[Ice10]

Based on your experience with your Tesla(s) would you buy another if and when the opportunity arises?  If not I’d appreciate hearing why you wouldn’t and what you’d consider instead.

I ask as I’m running out of suitable options so I’m looking at a Model Y and finding myself strangely reluctant to dive into this brave new world.

Thank you.

[EkW]

I have owned a 2013 Model S60 for almost four years. I have colleagues who own Nissan Leafs and a Chevy Bolt. For long trips any Tesla is the best choice at the moment due to the extensive and reliable supercharger network. Other charging networks are growing but I read quite a bit about slow charging speeds for long distance traveling and too many inoperable chargers for good peace of mind. For shorter trips all of the currently available EVs seem to be quite good. Because the tech is changing rather quickly leasing seems to be a popular option. The older model Bolts are going for quite low prices. One pays a bit of a premium for Teslas, but they are the most advanced EVs at the moment.
Frank van Alstine seems to like his Model 3. If I needed to replace my car I would be likely to stay with Tesla, even though I tried to buy a Bolt when they first came out. The local dealer was so interested in selling me one that after visiting the dealership wanting to put down a deposit they never bothered to contact me. If you are lucky a local Nissan or Chevy dealership might actually have a new Leaf (much improved over the original) or Bolt that is ready for a test drive. Dealers are notorious for not keeping a demo vehicle charged, if they even have one. GM seems to be finally getting serious about EVs so maybe things are better at dealers now.
In a couple of years there should be many more choices as VW, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volvo, Audio, Mini and others start offering more cars.

[avahifi]

I have owned my Tesla Model 3 since June, 2019. 10,000 miles on it now and no problems at all.  I have only visited my local Tesla service agency once, for a 15 minute fix to add a vent hose to the battery pack and that was two years ago.  No issues with panel fit, paint, or anything else at all.

Its a blast to drive and is faster then me.  I keep it in the chill mode most of the time.  Often free over the air software upgrades make the car actually improve with age.  Auto pilot functions have become smoother and smarter and with more capability. I am now waiting for the full self driving on city streets upgrade due soon.

My longest trip was 4000 miles in one week to visit my sister in Phoenix, AZ.  Went from Minnesota out via the southern route and back through the high mountains. Never had a single "range anxiety" issue.  There were always fast Tesla Superchargers wherever I needed them.  Used lane keeping and smart speed control almost all the way.  Makes cross country driving really relaxing and safe and while keeping at least one hand on the wheel (required), I could actually look around and enjoy the scenery much of the time.

Advantages:  Supercharging network.  This is light years better then any other charging scheme,  Handling, performance, and safety.  Rated best overall for crash protection and also lowest rate of crash involvement by a factor of four when all safety functions are engaged.  Very comfortable seats, low noise, no shifting, no oil changes, no winterizing, no maintenance at all.  Zero dollars spent in two years on the car except for electricity.  Normally I charge at home from a 240V line in my garage so it is always ready to go.

Would I do it again? Absolutely, except that I probably would go for a Model Y now for its increased load capability.

Tesla's future?  They have three giant new factories under construction in Austin,TX, Berlin,Germany, and Shanghi, China. Amateur drone pilots are documenting every step of the production at these three venues.  You can follow them all on U-Tube.  Just search for Tesla Texas, Tesla Berlin, and Tesla Shanghi.  Many hours of entertaining video posted there.

Drive one and you will be convinced.

Frank

[Ice10]

Thank you both for your time and sharing your experiences.  I’ve driven both the Model 3 and Model Y and it was a quick decision that the additional space in the Y made it the winner.  I think for a family of four the Model 3 was just too limited on luggage space.

One thing that I find really funny is now that I’ve driven and will very likely buy an electric car when I drive past a gas station or an oil change place in my current vehicle it just seems like SO much work to go through those routines.  I guess that means I’m hooked.

