[rpf]

I haven't driven a Tesla or even read much about them but my cousin just did a day and a half test drive of a Model 3. He's a car guy (co-owned the first European aftermarket hi performance parts store on Long Island, raced cars, etc.) He currently owns an Audi wagon and a GTI.

He said the Tesla 3 makes driving his other cars feel like they're nice antiques.

[limits]

I haven't driven a Tesla or even read much about them but my cousin just did a day and a half test drive of a Model 3. He's a car guy (co-owned the first European aftermarket hi performance parts store on Long Island, raced cars, etc.) He currently owns an Audi wagon and a GTI.

He said the Tesla 3 makes driving his other cars feel like they're nice antiques.

Had a neighbor (rural area, county road) pull out in front of me in a Tesla (not sure which model) fairly closely, so I lifted and started to break...and then the car pretty much disappeared from me in my WRX. Torque, torque, baby 

limits

[DaveC113]

I haven't driven a Tesla or even read much about them but my cousin just did a day and a half test drive of a Model 3. He's a car guy (co-owned the first European aftermarket hi performance parts store on Long Island, raced cars, etc.) He currently owns an Audi wagon and a GTI.

He said the Tesla 3 makes driving his other cars feel like they're nice antiques.

My friend has Model 3 Performance AWD and it is amazing off the line, will beat anything. But after the launch it's about as fast as any other fast car and over 80 mph it's gonna get creamed by most fast ICE cars. As far as handling, it's nice but nowhere close to a real sports car.

He's stuck with joint custody of a child he has to take to/from school 5 days/week and it's a long trip. I recommended the Model 3 to him and so far he loves it. It's safe and reduces the stress of driving so much. But it's not a sports car and can't compete with a real sports car besides accelerating quickly. 

[audioengr]

I haven't driven a Tesla or even read much about them but my cousin just did a day and a half test drive of a Model 3. He's a car guy (co-owned the first European aftermarket hi performance parts store on Long Island, raced cars, etc.) He currently owns an Audi wagon and a GTI.

He said the Tesla 3 makes driving his other cars feel like they're nice antiques.

Driving my ICE car is like a horse-and-buggy compared to my Model S.

I drove a performance Model 3 last year.  It was really fun.  Probably a rear-wheel drive sports car will handle better, but it is only a toy, not practical for every day driving.  To have such a high-performance great snow-car for every day driving is pure pleasure.

[DaveC113]

Driving my ICE car is like a horse-and-buggy compared to my Model S.

I drove a performance Model 3 last year.  It was really fun.  Probably a rear-wheel drive sports car will handle better, but it is only a toy, not practical for every day driving.  To have such a high-performance great snow-car for every day driving is pure pleasure.

Not necessarily... Throttle House on YouTube tested the Model 3 on their track and it did ok. My car came in at about 1 min 11.5 sec, the Model 3 Performance at about 1 min 15 sec. which is a HUGE difference. My car has back seats and a trunk, is about $15k cheaper vs the M3 Performance... and it's practical enough. A car like a BMW M2 is also far faster overall and quite practical, and near the same price range.

Not saying the Model 3 isn't a great performer for what it is, but I think we get carried away calling ICE cars antiques in comparison, when many are actually much faster and handle far better.

[A_shah]

Love my Tesla Model 3 2019  red Multicoat paint and 19 " wheels  the car is a bit noisy compared to my son Leaf  2019.
We got our Son  his 1st leaf 3 & 1/2 years ago and in Jan 2019 he swapped it with a 2019 Leaf which gives him approximately 180 mile per charge he is a college going kid he loves his leaf .
I opted to get the Model 3 after debating with myself for nearly 3 years taking plenty of test drives So a deal I got from Tesla if I picked up the car before September 30 was free color upgrade free wheel upgrade and two years of free charging : And So I did ! I love the car and I know from friends and relatives who have being driving the Tesla  telling  me it is hard to go back to driving an ICE car . Yes some times I think I may get the range anxiety. But my 23 year old who has more the 3.5 years of driving a EV ( we do have Level 2 charging at our house and with Solar panels the cost probably is approximately $ 20 to $ 30 a month extra   ) has rarely charged his leaf at the Nissan Supercharger

[Philistine]

Not necessarily... Throttle House on YouTube tested the Model 3 on their track and it did ok. My car came in at about 1 min 11.5 sec, the Model 3 Performance at about 1 min 15 sec. which is a HUGE difference. My car has back seats and a trunk, is about $15k cheaper vs the M3 Performance... and it's practical enough. A car like a BMW M2 is also far faster overall and quite practical, and near the same price range.

