

 

Tesla has done a remarkable job rolling out their latest offering there is no question. I would remark that I don't know what they have that is proprietary to justify a 20 billion dollar plus valuation.

That said, best of luck on your investments!

 

^ make that 24 billion.

 

I saw one in London about 2 weeks ago. I was thinking, this is probably the easiest car for America to export because it doesn't have a gas engine. It went very quickly as it accelerated ahead of us.

Personally, I can't see myself in an electric. But, when I'm in LA and I see 10 million SUV's all going 2 mph on the 405 Fwy every morning -- each with one person in the car -- I wonder if there isn't a better way. That being... an electric way.

My problem with cars in general today is that the driving experiences are all too digital. I'm used to an analog car experience.

The Tesla takes the digital experience to the max. It's just not for me.

 

I'm not fully sold on the full electric or hybrid concept simply because of personal choice as well as the strangle hold that fossil fuels still have on the world and will have for at least the next 100-200yr's (imo of course).

 

Just sold my Ferrari to buy more TSLA

Umm, the object is to buy low and sell high, not the other way around (unless of course you are shorting the stock).

 

I know it's coming but I hope the change is slow so I can see it coming and make my decision without loosing my shirt on resale if I hold on too long to my combustion car. I love my combustion car... I need more time with it!

 

I never thought I would ever have that kind of thinking but I believe in the electric cars for everyday use in city or suburbs. I work about 5 miles from home and my DD is a KIA spectra and I'm very happy with it. Why a small electric car wouldn't do the job? My Ferraris and corvette are for the driving pleasure only.

 

I bought TSLA at about $34 a couple of years ago.

And I sold it at around $34 a little more than a year ago. Dang, out too early!

 

I love my Model S, and drive it every day.

That said, I'm not interested in giving up the Ferraris. Heck, Elon still drives his XKE once in a while!

 

I finally went to a Tesla dealership this past week. I do not see how they command $75,000+, but I also do not understand how they are valued at 33% of what GM is valued at. I seriously feel like I'm taking crazy pills these days. FB valued at $150billion or whatever they are at. Sorry I digress.
Good: Tesla has great styling and very simple. They should be low maintenance. Onto the bad: there is nothing to them. One 60" TV with 4 minimalist seats. The leather is on par with GM. Cheap carpet from trunk to trunk.
They have people convinced electric is no emission vehicles, but they consist of 100's of lbs of batteries. Last I checked that is about as unfriendly to the environment as one can get.
I am glad that if electric cars are going to be made they are made to look like the S and not the leaf. Rant over.

 

Just as we get used to losing a manual stick shift,
To the double clutch manumatic.....
We lose the internal combustion engine
To the lithium legacy
Its coming quicker than you think!


Check this
[ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WypZvsIj8-k[/ame]



And this

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4hI6koIRYk&feature=youtu.be&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQ4hI6koIRYk%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

 

I'd be careful with Tesla stock. The valuation on the shares is stratospheric. When it's that high, minor hiccups can cause the shares to nose dive. Buy shares in the company if you think it's a wise investment, not because you really like its products, and be sure to diversify! You don't want to place too many eggs in one basket.

 

Always always always diversify. I have a cousin who lost almost $7M with the Wachovia debacle.

 

I drove a friends Tesla and was absolutely dumbstruck by the power and tq. Down low.
I am interested in one , but there are a few misses as others have said.
Interior is rather spartan, seats aren't much to look at, very basic.
Road noise. It has it.
Light steering, it has that too.
More body roll than I was expecting.

My $38k $330 mo. lease. base 2014 Cadillac SRX has an interior that kills it. The softest vinyl I've seen, stitching all over the place. cUE, 3 separate DRiver info screens. Etc.

Musk needs to do a MCE on this car. But doesn't seem like they have done any upgrades since it came out.

But he is to be commended for the job he has done on it so far. Quite an accomplishment.

 

completely agree. At the current (increasing rate) there is ~150 years of fossil fuel left. Not 50, 30 or 20 like some environmentalists are saying. Oil fuel indeed holds a strangle hold (can you imagine, if tomorrow they had to throttle back to 20% (which theoretically is possible) of current productions. Hundreds of thousands (if not in the millions) people would lose their jobs.

I still remain of the opinion that electric cars are a fad, they are VHS. Hydrogen is Cloud. The technology is there to make it, and it'll come eventually.

Until then I'll stick with petrol (and probably will for the most part, since I can't see true analogue cars making a real comeback ).

 

At least you didn't use it to buy Bitcoins...

 

I think a tesla tops out at what 110mph and the range drops dramaticaly. Yes in traffic stuck on the freeway it may out accelerate a 430. The answer is you are not using your 430 properly, so missing the fun.

I dont think a Tesla would run too well at a track or a really twisty road, its too heavy tires and brakes would be toast, and range wuld plumet. I cant see a tesla going too far in a balls out drive on big open roads, how far and for how long would it blat down the autobhan. While a tesla may outacclerate a M5 BMW to 60 we curiously dont see a nurbering lap timefor a Tesla, and could one even last more than 3 laps.