[A_shah]

Own a model 3 leased new  last September  ! I hardly get 180 miles on a battery that is supposed to give me 240 miles my son owns a Nissan Leaf 2019  , it gives him 160/171 miles but he is a college going student, it is quieter, I picked my Tesla at the factory outlet in Fermont not sure about the QC compared to german or japanese cars

The 3 is noisier, the dickey closes with a thump and is small  it did not have mud guards and had to install an after  market mud guards and a kit to make it quieter, compare to charging at a supercharger its costs more for the same  distance  as my wife's latest KIA Forte which gives us 441 miles on a tank full !
We do have two level 2 chargers installed in the garage but I think the electric cars have some way to go until i can get the same performance as an ICE vehicle just my take on it !

Asghar 

[borism]

We've had our model 3 since December 2018 with zero issues. It has about 15K miles. No oil changes like an ICE car or any other maintenance in more than 2 years. It is impressive! With the LR battery and home 240V charging it is an absolute pleasure to use.
Would definitely buy again but possibly the Y model for the reasons stated by others.

[jpm]

... what everyone else said to the positive!

We're right at our 2nd anniversary with our Model S and it's very difficult to imagine spending money on a gas contraption. I shake my head when I think of the Rube Goldberg levels of complexity that go into making gas cars feasible, and having to stop at a gas station to mess with hazardous chemicals seems like an act of insanity. I admit that I do enjoy pulling into the gas station to fill a tank of the stinky stuff for our mower though.

We didn't give fuel cost savings any consideration when we purchased, but we calculated that they have been considerable. 99% of the time we charge at home.

It's probably different on the west coast where Teslas are comparatively common, but I have never had so many people stop and ask me about my car. I see people looking and pointing at stop lights, but the ultimate proof of cool is that the neighborhood kids also tell us our car is awesome!

[Philistine]

I’ve had my M3 LR AWD for 2 years, and can add a few more positives and negatives to the discussion:

I use it predominantly for local driving, only had two 4 hour road trips, what I did notice was how relaxed I and stress free it was.  I though it was the lack of engine noise but, after seeing the YouTube video with Elon Musk and Sandy Munro, now realise that the seats play a big role in this.  Apparently Tesla make their seats in house, unlike other manufacturers, and focused on eliminating pressure points.  My eldest son has back problems and has to take a break every few hours when he’s driving a Toyota or BMW, he doesn’t have to stop when he’s using the Tesla.  The first reaction I get from Tesla haters is ‘it takes you half an hour to recharge’ which is true, what they don’t understand is most of my charging is overnight at home - when I total up how much time I’ve saved by not going to a gas station it’s probably a significant saving.

Years ago I trained with the Audi rally team in Germany, which means my driving style isn’t typical and I do take a car to it’s braking and handling limits (when it’s safe to do so).  Based on this I think it handles great until you get closer to the limits, but then it doesn’t handle as well as BMW M series that I’ve driven when I try to push it hard. I foolishly ordered the FSD, that was promised and keeps being promised, but still waiting for it - a mistake as it’s more like a kickstart IT project that’s always coming tomorrow, but never materialises.  I’ve joined the local Tesla owners Facebook group and new owners, particularly when the Model Y was introduced, have issues with QC - Musk confirms this during the YouTube interview.  Another negative that crops up on the local FB group is tire wear, many new owners are coming from Honda’s and used to getting 35k plus miles out of a set of tires and shocked when they struggle to get more than 12-15k with their Tesla’s.  I point out that this is a heavy car with close to super car acceleration and I consider anything above 10k is a bonus!  The only way to extend the tire wear is using chill mode.  Like most other users I don’t know what a Tesla Service Center looks like, zero maintenance, but next week I’ve got a state inspection booked with a local Tesla approved body shop and asked them to clean and lubricate the brake callipers - because of the regen braking Tesla are recommending this in colder climates due to the minimal use and potential seizing up.

