Thoughts on Tesla Cars?

[droptopman]

Originally Posted by ashbaug2

Could that not be said about a lot of other large corporations, as well, though? The lobbying industry in our country is massive, and to get anything pushed through it is almost required to hire a lobbying firm to schmooze politicians and build support. Right or wrong, I don't think Tesla has been that shady about anything. Secretive? Sure, but they're not the Illuminati plotting to destroy the universe... In fact, their development of their Lithium Ion car battery cells is completely open source for other companies to copy and use; they have intentionally NOT patented much of their work in hopes that others will invest money to further their vision. Whether you agree with their vision is a different story, and is completely OK not to.

Yes, not an attack on Tesla at all, more on the system. I can just think of many better uses of taxpayer resources. It goes on all over the place not exclusive to Tesla.

[swils8610]

Musk is an amazing marketer not a car builder. Support is terrible. The fit and finish of the interior is nothing like a comparable luxury vehicle.


“I think a man and his watch have a special bond”~Ralph Lauren

[Old Geezer]

I’ve driven my friend’s S. It’s nice but does not inspire me as I thought it would as driver’s car. FWIW, my friend has had nothing but problems with it and hates it. Every electrical gremlin that can plaque a car has manifested itself on his car. He has had it about 18 months and is shopping right now to dump it. YMMV.

[codecow]

Don’t use the auto pilot. A friend of mine was killed in a crash while autopilot was engaged on his SUV.

[pallindrome]

What I don't get is the model 3 is widely touted as an affordable car at $35k. But the problem is no one just gets a bare naked base model 3 or at least one is tempted to spec it up with extended range blah blah and then it enters the $50k tax + CA tax at 11% including DMV fees.

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by codecow

Don’t use the auto pilot. A friend of mine was killed in a crash while autopilot was engaged on his SUV.

Very sorry for your loss.

[SomeEngineer]

This isnt an official statement and only reflective of my personal opinion, but I've spent alot of time in auto factories, and the quality control in place in fremont is....well I saw better QC measures in a kia plant.

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by Etschell

not a fan at all. but the main reason is the pricing and the lack of engine noise.

however, batteries are less green than oil.

What I’m not keen on when I’ve been a passenger, is the electric motor acceleration. Not sure if this sensation is the same when driving though as you have more connections to the vehicle.

[SomeEngineer]

Originally Posted by ashbaug2

Right or wrong, I don't think Tesla has been that shady about anything.

I know this may not have been the direction your post was taking, but when you retaliate against workers for organizing as a result of having begged senior management to address safety concerns and being ignored, I'd personally call that shady business practices. Again, this is not an official statement but reflective of my personal opinions.

[Danny83]

I have one as an extra car thats it.

[SoCal_Batman]

I must be in the minority here, but I have a Signature Model S and absolutely love it. My SO put’s about 120 miles round trip on it daily and riding solo in the HOV lane is great, especially in heavy LA traffic. Not to mention the free supercharging and ample access to them locally. Haven’t done a road trip so can’t speak to that but I know their charging network is improving. I really like how Tesla was forward thinking enough that most of the updates to the car are software related and as a result, many features / requests by owners are added with each update. You don’t have that feeling that you’re missing out on something by not having the latest and greatest model. Just because the new GMT has the updated 3285 movement doesn’t mean everyone with the 3186 movement needs to run out and upgrade.

As for build quality, I haven’t had any issues with mine other than a faulty rear door handle that wouldn’t open repeatedly and some other minor stuff. My biggest gripe is the time spent charging it so I try to be as productive as possible during that “idle” time. Range is solid at 270 miles on a full charge and is accurately reflected based on driving habits.

I also like how quiet it is both inside and outside. If I want engine noise, I’ll take my D90 out and believe me, there is plenty of road noise to compensate for the Tesla !!

[Moggo]

I like the idea but would worry about long term reliability......I couldn’t afford one anyway so my decision is easy


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[gccmd]

I like the technology but I just can’t get over the look of the car. The exterior to me looks like something Toyota or Honda would design. I know lots of people who own them and they all seem to love them.

