Tesla Crunched in San Francisco: Carbon Fiber is Expensive!

Steve says:

Sadly, after likely having waited for over a year to get his new electric supercar, this unlucky San Francisco Tesla owner reportedly crashed only hours after taking delivery. While there were no reports of injuries, that carbon fiber bodywork won't be cheap to fix.

This crash actually happened right outside of my friend's apartment building in San Francisco, though he is reportedly upset that he wasn't there to gloat.

This is also only one of 8 Tesla roadsters on the road and a good test for the service department at the newly opened Tesla dealership in Menlo Park.

Michelle says:

Poor person! (We all pretty much know that the owner must be a guy but in the effort to be fair, lets stay gender neutral.) Certainly this will cause him to be the butt of a lot of jokes and I sure wouldn't want to hear it when the pocketbook is almost as pained as the ego. For example, already overheard was this comment:

Seems the lack of emissions is outweighed by the inflated egos of the people who drive them [Teslas].

Okay- I admit, I LOL-ed when I heard that.

The question I have is about insurance rates and statistics so I called my trusty State Farm friend, Jim Seilsopour and he pulled a quote on what it would cost me (as the good driver that I am) to insure a Tesla. Have to tell you- I was surprised that my quote came in at only $1200 every 6 months. I pay about $1200 a year for a '2001 Kia and a '99 BMW so, I dunno, but that sounds really cheap! Seems that the way that State Farm deals with specialty cars (high performance and/or handmade) is to lump them all together as a category. Many mainstream companies would not insure a Tesla (think AAA or Mercury) because a total loss wouldn't mean that a client with pockets that medium-deep would be insuring something else while their new car is being made and smaller agencies wouldn't either because a $110,000 loss could make the difference between a profitable year or not.

Being made of carbon fiber and only the number 6 car (yep, I am disagreeing with Steve) is also an issue for most insurers because it means that the owner will have to wait for parts from a manufacturer that already has a production backlog.

The good news is that there are now 13 Tesla's on the road with only one sadly sitting in a garage waiting for it's carbon bits and other parts to be ready. So- please be kind to this landmark Tesla owner. He gets the honor of being an early Tesla owner/investor despite being a pioneer crashing one of the most dynamic cars of our generation.

Stumble It!

Buying For Sale By Owner Cars

Dear Miss Mota Mouth,

I need a car and I see used ones in classified ads that look affordable. I can ask but it doesn’t mean the owner will tell me the truth! How do I know if the car has ever been in an accident? And if so, how can a person tell?

Paul D., Ontario, CA

Dear Curious in California,

Education! Education! Education, eh! (Oh wait! You must be in Ontario, California! If you are Canadian, see the bottom of the answer.)

There are a couple of key ways to find out if a car has ever been in an accident and doing both is a good investment for your peace of mind and safety.

When looking at used cars and buying from an individual seller it is always a good idea to get a third party report such as Experian AutoCheck. By analyzing the Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, these reports can reveal the number of owners, potential odometer roll back, salvage title, collision history and even if it was registered as a taxi or rental car.

Additionally, getting a third party inspection performed by a service such as http://www.inspectmyride.com/ or a mechanic that you trust can reveal a lot about a vehicle. Qualified mechanics and inspectors can tell you if the frame is straight and whether the car has had any bodywork done on it as well as verify that it is in good running shape.

Without these to protect you it is possible that you could end up with a lemon so Buyer Beware and get these important checks done!

BTW- If you were in Ontario, Canada you should use Carfax for any VIN reports.

Prudently,

M

Stumble It!