But yeah rolling through traffic a tesla will be more instant and "better" all of which brigs us back tot he perenial question, why do you own a ferrari and what do you use it for. Or put another way a Ford F150 will be a much better tow car than a tesla or a ferrari.

Use a ferrari as in theory designed and the competitors are porche vette GTr aston viper mclaren.

I guess what we see is ferraris are designed to also be used as DD cars, and most are used in that fashion today. For this DD use, yeah exotic bodywork and an electric drivetrain may be the future, even if it cant go more than 130 and will wilt after a few laps. But for a street driven exoitc in the USA electric may well be superior. For a weekend blast car I dont see gas being replaced.

Well lets see how the I8 sells. My guess is not so great, too many compromises compared to a real sportscar, an I 8 is also a 3 lap wonder.

Maybe the future is civillian cars go electric or hydorgen, but sportscars remain and trucks gas. There are reasons for this, gas cars are lighter, gas packs more power, refuleing is quick, sports car people dont mind noise and vibration, its part ofthe whole appeal, gas can make more power in a lighter package for longer.

Now Gas hysbrids are interesting, you make a very powerful high rev motor, and fill out the torque deficit with electric, that is what Maclaren and Laferrri do, but its still heavy and I dont see great love for this approach.

In the end fuel economy, noise, and emissions are not priority considerations for sportscar buyers, just as ride and interior sace are not.

But for a dd, stuck on a crappy freeway with traffic a tesla looks sweet. Legislation and road conditions work against sportscars which is one of the reasons why they have had to become more civilised but lets not forget the performance equation.

 

Interesting discussion. I'd like to own an electric but already have a pile of cars. And for my short trips a hot rod is fun as the fuel economy is terrible but only going a short distance. If not running around town I typically go 300 miles.

I haven't been tracking Tesla the business but I have seen their cars all over the country. I think that is a good sign for the future of electric.

I think now would be a poor time for Ferrari to go all electric. Tesla may be filling this market for the most part for now. Getting close to mainstream.

 

And I am a buyer for for the awd model s, living in the snow as do, for its purpose as DD on Us roads blow 100 mph it seems to be objectively whatever the power source one of the best choices.

Yes batteries will improve, and yes electric drive is more efficient than ICE, but energy storage from the best theoretical battery is nowhere near gas.

I think the tesla is an awesome game changing machine for daily transport, I just dont see elctrics as a great power source for sportscars, at least as I define sportscars, which is an ability to drive toi a track and spend the day there.

I dont look for luxury in a sportscar, I look for light weight(hard to do with batteries) durability and the ability to run near max all day(impossible with batteries).

For a street driven DD where 20% of power is used most of the time, with brief bursts of more, batteries may well work, and even seem better. For a weekend blast machine where power requirements are 70-100% with the ability to operate at lower levels, gas is superior.

But yes most people drive their ferraris like regular cars, so an electric or hybrid ferrari may well work for most people, legislation may even require it. But weight is the enemy of performance, so we may see different versions of the same car from ferrari depending on priorities.

As to engine noise and mechanical feel. Most people I know wear a swiss watch even thougha quartz is a far more durable, far more relaible and better objectively timepiece. When you spend a lot of $$$ on your designer machine, maybe it still has to be you know a machine, its just part of the equation and why people ,like those noisy fake exhaust noises at stratup.

None of which means Tesla wont be sucessful, just not at building 2 seat hypercars.

As to whether ferrari should build electrics. The trend these days is sadly ever more power and ever more weight. Even the new Z06 vette and Gt3 have gone in that direction. For the street all this power is useless, and all the weight robs feel. But high power big tires and brakes make for good paper stats.

On the track the big power comes with the price of weight, that is fine for 3 laps but then brakes and tires go soft and you end up with less performance.

Maybe we are comming to the point where "street" sportscars are going to go into two branches, very powerful luxurious hyper performing street cars(veyron style), and light more minimalist robust (les performance on paper) out the box tack capable cars, which are still reasonably streetable.

in the 50/60's heyday of ferrari "brand" building you could take your ferrari out on the road and just go for it. Nowadays trafic density, rules and outright performance growth means if you really want to enjoy your performance car its the track, at least in most countries.

And indeed we see a huge growth in the trackday industry and car country club tracks. Porche with the last Gt3 and Chevy with the last z06 served this market well. they made cars which on paper were lesser performing(Gt3 Vs Tirbo Z06 vs ZR1) cars that were fun and robust on track yet street driveable.

To me the stret capable but track optimised out the box car is the future core of credible sportscar brands. Not all their products but one product in the portfolio will need to do this dual role, think modern 250 SWB. Then there will be more pure street varaints and models.

Because of energy density storage and weight, its going to be a long time if ever before an electric can spend a day at the track going all out and keeping tires and brake consumption reasonable, But yes and electric may come along that looks good on paper for 3 laps. Soo Ireally see ferrari and others making two different products for two diferent clinet bases, or ferrari just becoming a bogus luxry brand mining past imagary, which it is pretty close to already.