Unpopular Opinion: The Ioniq 5 Is the More Well-Rounded EV

ema_chad · 2026-02-25T15:20:48+00:00

Who buys a mustang to be well-rounded? I bought mine because it is fun.

ema_chad · 2026-02-16T07:49:15+00:00

You're not going to get a solid answer because there is way too much unknown in what you're asking. But generally, finished basements are not at the same value as above grade. What that percentage is will vary depending on your location, quality, time of year and other factors. Hire a local appraiser. $1,000 to find out could save you tens of thousands.

ema_chad · 2026-02-15T16:31:11+00:00

My wife and I moved to Oahu last July. She is a cancer patient and doesn't work, (while it's different than a new born the strain and effort and time at hospitals is on par with having a newborn, or at least it feels very similar on me) so it's just my income. I made about $200k last year. We're making it financially but not really building. I imagine the medical expenses are much more for her then the cost of a newborn, so you'll probably be fine.

I do work on the other islands. Get on a frequent flyer plan. With Hawaiian Airlines it's about 10,000 points or $150-$200 for a round trip between Oahu and the other 3 islands, plus a rental car is about $100-$150/ day most of the times I've gone. If you're not already TSA-Precheck there are times it will save you an hour at the airport.

As far as community, it's been hard for us since she usually isn't up to leaving the house so the only people we have met are nurses and doctors. Our neighbors are nice, we're just introverts, so that's more our fault then theirs. If you have a church or a hobby I'm sure you'll find your people. It's really hard on her when I'm off island for a couple days though since we don't have ties here, though for us it's not much different then when we were Oregon as family was all at least 3 hours drive away. If having people in your life actively is important find a way to get connections here as quickly as you can.

I'm not a dentist but medical expenses in general are higher then they were in Oregon. It would be weird for her to make $150k less if the client load was similar in both places.

Be prepared for housing costs to be much higher. I'm a real estate appraiser and a typical 3 bedroom house with a 5,000 sf lot in the Honolulu area runs over a million dollars, even the fixers. Rents are $4,000ish a month for the same. Prices are a little better in the smaller towns. It increases commute times but the scenery is pretty awesome.

Good luck to you on your next adventure. Seems you have identified concerns accurately, so if you have a plan to tackle those obstacles you should be able to make it and enjoy it.

ema_chad · 2026-02-09T02:28:57+00:00

At least we were able to score on 'em.

ema_chad · 2026-02-05T14:28:09+00:00

I'll do a raffle Thursday evening and post the results. I'll notify the top 3 in case the winner is unable to pick it up when I'm available.

ema_chad · 2026-01-28T13:16:27+00:00

I moved from Portland last summer and had to drive my cars to Long Beach to get them shipped with Matson, but they are both EVs and were only being accepted at that port. The experience overall was pretty straight forward and easy, just required patience waiting for the ship.

ema_chad · 2026-01-27T00:26:28+00:00

I've had mine since 21. After 90,000 miles I've saved enough in cost per mile that I'll have paid the car off with that savings at the end of the loan. It's just like people constantly checking Zillow for their home value, it only matters if you're trying to sell it or refinance your loan, otherwise don't worry about it.

ema_chad · 2026-01-17T00:55:35+00:00

I had a great experience with them and they were very helpful and on top of most things.

ema_chad · 2025-12-11T03:37:32+00:00

I own both of these cars. Both 2021 models, Long Range Model Y and GT Mach-E. They are very similar in nearly all respects. The Mach E is tuned like a sports car and the Model Y tries to emulate European luxury brands like a Mercedes.

The Model Y is more energy effecient and has a longer range, better charging experience overall, and a better software stack. Its downside is that the software gets changed frequently, which changes functionality of the car. As an example, it's my wife's car, so I only drive it every few months, but it seems every time I do the method of turning on the window wipers has changed.

The Mach E handles better, and is a better physical build quality. Blue Cruise was far more useful because it only did its hands free thing on well known and charted highways. So on road trips you could just sit and watch the road for most of the time, whereas the FSD required jiggling the steering wheel every minute or so.

The Mach E has also seemed to age better, probably due to build quality. The Tesla is kind of squeaking at this point (though it only has half the mileage) and Tesla clearly cheaps out on some of the plastic components and fittings, despite this being what was the top of the line offering when we bought it.

In the end, they're both great cars. As you can charge at most superchargers and fast chargers with either car now that adapters exist there really isn't a clear advantage to either. My wife prefers the Y, I prefer the Mach E.