Not saying the Model 3 isn't a great performer for what it is, but I think we get carried away calling ICE cars antiques in comparison, when many are actually much faster and handle far better.

I've had BMW and Audi's for over 30 years, mainly BMW's, my last being a M235x.  I got tired with all the nickel and diming from BMW, the last straw being when they wanted to charge me $250 for a map update plus the dealer charge for installing it, it would have been close to $500.  I wanted to test drive the X3 M40i, after a a year of chasing sales guys to fix a test drive I gave up and test drove the Tesla Model 3 and finished up buying it.  BMW screwed up my 30 years of loyalty...

In the real world I find the Tesla more practical and fun to drive than the M235...the instantaneous linear power delivery can't be beaten by any ICE, and this makes a huge difference in most practical driving situations.  What I didn't expect was that the Tesla is more relaxing on long journeys, I hadn't appreciated the impact that noise has on fatigue.  Tesla go out of their way to eliminate noise, whereas BMW pump engine noise into the cabin to make the car appear more sporty    The advantages the M235 had were the superior handling and better seat side support during cornering (when I push the Tesla hard on a corner I slide too much in the seat  ).  In the 8 months of ownership I've had multiple OTA software updates from Tesla, adding more user features and increasing the power by 10% - this is contrasted with BMW who want to charge for simple map updates. 

Tesla have a totally different approach than traditional ICE manufacturers, Tesla's paradigm is that of a technology business and the 'dinosaurs' are stuck in their ICE paradigm.  The ICE manufacturers must have got together and agreed to make EV's as butt ugly as possible, you only have to look at the BMW i3, Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt!  It's as if they don't want to sell any and they're apologizing.  Tesla aren't perfect (over promising and under performing, parts delays to name a few) but they are a refreshing change. 

I still have a BMW 330x, but it's not the first driving choice as everyone in the family wants to drive the Tesla.  Out of all the cars I've owned Ford/Volvo/Toyota/Audi/BMW the Tesla is by far the best of the group...it's just more fun to drive. 

[avahifi]

Musk says that a new free software upgrade coming soon will provide an additional 5 % increase in power and range for all model 3s.

Frank

[Wind Chaser]

This is a most excellent thread. I still own a smog machine, but can't see myself buying another. 

[audioengr]

There are so many benefits to electric cars:

1) cost of ownership ($/mile) is less than 1/3 of a similar gas car based on average $0.125/KWH electrical rates and $2.99 gallon for gasoline
2) emissions are 37% of the gas car, even when charged from fossil-fuel power plant generated electricity
3) charge in your garage convenience, no need to stop at the gas station or charging station
4) no oil changes, no air filter changes and less overall maintenance
5) much less wear on your brakes due to regenerative braking
6) no stains on your garage floor
7) quiet
incredible torque and acceleration

[Stu Pitt]

This is a most excellent thread. I still own a smog machine, but can't see myself buying another. 

I REALLY want a Tesla. And I need a new (to me) car. Unfortunately (in this regard only), I’m in the process of buying a house, so another loan isn’t in my best interest. I’m buying a car in cash from a family member, then I’ll buy a Tesla when that one’s time comes. Or quite possibly sooner.

I really want a Tesla and need to replace my Highlander. It’s like the girl you’ve always wanted to date, but the timing doesn’t match up.

[A_shah]

Here is my problem with the Tesla the company ! they had promised me a free two year charging if I picked up My model 3 before September 30. ( along with my 2 free upgrades of Choice of Color and the 19 " sports wheel)
It has been 3 weeks & I still have no Free supercharging each time I call they they me it has been escalated to upper middle management , I was also told 3 days ago I was not the only one with this dilemma , I have threatened to  return the car by the 30th of October if I don't get my FREE charging luckily I did have the Sales rep. send an email telling me that they owe me free charging, Has anyone else faced this issue with tesla ? and now my question is how do I handle this  I certainly don't want to return the car

[Stu Pitt]

Here is my problem with the Tesla the company ! they had promised me a free two year charging if I picked up My model 3 before September 30. ( along with my 2 free upgrades of Choice of Color and the 19 " sports wheel)
It has been 3 weeks & I still have no Free supercharging each time I call they they me it has been escalated to upper middle management , I was also told 3 days ago I was not the only one with this dilemma , I have threatened to  return the car by the 30th of October if I don't get my FREE charging luckily I did have the Sales rep. send an email telling me that they owe me free charging, Has anyone else faced this issue with tesla ? and now my question is how do I handle this  I certainly don't want to return the car

No advice other than what I’d do, simply because I’m not in your situation...

