Random – I Spit Hot Fire

A Guide to Selling Your Car through Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking Fast and Slow” Methodology

I recently listed my 2020 Tesla for sale and sold it in 1.5 weeks. Autotrader (or Cars.com?) predicted I would sell it in a bit over 3 weeks considering market demand and my pricing.

An overview of my preparation:

I learned that demand for the Tesla Y right now is quite soft, and my research suggested that the overall demand for EVs is not strong.
I researched third party pricing through KBB and CarGurus and looked at competing listings both locally and nationally across all sites.
I listed on Cars.com, Autotrader ($49), Facebook, OfferUp, and Craigslist ($5). CarGurus disabled their private used car listings a few days before I listed.
I looked into sell-direct marketplaces and dealership offers and those offers ranged from $21 to $24K.
I took over 30 photos after the car was detailed and shared the maximum allowed for each platform. My approach was, no surprises, you should see everything that you might note in person. Don’t wate your time, don’t waste my time. The lighting was a bit darker than I wanted – I was going for the golden hour, but everywhere in the area around me ended up being shaded at that time.
I decided to use KeySavvy to act as an escrow service protecting both sides. I really liked that I wouldn’t need to handle securing payment and because I had a car loan obligation, I didn’t want to create complications for the buyer.
My friend Sean suggested I consider using the recently departed Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow in considering how to write my sales ad. As Wikipedia describes, the “book’s main thesis is a differentiation between two modes of thought: “System 1” is fast, instinctive and emotional; “System 2” is slower, more deliberative, and more logical.”

As a buyer, I want System 2, to read and research carefully and to make up my mind even before seeing the car. I have bought 3 cars and 2 houses this way. However, Sean’s comment was more about, most people are more likely to be System 1 in how they respond to your ad. I ended up doing both. I’ll let you see both formats and then share more notes about the overall experience that closed with the sale.

System 1 Ad Format (the quick reacting, knee-jerk TLDR person)

2020 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | Tow Package + More | 51K Miles

Price:

$27,750 (FIRM)
“Great Deal” rating by CarGurus.
KBB Value: $26,721 – $31,228.

Key Features:

Tow Package, Homelink, Autopilot (Not FSD)
Panoramic Glass Roof, Heated Seats, Premium Audio
19″ Gemini Wheels

Condition:

50,894 miles (80% highway) under one owner (me)
Clean title, no reported accidents
Light paint wear, small scuffs, light curb rash on wheels (see photos)

Extras:

Tinted Windows, Charging Cable, Extra Floor Mats, and more
Carpool Stickers transferable in CA

Warranty:

Battery & Drive Unit until June 2028 / 120K miles

Purchase Process:

Secure escrowed transaction via KeySavvy ($99 fee for buyer)

Maintenance Summary:

Regular maintenance, new tires recently installed.
Complete maintenance records and Carfax available for review.

The System 2 Ad Format (what I wish someone would prepare for me)

2020 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | Tow Package + More | 51K Miles

I’m selling my 2020 Tesla Model Y Long Range All Wheel Drive as the original owner. The car is in very good condition with 50,894 (80% highway) miles and current range of 291 miles.

The vehicle has a clean title. Carfax report and all repair/maintenance records are available for review. CA DMV registration paid for 2024.

Includes the tow package, homelink for automatic garage door opening/closing, and other bonuses. No FSD.

Asking $27,750.

Price rated as “Great Deal” by CarGurus Car Values. Kelly Blue Book Value Range is $26,721 – $31,228.

VIN: [REMOVED].

Purchase Process:
We will use KeySavvy for the transaction. KeySavvy acts as the escrow, ensuring a safe and easy process. Buyer pays a $99 fee; I will pay all other fees. [LINK]

Recent Maintenance:
-3,500 miles on Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires (20K warranty)
-3,000 miles since the last maintenance visit

Warranty:
Battery & Drive Unit Limited Warranties expire June 28, 2028, or 120,000 miles. Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty has expired.

Vehicle Details and Key Features:
-Tow Package ($1,500)
-Homelink – Automatic Garage Door Opener ($350)
-Exterior Color: Pearl White Multi-Coat
-Interior Color: All Black Premium Interior
-Autopilot (Not FSD)
-19’’ Gemini Light Wheels
-5-seat interior
-Panoramic Glass Roof
-Heated Seats
-Premium Audio System

Condition:
-Light paint wear, various small scuffs and scrapes. See up close photos of driver side door (1”), driver side rear bumper (4”) areas, passenger side rear wheel (.2”).
-Light curb rash on wheels.
-Repaired driver side damage from a 2022 incident – work done by Tesla and Nationwide-approved shop.
-Windshield replaced in May 2024 by Safelite.

