Sitting here on Friday the 13th with no electricity. A wide swath of town lost power around 8:40 AM. Ironically, I was to pick up my new (used) electric car today.
Is the universe trying to tell me something?
My current ride – a 1994 Mercedes-Benz E320 – just turned 100,000 miles and is showing its age. I bought it for $1,500 in December 2017 with 45K miles on it and it’s been great but not cheap to run. I created a spreadsheet to quantify operating costs (fuel, maintenance, repairs) and was shocked. I pay $389 per month for a 31 year-old car. When I realized my ill-advised annuity would soon mature, I decided to move the bulk into an IRA and set aside enough to buy another car. An electric vehicle.
A long-time dream is to put solar panels on our new-ish roof and a storage battery and Level 2 car charger in our garage. I’d be driving for “free” after the break-even point. This remained a dream until Jan. 20 when a new sense of urgency took hold because Trump 2.0 is determined to sunset any Biden Green Energy incentives. No $4,000 used EV tax credit. No 30% solar panel tax credit. For two months I’ve been reading all I can about used electric vehicles, narrowing my choices down to 3 models. I’ve also utilized EnergySage to gather up quotes from solar installers. Next Wednesday an electrician installs the Level 2 charger I bought last year and tomorrow I pick up the used EV winner: a 2023 MINI Cooper SE.
I still can’t believe this is happening. I’ll be 63 in two months and this is as close as I’ve come to owning a new car (let’s not speak of that piece-of-shit 1987 Jeep Wrangler I bought in 1989). I’m scared but excited. Owning an electric car comes with a learning curve and this MINI has so much technology it’s like going from a biplane to the Millennium Falcon. I’ve already downloaded the MINI app so I can spend time just learning how the car works.
I’ve yet to decide what to do with my E320, needing time to examine the possible sunk-cost fallacy of hanging on to it. Like the 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300D that preceded it, I’ve fallen in love with my E320 while being too aware of its flaws (like the headliner that should be replaced and the trunk that pops open unbidden). I’ve toyed with the idea of being one person with two vehicles but it’s not practical or cost-effective. I’ll probably get the E320 detailed and sell it for what I can.
Because this is NIHILISTIC, a newsletter about my old NYHC band and an upcoming book about the same, allow me to pivot to the cars we drove back on Long Island. When the Nihilistics began back in 1979 I was transitioning from my first car – a dented-everywhere 1967 Mercury Cougar - to the first of a long run of Mopars: an $800 1971 Plymouth Satellite 2-door. It was a cool Richard Petty-esque ride with a 318 under the hood but in an unfortunate metallic brown with cream-colored vinyl roof. Back then, the local Pennysaver was crammed with used car ads and you’d be hard-pressed to pay more than a grand for what are now considered true classics.
Mike Nicolosi (RIP) would soon acquire his yellow Mercury Capri – a first-generation version with black interior. The Capri was an oddity on Long Island and I can’t recall seeing another besides Mike’s. We seemed to spend way more time in Mike’s Capri than in my Satellite. Maybe Mike needed to literally be in the driver’s seat but usually he’d swing by to get me or I’d leave my car at his house while we went off to the North Shore to buy records or out to Valley Stream to hit Legz or to the Salvation Army on Route 109 to steal clothes.
Ron drove a white with black top Buick Century, like Kojak’s. It had an 8-track player in the dash and it was an 8-track that got Ron out of a ticket when he told a cop the tape got wedged under his brake pedal and that’s why I ran that red light, officer.
Troy? Fuck if I can remember what the hell hapless Troy drove. In my memory, he was always riding with me to gigs, probably because we lived nearest to each other and I’d go get him and his drums. Not once do I recall Troy coming to get me. I’d always be envious of Mike and Ron driving to gigs together (the four of us and our gear wouldn’t fit in one car) while I had to sit there with Troy trying to make conversation. Ugh.
Growing up on Long Island, owning a car was essential and I had one from the time of my learner’s permit when I turned 16. I’m not sure what Ron and Troy drive these days, though I doubt either own an electric car. BUT I DO.
P.S. If you came over to NIHILISTIC from See You Next Tue!, thanks!