Merianne Jensen@MerianneJensen
Several years ago, @congressdj decided he needed a Tesla. I was against it because I thought they were pretentious. Plus, I didn’t think electric cars would work because that’s what the media always said. But as is his way, he went ahead and got one anyway.
He showed me how to drive it, and I have to admit it was pretty nice. But I still preferred my Honda. Over time, though, I started to see how much money we were saving on gas (he drives a lot!). So, I stopped rolling my eyes and just let him enjoy it. 😝
A few years later, he came to me with this crazy idea that we should get a used one for our 16-year-old son. I was completely opposed to it. I thought it was a bit much. We looked at the budget and he agreed to check out some used Honda Civics. What we found was that they were ridiculously overpriced and would still require gas, oil changes, brake changes, and all the rest. Then he found a used Tesla lease for $200 a month. We had to admit that was a steal.
Teslas are one of the safest cars you can buy. I never doubted that. But when my husband showed me all the features we could enable to limit aggressive driving, track habits, and save money, it just made too much sense. So we got it for him (he’s working it off in various ways).
With all these Teslas, my husband is naturally trying to push me into one. I’m not there yet, and not because I hate them, but because @Tesla does not make an SUV big enough for a family of 6. And I’m just talking about seat count.
We rented a Model X for the family while in Hawaii over Christmas. Yes, it fit the whole family, but it did not fit our bags. Six carry-ons and a big suitcase meant I had to take a minivan cab to the hotel while my husband picked up the car. It was great for driving around the island but not for the logistics of traveling as a family.
So until @elonmusk announces a car that can transport everything my Honda Pilot can, I’ll have to drive what my husband calls my tractor a little longer.
Finally, I want to say something about Tesla’s Full Self-Driving. I watched it when my husband used it a few years ago, and it sucked. He liked it, but I would never dare use it. I didn’t trust it. What I see now on his 2026 Tesla is nothing short of incredible. He literally doesn’t touch the wheel anymore. He leans his seat back like some kind of gangsta and just lets it drive itself.
The biggest and final thing I’ll say: With the self-driving (which has made me fear for my husband less since he no longer drives aggressively) and the other safety features Tesla is renowned for, I completely trust it to carry my kids around. And as a protective mama bear, that means a lot!
PS - No we don’t have a Cybertruck. My husband insisted on taking that picture with a loaner he had, once. 🤦♀️ 😂
