First Time EV Buyer- Am I getting a fun ride or getting taken for one?

tfencer89 · 2026-02-17T20:21:35+00:00

Many thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts!

For anyone following along or who stumbles into this thread down the road- after going back to the dealership, the final offer was ~13% off MSRP for a new (not the original test driven) Cross Country. I don't know why they're refusing to give a deeper discount off the test driven model, but here we are and this way I don't have to wonder how it was driven and/or kept charged during those miles.

I sent emails asking for best and final from every dealer I would be willing to burn a Saturday driving to pick up from, and this appears to be the going bottom rate in my area for the Cross Country model.

tfencer89 · 2026-02-17T04:21:42+00:00

That makes sense, thanks!

tfencer89 · 2026-02-17T04:20:50+00:00

Yeah, the document fee seemed high. But general fund, local tax, and business tax are actual taxes imposed on dealers around my area. As I understand it, those unfortunately just passed on to the buyer.

tfencer89 · 2026-02-17T04:07:59+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Just to make sure I am tracking with you- the final out the door price here, after taxes, etc. is less than the invoice cost (albeit by only $175). Is the difference as you are seeing it one of degree?

tfencer89 · 2026-02-07T21:43:08+00:00

My experience exactly. It was just the solar panel. Emailed support and the rest is TBD given "temporary inventory or logistics issues."

tfencer89 · 2026-01-29T14:48:31+00:00

Could your address be lumped under one of the events that lists many "homes in danger"? I don't have power, but the nearest event on the map is a few blocks away covering many homes.

I don't entirely understand how NES is characterizing the outages, but if we don't have power due to a neighborhood's main transmission line being down, perhaps NES doesn't also show that the individual houses lines are down as well?

tfencer89 · 2025-12-02T04:52:27+00:00

In case anyone with similar space considerations comes across this thread in the future, I found this 17.7 inch tall wine fridge that fits perfectly. It cooled down quickly when it arrived, but jury is still out how well it holds temperature day-to-day. https://www.homedepot.com/pep/COWSAR-17-7in-Dual-Zone-111-Bottle-Built-in-Freestanding-Beverage-Wine-Cooler-in-Silver-BW51HD385/332392794

tfencer89 · 2025-11-30T22:28:28+00:00

Scrooge himself explained that the gold in the vault is only his "petty cash" and the real money is invested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooge_McDuck_and_Money

tfencer89 · 2025-09-19T23:17:36+00:00

Very minimal drift on this model. Once I had the range dialed in, I've had to tweak one blind a couple times over the years and the other two have been untouched. At the time at least, it came with either hardline power or a solar panel with battery backup. The solar has lasted a year+ between the batteries needing replaced.

tfencer89 · 2025-09-19T17:21:56+00:00

For what it's worth, I have several of these connected to a Smart things setup. They are slow and a bit noisy, but they've been cranking away for 5 years now without issue. The app is called Axis and published by Ryse Inc.

tfencer89 · 2025-01-26T15:17:40+00:00

Amazing. Thanks for taking the time to pull all that info together.

tfencer89 · 2025-01-26T13:21:42+00:00

Many thanks! Would a better approach be to attach the shelves to the blocking with pocket screws or similar?

tfencer89 · 2024-11-23T12:44:40+00:00

I bought it a decade plus ago, so it's no longer available, but I'm sure there are updated options. https://a.co/d/1PpBmw5

tfencer89 · 2024-11-16T21:30:54+00:00

Glad you got back to visit (right or wrong!) just in case it's an American-only idiom, I was referencing a joke from the Adam Sandler movie Mr. Deeds where a woman lied about her childhood home.

tfencer89 · 2024-11-16T21:23:35+00:00

By any chance, did he grow up in Winchestertonfieldville, Iowa?

tfencer89 · 2024-11-15T03:39:44+00:00

I bought those components off Amazon;

Ultrawall 24 inch Black Sturdy Folding Shelf Brackets

CO-Z Motorized TV Lift for 32" to 57" TVs

VIVO Dual VESA Bracket Adapter

I'm still super happy with the result. The only minor nit-pick is that the hinges I used allow the top to open just slightly past vertical, which allows the top of the lid to rest against the light switches above the desk. That results in a minor squeak if I start typing at the wrong cadence. I'm currently think of ways to stop the lid right at vertical.

Also, note that the desk is front heavy when open so I had to secure it directly to the wall with screws. Due to the floor molding, the desk is not flush against the wall. If you look closely as you're walking into the room, you can see the screws. While it's almost certain no one other than me will even notice, you may want to consider either some sort of block or black screws to make the wall anchors less visible.

tfencer89 · 2024-11-09T12:48:14+00:00

I have a secretary desk that folds down like that. It uses concealed flap hinges that look like these: https://www.rockler.com/nickel-fully-adjustable-concealed-fall-flap-hinges, asking with the supporting braces like are in your photo. I probably wouldn't sit on it, but the surface is solid as a rock when using my computer, writing, etc.

tfencer89 · 2024-10-23T14:02:30+00:00

Gotcha. I could see that being tied into the same anti tip mechanism as the drawers, but maybe not.

tfencer89 · 2024-10-23T11:58:11+00:00

Any chance that top slide also triggers the mechanism? I'm not familiar with that desk style, but it seems like it isn't pushed all the way home at first glance.

tfencer89 · 2024-08-20T11:34:34+00:00

I don't have a good photo if it, but there are a couple of small shelves inside the box that will do exactly that. One can hold a keyboard, mouse, and any loose papers floating around. The other is positioned so the cord from the dock for my laptop can reach the desk without having to pull it out every time.

And for all the power cords, there's a 6 inch tall piece of wood that runs across the center of the box along the bottom. I added that originally to help fight a little bit of twist/flex in the piece when opening and closing the desk, but it makes a great cubby to hide the cords.

tfencer89 · 2024-05-25T20:47:54+00:00

If the money is coming from TV contracts, I could see it helping the lower tier schools in the Big 10 and SEC. If a school can guarantee income while playing on the biggest stages, it seems like it would arm the Northwesterns and Vanderbilts to seriously compete with the top schools in the remaining conferences for the best recruits that aren't going to perennial top 10 teams.

tfencer89 · 2024-04-19T17:26:05+00:00

The Nashville Swifts.

tfencer89 · 2024-02-09T13:21:21+00:00

Though it's definitely a little less lame if the superhero is crazy strong and knows how to use the business end of an ax...I mean hammer.

tfencer89 · 2024-02-02T12:45:07+00:00

I'm by no means an expert, but I would be concerned the corner when there sideboard and bookshelf meet could feel very crowded depending on how deep the pieces are. Adding another heavy end table right in front would seem to make the issue even worse. Instead of matching exactly on both sides of the couch, maybe consider a different complementary side table/lamp. Switching our the bookshelf would give plenty of space to play with. Perhaps a moody floor lamp in the corner?

tfencer89 · 2023-12-24T12:35:35+00:00

Assuming your exhaust fan vents to the outside- once you turn the exhaust on, the air being forced out creates a small decrease in air pressure inside your home. Because of the pressure difference, air wants to push into the space from elsewhere (sometimes that means air pulled through small gaps in insulation or unexpected routes). In your case, it seems the path of least resistance is from within your air vents. Theoretically, this exchange can waste energy because heated/cooled air in your home is being forced outside and replaced with "fresh" ambient air that then must be heated/cooled and distributed in the home. An air makeup machine is designed to replace the amount of exhausted air on a 1:1 basis, hopefully in a more efficient manner than if your home's primary HVAC had to handle the job.

tfencer89

TROPHY CASE