Day 109 - Tesla Ride
I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for this day. And I am excited to be here, let me tell you. I know I’m not the only regular Prosperity Game player who is fired up about this company and this car.
- Showroom floor
I live walking distance from the Southern California showroom and I go in at least once a week and sit in the front seat of one of these roadsters. The price used to be more than it is now and I am excited to share that they are introducing a 1/2 price model from the Roadster.
Part of me wonders if it wouldn’t be fun to get a matching set of the S model for today’s money. But I think I’ll wait. I don’t exactly have a person to give the second one to. My son isn’t driving for a few years and he’s saving up for his own. I don’t want to deprive him of the thrill of acquiring one all by himself.
And so, I’ll get me my very own Tesla Roadster.
This may be one of the most boring posts I ever publish. And you know what? That’s OK. I’m freakin’ geeked about these cars. I remember the first time my son and I got to ride in one.
Amazing!
- Start ‘em young!
We were surprised by the opportunity. Here’s how it came about. And before I tell you, I should preface, a test drive itself requires a hefty deposit. I didn’t know a test ride was a thing, but apparently that day we were blessed.
It was our fourth or fifth visit. They’d already given us the poster, the t-shirt, the tour. Everything. We’d taken pictures, asked the questions, gotten the answers and written our name on every waiting list.
This particular day was a little slow around the showroom. And the extraordinarily gorgeous sales lady asked if we wanted to go for a test drive. Boy, am I glad I had my kid with me. My first instinct was to think it might be too much to ask.
Not the boy. “Sure!” he piped up.
The look of exhillaration on his face when they pulled back into the lot told me everything. There was still wind piled up in his hair and enough smile left in his cheeks for an entire afternoon.
- Awesome!
And so, I climbed into the passenger seat while we eased out of the alley behind Santa Monica Boulevard.
There’s a frontage road that runs alongside the 405 North there, just behind ING Cafe. It’s less than a quarter mile by a few feet I’d estimate. No stop signs. Just driveways into commercial industrial zoned warehouses and businesses.
The car silently revved over the drive and onto the road. And then, it took off.
Just like the peak of a thrill ride, when the air tugs your cheeks back and pushes your butt into your seat, the acceleration lowered me into the bucket below me quickly. Driveways sped by, people in the neighborhood watched as we whizzed past. And before we could hit the 60 mph in 3.9 seconds typical of the ride, we were nearing the end of the block.
- Custom color!
In my guess we were at 52 mph in 2.5 seconds and had to adjust speed not to fly through the intersection across Ohio and into Bad News Bears baseball park.
Of course I was grinning uncontrollably.
We rounded the next right, and on the way back to the showroom a giant truck ambled out its driveway without seeing us.
We easily maneuvered around the potential threat and bolted back to the garage. I fell in love that day. I had been seriously wanting to date a Tesla before that. From that moment on, I’ve been dead serious about getting into one. And now that there is an S Series (very well designed) I can probably get one for real before too long.
Part of what I love is that the designer and manufacturer haven’t sacrificed what an automotive experience can be for the sake of the power source. Brilliant execution.
Drop into the show room any time. They are friendly, accommodating, no pressure, have great espresso and very informative introduction process.
There’s a waiting list, so you really can’t walk off the lot with one same day, but you can get completely aligned with the vision, spirit and excitement of the company in a rare and magnificent way.
I want to see this company win bigtime. Driving off the lot with my very own unit today feels like a giant dream come true.