The last question: would I buy again?  I’ve pondered this question over the last few years and as time goes on it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to go back to an ICE, so it would have to be another EV.  I believe the traditional auto manufacturers don’t get it when it comes to building an EV, they’re stuck in the old ‘Detroit’ paradigm.  Tesla are not a traditional auto maker and have built an IT platform on wheels, and have a totally different paradigm - they’re approaching auto manufacturing and ownership experience from a different direction.  So my next car would have to be another Tesla, and I’d also look at the Lucid Air that’s being launched this year.

[charmerci]

The last question: would I buy again?  I’ve pondered this question over the last few years and as time goes on it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to go back to an ICE, so it would have to be another EV.  I believe the traditional auto manufacturers don’t get it when it comes to building an EV, they’re stuck in the old ‘Detroit’ paradigm.  Tesla are not a traditional auto maker and have built an IT platform on wheels, and have a totally different paradigm - they’re approaching auto manufacturing and ownership experience from a different direction.  So my next car would have to be another Tesla, and I’d also look at the Lucid Air that’s being launched this year.

I've been watching a lot of EV news videos. In the next few years, there's going to be a lot of new EV's coming out of the woodwork!   The experience of transportation will change. Prices will drop far more than you will ever believe too. Check out the new EV's from Hyundai for example, especially their Prophecy project.


(Oops, sorry for the digression. Back to Tesla....)

[jpm]

I've been watching a lot of EV news videos. In the next few years, there's going to be a lot of new EV's coming out of the woodwork!   The experience of transportation will change. Prices will drop far more than you will ever believe too. Check out the new EV's from Hyundai for example, especially their Prophecy project.

Very true, and there are some proven adaptable automakers among them. VW's early and strong commitment top EV's should also not be underestimated (the Taycan Cross Turismo is especially interesting to me). With all that said, Phillistine's observation of Tesla's being more of an IT platform and Tesla more like an IT company than a traditional manufacturer, all coupled with vast quantities of real world data from every Tesla vehicle on the road simply cannot be underestimated. They're not perfect though, everything from ramp-up quality issues to frequent tinkering with prices, FSD remaining a phantom and Elon Musks's routinely idiotic social media posts are all areas that can stand improvement. Nevertheless, as a driving experience I believe they're hard to touch for anything that isn't highly specialized like the BMW M series etc.

[SoCalWJS]

Very true, and there are some proven adaptable automakers among them. VW's early and strong commitment top EV's should also not be underestimated (the Taycan Cross Turismo is especially interesting to me). With all that said, Phillistine's observation of Tesla's being more of an IT platform and Tesla more like an IT company than a traditional manufacturer, all coupled with vast quantities of real world data from every Tesla vehicle on the road simply cannot be underestimated. They're not perfect though, everything from ramp-up quality issues to frequent tinkering with prices, FSD remaining a phantom and Elon Musks's routinely idiotic social media posts are all areas that can stand improvement. Nevertheless, as a driving experience I believe they're hard to touch for anything that isn't highly specialized like the BMW M series etc.

I remember hearing about one post he made where he claimed that he has a Battery that used non-rare-earth substances to store the electricity even more efficiently, but I never saw anything official about that claim. Is that one of the ones you're referring to?

If something like this ever happens, I will start to get excited about EV's. Until then, I am at best, a skeptic. That's an awful lot of batteries needing rare earth minerals, and I don't think that's possible. Hopeful something else comes along, whether it's Electric or Hydrogen or something we haven't thought of yet.

[FullRangeMan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbhxYIP9fg0

Also there is these small probls::
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tesla+car+burn

New batteries are not cheap:
https://www.joe.co.uk/life/tesla-owner-blows-up-car-and-burns-musk-effigy-in-protest-at-cost-of-replacing-battery-308278

[A_shah]

Own a Telsa 2019  Model 3 My son owned a Leaf My gripe with Tesla are 2 folds one the noise level inside the car are much higher than other cars and find that for me the bucket seats are low and not too comfortable

Asghar 

[avta]

We’ve had a Y for about a year. Absolutely love it! Period!