Additional Inclusions:
-2 Key Cards
-Windows: Tinted for heat reflection ($1,200).
-Charging Cable: Official Tesla universal charging cable ($250) with Gen 2 NEMA Adapter ($35).
-More: Various accessories including an extra set of floor mats, new official paint repair kit, new official tire repair kit, official (installed) mud flaps and more.
-Carpool Stickers: Automatically transfers to new CA owner.

Maintenance History: All recalls addressed
-Sep 28, 2023: Wheel alignment, standard maintenance at 47,553 mi
-Aug 22, 2023: 12V battery replaced
-Oct 10, 2022: OCS Filter Module installed
-Sep 22, 2022: Tow package installed, standard maintenance
-Sep 02, 2022: Homelink installed
-Nov 05, 2021: Maintenance items

More photos: [Link]

———————

Here’s the rest of the story:

I ended up pricing at $27,750 after some initial thoughts of $28,250. I wanted to be the best price in the market. Was I giving up some money? Should I price higher to have some wiggle room to negotiate down? Perhaps yes to both, but I wanted anyone who was remotely interested in the car to reach out to me first. I wanted my car to be prioritized among all other listings. I didn’t know how long this selling process would take and in a soft market with high interest rates, I didn’t want to be left standing in a game of musical chairs – I had experienced this a couple of years ago in the housing market.
Facebook generated, by at least 10X, the most inquiries of all the car marketplaces, but 90% of them were not serious. I knew this would happen beforehand, so I vowed to myself to not get annoyed. If someone gave me the Facebook’s default “is this still available?” message, I would give the thumbs up icon. If someone clearly didn’t read the description, I’d give a short reply and point them back to the description. If someone made a lowball offer, I’d say “no, but thank you”. I treated it as garbage in, garbage out – people who gave me a system 1 response would get one back in return. People who were more detailed and thoughtful got a similar level reply back as well.
Which System Ad was more effective? I don’t know. I started off with the System 2 ad, but switched to System 1 the following week. The eventual buyer ended up coming from Cars.com and originally saw the System 2 ad. I liked working with him because he was always respectful and asked good questions.
I ended up selling for a few hundred dollars less than asking. I was still confident I could sell it for my asking price, but there’s a real cost of continuing to work on selling the car to new parties. I felt taking the 1.4% discount and giving the buyer a small win was worth sparing myself of future effort, which could easily be tens of hours or more in the following weeks. I did end up liking the System 1 ad more because it reduced cognitive overhead for buyers, even if it then put the responsibility on the buyer to know which questions to ask – if you think that’s immoral, most private ads I saw are ridiculously sparse in information.
I got interested buyers from all the platforms, but if I rank the platforms by true leads, they probably all come in tied at 1 or 2 each. That means that if I were to do it again, I’d relist on all of them except perhaps OfferUp. Someone tried to scam me there by offering to take over my payments and told me to call him. At the same time, OfferUp is free. In general, I suggest having a high level of vigilance in terms of junk / scam offers and following my garbage in, garbage out policy of responding.
Keysavvy (as the escrow) ended up being very easy to use on both sides, and the buyer can simply pay and take control of the car without delay. It took two business days for my bank loan to be paid off and to get the remaining amount in my bank account, but the car buyer can buy and leave with the car within an hour. I chatted with Keysavvy’s customer support a few times before making the sale, and they were great in the process. I was able to make sure I understood what to do, what would happen, and things happened with no surprises.
Right now, buyers in the US with less than $150K annual income can purchase an EV that’s less than $25K in price from a dealer and get $4K back in federal rebates. ($24K car effectively becomes $20K) So many people who messaged me were thinking about this, but they’d approach me with “why don’t you drop your price to below 25K so I can get the rebate”. Their thought was why doesn’t this seller take less money because it’s better for me? For those who were more thoughtful about a creative way to approach this, I reciprocated. Again, garbage in garbage out. Keysavvy acts as the dealer because technically, the buyer buys the car from them, and you sell your car to Keysavvy so anyone using Keysavvy can take advantage of the EV offer.
For buyers who immediately asked for a test drive, I added a filtering mechanism. I’m not a private dealer who’s just available for people to come by, test drive the car and lowball me. I felt that if someone were serious, they wouldn’t mind some extra friction, and I was surprised by how many people ghosted as soon as I sent the filtering message below:

Hi [Name], you reached out to me about my 2020 Tesla Y. A few things I would like to check on.