[1William]

From the beginning I thought that the company was all smoke and mirrors. Too expensive with dubious long term technology and huge battery costs down the road. I also believe that you can never setup the infrastructure needed beyond the big cities to charge and support the vehicles. I also prefer many alternatives in the models various price ranges. I think we are close to the end for this company and the vehicles. They will move forward with battery technology but not automobiles.

[runner9]

Been in the model S and I like the car with all it's cool features I think it can pass as a daily driver for most people but i don't see myself getting one.

[Anton22]

Originally Posted by 1William

From the beginning I thought that the company was all smoke and mirrors. Too expensive with dubious long term technology and huge battery costs down the road. I also believe that you can never setup the infrastructure needed beyond the big cities to charge and support the vehicles. I also prefer many alternatives in the models various price ranges. I think we are close to the end for this company and the vehicles. They will move forward with battery technology but not automobiles.

Yeah, i agree that Tesla cars themselfs are suspect but i hope there future for technology itself.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Moggo

I like the idea but would worry about long term reliability......I couldn’t afford one anyway so my decision is easy

The limited availability of techs and parts in the future make Tesla a good choice for short term lease IMHO.

Originally Posted by gccmd

I like the technology but I just can’t get over the look of the car. The exterior to me looks like something Toyota or Honda would design. I know lots of people who own them and they all seem to love them.

True enough. Cheating the air is the design formula that tends to make many car shapes lean in certain directions. The Delorean broke design barriers that Tesla could have considered but I think he needed broad visual appeal since the technology was already narrowing the buyer demographic.

Originally Posted by 1William

I think we are close to the end for this company and the vehicles. They will move forward with battery technology but not automobiles.

I think the car may outlast the founder - but agree about the future. Perhaps his mercurial personality will undo an interesting auto proposition.



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[superdog]

Originally Posted by SoCal_Batman

I must be in the minority here, but I have a Signature Model S and absolutely love it. My SO put’s about 120 miles round trip on it daily and riding solo in the HOV lane is great, especially in heavy LA traffic. Not to mention the free supercharging and ample access to them locally. Haven’t done a road trip so can’t speak to that but I know their charging network is improving. I really like how Tesla was forward thinking enough that most of the updates to the car are software related and as a result, many features / requests by owners are added with each update. You don’t have that feeling that you’re missing out on something by not having the latest and greatest model. Just because the new GMT has the updated 3285 movement doesn’t mean everyone with the 3186 movement needs to run out and upgrade.

As for build quality, I haven’t had any issues with mine other than a faulty rear door handle that wouldn’t open repeatedly and some other minor stuff. My biggest gripe is the time spent charging it so I try to be as productive as possible during that “idle” time. Range is solid at 270 miles on a full charge and is accurately reflected based on driving habits.

I also like how quiet it is both inside and outside. If I want engine noise, I’ll take my D90 out and believe me, there is plenty of road noise to compensate for the Tesla !!

Two cars that I would likely never buy, based on my own personal quirks and style.

HOWEVER, I really like your taste in cars. Both are fantastic in their way. And both look amazing.

Nicely done sir. Nicely done.

[raky]

I like them but don't love them. A few of my coworkers have them - a 3, an S, and an X. If they started leasing the model 3 I would consider one for my wife in a couple years.

[codecow]

Originally Posted by East Bay Rider

Very sorry for your loss.

Thanks Bill. He had taken it to the dealer on more than one occasion to complain that the auto pilot had been pulling him into a wall on one part of the road and they returned it to him saying it was working as intended.

It's a good technology that isn't ready for prime time, especially with the name "auto pilot".

[swils8610]

Musk is smoke and mirrors...he’s going to take a lot of peoples investments down with him.


“I think a man and his watch have a special bond”~Ralph Lauren

[Wesley Crusher]

Originally Posted by superdog

Two cars that I would likely never buy, based on my own personal quirks and style.

