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Old 08-26-2018, 10:12 PM   #521
rumatt
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Ugh. I can't help you translate that gibberish.

I'm guessing you'll get him on the phone tomorrow?
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Old 08-26-2018, 10:46 PM   #522
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My buddy is getting the white interior in a white performance 3. Should be interesting with his two young boys.
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Old 08-27-2018, 12:02 AM   #523
robg
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Tesla Model ≡ Thread

Got a ride in someone's Model 3 today- was a RWD one with the base wheels in blue.
Some impressions:
-Exterior door handles were annoying (but I expected that).
-Build quality was better than I expected (though still not as good as i'd like). No squeaks or rattles but panel gaps were meh (FCA-ish)
-Fake leather feels better than BMW's base leather (Dakota). Would have to try it for longer to see if my sweaty back concerns would be an issue. Seats felt comfy but seat cushion was a bit short
-The on-screen controls look too small/finicky to reliably use while driving. Opening the glovebox and controlling the vents using the screen made me smile for the gimick factor, but I could see stuff like that annoying me over the long term.
-doors closed with a better sound than I expected (better than Model S)
-The owner couldn't stop gushing about it (he got it 3 weeks ago). Previous car was a Subaru Outback.
-Backseat was fine but not noticeably better than a 3 series or A4 other than the lack of middle hump. less room for feet to slide under front seats than in those cars IIRC.
-Hard to say whether trunk seemed bigger than those cars. The owner kept his charging equipmnent in the frunk which seemed to take most of that space up.
-Love the view over the dash. Reminds me of 80s Hondas
-Definitley will test drive one at some point.


I kinda want one, but I also am not sure I like the overall packag better than, say, an Audi S4 (when compared with a dual motor model 3), or even BMW M3 (comparing to performance model 3). If the RWD/PUP/LR/met paint combo were cheaper out the door than a comparable 4 cyl A4 or 3 series, that would be interesting. But a "prestige" S4 with niceties such as Nappa leather massgaing seats, surround cameras, HUD, beautiful build quality, etc start to add up when comparing to a dual motor loaded model 3. Are the instant torque and cheaper energy costs really enough to overcome the downsides? For those of you who recently placed orders, what pushed this car ahead of the similarly priced (but conventional) competitors? I think if i were willing to buy one and planned to keep it for 8-10 years I'd trust that it would cost me less to maintain than similarly priced German car (There isn't much to go wrong other than that screen after all).

Last edited by robg; 08-27-2018 at 05:07 AM.
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Old 08-27-2018, 07:09 AM   #524
rumatt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robg View Post
Are the instant torque and cheaper energy costs really enough to overcome the downsides? For those of you who recently placed orders, what pushed this car ahead of the similarly priced (but conventional) competitors?
Make an appointment and go drive one. The instant torque is really neat.

But I was coming into this with the seemingly impossible goal of finding a car that is (a) fun, and (b) relaxing to commute into NYC in. The Tesla manages to do both. You giggle as it effortlessly glides up to speed at insane rates, the instant torque makes it easy to fill gaps when changing lanes, and the regen braking allows one-pedal driving which is more pleasant and rewarding in traffic than scraping (and pulsing!!) brake rotors. I left thinking, damn the electric motor really is the future of daily transportation.

However, once it sank in how much I'm spending and how many other cars I could have for that money, I did start to wonder. And those cars are much better sports cars... and better screwed together.

I don't buy that maintenance will be cheaper. There's still plenty of stuff to break (think of all the sensors and actuators) and when it does it'll be hella expensive. Some guy cracked his windshield and it was ~$1600 to replace at the dealer - no one else makes them so they're your only choice. And isn't there a regular maintenance/checkup schedule that I fairly expensive at the dealer? They also eat tires if you accelerate hard often. The thing weights 4,000 lbs. I suspect that tire cost alone will balance out any savings from fuel.

And I'm not optimistic about resale. The first run of a hastily produced EV vehicle? With a tired battery? After Tesla and other manufactures have come out with newer tech? This thing is going to be about as easy to sell on eBay as my 4 year old Samsung S6.