1) I hope you have been able to read through my notes in detail about the car, the purchasing process, etc. Any questions there?

2) Also, are you looking to test drive and finalize the transaction with Keysavvy at the same time if everything is good?

3) For the test drive, I’d like to ask for a copy/photo of the driver’s license and insurance in advance.

4) I’ll be asking you to follow a specific route that should take us around 10-15 minutes, but provide a feel on various road conditions including freeway. I ask that only the one person (driving) join the car for the test drive.

Please help me by confirming agreement with these four items. As a reminder, I am firm on price.

In summary, here’s my advice when selling a car on your own:

Know that it’s an ordeal.
Garbage in, garbage out. Don’t waste your time explaining or getting exasperated with most people – with just a little practice, you will quickly figure out who is extremely unlikely to buy, regardless of what they claim. You can still be courteous, but not waste your time.
Do your research so you know how competitive your car is in the market and have confidence in your research. To the previous point, make buyers do what you want them to (price, buying terms, etc.). Anyone who thinks it’s a hassle will eliminate themselves.

The Costs of Starting as an Amateur Photographer

My wife has long wanted to get into photography and after learning about the long discontinued (10 years) Sony NEX cameras, I decided to start there and complement her with a good set of lenses that would be used even through camera upgrades. Of course, being me, I looked for massive discounts and was willing to buy used.

I used this Wirecutter article as my start, and below is how I did:

	Type	Condition	New Price	Paid	Discount (Assume Sales Tax)
Sony NEX-5T with w/16-50mm OSS Lens, 2x Batteries	Camera Kit	Used	$699.00	$209.85	72%
TAMRON – 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD	Zoom, Macro	New	$699.00	$553.05	27%
Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS Lens (Black)	Portrait	Used	$298.00	$145.31	55%
Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS Lens	Fast Prime	Used	$473.00	$233.56	54%
Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS Lens (Silver)	Wide Angle	Used	$249.00	$134.38	50%
Sony LCS-BBF/T BROWN Soft Carrying Case	Case	New	$29.99	$21.65	33%
SanDisk 64GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Memory Card – Up to 140MB/s, C10, U1, Full HD	Memory Card	New	$11.99	$10.08	22%
K&F Concept UV Lens Filters – 3X	Lens Filter	New	$26.97	$26.49	9%
ParaPace Professional Camera Cleaning Kit	Cleaning Kit	New	$16.99	$18.39	0%
TARION Camera Bag Professional Camera Backpack Case	Lens Bag	New	$35.99	$38.96	0%
PCTC Screen Protector	Screen Protector	New	$6.99	$7.57	0%
		Totals	$2,546.92	$1,399.29	49%

Mazda CX-90 PHEV (2024) vs Tesla Y Electric (2020)

Last month, our family started a 30 month lease of the new Mazda CX-90 and it’s been an interesting experience after driving a 2020 Tesla Y Long Range for the past 3+ years.

The CX-90 is the PHEV (plug in hybrid) model, in the mid-level (if you can call $55,000 MSRP “mid”) Premium trim. No additional options other than the lovely premium Artisan Red color.

What I like about the CX-90 relative to the Tesla Y:

We’re about to become a 3 child, 6 person family so we needed a 3 row vehicle. Everyone is much more comfortable in the CX90 – all the passengers love it more. Bigger is better?
Mazda’s highway cruise control isn’t self driving like Tesla’s but its radar-based speed control is much smoother. It’s quite human or at least very similar to the way I drive in the way it accelerates and decelerates relative to other cars in the same lane. The Tesla Y, even when you put the distance between other cars at its max setting, is quite jerky.
The CX-90 is significantly quieter than the Y which is significantly quieter than a typical gas car, like a 2013 BMW 3 series.
My trim has an HUD (heads up display) projected on the windshield – it allows you to see speed, directions and cruise control settings without looking down or to the side (like on a Tesla Y). My biggest gripe, by far, with the Y is not having some centrally focused view for primary driving information.
The gas + battery combination on the CX-90 supposedly gets 450+ miles. When driving with kids, knowing you can take fewer stops so you can get home by bed time is a pretty big deal. We take trips that require 3-4 hours of driving round trip a couple of times per month – right at the maximum of the Y’s range. This was really stressful and often meant no deviations.

What I don’t like:

The CX-90 with Captain’s Chair second row is supposedly 7 seats but I think that’s a very hard sell. We have two child seats in the third row and there’s no way we could fit a third. Could you fit three 8 year old kids who don’t need booster seats? Maybe?

