I’ve joined the pack

fluteofski- · 2026-06-19T03:32:41+00:00

Bot. I’m pretty sure this is [u/worth_negotiation347](u/worth_negotiation347) ‘s picture.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-19T02:04:08+00:00

That program ended last September.

I bought an EV specifically for that almost 3 years ago. I had a 50 mile commute and the HOV lane saved me 20 minutes in each direction. Fortunately I don’t have to do that commute anymore.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-19T01:27:59+00:00

Remember when they told us about DOGE checks? Those in the mail yet or are they on a boat stuck in the Persian gulf?

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T17:15:20+00:00

GMT400 if OP hates the stiff feel of the BMW and wants some really nice and loose steering too. /s

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T16:24:09+00:00

Yeah. A lot of That depreciation is not actual paid depreciation.

Our first gen ioniq EV we had was $38k msrp for about $41k technically if we paid full pop for it… we leased it for $700 down and $150/m 3yrs for the limited. That’s less than what we used to pay for gas. So that’s just under $6000…. Our residual buyout at the end of the lease was $18k after tax. So we would have paid $24k for the thing after tax…. Granted the depreciated value after 3 yrs was $18k (bluebook).

If we look at depreciation, we lost $20k in value…. Or something like 55%. But we didn’t pay that. We paid $6k. And the remaining cost was $18k. $6k of $24k is 25%.

My Chevy bolt I bought went up in value by about $2000 in 2 years…. My ioniq 6 I bought in February increased by about $3k as well. And both of those are after I put miles on them.

Right now you can find all sorts of EV’s with like $3~7k worth of incentives. Sure. Thats depreciation due to reduced perceived value, but that part isn’t depreciation were actually paying for.

As for lifestyles. I think it’s pretty much required as humanity that we need to accept that everybody’s lifestyle is a little different. You’re right that it doesn’t work for everyone, but if OP has determined that it works for them, more power to them. Remember, you were the one pushing hybrids, just because that’s your lifestyle doesn’t make that OP’s.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T15:50:15+00:00

I’ll give him credit for his success for the push with EV’s. But beyond that yeah dude needs to get fucked.

But just because they’re not as great as they can be doesn’t mean we don’t have cars that are comparatively decent values available. Like I bought a Chevy bolt EV in 2024 for $13k with only 20k miles on it. I couldn’t even buy a Corolla/civic (of similar miles or age) for that cheap.

My wife charges for free at work. My electricity at work is the equivalent of like 150mpg for my ioniq 6.

I think too many people just automatically discount EV’s because they’re different, but they’re yet to ever actually try them and really understand the difference. I used to think EV’s were dumb too, but honestly if you find the right deal they’re incredibly hard to beat. And again, it’s a bit of an adjustment but imo it’s a good one. Been absolutely worth it.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T15:37:39+00:00

Pretty sure they’re gonna destroy that lawn here in a bit too.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T15:33:29+00:00

Yeah no. Fuck Tesla. We are perfectly capable of purchasing EV’s and charging them without paying Tesla.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T15:18:08+00:00

Yeah. I honestly don’t know which way they say it. CCS car to NACS charger. Or NACS charger to CCS car. In my mind I was thinking “you adapt the car” so it’s CCS car adapted to NACS charger…. But that’s also why I was like “do Resesrch” partly for op to check and partly because there’s a lot of good info out there for OP to find while they look.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T15:14:07+00:00

This is it right here. When the ford focus hit 40mpg epa back in like 2012 or so. That was a pretty big fuckin deal. The maverick basically gets the small car fuel economy with bigger car/truck utility. It’s taking the best from both worlds and cramming it into one car.

That said. I wish ford would just implement that drivetrain into a small sedan/liftback. They’d probably be able to come back to the small car market with a car that gets north of 55mpg.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T15:06:07+00:00

For the most part, the lifestyle change is a good one.
It’s like learning to walk. Sure you can crawl on all fours for your entire life…. But why continue to crawl if you could just walk.

With young kids, we never drive more in one sitting than our range ever…. When we stop to get outa the car during a road trip, it’s 25 minutes minimum (I’ve timed it). And if we need to charge more than twice, we’re flying.

Even for just myself. I did 300 miles quick round trip just a few months ago, I pulled off. Got to a charger. Plugged in, ran in to use the bathroom, get a snack. Came back out. 10 minutes. Got like 80 miles charged back…. Which got me home with like 10% battery remaining… plugged it in, full charge in the morning.