[avahifi]

At three years I am still very happy with my Model 3.

Zero service, zero repairs, zero issues and is still fun and easy to drive.

I did spend $50 to have Tesla mobile service come to my home for a tire rotation. Excellent next day response.

Only gripe is that Beta self driving software is still driving like a new beginning teenager.  Slow, jerky, and easily confused. Great on highways, not so great on city streets.

 Bluebot is still a keeper though.

Frank

[Tyson]

Just bought a 2023 Model Y.  Had the wall charger installed a couple of days ago and am picking it up on Tuesday.  Woot.

It was a lot cheaper than I thought it would be.  Last year the long range AWD (dual motor) Model Y was selling for $65k.  6 months ago they reduced the price to $52k.  AND, because it's fully made in America (including batteries), I get a tax rebate of $7500 from the federal government.  In addition, Colorado offers another tax rebate of $5k (used to be $2k but they bumped it up this month to $5k).  So that means I am getting a brand new Model Y for $39,500.  That's insane.

The 2 things that made me settle on the Model Y is it's got 330 miles of range on a single charge, and the Tesla Supercharger network is pretty damn extensive now:



If I'm going on a long range trip, it's already pretty comprehensive, but the crazy thing is Tesla continues to build out new Superchargers at a pretty mad pace.  So this is the 'worst' this map will ever look, it will only be better with each passing month.

[undertowogt1]

Admittedly I am a Tesla Fanboy. I own a 2023 Model Y. It is the best car I have ever driven and owned. If you can afford the Tesla just get the tesla, they are years ahead tech wise. I recommend watching Sandy Muneos YouTube Channel about his electric Vehicle Teardowns

https://www.youtube.com/@MunroLive

I would buy another one in a heartbeat. If you have charging at home it is an amazing city car. When you start doing longer trips you will need to take the time to look at your route and plan your charging. In the USA it is much better than in Canada (I am in Calgary Alberta) It will add time to your trip for sure. We still have a ICE vehicle (2018 Subaru Outback) and rarely drive it. The driving experience is much worse. We only  drive it if we need two cars or go on very long trips in the winter. Temperature will reduce your range significantly so if you are in a cold climate account for that. No regrets. I would not buy any OTHER electric vehicle

[Tyson]

Admittedly I am a Tesla Fanboy. I own a 2023 Model Y. It is the best car I have ever driven and owned. If you can afford the Tesla just get the tesla, they are years ahead tech wise. I recommend watching Sandy Muneos YouTube Channel about his electric Vehicle Teardowns

https://www.youtube.com/@MunroLive

I would buy another one in a heartbeat. If you have charging at home it is an amazing city car. When you start doing longer trips you will need to take the time to look at your route and plan your charging. In the USA it is much better than in Canada (I am in Calgary Alberta) It will add time to your trip for sure. We still have a ICE vehicle (2018 Subaru Outback) and rarely drive it. The driving experience is much worse. We only  drive it if we need two cars or go on very long trips in the winter. Temperature will reduce your range significantly so if you are in a cold climate account for that. No regrets. I would not buy any OTHER electric vehicle

That's the thing, the Teslas aren't even that expensive anymore.  If you don't need AWD, you can get a Model 3 RWD for $40k list, right now (I just checked the price).  If you are in the US, you get another $7500 of the list price, bringing it down to $32.5k.  In most states in the US there's also at least $2k in state level incentives (or even more, in some states like CO).  So even taking the lower $2k out, that gets you a brand new M3 for $30.5k.  I'm just flabbergasted at how affordable they are now.

[HAL]

Bought my Tesla Model Y Long Range is March.  Love the car and will not go back to ICE vehicles.  Had hybrids for years and love them, but this is on another level driving experience.

Also have a Tesla Solar Roof with two Powerwalls and basically make all the electrical power I need for the house and car.   

The Tesla Inverters are basically the same THD level as the normal local grid.

Works for us.

[dpatters]

No way I would support Elon Musk. No E-car here.


Don P