3rd row passenger room for 2024 Mazda CX-90.

The CX-90 supposedly accelerates pretty well (0-60 in mid 6 seconds) with 320+ HP but I don’t feel it driving in the real world. It could be that I’m too used to the Y and its insane acceleration and smooth power curve, but I don’t feel like I can count on the CX-90 to get me through a 50/50 yellow signal. I don’t really need to drive aggressively, so it’s not that big of a deal, but I never feel that the CX-90 is a powerful car – maybe I should try the sport mode.
Online reviews of the CX-90 highlight 1) nice driving feel 2) premium interior. For driving, I talked about acceleration already. Relative to the Y, I feel the CX-90 is always understeering. I think it’s because the CX-90 wheel has a much longer turn distance – you have to turn the wheel more. For example, if you try a U turn, you’re turning the CX-90 wheel a lot more than with the Y. This may mean the CX-90 feels more stable than the Y because wheel twitches do less in terms of changing the direction of the car but this also means I’m often underturning. It could very well be that the CX-90 drives better than a Telluride but when I drive the Y after the CX-90, the Y feels like a sports car – acceleration, agility. I don’t consider the CX-90 fun to drive.
The CX-90’s premium interior – I think it looks better in videos and photos than it is in reality. It’s definitely better than the Y, but is it that much better? I’m not sure if the seating is real leather (the Y has vegan / synthetic) and the paneling looks nice but I suspect is just some type of plastic. Is this worth $5-10K more relative to other cars in its class? Not to me.
The Mazda app is brutal to use. It’s slow, very unhelpful in sharing the status of the car and limited in functionality. I don’t have any doubt I could produce a better app. If you designed the app in 2010, we’d all be fine with it. But when you have examples like Tesla to learn from, there’s really no excuse.
The CX-90 can start without the key inserted, but this causes problems because you can leave the car with the key, and the car will keep running. If you don’t come from EVs, maybe this isn’t a big problem, but I am still forgetting to turn off the car. The CX-90 will make a sound if you do this, but if you’re distracted (by kids), you’ll forget and just walk away. There’s no reason why the car shouldn’t turn off on its own, especially if there is no key near the car for a certain amount of time (5 minutes) – it could just turn off and lock itself.
The hybrid portion of the car supposedly gets 30 miles officially, and 30+ miles unofficially through user comments. I get 20 miles or less. I feel like I have to charge the car every day that I use it even if the day was just for small errands like taking a child to school because it can’t last two days without depleting its battery. I’m not even using the hybrid-prioritized mode (in which I believe the battery is depleted first) in these cases.
The CX-90’s shift box in which the “top gear” is reverse and not park as it is on most cars can cause problems. It’s hard to understand why this deviation was considered a good idea.

Mazda CX-90's bewildering shifter. Note how the Parking position is not normal to most cars.

The driver memory settings for the Premium $55K trim won’t save the side mirror settings. Even Mazda doesn’t seem to know this – I’ve seen this confirmed by other owners, but Mazda sent me their official manual that suggests mirror settings are saved.
This trim doesn’t include a touch screen. At first, I was ok with this but manipulating the interface with a wheel button while you are driving (remember: no auto drive) is quite…dangerous. Overall, the car user interface of screen and buttons is slightly worse than Tesla’s extreme of no physical buttons.
The CX-90 trunk size is much smaller because of the third row, and that makes it a less convenient Costco vehicle. Don’t forget the CX-90 doesn’t have extra storage at the bottom of its trunk or a frunk like the Y.

Based on the list of issues, it probably seems like I don’t like the CX-90. I don’t hate it. The CX-90 is getting really nice reviews and I’d sum up those reviews as the poor man’s BMW in terms of a mix of looks, luxury interior and driving dynamics. A big part of why we got it is because there are no good 3 row EV options available right now. I am not the biggest fan of the Tesla Y, but the CX-90 gave me new appreciation for it. The reason I leased the CX-90 is it because it qualifies for the national $7500 EV rebate – you can roll that rebate savings into a 30 month lease but you can’t get that same savings if you buy the CX-90 because it’s made in Japan. I expect there will be better vehicle options with less rampant markup available in 30 months. However, I don’t think the hybrid portion of the car really offers that much. Yeah, if you have a shorter commute, maybe most of the time you’re running as an EV and using little gas. But that’s not the point of a car like this. If I could pick between any version of the CX-90, I’d like to try the gas-only Turbo S version – I suspect that has a smoother, more powerful driving experience.