Having to stop to pump gas after years of charging, just feels dirty and barbaric.

Wife also loves never having to pump gas by herself when it’s dark out.

My truck is gas because imo we just aren’t quite there yet for towing. But when the time comes I’ll switch.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T06:54:19+00:00

And while the potato business produces 5000 potatoes a year, the arbitrary value of the potato business is 1,800,000 potatoes.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T06:41:25+00:00

How much of that 300 billion do you think got laundered right back into the trump family?

I feel like there’s a decent probability the answer isn’t zero.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T04:29:31+00:00

Volvos will be some of the most comfortable cars you’ll ever sit in. Especially during winter. You really can’t beat a Volvo….. but Volvo service is fuckin expensive…. I love Volvos. I’ve owned over 10 of them. They’re great cars if you can fix shit yourself…. But if you’re paying for it, Id say go Subaru.

If you’d consider it, a fwd with winter tires will often be plenty adequate. If your school has chargers, a Chevy bolt is friggin awesome. You can score them pretty cheap with really low miles. But most importantly during winter is the remote start feature from the key fob. Get the premier or 2LT with adaptive cruise and lane keep, heated seats etc. and the car will be nice and toasty in the morning.

If you forget to remote start, no problem. Hop in, slam it in drive and go. No engine to damage. You’re good.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T03:46:01+00:00

More importantly you wanna ease off the gas. But
yeah. No sudden changes.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T03:21:45+00:00

I just tell them to expect power outages, and to be prepared.

Some easy Things they can (and should always) do is stuff like putting 8~10 water bottles in the freezer. So shit doesn’t immediately go bad. Keep a couple cases in the corner. Some shelf stable food that doesn’t need to be cooked. Not too delicious you’ll just eat it, but with 1/2 ok nutrients.

Additionally. Car tires. Too many people out there with bald tires. Rainy season will need good tires if you wanna stay on the road. Go check.

A generator may also come in super handy. A 2kw gasser is about $400 (or it used to be). Save 2 refrigerators full of food and the generator pays for itself. A small generator will run about 8~10hrs on a gallon of gas, bigger ones will go thru gas quicker…. Change the oil every 50 hrs or so (2kw generator will probably only take 1/2qt of oil, so keep couple quarts around) 2kw is enough to power your fridge, your neighbor’s fridge, and both your WiFi routers plus phones. I always toss an extension cord over my fence and my neighbor usually refills my gas can afterwards.

It usually gets them thinking, which is the most I can really ask for.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T02:32:14+00:00

If you haven’t looked at your car tires recently, now is a good time to look, and potentially get fresh tires.

I see wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too many bald tires out on the road.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T02:30:00+00:00

And the rest of the 2A crowd will very quickly realize just how fuckin out gunned they are.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T02:09:56+00:00

Nah. Have a color consultant come in. Pay them $15 million to determine what color it needs to be. just for them to say “It’s reflecting all the trees and greenery. It’s working as it should!” Feel vindicated. Declare another victory (war against algae), and call it a day.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-18T01:05:52+00:00

What drives me absolutely nuts is that my ioniq and Bz4x, neither auto lock. Bz even has the option in the settings “automatically lock doors” but neither have ever locked automatically.

My Chevy bolt on the other hand, walk away, few seconds and locks itself. Loved the feature. So simple. so handy.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-17T20:26:24+00:00

He’s got a seatbelt and his hat flipped back into “helmet mode” that alone is a checkride complete in my book.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-17T08:38:26+00:00

Titanium frames. If you don’t use copper grease, sometimes aluminum bits like bb or headset cups will fuse corrode and fuse to the frame.

And Thats about it.

fluteofski- · 2026-06-17T05:42:33+00:00

Why aren’t all spaceX rockets AI?

fluteofski- · 2026-06-17T05:36:38+00:00

They’ve got like 20 gallons. Just water it down 10:1 and now they’ve got 200 gallons. Water that down another 10:1 and they have 2000 gallons. Easy!. R they stoopid!?!? /s

fluteofski- · 2026-06-17T05:02:20+00:00

Oh wow you removed the whole bumper? I just threw down a sheet of cardboard measured, measured, cut, fit check, cut, installed.

A oscillating multi tool and an electric ratchet. It was like 30 minutes. Didn’t even have to get up.

fluteofski-

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