My Model X Plaid Story
It was November 2021, and I found myself staring at the Tesla configurator like a kid pressing his nose against a candy store window. I had never spent six figures on a car in my life. Not even close. The most expensive vehicle I’d ever bought was a $36,000 new minivan back in 2004, and here I was, seventeen years later, still driving that same minivan without complaint.
But something in me had shifted. At this stage of life, after years of being careful and practical, I wanted to do something just for the joy of it. So I ordered the Model X. The projected delivery was August 2022. I didn’t care. The wait felt like part of the ritual.
What I did agonize over was the final checkbox: Plaid. Fifteen thousand dollars more for performance I didn’t technically need. I sat there for days, running the numbers, questioning my sanity. “You’re not a racer,” I told myself. “You just want to get from A to B safely and comfortably.” But another voice, quieter and braver, whispered that this might be my only chance. Tesla’s trajectory was clear; the Plaid Model X wouldn’t stay exactly like this forever. So I took a deep breath and clicked “Order.” My heart raced harder than the car ever would.
My Model X Plaid arrived earlier in May and came with a free six-seater upgrade. Tesla delivered it to my driveway. I walked around it as if it were a piece of art. The falcon doors, the silence, the way it moved—like nothing I’d ever experienced. It wasn’t just transportation. It was a reward I had finally given myself after decades of putting practicality first. Tesla really outdid itself with the Model S and X.
Today, even with Hardware 3 inside, I look at my Model X Plaid with deep admiration. I know its limitations in the coming age of AI, but that only makes me smile. One day, I’ll drive it to a Tesla microfactory and wait for them to install the AI4 upgrade. I’ll stand there proudly, knowing I kept this car through the transition, refusing to trade it in for something newer just because the world moved on.
This is my forever car. I plan to own it until the wheels fall off—maybe even after. Because in the end, it wasn’t about the speed or the sticker price. It was about the moment I decided this was my forever car. It was about saying yes to something extraordinary and having the time to enjoy the best version of it for as long as possible.