New member. Taking my chances.

[joec]

UPDATE:
Received job offer. I'd be able to afford an Air !

All right! Congrats.

 

[noobzilla]

Idk what else to do in NY so just chillin at the meat district Lucid Studio to see the silver. At first sight on front I liked it then immediately disliked the non matching top silver/platinum finish

 

[daydreamer223]

Idk what else to do in NY so just chillin at the meat district Lucid Studio to see the silver. At first sight on front I liked it then immediately disliked the non matching top silver/platinum finish

I'm in an eternal loop of changing my mind on white vs. silver vs. grey

 

[noobzilla]

I'm in an eternal loop of changing my mind on white vs. silver vs. grey

Same here. If the top matches the body would it be an easier choice for you?

 

[daydreamer223]

Same here. If the top matches the body would it be an easier choice for you?

Yeah that was what drew me to the silver initially, but like you noted, I heard that they don't actually match lol. It would also be an easier choice if the grey were a bit lighter in tone than it is, to go with that instead.

 

[Drendino]

I'm in an eternal loop of changing my mind on white vs. silver vs. grey

Easy decision, Zenith Red.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Same here. If the top matches the body would it be an easier choice for you?

To be fair the Lucid aesthetic for all glass canopy roofs is two tone regardless of car color, so it would be weird to make the cantrails of the silver car a different color so it matched.

 

[Neurio]

Yeah that was what drew me to the silver initially, but like you noted, I heard that they don't actually match lol. It would also be an easier choice if the grey were a bit lighter in tone than it is, to go with that instead.

Matte it out and it'll be lighter

 

[daydreamer223]

Matte it out and it'll be lighter

Good call. My partner usually hates matte cats, but I showed them your pictures and they were really into it
Edit: cars

 

[noobzilla]

Good call. My partner usually hates matte cats, but I showed them your pictures and they were really into it

I would also dislike matted cats thats just gross.

 

[noobzilla]

Matte it out and it'll be lighter

Oooo now I'd be waiting to see a matte silver. Also Lucid agent said the platinum top on pre production studio car is lighter than the production one so final color would be closer to cosmos silver. We'll see once they start showing up.

 

[noobzilla]

Sweet! My bio stock bet just got FDA labeling which is pretty much near last step before approval. Putting my chances of getting an Air at 95%! Just waiting game now but not in a rush since time goes by fast anyway

Will upgrade one of my reservations to Touring (reserved a second Pure for backup which I'm glad I did because of that June 30 deadline to upgrade Pure to Touring or GT for original pricing).

P. S. Visited Bronx zoo but was hot and humid. Had travel nightmares (delayed and canceled flights, taxi driver almost verring off road... I'm barely describing the tip of it all lol) both going and returning but glad to be home now and waking up to good news!

 

[noobzilla]

AXSM got approved today! Woohoo!!

All conditions met for a Lucid Air !!

 

[Rominian]

Congrats! Did you take a test drive yet?

 

[noobzilla]

Congrats! Did you take a test drive yet?

Nope! They wouldn't let anyone drive unless they have order confirmation but that was 4 months ago. I dont think it would be any worse than my Mazda 3 so I'm not worried. I'll ask if I would be in the area, otherwise it's 1.5hrs drive away.

 

[noobzilla]

Some updates that I mostly posted somewhere already.

1) Surprise Lucid booth at a shopping area. I had the chance to test drive it but chickened out because that area is busy. Turns out they planned a very spacious and not so busy route so I semi-regret not driving it haha. It's very nice and quiet inside so I did enjoy being a passenger. Driving back home... my Mazda3 road noise seems to have gotten significantly louder lol. Right now I just googled "best quiet car" and first result is the Lucid!

2) Been checking out solar and readying for charger installation. Utility rate and rate structure makes solar not financially feasible. I can potentially use the Lucid as a system battery but I would have to wait out until that bidirectional feature is fully tested so probably another year or two before I'd become comfortable doing that. Fortunately, solar credits have been extended so I'm not really in a rush anymore to consider solar. Did get quote from a local company, SunRun, Sunpower, and Tesla. Tesla is cheapest by a big margin. Friend went with Sunpower for better service and warranty terms.

