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My friend thought I was crazy to lease the ELR

12K views 41 replies 29 participants last post by  llninja 
#1 ·
Had a great moment with my good friend and the ELR. He's in his late 40s, never dresses down more than slacks and a button-down shirt, and has a PhD. He generally doesn't care about how much money he would save with one product vs. the other since he's rather loaded thanks to some choice stock picks over the past two decades. "Value" to him is what he wants, not what gets the best mileage or retains its value over the long haul. So he replaces his TV every couple of years, always has a new gun to show off at the range, and already has a 12-core Mac Pro fully loaded up (along with his crazy tricked-out Alienware laptop).

His contributions to the environment are (i) careful separation of garbage for recycling; (ii) turning off the water as much as possible in the shower, brushing his teeth, or washing dishes; and (iii) keeping the temperature in his house at a level that prevents the A/C or heat from turning on too often. However, despite the water rationing inside, he lets his sprinklers run as long as necessary to keep his grass green and plants flowering all year 'round; and due to the excellent insulation and windows in his house, the temperature doesn't fluctuate much. Beyond that, he doesn't really care about gas vs. electric or solar vs. fossil fuels.

Currently, he owns a BMW 550i. He's been a passenger in my Volt and enjoys the linear acceleration and Star Trek start-up sound, but otherwise he doesn't see the advantage over his 550i (because his car is faster, more comfortable, just as quiet, and has brand prestige). He rode in my wife's Rav4 EV and was impressed, but found the interior quite pedestrian and the lack of customization a deal-breaker. Also, he needs more than 110 miles of range since he regularly drives long distances.

He's never understood why I "downgraded" from an Infiniti M56 to a Volt. While he does like the prospect of only visiting a gas station a few times per year instead of twice per week, he doesn't want to wait 5 hours for his car to charge every day just to get 38 miles.

He drove a Tesla Model S a couple of times since he saw it starting to have more cachet than his Beemer, but couldn't imagine who would pay $100k for a car without "the luxury basics" like Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Warning, a key fob tied to his seat/mirror memory settings, etc. He wasn't impressed that the Tesla accelerated so quickly, because his 550i was almost as fast, and some ICE cars costing half the price were faster. The fact that the Model S was electric didn't impress him, since it meant range anxiety and being at the mercy of Tesla's supercharger network.

So when I told him I was going to buy another EREV like the Volt, but upgraded, he laughed and just shook his head, muttering something about me deserving better. (I'm telling you - he really couldn't understand me going from an Infiniti to a Chevrolet!)

Jump ahead to last week. I invited him as my +1 to an invitation-only business networking party I was attending. By then, he had forgotten that I was thinking about a new car, and was dreading arriving in my Volt. "Can I drive? Please? No one's going to talk to me if they see me get outta that thing." I told him I'd drive to his house and we could decide then what to do.

So here's my rich friend standing outside in a suit waiting for me to pull up in a Volt, and instead I pull up in an ELR. By the look on his face, he had obviously never seen an ELR before. He just stood there staring, and finally spit out, "what...the...heck...is...that?!" Needless to say, we arrived at the event in my ELR, and to his utter chagrin, the valet parked it right out front while all the BMWs (and Teslas!) were driven into the underground garage.

During the drive over he kept asking, "does it have this?" And for the most part, every answer was, "yes." He cracked up when he saw the cup holder. "Yeah, I bet this car took an insane bite out of your bank account!" When I told him it was less expensive than his loaded 550i, he didn't believe me. "No way - this has got to be a $90k car!" Slowly but surely, charging went from a problem to a cool feature; the size of the car went from cramped to comfortable; and the prospect of having the newest high-end car on the market grew on him. Sure, he bitched like me about not having cooled front seats, a head's-up display, and some customized features offered by BMW on the 550i, but after a while he didn't seem to care so much.

To conclude this rambling story, my buddy called me from a Cadillac dealer on Sunday to let me know he found a red one fully loaded, and now it's his. (He just had to have a cooler color than mine, dammit!) Naturally, he paid cash. Show off.

At least now he understands how one can go from a car that accelerates 0-60 in 4.8 seconds to one that does it in 9. (Although he had it easy because he didn't go from an Infiniti to a Volt, but rather to a luxurious ELR.)

What's really funny is that he's going to be pissed when I finally show him the BMW i8! He can afford that puppy, and I suspect he'll be replacing his ELR for that in a year.

Or maybe not... 'cause so far he really likes his ELR. And I'll bet within two months he'll start getting annoyed when he actually has to go to the gas station after a few longs drives. ;)
 
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#3 ·
Although I agree that the ELR is a drop-dead gorgeous car, I can't stand people like your friend who care more about image and how they look to other people. He obviously judges people by how nice (and expensive) a car they drive. There is so many more qualities that define a person. Amazingly, I live in an area in the middle of nowhere where there are many very wealthy people, but you wouldn't know it from the beat up pickups that they drive. There are those who look rich and spend almost as much as they make, then there are those who are truly rich (and that's not always measured in dollars). I hope your friend someday learns the difference.

