Ben Austin

Aging Millennial, EV Enthusiast, Trivia Buff

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@brandenflasch I mean there was a time in 2025 when a true alpha Leasehackr could lease one of these for $150/mo effective no money down. I always hope that’s the case when I see one.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@mikehtrujillo One metric where LAPPL membership does NOT correlate with the city: only 21% of LAPD officers live in the city of Los Angeles.

It’s likely driven by bad housing policy that has given officers few affordable options for their families.

https://t.co/CFWYn9LkzO

@jonlovett

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@Noah__Goldberg Weren’t the city-sanctioned neighborhood councils created back in the 90s as a reaction to these HOAs (to be more inclusive with renters etc.)? Crazy that two of the only mayoral debates are basically being hosted by the final bosses of NIMBYism.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@itskyleconner Your honor, these yutes driving this Rivian don’t have Positraction.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@RivianTrackr Sorry to clarify... Plug offered me $8k more than Carvana, but also higher than Rivian

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@RivianTrackr Check out Plug as well. They offered me approximately $8k more for my 2022 R1S Launch (not selling, but like checking 😃)

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@brandenflasch I still think a Used Ioniq 5 / EV6 is the best “lightly used $20-25k” in this category because it has a 5yr 60k factory warranty which is 2 years longer than the GM/Honda. Even with ICCU issues it will likely be covered (I think ICCU issues extend beyond factory warranty anyway)

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@brandenflasch I got an embarrassingly cheap Blazer EV lease and I think it and its brethren (prologue etc) are going to be amazing “barely used $20k vehicles” on the used market already. Huge backseat but cargo space not as good as Y due to small sub trunk and no frunk.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@brandenflasch The outdoor outlets are key for camping though when you want to power stuff outside your vehicle and you don’t want to crack a window or route an extension cord through a door seal in a dodgy manner

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@citizen_b3rt @thompspicks @gmail Me too!

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@RivianTrackr Is this Gen 1 or 2? I have had "consistently intermittant" sour vinegar and/or musty locker room smell from HVAC at startup. No dripping.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@JoeStokowski In its defense this was the "Little Theater" in the basement, but the main theater wasn't much bigger. Saw "Happiness" here with my dad when I was 16 years old. Only slightly traumatizing!

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@itskyleconner I like it but sorta getting VinFast vibes in the back?

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@brandenflasch Got a Blazer EV for $4,400 One Pay (24/10k) and have been extremely happy with it... especially for that price.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@SeanFennessey This period (And arguably early 90s as well) was the last time in our lives where the most popular music out there and the best music being made were one and the same. What a great time to be alive.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@itskyleconner Comparing by MSRP is a bit misleading because the smart money is gonna lease this car, Kia EV9 has some pretty good lease deals while Buzz leases are terrible. I bet you can pay less than half the amount over the cumulative term of the lease with the EV9.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@Hilbe Sick. 12 stalls. Love to see it.

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@Hilbe As a Rivian and Blazer EV owner, I concur. I do like the Blazer a lot though. Biggest issue with the app is that it's all via the cloud. So it feels interminably slow compared to Rivian app when you're in proximity to the vehicle (no instant bluetooth control)

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@el_tragon_de_LA @LATACO I feel like @el_tragon_de_LA @LATACO is best positioned to be the official source-of-truth/map/directory/Yelp for these sorts of vendors that have no web/social presence! (p.s. I'm a paid subscriber, I wouldn't have the nerve to make suggestions otherwise❤️)

[Ben Austin @Austiopath]

@el_tragon_de_LA @LATACO My guess is one of those Korean hot dog places with the crazy topping choices.