3) The stock I have bet on, which received FDA approval, have been down significantly back to pre-FDA approval price. Saddening. I'm still up 31% but down from 118% gain. I do have reservation for both Touring and Pure. I'm still at least committed to getting a Pure. I've tried hard to look for backup car in case I can no longer afford the $77K Pure, but can't find anything else that I'd want whether it's ICE or EV.

I did some math. With $6/gallon, 7% annual escalator, 31mpg... Driving 10k mi a year for 10 years would cost me $27k whereas a Lucid with 3.5mi/kW, 12c/kW, and 7% escalator would be ~$4500. Let's say I get a luxury ICE with 24mpg. Gas would go up to ~$34.5k. It will be a $30k price difference for fuel vs Lucid. Of course I'd drive significantly more if I had an EV but to keep it simple I can assume a $30k EV premium for fuel costs. $77k - $30k -$5k (guesstimate for ICE maintenance) = $42k equivalent ICE.

 

[noobzilla]

Fuel cost estimate of current car vs Lucid vs new ICE

	Mazda3	New ICE	Lucid
MPG	30	25	3.5	mi/kWh
Fuel Cost	$6.00	$6.50	$0.12	kW Cost
Annual Miles	10000	10000	10000
Cost Per Year	$2,000.00	$2,600.00	$342.86
Years	10	10	10
Escalator	7%	7%	7%
Total	$27,632.90	$35,922.76	$4,737.07
			-$22,895.83	vs Current
			-$31,185.70	vs New ICE

Cost and Monthly Payment

	Pure	Pure+	Pure+ AWD	Touring	Model Y	CX-5
Base	$77,400	$77,400	$77,400	$95,000	$65,990	$31,000
Paint				$600
AWD			$5,000	Included	Included	Included
Glass Canopy	N/A	N/A	N/A	$4,000	Included	Included
Sound Pro		$2,900	$2,900	$2,900
Fees	$1,725	$1,725	$1,725	$1,725	$1,200	$1,000
EV Credit					-$7,500
Tax	7.75%	7.75%	7.75%	7.75%	7.75%	7.75%
Total	$85,257	$88,382	$93,769	$112,302	$64,316	$34,480

Deposit	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000
Loan Length	60	60	60	60	60	60
Loan Interest	5.50%	5.50%	5.50%	5.50%	5.50%	3.90%
Monthly	$1,437	$1,497	$1,600	$1,954	$1,037	$450
Total Loan	$96,250	$99,831	$106,006	$127,246	$72,250	$36,984

Fuel Cost 100k	$4,735	$4,735	$4,735	$4,735	$4,735	$31,185
Resale Value	-$29,840	-$30,934	-$32,819	-$39,306	-$22,511	-$12,068
10-Year Cost*	$71,145	$73,632	$77,921	$92,675	$54,474	$56,101

*Excluding Maintenance

 

[noobzilla]

Test drove the Mazda CX-5 today. Did check out the CX-30 too. CX-30 is too cramped I will totally not get that. Driving the CX-5 feels a bit too big even though the Lucid has bigger length and width. Car feels bulky but doesn't seem roomy inside. Can't really see myself spending to get a CX-5 if I decide not to continue with the Lucid. CX-5 is much quieter than my Mazda 3, but not zen peaceful quiet like the Lucid. The more I look at these numbers the more I'm questioning if I even truly want a new car. I mean I do but I have to reconsider if it's worth it for me. I should go back to the studio to test drive. Maybe I'll like so much that it would make me want to drive a lot more often.

30-40k new ICE car doesn't seem to be enough quality of life upgrade for me. 40-50k new ICE is getting a bit too close to the Pure's value so it doesn't make sense for me to really get that. Touring looking a bit too much now. With the $7500 tax credit and 3.5% interest back then it wouldve been $1700 a month instead of $1950. I'm paying $1500 a month for my mortgage. After the CX-5 test drive today, I think I overall really want to push getting the Pure at least. If not then I could become one of those guys who got old with their first and only car lol

 

[noobzilla]

Got the email to finalize my Touring design! Time has come! I'm excited but also I went "Oh no! I'm not ready for this!" I've been deciding back and forth between a Pure or Touring. Been thinking what I realistically truly want and how much happier I would be with a Touring costing $20k+ more over a Pure.