Enjoy your ELR, and I hope to someday trade up to an ELR from my Volt.
 
#5 ·
Blastphemy - thank you for a very entertaining story. Very well written too :)
I'm not sure how much your friend drives on a daily basis (perhaps he doesn't have to fight the LA traffic like some of us), but he'll love the HOV and HOT lane access (free HOT lane access started this week - just need the new transponder).

I agree with your friend wholeheartedly regarding the acceleration "premium". It's overrated and should not be the key yardstick in cars that cost north of $80k. If one was only after sheer acceleration (sidebar - that and HP specs are some of the reasons manufacturers "require" minimum octane on certain cars), there are multiple cheaper options as you stated.

And I guarantee you that ELR will stay more exclusive than Model S. I'm sure you see multiple Model S during your daily drive as I do in OC / South Bay drive. The exclusivity alone will be worth the price your friend paid for his ELR.

As you eloquently stated, value is a very subjective criteria from one person to another. And for folks who aren't concerned with $80k sticker price, features and creature comfort of an ELR can outweigh Model S's "advantages" very easily. And yeah, no range anxiety!

Just be sure you show him how to optimize the Mountain Mode and Hold Mode features :)
 
#6 ·
Enjoyed your story. Thanks for sharing it. Every plug-in sale is a good one in my opinion. The more word-of-mouth the better.
 
#7 ·
I suppose it depends upon where you live. But I live in an area more like llninja. Where the rich will have a beer with anyone at the local pub and usually just drive a nicer pickup then others. Rich is a relative matter anyways. We are all rich compared to most of the world. I tell my boys that we can drive through the nicest part of town and find poor people living in some of the biggest houses. We can also drive through the trailer park and find rich people. Poor is not having enough money and some will never have enough. Rich is having everything you need today and being relatively sure you will tomorrow as well. Really poor hardly exists in this country and that is not having enough money to survive.
 
#8 ·
Great story. I just hope there are thousands just like that in the hext year....

I'm not sure that Blastphemy's friend is the typical rich American. A few years ago a great book came out called "The Millionaire Next Door" that described the average rich American as more like llninja described. The book claimed the typical millionaire American drove a F-150 pickup, bought their suits at JC Penny, and that their favorite drink was the one bought by someone else. The book went on to talk about the difference between having a lot of money and showing off a lot of expensive purchases.

WVhybrid
Red Volt #1715, MY2011
47,000 miles and running well...
 
#11 ·
I read a book named the millionaire mind! but the premise and description was very similar. Maybe you got the book title wrong, or maybe this was a sequel or similar book. One of the reasons people become rich is by not living in a McMansion and living easily within their means so the bank account starts to pile up. People who have fancy cars and houses, but are just barely making the payments to keep up on their lifestyle will either need to keep making more money, or someday come crashing down.

We have so much compared to many in the world, and we are very lucky to have it despite the reality checks from Black Friday in the 80s, the dot bomb area, and the recent housing/financial crisis. I'm thankful to have a decent paying job and am trying really hard to resist blowing a chunk of money on an ELR!!!
 
#12 ·
"No one's going to talk to me if they see me get outta that thing."

Your friend sounds like a real class act. Better not let him find out you're slummin' with the likes of us!
You're both missing the context. We had just pulled up to a business networking mixer of bankers, lawyers, CFOs, etc. who all arrived either chauffeured or driving their BMWs, Mercedes, Audis, Teslas, Maseratis, etc. and he was worried about getting out of a Chevrolet. In a business setting like that, if you get out of a Chevy, Ford, Honda, Toyota, etc. and people you want to connect with see it in the setting we were in, you're not taken seriously.

My friend never said that he wouldn't talk to people with the "wrong" car, but some of those people at the dinner sure wouldn't want to network with him if he didn't have the "right" car. Luckily, we pulled up in the ELR and everyone wanted to talk to us (and sit in it, but I wouldn't let them because they're all a-holes and can go buy their own ELRs if it means that much to them). It's all posturing; success begets success, so you have to look successful at a meeting like that. If you pull up in a car that costs less than $60k, you're projecting the wrong image. But it's only an image. And the next day, he'll be sharing pizza and popcorn with the parents whose kids go to public school with his daughter.

I realize you're all angry that the Volt isn't considered a measure of success amongst those types of people, but projecting their bias onto me or my friend is just silly. We just play the game when necessary.