Last edited by rumatt; 08-27-2018 at 07:57 AM.
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Old 08-27-2018, 08:25 AM   #525
John V
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The thing I really worry about with any Tesla is reliability and repair cost. I haven't looked into this in a year or more but at that time it seemed like there was very little you could do yourself, getting parts is a pain, etc. Tesla expect you to have them do all of the work.

Ken's Model S was in the shop six or seven times during his (year and a half?) ownership period. One of those times they had to remove the entire interior of the car to fix a TPMS issue. One time they replaced the entire drive unit. Had the car not been under the factory warranty there would have been tremendous cost for those repairs, even if just to cover the deductibles.

I'm far from an early adopter (having never bought a new car in my life) but it seems to me that being an early adopter for a new manufacturer is a really risky endeavor.

I agree 100% that electric is the way to go for commuter cars. I just want some established manufacturer to make something affordable and interesting (aka, not a Chevy Bolt or a Nissan Leaf) before I sign on.
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Old 08-27-2018, 08:41 AM   #526
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I'm using the $7,500 incentive as my logic that now is the time to buy. It takes money to make money, right?
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Old 08-27-2018, 09:13 AM   #527
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I know you guys don't like the i3, but man I'd commute in that car
- if I had to drive to work
- and my commute was short enough with not many highways
and no way it compares to the Tesla. With its weak sauce battery its acceleration was closer to a "normal" 7sec car.

Fun factor was good for me. I did like 1-pedal driving, great tall visibility and RWD with low limits and super quiet. Add to it great build feel and that the thing is made of Carbon!! It's a different feeling than a metal car, you're inside something organic, warm?, like being in a log cabin compared to ferro-concrete.
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Old 08-27-2018, 11:43 AM   #528
John V
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Haven't driven the i3, but I can't drive something that I would hate to walk out and see in the garage every morning. That, the Bolt and the Leaf all fall into that category of "nope."

The model 3 is dumb looking but it's not ugly. The Model S is a genuinely good-looking car.
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Old 08-27-2018, 12:36 PM   #529
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John V View Post
Haven't driven the i3, but I can't drive something that I would hate to walk out and see in the garage every morning. That, the Bolt and the Leaf all fall into that category of "nope."

The model 3 is dumb looking but it's not ugly. The Model S is a genuinely good-looking car.
We'll never agree on looks. You hate tall/dorky cars, e.g. e82 1-series or the 1M.

Nothing is as bad as the Model X, that's an abomination that no falcon wing can fix. Model S is not appealing to me, but it doesn't bother me. The Model 3 would be cool, but the mouthless front is jarring in a way the Model S front isn't. I'm also not that into the iPad on four wheels general design concept. The i3, that I had on an extended test drive, was very different. However, it's $45k price point is way off. The used market shows that.

Our driving situations are different as well. I live on a narrow street where a JGC or a 5-series is about as big a car as anyone can possibly handle or park. Boxy, high-visibility designs work much better than swoopy lower ones.
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Old 08-27-2018, 12:39 PM   #530
John V
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Quote:
Originally Posted by equ View Post
We'll never agree on looks. You hate tall/dorky cars, e.g. e82 1-series or the 1M.

Nothing is as bad as the Model X, that's an abomination that no falcon wing can fix. Model S is not appealing to me, but it doesn't bother me. The Model 3 would be cool, but the mouthless front is jarring in a way the Model S front isn't. I'm also not that into the iPad on four wheels general design concept. The i3, that I had on an extended test drive, was very different. However, it's $45k price point is way off. The used market shows that.

Our driving situations are different as well. I live on a narrow street where a JGC or a 5-series is about as big a car as anyone can possibly handle or park. Boxy, high-visibility designs work much better than swoopy lower ones.
I'm sure if I lived in a city my car choices would be much different.

I'm sort of getting used to the mouthless front end of the Model 3, what I can't get used to is the stubby tail / hump back look of the thing. The Model X is much worse, but the 3 isn't a pretty car.

And agreed, for $45k the i3 is a joke. You have to really want to make a statement to pay that much
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