HOWEVER, I really like your taste in cars. Both are fantastic in their way. And both look amazing.

Nicely done sir. Nicely done.

Why wouldn’t you buy a Defender? Just wondering. I think it’s the best SUV offered by Land Rover and the one that I’d actually buy.

[mschafer]

As much as I’m in love with the concept and design when them came out, I can’t wait for the Porsche version, Taycan. Maybe a shorter lease of a Tesla?
Also, the Jaguar i pace is out for consideration...

[tritium8]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

Why wouldn’t you buy a Defender? Just wondering. I think it’s the best SUV offered by Land Rover and the one that I’d actually buy.

This! D90 has always been one of my dream cars!

I think Socal Batman and I would get along!

[tritium8]

Originally Posted by mschafer

. Maybe a shorter lease of a Tesla?.

This is actually what I'm thinking. I keep watch swapalease to see by if anything interesting comes up.

[ras47]

Tesla's electric motors are designed to run for ONE MILLION MILES without maintenance. Of course we shall see if they live up to the design hype.

In two to three years a lot of Model 3's will come off leases. I think at $20,000 to $25,000 they'll be a steal.

[Duey]

How long can a company last that makes NO money. It just looses Billions and Billions ....

If it wasn't for government subsidies it would loose even more.
But still people buy the stock and the cars.
It makes no since at all ......

My neighbor has one and says the distance it goes is a joke. The max distance decreases as you turn things on such as the lights - AC - heater - radio . He says at night with the AC & the lights on you can cut your distance in 1/2.

[tx02ag]

Bought a Model S in 2014. Best car I ever owned until I bought a Model 3 in 2018.

The biggest thing in the way of higher adoption is the massive disinformation campaign funded by those opposed to electric vehicles. I work in Texas in the energy sector so I hear a lot of this.

Lights and a/c cutting the range in half....I have 4 years and 120,000 miles on 2 different models that say that is totally fabricated. Lights and a/c don’t even result in a 5% difference in range. The biggest range reducer is extreme cold and even then it is more like 20-30% at freezing temps.

Happy to answer any serious questions.

Auto fatalities suck. I think with proper investment they could be as rare as plane crashes in our children’s lifetimes. There will be 1.5 million worldwide this year. 40,000 in the US. You need to ask yourself who is funding the media coverage of a fatality of a single driver who chose to drive at twice the legal limit in Florida while tens of thousands of other avoidable deaths are ignored. Especially those caused by negligence and cover ups of known safety issues by other manufacturers.

[Rolexism_]

Not sustainable. Not affordable for the masses. Tax credits are wiping out world over. Musk tweeted about going private (isolating loyal share holders). Tweeting about being exhausted. Most of my friends including myself gave up deposits on model 3 due to availability issues. They make no profits.
I give them 3 years belly up.

[tx02ag]

Originally Posted by Rolexism_

Not sustainable. Not affordable for the masses. Tax credits are wiping out world over. Musk tweeted about going private (isolating loyal share holders). Tweeting about being exhausted. Most of my friends including myself gave up deposits on model 3 due to availability issues. They make no profits.
I give them 3 years belly up.

I respect your opinion but could not disagree more. The entry price has already dropped to less than $50k with further reductions within 12 months.

Hybrids did not die when the tax credits ended and neither will Tesla. The tax credit was a major consideration when I purchased my S in 2014. When I bought my 3 this year, it was not necessary as the car already cost less than the other 3 cars/suvs I was considering.

As for profits, the cars have been profitable for some time now. The expenditures of building out a global infrastructure to compete with gas stations was quite the cash drain, but the worst of that is behind them.

Full disclosure: my 3 was $50,000 delivered. The tax credit reduced the cost to $42,500 before gas and maintenance savings which are significant compared to my previous vehicle. If there is another car for that price with this performance, technology, and safety, my research did not uncover it.

I don’t disagree with your opinion about the tweets. He should lay low on Twitter for a few months and let the cars speak for themselves.

The Q3 earnings call will be a huge day for them 1 way or the other. My money is on them.