Do you show up to a monster truck rally in a Rolls Royce Phantom? Heck, no! Not unless you want your ass kicked! Same thing. We all wear costumes at some point in our lives.
 
#10 ·
"No one's going to talk to me if they see me get outta that thing."

Your friend sounds like a real class act. Better not let him find out you're slummin' with the likes of us!
 
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#16 ·
Thanks for sharing your experience, it's real life stories like yours that keep this forum interesting. It is very unfortunate that people take offense to your experience and become so judge-mental about your friend and the company you keep. Too many people read between the lines when they should just read and take it for face value.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Thanks for sharing your experience, it's real life stories like yours that keep this forum interesting. It is very unfortunate that people take offense to your experience and become so judge-mental about your friend and the company you keep. Too many people read between the lines when they should just read and take it for face value.
Your friend sounds like a tool. If that's the target of the ELR, count me out, regardless of how much money I have.
Gotta love it, btown, when your point is proven in the very next post! lol.

BTW, it's not the "I can't be seen in a Volt at this meeting" that brings me to my conclusion, it's your previous statement of ""Value" to him is what he wants, not what gets the best mileage or retains its value over the long haul. So he replaces his TV every couple of years, always has a new gun to show off at the range, and already has a 12-core Mac Pro fully loaded up (along with his crazy tricked-out Alienware laptop)."
By replacing his TV every couple of years, constantly buying new kill hardware, and updating his computers regularly, he's keeping people employed. There's nothing wrong with that. Do you also hold such a low opinion of people who take out a two-year lease on their Volt? How about a person who buys a Volt because "it's what s/he wants" rather than for the environmental benefits?

And do you think my friend just throws out the old stuff? Heck no - he sells it for a discount or trades it in, so people who couldn't have afforded his stuff at full price now have the opportunity to buy it at a discount. That's how the economy works, friend.
 
#20 ·
BTW, it's not the "I can't be seen in a Volt at this meeting" that brings me to my conclusion, it's your previous statement of ""Value" to him is what he wants, not what gets the best mileage or retains its value over the long haul. So he replaces his TV every couple of years, always has a new gun to show off at the range, and already has a 12-core Mac Pro fully loaded up (along with his crazy tricked-out Alienware laptop)."

Maybe you described him badly, but that's the impression I get with limited information.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Great story, Blast - it would make a great commercial, however, sure to be panned by all the GM haters and EV purists as bogus. Sometimes reality is too good to be true.

Your friend sounds like a character out of some Beverly Hills comedy. To his credit, he did give in to your insistence on picking him up to go to that high-powered pissing contest even though he thought it would be in your Chevy.

I'm really happy you're having a great time owning your ELR. And I'm glad for your friend too - let us know how he feels about his ELR after six months or so of driving it. (You might want to advise him of your brilliant use of Hold mode prior to any big hillclimbs or other demanding runs which might have the engine breaking through the Bose noise shield - I have a sense that would shock him badly)
 
#30 ·
Nice picture of Warren Buffet's house in Omaha.
Gotta respect the guy for staying grounded living in the same house forever. On the other hand after making $1B I'd probably stop and say I've earned enough and leave some for someone else. Alas he is on a whole other level fostering and growing businesses that create jobs that make even more.
 
#25 ·
Great story. Glad to hear of another ELR on the road. If I was in the market for a car to show off with, it would be at the top of my list. :)

If you've never been in business for yourself, you wouldn't understand the importance of projecting the right "image." It's just the way it works. What the right image is depends on the business. If you're in construction or exploration or something like that a one-ton diesel might be the right choice. My stepmom decided to trade in her Rav4 for a Lexus SUV, just because potential clients wondered why, if she was such a good real estate agent, she was driving a "crappy car."

People look at how you dress and what you drive and make automatic assumptions about how successful you are. Of course you should look past appearances, and failing to do so can be at your peril because you never know who you're talking to.
 
#26 ·
nice story, and while some are critical, I am sure you add a lot of extra color to your description of your friend and events to keep us entertained. Is the model S becoming stale- naaaa, with that 60s E-type nose it will always look good. maybe in fashion this year and out the next, but it will never look like a 74 mustang II....
 
#27 ·
Great story, very entertaining, and good comments. The scary part for me was the fact that you let a valet park your ELR! I avoid that every chance I get. No one has valeted my car (my Volt or my previous Lexus) in close to 10 years!
 
#34 ·
I saw the ELR at the Dallas auto show last weekend. There was quite a large crowd around it and I had to wait about 10 minutes before I could even sit down in it. I was actually not all that impressed with the interior layout, even though it was very beautiful on the outside. I was also surprised about the instrument cluster. In all of the photos I've seen I assumed it was completely digital like the Volt, but it turns out the circular ring around the speedometer is a physical molding, thus limiting how the screen layout can be done in software.
 
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