You Never Forget Your First Time

I still remember the moment I mustered the courage. We were on vacation in sunny Sedona, Arizona in March of 2022. I was sitting on the couch of our Airbnb with my MacBook open to the website. I was having one of those you only live once moments that were so common right after the Pandemic. My pulse was racing and sweat began to form on my brow as the cursor hovered over the “order now” button, my finger lightly resting on the return key.

I was always a fan of cutting edge tech but never dreamed in a million years I’d be able to own a Tesla but sometimes things just fall into place. There I was about to order my Model 3 Long Range. Next came the two things that mark the beginning of most great stories—I took a deep breath and said “what the hell? A few short minutes later, after the adrenaline began to subside, I asked myself “what the hell did I just do?”

Next came the waiting. And the months-long process of nerding out on Tesla videos to learn as much as I could. It was my first EV and anyone who tells you it’s a smooth transition from petrol vehicles to EVs isn’t being totally truthful. Back in 2022 production couldn’t keep up with demand. There was up to a five month wait for the Teslas after placing your order.

I picked up the Model 3 in early August of 2022 and it was like nothing I’d ever driven. Tesla allows you to name the car in the app and I chose “GreyMatter” for the car (for obvious reasons). It accelerated like a rocket ship, was whisper quiet, and easily the best car I’d ever owned. Beautiful too, For the life of me I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder to steal a glance of it after I parked. That feeling never faded.

Over the past four years it’s been a, mostly, trouble-free ownership experience. When it comes to fueling up, cost of ownership has been roughly 1/3rd what I would have paid for an ICE vehicle. As for service, all I’ve had to do is rotate the tires and add blinker washer fluid. I did have to return it to the dealership twice, once for weather stripping realignment shortly after I bought it and, more recently, to lubricate the telescoping steering wheel mechanism. That was it as far as repairs and both were covered under the warranty.

The fun I’ve had in this car is immeasurable. It's been like having an on-demand permagrin whenever I hit the pedal on the right. Blasting through those curvy country roads, way faster than I thought was possible. Accelerating so hard my sunglasses ended up in the back seat. Surprising riders with the G-force of that incredible Tesla launch power never got old. Throughout these past three and a half years I’ve lived out most of my teenage automobile-related fantasies. What a trip it’s been!

However, all good things must come to an end. Last night I wiped all my personal data from the car with a full factory reset. Today, in just a few hours,I’ll be handing the car over to Carvana. They offered me more than I could possibly refuse. With the astronomical fuel prices here in the US there’s a huge demand for EVs on the used market. I decided to “strike while the iron was hot”.

So, it’s the end of an era for me. I’ll never be able to experience quite the same level of excitement as I did with this Model 3 but will keep the memories with me for a very long time to come.

Not long after I finalized the sale of the Model 3 car I hopped onto the Tesla website to peruse their available inventory. One particular model had caught my attention when I was at the shareholder meeting in Austin last November. In fact, they were driving themselves off the assembly line of the factory roughly every ninety seconds.

I found a new 2026 Model Y Premium AWD that happened to be considerably less than the Model 3 Long Range I ordered in 2022. That combined with the proceeds of the Carvana sale made it a very easy decision. Still, as my finger hovered over the return key that old familiar feeling returned—the racing pulse and the sweat beads gathering on the brow.

Tomorrow I’ll be picking up my new Tesla. The paint is a gorgeous, fluid color called Quicksilver. Tesla puts thirteen coats on the vehicle to achieve a mesmerizing result that changes drastically in the light. The interior is white, and it has the latest hardware (HW4.5) that will make it capable of handing over to the Robotaxi network and making me money while I sleep.

The Model Y won’t be quite as fast as my Model 3 or handle as well on the curves but, all things considered, that might be a good thing. It’s, technically, a mid-sized SUV so it sits higher and has a much more comfortable ride. The hardware on this car is fairly future-proof as well. The company has said there won’t be much that can be improved upon besides software.

So begins a new chapter. A softer, slower, and more comfortable one. Sooner or later we all have to mature, right?

The drivetrains in these new Teslas are reported to be designed to go well over 500,000 miles. It’s quite possible this could be the last car I ever buy. Already, I’m looking forward to the adventures yet to be written. Now, the only dilemma is what to name this Model Y.

SilverSurfer? Mercury? StarShip? SilverBlogger? SilverLining?

The possibilities are endless. Perhaps I should let the car decide on its own name? Now that Grok is integrated into the car’s user interface it can do that now too.

My only wish is for GreyMatter to be adopted by a new owner that appreciates it as much as I did. Before long, it will become a part of someone else's story. I bet they'll enjoy it every bit as much as I have. It’s sure to induce high SPKwH (smiles per kilowatt hour).

All for now. Thanks so much for reading.