It seems this site is more for lookers than guidance, but I'm thinking of getting an M3. And like any car, it has scary stories. The screen stops working for 15min. The car won't open or start. Parts are expensive, repairs are slow and slower. The assembly quality is mixed... This looks like a great car - but I'm not sure I wholly trust Tesla. They can fly me around the moon, but for a car I rely on? I'm hesitant. We've bought nothing but Japanese cars since 1998. No more questionable Saabs, Volvos, VW's or MB's for us. We've loved owning these cars that NEVER see the service bay, except for things like tires and brakes. My 20yo Nissan van never needed service. Or my 12yo Lexus. Our 4yo Leaf is ready to take my wife to work - every morning, without fail. So in general, how nice has your Tesla been to you? Are you happy or sorry?
The screen stops working for 15min. - Even a whole car reboot (must be parked to initiate) takes less than 5 minutes. The screen reboot takes about 30 seconds and I've only had one instance while driving. Car continues to operate normally during a screen reboot. The car won't open or start. - The iPhone app is not running, the iPhone is not ON, or the iPhone BlueTooth is off. Take the RFID card out and start the car normally. Parts are expensive, repairs are slow and slower. - Nothing is free and you don't get to shop for parts when there is just one vendor. The assembly quality is mixed... - Sure, MINE IS GREAT!!! This looks like a great car - but I'm not sure I wholly trust Tesla. - Buy some GM or Chrysler stock before 2009? How about VW? They can fly me around the moon, but for a car I rely on? - Then get something else because it is a choice. I'm hesitant. We've bought nothing but Japanese cars since 1998. - What did you have before 1998 that led to a switch? No more questionable Saabs, Volvos, VW's or MB's for us. - Works for me, why does this matter? We've loved owning these cars that NEVER see the service bay, except for things like tires and brakes. - Tesla has over an order of magnitude fewer moving parts. My 20yo Nissan van never needed service. - You can get a 20 year old Nissan van for very good prices today. Enjoy! Or my 12yo Lexus. - You can get a 12yo Lexus for very good prices today. Enjoy! Our 4yo Leaf is ready to take my wife to work - every morning, without fail. - A 4yo Leaf can be gotten for good prices today. Enjoy! We picked it up March 26, the last Tuesday, and now have 3,767 miles, May 4, Saturday. It has been the best car we've ever owned. I'm not here to sell you my car nor is your purchase going to have any effect on my choice. Our Standard Range Plus Model 3 meets our requirements for: Efficiency - $2.50 to drive 100 miles Safety - All 5 stars in every category Driving ease - AutoPilot significantly offloads driving tasks and even in driving sheets of rain, follows the lane lines and spacing of the trucks we like to follow. Bob Wilson
Thanks for the snark, BW. That may be the worst responce I've ever received. Or maybe a typical 'thinks he knows it all' engineer's response? Is there any other type? And it's a big turn-off, for Tesla. Whenever I think about the car, this guy's crappy attitude may come to mind. I think I need to find another group. I'm loaded with questions, and have only seen a few responders that were helpful. Or bothered to reply. '... why does this matter?' Because - screw you, prick! Yeah, I'm steamed! And I wasn't surprised this guy would be on the Tesla page. Bye, all.
Sorry ‘bout that. Some of the questions about 10 and 20 year old cars were a little trolling. If you come back, we can discuss how to do a requirements analysis. For some, Tesla is not the answer. But it needs to be based on mandatory and weighted optional requirements. Bob Wilson
I'm sorry, too. Your reply really hit me the wrong way. It's been a long time since I've felt burned like that. Like early days of FB? I held my response for a few hours, to reflect, but I sent it anyway. They were all serious questions - but I do go off on tangents! And what did I have before 98? Saabs, Volvos, VW's or MB's... I'm more of a EU kinda owner. Japanese cars always seemed foreign, to me. I've been a mechanic, and was shocked at how well that Quest held up. We were going to buy an MB, but the reliability of those German cars sent us to Lexus. We were a bit nervous buying the Leaf, in 2015, knowing nothing about it. But it's been a great car. The choice seems to be between the Leaf and the Tesla. And there's no way around it - Tesla is a new company. Thanks.
No problem and my clumsy attempt at humor doesn’t always work. Our requirements are: Safety - a minimum of dynamic cruise control and automatic, collision avoidance or mitigation braking. Driving efficiency - given the mandatory safety requirement, we want the car with the most mi/kWh. Fast DC charging - having used and paid for CCS vs SuperCharger, I prefer the more reliable and right spaced SuperChargers. It is about 3-4x cheaper than CCS (EVgo and Electrify America.) Our other car is a 2014 BMW i3-REx. I’m on a 720 mi, each way, all EV trip to Coffeyville KS from Huntsville AL. We’ve used RV charging to fill one gap. But SuperCharging has been great. Let me suggest using the trip planner in PlugShare.com for a typical, long distance trip. Then try it with another EV car. That is what I did. Bob Wilson
Yeah, my humor doesn't always work, either. But I really did have a 20yo van. Every year, my wife joked that she wished it wouldn't pass emissions. I finally gave it to a friend, in need. (then the CV joint and AC quickly went, then it got totaled at an intersection). Congratulations on your trip! What do you do along the way when you charge. Eat? What speed do you travel at, on a long drive? My goal with a BEV is to drive it like any other car. We're 90% there? Some day, we won't need the ICE - but for long trips, we'll keep using that for now. Funny - I want my next car for the #1 features you like to avoid?
Bob, Did you get rid of the Toyota? Where's your post explaining why you purchased a model 3 instead of driving the Prius into the ground?
Yes, we traded-in the 2017 Prius Prime Plus for a new Standard Range Plus Model 3: I was not driving the Prime - the 2017 Prime was backup for our 2014 BMW i3-REx and only had 16k miles after nearly 3 years. I liked driving EV in the BMW. $18.3k trade-in value - with low miles and with part of the 3 year warranty active, we got a lot more on the trade-in than the 2014 BMW i3-REx with 40k miles. AutoPilot - makes TSS-P look stupid just as TSS-P in the Prius Prime made our 2010 Prius look brain dead. 75-100 MPG - SuperCharger costs are giving substantially better mileage (i.e., cost per mile) than the Prius Prime could ever see. dog kennel mode - we can take our dogs with us and convert the car into a dog kennel when staying at a hotel/motel with chargers. We don't care if they are 'pet friendly' or not and this saves substantial kennel fees and keeps my wife happy. Bob Wilson
