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Does anyone here have a Tesla? If so how do you like it? What are the pros and cons in your view?
Thinking of upgrading in the next couple of years and want opinions.
I got my first Model S in 2015, a Model 3 for my wife when they came out, and replaced my S with another S in 2020.
The battery and power train are still the best in the market, still absurdly fast and fun to drive.
Autopilot / full self driving are not perfect but still sorely missed when driving rental cars.
Service has taken a massive dive. With my first Tesla the service center was so mildly loaded that when I had any issue they’d tell me to come in that day, no appointment. Now it can take weeks to get an appointment, and they’re stingy about some things. My headrest developed bubbles in its “vegan leather” and I had to pay $200 for a replacement, even as they told me this can be caused by scalp oil. They gave me a refund after I wrote my attorney general.
Build quality is also bad. I rejected three cars that all had various paint issues, mostly bubbles, before I accepted my current Model S. This one has some wind noise coming from the passenger side that is super obvious to me but that Tesla’s technician can’t hear.
Current struggle is that the infotainment inexplicably loses its connectivity. I live next to a cell tower and the car will sometimes have no signal until I drive for a couple of minutes. This is very annoying for cold days where I’d like to start warming my car with the app.
Oh, and a design flaw that is not covered under warranty keeps filling my wife’s trunk with rain water. Newer 3s have a lip on the rear windshield to work around this, I need to build one of my own.
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About 18 months ago I rented a model Y for a few days to make up my mind about taking the plunge. Loved it. Picked up my own (but the sport model) about 10 months ago. Will definitely never look back.
At first a few things bugged me in the spirit of "why would you even reinvent that perfectly-functional standard?" but over time it's all grown on me.
And in the meantime, man, there's nothing else quite like a tesla. The passing power, the software, just the overall experience is fantastic. And when I'm on long drives (a couple times per week) it's lovely to be able to hit the autopilot and look out the window. This shines even brighter during traffic jams, where suddenly the mental labor of stopping and going has been eliminated entirely, and I can often even read a book.
Two things I'll complain about, because in both cases I thought I'd accounted for them but was wrong.
First of all, I thought I'd be saving substantial money on fuel, and I guess there has been a slight edge, but not nearly as much as expected and not enough to offset the higher cost of the vehicle. Even so it was fun last summer to be able to say, "Jeez, do you know what gas costs now? (Sympathetic nod) ...Because I don't!" lmaooooo
But secondly, insurance is really very expensive. I got a quote for like $130 a month, which is still high, but then it quickly shot up to iirc $203 per month, which is just... kind of absurd. And I have a decades-long driving history with zero moving violations or at-fault accidents.
So at this point I'm paying something like $1200 a month for the vehicle and still quite a lot for fuel/energy.
One thing that doesn't bother me, but which reasonably could, is the supercharging dynamic. I have almost always found that chargers are available where and when I want them, though a couple of the stations do set moderately abusive rates. (The menu in the car will tell you where the chargers are and what they cost, so those are easily avoided). But also, gas stations are everywhere, and superchargers are not. A few weeks ago I was driving down the coast having a fine time when my car warned me that I was almost beyond range of any charger stations. This was a pretty big surprise -- turned out the one I'd been counting on was down for maintenance that day (or something). Turning back would have been very costly in time and so I decided to try just driving slower instead and use the next one. This worked fine and I was sure to let everyone by who wanted to pass. Still, not a pleasant situation in which to suddenly find oneself. Presumably it will be rapidly less-common anyway as chargers are going up all over.
Oh, one more thing -- a lot of the places I go still have free electric vehicle charging for parked cars. Nice to take advantage of from time to time.
Thanks for the feedback! That keeps me on track to get one in 3-5 years once I’ve got a more solid financial footing. I like the idea of renting one definitely going to do that soon.
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From all accounts of both a) really hardcore car guys and b) really hard core industrial engineers I know, Tesla's a remarkable engineering achievement. And they're a blast to drive. The supercharger network isn't where it needs to be, but Tesla is doing everything it can to change that. It's a policy and investment hurdle at this point.
Personally, however, I just can't get over how boring they look. Tapioca soft flying wedge comes to my mind. "Sleek" has turned into a nonsense word for cars (much like "innovative" or "refined"). I kind of groove on the Rivian because it seems to at least take some classic "boxy" truck influence for its styling.
I wish we could bring back more daring styling in passenger cars. I've read elsewhere this is impossible due to 1) wind-tunnel tests that are used to partially extrapolate MPG and 2) safety requirements (old muscle car hoods are too aggressive - they would plow through a pedestrian like a spear. Slanted modern hoods will potentially make an impacted pedestrian "roll up" the front of the car? I doubt this matters past 40 mph, but maybe it saves lives between 30-40? unsure).
My disappointment with Tesla's, with Apple designed devices, with minimalist open-office floor plans is all the same; we're circling the lowest-common-denominator drain to all beige unisex one-sies. I want studden denim vests and steering wheel columns that would decapitate me in a fender bender.
Happy Easter.
Happy Easter! I don’t share your aesthetic tastes but I appreciate the depth of your sentiment.
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I don't have one, but a friend of mine does, and I've gone on a few road trips with him. The SuperCharger network is pretty nice in the northeast US at least and makes road trips reasonably practical. But note that you'll have to plan around making the SuperCharger station on time. The built-in navigation software helps with the details, but it does mean you're somewhat constrained on routes. And charge stops will take around half an hour to an hour - a bit long even for a relatively slow lunch.
The touch-screen only controls may be annoying, as you can't fiddle with the radio or climate control settings by feel. I get the idea a lot of manufacturers are doing that now though. The auto-opening and closing doors seem a bit gimmicky to me, though they seem to do the job.
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I don't own one, my parent does.
I think the complaints about poor build quality are probably accurate but overblown on the internet. The S versions are a riot, and the "autopilot" is fantastic for interstate trips.
Have you driven another electric car? My first experience was a Nissan Leaf, a crime against automobilia. This was a significant upgrade. I have heard that, generally, the mainstream automaker's electric cars are better cars and worse gadgets.
What are you cross shopping? What are you replacing?
This forum seems to almost never talk about cars which I find interesting. I have a strong interest in them.
I actually don’t have a car right now, sharing one with my partner. Haven’t cross shopped much in mainly interested in the autopilot. Any other good cars with similar quality autopilot?
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