Spoiler: more long story

I did some minor renovation in my kitchen recently. Spent $450 to replace the over-the-range microwave whose air vent is almost useless with a dedicated air vent and bought a $100 microwave. I had to get a countertop microwave which was counterintuitive to my initial plan since I don't have a big kitchen which forced me to move around some furniture and it turned out much nicer. I also purchased an induction cooktop and an under the cabinet microwave+oven... which unfortunately I had to cancel as it was getting shipped since I found out that the particular microwave/oven model I got is not allowed to be installed under the induction cooktop. Also found out it will cost me $1000+ to upgrade my 110v plug to 220/240v for the induction. Perhaps it's not meant to be since I really should be saving cash for the Lucid downpayment.

I've also spent on home decor including a commissioned trio of large paintings for $1800. I won't ever mention that to anyone I know in real life since that's a very expensive splurge on something that doesn't have any use besides looking pretty. I got an extra canvass from it which I made my first ever painting on. I actually enjoyed it a lot and turned out fine, surprisingly, because my drawings have been awfully bad and have not improved since first grade haha. I never really cared much about art and decoration before, but I appreciate them now as they give extra life to my home.

My key takeaways are I can enjoy both non-extravagant practical purchases and luxurious expenses. The luxury expenses typically showed and made me experience new things that I didn't really appreciate before like that painting, at the same time made me appreciate life more especially my circumstance that I'm very very fortunate compared to most people in the world. I don't really consider myself wealthy. Recently moved up to the border of middle and upper middle class with my new job.

I used to be a lot more frugal though I have a knack for saving a lot to purchase a few very expensive items (like all-in, if it's not near the best then I'd rather not have it at all and keep saving). I've always been very careful with my purchases and rarely regret any, but the car will be a big chunk of my salary

 

[Bobby]

Got the email to finalize my Touring design! Time has come! I'm excited but also I went "Oh no! I'm not ready for this!" I've been deciding back and forth between a Pure or Touring. Been thinking what I realistically truly want and how much happier I would be with a Touring costing $20k+ more over a Pure.

Spoiler: more long story

I did some minor renovation in my kitchen recently. Spent $450 to replace the over-the-range microwave whose air vent is almost useless with a dedicated air vent and bought a $100 microwave. I had to get a countertop microwave which was counterintuitive to my initial plan since I don't have a big kitchen which forced me to move around some furniture and it turned out much nicer. I also purchased an induction cooktop and an under the cabinet microwave+oven... which unfortunately I had to cancel as it was getting shipped since I found out that the particular microwave/oven model I got is not allowed to be installed under the induction cooktop. Also found out it will cost me $1000+ to upgrade my 110v plug to 220/240v for the induction. Perhaps it's not meant to be since I really should be saving cash for the Lucid downpayment.

I've also spent on home decor including a commissioned trio of large paintings for $1800. I won't ever mention that to anyone I know in real life since that's a very expensive splurge on something that doesn't have any use besides looking pretty. I got an extra canvass from it which I made my first ever painting on. I actually enjoyed it a lot and turned out fine, surprisingly, because my drawings have been awfully bad and have not improved since first grade haha. I never really cared much about art and decoration before, but I appreciate them now as they give extra life to my home.

My key takeaways are I can enjoy both non-extravagant practical purchases and luxurious expenses. The luxury expenses typically showed and made me experience new things that I didn't really appreciate before like that painting, at the same time made me appreciate life more especially my circumstance that I'm very very fortunate compared to most people in the world. I don't really consider myself wealthy. Recently moved up to the border of middle and upper middle class with my new job.

I used to be a lot more frugal though I have a knack for saving a lot to purchase a few very expensive items (like all-in, if it's not near the best then I'd rather not have it at all and keep saving). I've always been very careful with my purchases and rarely regret any, but the car will be a big chunk of my salary

Honestly, given all you have said and market conditions, I truly believe you should get a less expensive car.