Make sure you get 2 years from the start of when it gets resolved rather than from the purchase date. If it takes 3 months to straighten it out, then 2 years should start in 3 months rather than from the day you got the car.

Or you could keep receipts and take legal action if they don’t reimburse you.

[nature boy]

The other Tesla effect - crushing German used car resale values:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2019/10/25/how-the-tesla-effect-is-crushing-used-luxury-car-values/

NB

[Brettio]

Here is my problem with the Tesla the company ! they had promised me a free two year charging if I picked up My model 3 before September 30. ( along with my 2 free upgrades of Choice of Color and the 19 " sports wheel)
It has been 3 weeks & I still have no Free supercharging each time I call they they me it has been escalated to upper middle management , I was also told 3 days ago I was not the only one with this dilemma , I have threatened to  return the car by the 30th of October if I don't get my FREE charging luckily I did have the Sales rep. send an email telling me that they owe me free charging, Has anyone else faced this issue with tesla ? and now my question is how do I handle this  I certainly don't want to return the car

This is my concern about Tesla. A coworker picked a Model 3 a few weeks ago and since then I’ve spend too much time trying to justify how one could fit in my life.  I’m absolutely impressed by what they have accomplished in such a short time I am however very apprehensive to make the plunge out of concern that they’ve over promised.  Please keep us posted.

[audioengr]

Here is my problem with the Tesla the company ! they had promised me a free two year charging if I picked up My model 3 before September 30. ( along with my 2 free upgrades of Choice of Color and the 19 " sports wheel)
It has been 3 weeks & I still have no Free supercharging each time I call they they me it has been escalated to upper middle management , I was also told 3 days ago I was not the only one with this dilemma , I have threatened to  return the car by the 30th of October if I don't get my FREE charging luckily I did have the Sales rep. send an email telling me that they owe me free charging, Has anyone else faced this issue with tesla ? and now my question is how do I handle this  I certainly don't want to return the car

The problem with Tesla is they can only hire mostly young inexperienced people, not veterans of the car industry.  This makes their customer service suck sometimes, not always.

The Model 3 is still a new design, so I don't expect it to completely shake-out for about 2-3 years.  I never buy a new year model.  I always wait until all of the bugs are resolved.  Zero problems with my Model S over 4 years of ownership.

[bkatbamna]

The other Tesla effect - crushing German used car resale values:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2019/10/25/how-the-tesla-effect-is-crushing-used-luxury-car-values/

NB

I always thought it was the poor reliability of German cars that crushed their resale values.  Honestly, if someone is thinking about getting a used S class or 7 series on the cheap, they need to get their heads examined.

[kingdeezie]

I always thought it was the poor reliability of German cars that crushed their resale values.  Honestly, if someone is thinking about getting a used S class or 7 series on the cheap, they need to get their heads examined.

Why? Some people would prefer to drive the car that they enjoy driving, and deal with the consequences as they arise. And, in fact, in JD's VDS for 2019, 4 out of 10 of the top most reliable cars are German. In the midsize premium car segment BMW, Audi, and Mercedes make up the top three models respectively.

Wouldn't this also include Tesla? How many constant problems are we hearing of from them? Poor QC, terrible reliability of electronics, prolonged body work repair times, worn out flash memory bricking vehicles, spotty paint, noisy interior that third party retailers sell kits to help fix, etc, etc 

Would someone buying a Tesla need their heads examined?

Sometimes the joy of owning a vehicle, outshines the problems that may or may not arise. 

[A_shah]

This is my concern about Tesla. A coworker picked a Model 3 a few weeks ago and since then I’ve spend too much time trying to justify how one could fit in my life.  I’m absolutely impressed by what they have accomplished in such a short time I am however very apprehensive to make the plunge out of concern that they’ve over promised.  Please keep us posted.

A friend has the Model S I believe since last 5 years no issues he is very happy with it, ( he has 300,000 on it ) My  a son a college going  23 years old is on his 2nd Nissan Leaf on the 1st one he had range anxiety but none on his 2019 model that gives him as much as 181 miles on a single charge , we do have a level 2 charger & solar panels the cost of him driving 70 miles 5 days a week is may be $20 to $30 a month on our electric bill !
I had been debating getting a T M-3 for about 3 years , but finally decided to get it once they offered me 2 free upgrades &  2 year free charging . As far as the quality is concerned it is first class compared to German cars ( IN Germany Tesla is the highest selling electric car )  Engineering & ride are 1st class , Unfortunately you are right about  - " They do over promise " Best is to go to the Tesla dealer ship   and test drive the car - You will love it plus you do get the option of giving it back in one week or 1000 miles 

[A_shah]

[