carmudgeons.com  

Go Back   carmudgeons.com > Automotive Forums > Car Talk

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-01-2019, 09:31 AM   #11
SARAFIL
I like BMWs
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: X5 M50 / M550
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 5,782
Quote:
Originally Posted by clyde View Post
Which is a whole lot of "fuck you" to your customers. But I get that's beena thing with Tesla from day 1.


I agree with you, was just clarifying that *technically* you have an out. I would never do it though. I know this has basically become a Tesla forum these days and the cars do intrigue me too but the whole sales/service model and Elon’s ego turn me off from ever wanting to actually buy one.
__________________
2020 X5 M50i -- Alpine White / Coffee Leather
2020 M550i -- Carbon Black / Beige Leather
SARAFIL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 09:35 AM   #12
kognito
older fart than ZBB
 
kognito's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: On the road again
Posts: 8,887
They have a huge bond payment due today, and as of right now no SEC filing showing it is paid.
__________________
2017 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE
2020 Fusion Titanium
kognito is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 09:58 AM   #13
rumatt
Mugwump
 
rumatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3
Location: NY
Posts: 17,475
Quote:
Originally Posted by John V View Post
Stuff like the fart app and the other dumb easter eggs are a major turn-off for me. But whatever.
For me they're neutral. I could certainly do without them, but it's hard not to laugh sometimes as well.

Quote:
The announcement of the shorter-range, $35k model 3 was intriguing to me. It's nowhere close to worth $60k or whatever they want for the top trim levels, but around the same price as a Bolt? Uh, yeah, that's interesting.
Funny, for me it's the opposite. A mediocre performance, laggy car that will be a huge pain in the ass because I can't drive it on normal length trips? Not appealing.

But a stupid fast car with instant throttle response and the range to do most of my normal driving? That's checks the right boxes to be worth considering for me.
rumatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 10:23 AM   #14
John V
No more BMWs
 
John V's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8
Location: Glenwood, MD
Posts: 14,753
If it really is "laggy" (how is this a thing for electric cars?) then I agree that would be a deal killer.

The issue for me is cost. I'm just not willing to spend $60k on a car. I don't care if it's stupid fast. Even a base 3 will be faster in the real world than anything I currently own. And I realistically will never desire to take it on a trip. I've got the Boxster for trips with Marisa and I've got the truck for trips where I tow. I have zero desire to deal with the annoyance and delay involved with waiting for a car to charge while I'm trying to get somewhere.
John V is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 10:51 AM   #15
rumatt
Mugwump
 
rumatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3
Location: NY
Posts: 17,475
"Last year, 78% of all Model 3 orders were placed online, rather than in a store, and 82% of customers bought their Model 3 without ever having taken a test drive. Customers can now buy a Tesla in North America via their phone in about 1 minute, and that capability will soon be extended worldwide. We are also making it much easier to try out and return a Tesla without a test drive. You can now return a car within 7 days or 1,000 miles for a full refund. Customers are becoming increasingly comfortable making purchases online, and that is especially true for Tesla — which is a testament to the products we make."
rumatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 11:10 AM   #16
equ
Alphanumeric
 
equ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Carmudgeonly Ride: 981S, 340i
Posts: 9,580
It's an iphone on wheels. That's great for its customers and may be unavoidable for the rest of us in the future. For now, I'm happily living in the present - or past - depending on how you look at it. Charging EV's is a massive PITA. When that changes, I'll be all ears.
equ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 11:20 AM   #17
robg
Carmudgeon
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,225
The new base model actually intrigues me more than the other variants because:
-The bare bones interior starts to make more sense at that price. One thing i'm unsure of is what replaces the wood (they just say "base" trim in the desription). I guess as long as its not gloss black plastic it should be fine.
-Fabric instead of fake leather seats sounds great.
-Manual seat and steering adjustment sounds quicker/easier to deal with than the convoluted screen/steering wheel setup for the power versions
-I'm not sure how much the reduced range really matters all the much. The big advantage of EVs is that you can start each day w/ a full charge if you want. For long trips it seems that best practice is to stop at every supercharger regardless of pack size-- I guess the difference here is that it might take longer given you'd be more likely to deal with tapering down of charging speed (although its possible the short range version is just a software limited in which case this won't be a problem).

The audio system sounds like it sucks though-- and I think the only sound source you get is their very basic bluetooth setup. But for a commuter car where you're just listening to podcasts its probably fine.

I do agree that if "lagginess" is programmed into the RWD variants it becomes a deal breaker. But could it really be worse than the average 4 cyl turbo with which it competes at this price point?

If I were in the market for this type of vehicle, it might hard to pass up the Hyundai Kona. Nicer interior, more practical and probably better sales/service support. Charging network is the big downside.
robg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 11:34 AM   #18
clyde
Chief title editor
 
clyde's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,599
Quote:
Originally Posted by rumatt View Post
"Last year, 78% of all Model 3 orders were placed online, rather than in a store, and 82% of customers bought their Model 3 without ever having taken a test drive. Customers can now buy a Tesla in North America via their phone in about 1 minute, and that capability will soon be extended worldwide. We are also making it much easier to try out and return a Tesla without a test drive. You can now return a car within 7 days or 1,000 miles for a full refund. Customers are becoming increasingly comfortable making purchases online, and that is especially true for Tesla — which is a testament to the products we make."
There's a Dead or Alive song about this statement...
__________________
OH NOES!!!!!1 MY CAR HAS T3H UND3R5T33R5555!!!!!!1oneone!!!!11

Team WTF?!
What are you gonna do?
clyde is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 12:52 PM   #19
rumatt
Mugwump
 
rumatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3
Location: NY
Posts: 17,475
Quote:
Originally Posted by equ View Post
It's an iphone on wheels.
People on TMC are cranky about the next wave of price drops. I loved this quote

Quote:
Welcome to Tesla, where the crushing depreciation of automobiles intersects with the soul-crushing depreciation of emerging technology.
rumatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2019, 01:04 PM   #20
Jeff_DML
Old Fart
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Carmudgeonly Ride: T4R,GTI
Location: San Diego
Posts: 8,547
Quote:
Originally Posted by robg View Post
...
I do agree that if "lagginess" is programmed into the RWD variants it becomes a deal breaker. But could it really be worse than the average 4 cyl turbo with which it competes at this price point?

....
if my memory serves me correct, I wouldn't say it is worse but similar. I did not drive a awd variant so it seemed fine to me at the time.
Jeff_DML is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:07 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Forums © 2003-2008, 'Mudgeon Enterprises - Site hosting by AYN & Associates, LLC