• MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
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    7 hours ago

    ICE cars are absolutely changing designs all the time. There are plenty of ICE car designs that I don’t like too.

    The difference is that generally there will be a couple of EV designs, but there will be a dozen ICE designs. There’s simply more to pick from on the ICE side. So if I want something that fits a design aesthetic, I have a much better chance to find it as an ICE car than an EV.

    I widely considered the model S to be a great EV design for a really long time, though I swore I wouldn’t buy one. Before the whole Elon Musk drama recently, my main reasons were about how they treated after market/used/rebuilt vehicles, owners, and anyone with the gall to dare try to fix their own vehicle… And also the “walled garden” of Tesla. Making it difficult or impossible to get something like a third party charger for home, among a long list of other complaints.

    I’ve been aware of the writing on the wall with Tesla for a while, and I reserved judgement for the most part, only committing to not placing myself in that situation, and thinking that anyone who can accept what I will not, does so at their own risk. It brings me no joy to see that I was right on most fronts. They still have some wonderful designs.

    Largely, the S stands out… Especially early S models. More recent models started to trend into basically being larger model 3 vehicles; I don’t like a few of the key design features of the model 3. Specifically, I don’t like that you have a barren dashboard. There’s nothing in front of you. The S had a driver information screen that showed all the usual things, like your speed, energy remaining, trip, odometer, etc. All the things that you would expect from an instrument cluster. I wasn’t a HUGE fan of the middle screen for infotainment, but as long as it was limited to noncritical features and infotainment, I’m mostly okay with it (mainly that it has no physical buttons) provided that the critical driving components, features and controls were separate.

    I acknowledge that this is entirely a personal preference.

    Bluntly, if Tesla as a company wasn’t as exclusionary to other EVs and manufacturers, and treated DIY/used/repair markets fairly, I might already be driving one. Obviously, even if they completely change all of their policies and evict the guy at the top, I’m not going for a Tesla… Even then, I’m pretty on the fence given that they’re burned at this point (aka cancelled).

    I’m keeping an eye out for something, I’ll probably stick with the vehicle I have four now unless I can get a great deal on a used PHEV like the Honda clarity (which is now discontinued, RIP). There’s a few oddities about the clarity I don’t like, but on the whole it looks like a solid car. The rear tires being partially covered is odd IMO.

    In any case, I can’t really afford to get a new car at this point, maybe late this year things will change on that front, but given the state of the economy, inflation and average earnings, things might get worse too. Financially I have two major events happening around October that might make it possible to buy a new car: we will be able to update our mortgage (hopefully with a lower cost), and I’m on track to pay off a major debt I have. If I have my finances under control and in a good place when both of those happen, then I may start looking around for a vehicle again, provided the economy doesn’t go down the toilet by then.

    I don’t have confidence that the economy will be good by then because since I’m in Canada, the United States and their insane commander and chief, can absolutely put our economy into a downward trend.

    I’m not putting my money on it being fine. I’m going to get myself into a better position before I reassess.

    Regardless, if you’ve read my ramblings this far down, you have my respect. I hope you have a wonderful day, and I look forward to talking with you again in the future on here. Be well.