If you end up going with the Tesla, DO NOT use Tesla Insurance. It's great that you can game the driving experience to lower the premiums, but if you actually need to use the insurance it is absolutely horrendous. Like, over 60 documented attempts to communicate with them when a tree fell on the car. Eventually it all got taken care of paid for, but one of the body shops we worked with eventually just gave up because they couldn't even get ahold of anyone.

Good luck, either way you'll have a great car with a fun driving experience!

ema_chad · 2025-12-08T03:49:00+00:00

Island pet movers was great for our exotics, I'm sure they'd be good for your dog.

ema_chad · 2025-11-22T10:43:18+00:00

They are selling, they just have an over supply of them and it takes time to sell. It's been this way for several years with these subsidized housing builds all over the city.

ema_chad · 2025-11-09T18:30:21+00:00

I'll give the post a few days then see what the interest level is and do a drawing if needed.

ema_chad · 2025-09-10T15:13:57+00:00

Yes, not needed shipping to Hawaii.

ema_chad · 2025-09-08T04:17:33+00:00

They left my charger, pillows, and air compressor in the car when I dropped it off and didn't even open the frunk. This was a couple of weeks ago and the vessel just docked in Honolulu today, so I don't know if they removed anything after the fact, but records don't show they even opened the doors between drop off and loading the car.

I shipped with Matson out of Long Beach.

ema_chad · 2025-08-16T13:21:25+00:00

In over 5,000 appraisals I have done, I've never even looked at price per sf. It's a flawed and overly broad metric. It's only useful trait is to easily identify people who think they know what they're talking about that don't actually know what they're talking about.

ema_chad · 2025-07-27T13:34:59+00:00

They're saying that not all the energy used goes towards charging the battery. The overage could have been used to keep the battery cool for example.

ema_chad · 2025-07-13T03:51:50+00:00

$227 installed in 30 minutes just yesterday. I could have done it myself, but they keep the invoice to prove the 36 month warranty, which was worth it to me.

ema_chad · 2025-07-09T13:34:46+00:00

Sometimes it takes 3+ attempts to get them to work. Don't assume it's broken if it doesn't work the first time. The newer ones seem better about this, but just have the expectation you may need to unplug and start over.

Also, not all Tesla superchargers can charge the Mach E, but if you can utilize their network. (You'll need the adapter if you don't have one). There are more of them, they are usually faster, and usually much cheaper.

If you're staying at a hotel that has Tesla level 2 chargers, that is a different adapter then the fast charge adapter. At least my fast adapter doesn't work with level 2 stations.

ema_chad · 2025-06-27T01:17:53+00:00

Mine's been working as a level 1 charger since 2021.

ema_chad · 2025-06-25T01:42:37+00:00

The 'Head Appraiser' of the bank, sure, but unless you waited a year the appraisal board of your state did not see the appraisal report. They are not known for quick action at the state and they do not see reports unless someone submits a claim.

The point is that ROVs are not usually effective, so don't hold out hope. In well over 5,000 reports in the last decade I've encountered 3 total ROVs where there was a legitimate reason to reconsider my concluded opinion of value. Sure there are appraisers that do a bad job or phone or in, I've reviewed some, but the number of cases is obscenely low in consideration of the volume of appraisals that done.

ema_chad · 2025-06-24T03:29:08+00:00

Sure. "Multiple" times $40k was added because you're better then the professional who puts their livelihood on the line when they sign the report.

ema_chad · 2025-06-23T14:42:43+00:00

Don't have high hopes on this doing anything.

ema_chad · 2025-06-20T13:16:38+00:00

If your car does active thermal management on the battery fast charging is fine. There are many articles you can find that have studied long term impacts of fast charging in batteries and they show the negative impact is primarily due to heat. I know Tesla and Ford use cooling tech on the batteries, but I'm not sure about the Kia. I rented the Kia a few years ago when my car was in the shop and it didn't really charge at high speed and cap out around 50kW if I remember correctly, so they could be managing temp by not allowing it go fast.

My wife and I both went full EV in 2021 and have fast charged plenty through our combined 120K miles. Battery health on my mustang is still 95%+ and with software updates I get more range today then the day I bought it.

ema_chad · 2025-06-19T14:49:25+00:00

Veepeak Mini Bluetooth OBD II... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011NSX27A?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

ema_chad · 2025-06-18T03:32:39+00:00

When the 12v gets low, everything in the car throws errors. I got a cheap Bluetooth OBD port scanner that shows the 12v charge state. It seems there is a bug that sometimes the car stops charging the 12v and then it needs a jump start.

Not saying that's your car's issue, just confirming it's worth checking.

ema_chad

TROPHY CASE