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Thinking about a Tesla

Wildcat

Wildcat

#TeamBlake '23 and #TeamJB '24 Quest Cup
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I’m going to need reviews about a Model 3.

The good the bad…What features are a must. How does it all work? How big is the trunk?

My commute isn’t long, big gas savings?
 
Does the Model 3 have the self-driving type features?
 
I have a Y. Similar in most ways but it does have more storage. Gas savings are real, but you may need to pay close attention to time of day rates from your utility provider. Overall, it's very convenient to charge from home and an incredibly convenient and pleasant car for doing a work commute. Traveling far is something else altogether. If you don't do it often, or have an ICE car to use ... there's nothing to worry about. If you need to travel far, often, charging while not at home can be very inconvenient. If you're worried about that, you should stay worried. It doesn't bother some people, but those people feel the overall benefit of an electric car is worth a sometimes crazy level of inconvenience. To each his own.

Now is a good time to get a Tesla because of the price reductions. There are other E cars out there though. But if you're set on the Tesla, do know that Tesla is often an unfriendly company to customers. They care almost nothing about quality control, and as we've seen in the news lately, they hide genuine safety issues. I own the full-self driving package and it's literally the dumbest purchase I've ever made. It's a flat-out scam. It really and truly is more dangerous than normal driving, and it's many, many years away from being promoted out of beta testing.

Those negatives aside, the pricing is great right now and a model 3 going to be a good car.
 
Wildcat4life said:
Yes but extra 15k
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I'll shoot you a DM. Tesla, coming from the start-up/software space, has a different approach compared to longstanding auto manufacturers which some folks feel is too cavalier.
 
Following this thread, I’m in the same boat (leaning toward model Y)
 
2 of my buddies have teslas. One has a model 3 and says it’s the biggest pile of steaming 💩 ever. The other has a model y and loves it.
 
I have two teslas, one of them being the base model 3 (SR+ from 2020) no FSD. I like it, but there are also a ton of EV options out there now. I haven’t owned any other EVs so dont have anything to compare, but I like having everything tied to my phone and the simple interior. Haven’t carried a single key or fob with me since I bought it. As long as I have my phone in my pocket, just walk up to it and open the door, start driving, and when I get out, just shut the door and walk away. Super charging network is good if you ever need it.

Gas savings can be real, but depends. For example, CA electricity is pretty expensive at $0.38-$0.45 per kwh, and if I didn’t have free charging at work, the savings would be less. The convenience of just plugging in at the end of the day and starting the day full charge is what I like the most.

Trunk space is decent. Can easily fit my clubs and clicgear no problem. Sub trunk and frunk gives additional cargo space for smaller items.

To me the biggest negative is overall build quality. It’s kind of priced in the luxury car segment (tax credits aside), but it’s not built like competing luxury cars. Lots of wind noise inside the cabin and have some rattling in certain areas over time.
 
I love my Model 3. It's a fantastic car to drive, and if you have a home charger that can top up at cheap electricity tariff times of day then the fuel savings are a no brainer. Even more so if you have solar panels.

There are negatives about the Tesla software such as the auto wipers being terrible, or things like no Apple Carplay. But it's generally very good and the car software gets updates pretty much monthly.

Yeah do not buy FSD. Biggest waste of money ever as its still nowhere near ready.

Build quality is good nowadays. They used to have issues in the Nevada Gigafactory such as large panel gaps, but it's much better now. Mine was one of the first to come from Shanghai and I've had zero issues with the build quality.

The Long Range Model 3 is the best version you can go for as it has a largest battery and range.

My Golf clubs just fit in the trunk diagonally, with my push cart around it in the gaps.
 
Mark_UK said:
2 of my buddies have teslas. One has a model 3 and says it’s the biggest pile of steaming 💩 ever. The other has a model y and loves it.
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Ah but is self driving steaming pile? Lol
 
We are just about to get our car a mild hybrid … couldn’t invest that much for such short range of operation before recharge and recharging facilities isn’t as prevalent here ( getting better - continent is big and population small ) .

Are you brand committed ? As there is a plethora of choice ? I see the new Volvo
Xc 30 looks interesting
 
They don’t hold trade value well. May need to consider a lease if available.
 
$7500 tax credit on now.

Lease for $330/month for base

Might want to wait as next model is only a few months away - should have the American made battery that doesn't blow up:ROFLMAO:.
 
We bought a Tesla in early 2015 mainly to save my wife time on her work commute when we were living in northern CA. It allowed her to use the carpool lanes when she was alone.

It became my daily driver 5 years ago and now has 142,000 miles on it. Repairs have been rare and inexpensive with a total of about $2,800 in repairs and maintenance in 8 years $1,200 of which was new brake pads and rotors. The acceleration still puts a smile on my face each time I drive it and I love the utility/cargo space. A foursome and 4 sets of golf clubs are an easy fit. I’ve driven newer Teslas and other electric cars from Audi, VW, and Porsche but none of them are compelling enough to make me want to upgrade. Strangely, the styling and all the body panels/glass except for the front bumper cover are the same on the 2023 Model S as mine. That makes 11 years of the same body style, maybe if they ever update to a different body style I’ll upgrade.

Home charging is super convenient as I don’t have a need to drive farther than the real world range of my Tesla which is about 200 miles. A friend of mine has a newer one and the range is about 320 miles. The farthest I drive it is the 140 miles up to our lake home where we also have a charger. One of the things I like best about driving as Tesla as my daily driver is never having to stop at a gas station. Each morning when I leave I have a full “tank”. Filling up our ICE vehicles can be painfully unpleasant during our colder winters days. :)

Expect about $1000-$1500 total cost installed for the home wall charger. In Arizona expect it to cost about $3 for home charging electricity for every 100 miles you drive it. I believe Tesla is now offering 3 years of free supercharging on certain models.

I would never take my Tesla on a long trip like some do but it is certainly possible with their Supercharger network. My buddy drives his back and forth the 1760 miles from MN to FL each fall and spring and it turns the 24 hour drive time into about 27-28 hours. He takes 2.5 days to do it so he is charging overnight twice. Mine will get shipped to Florida in October as I don’t have the patience to stop for charging.

The thing that makes me happiest driving the Tesla is the acceleration so if you get one I’d highly recommend the performance version. After 8 years with it, I’d have a really hard time not owning a vehicle that is sub 4 seconds 0-60mph. My guess is eventually I’ll upgrade to something like an Audi Etron GT but for now my old Tesla is super fun and very cheap to drive.
 
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I'd you want acceleration more like the Performance version it is much more cost effective to buy the M3 Long Range and then get the software upgrade called Acceleration Boost for $1500, which is a simple software download and update.

That takes the 0-60 from 4.2s to 3.7s IIRC, compared to 3.2s for the Performance version. Half a second isn't really a noticeable difference unless you are doing regular quarter mile runs! I tried the acceleration boost but could barely notice a difference so got a refund (you have 24 hours trial period to try it out).
 
Have an S Plaid that I love, no maintenance issues, inexpensive to charge at home and is just a fun car to drive. That said I’ll always have an ICE unless Big Brother takes it away from me. When I drove the Tesla from SW Florida to Texas last year it added 4 hours to the trip and an overnight stay because of recharging. I do a back/forth to our place on FL a few times a year and you need an ICE.
 
if you're enticed by the federal tax credit, PLEASE educate yourself on the specifics of the credit's availability. the credit was drastically modified and it's confusing as hell. a little light reading for you:

Credits for new clean vehicles purchased in 2023 or after | Internal Revenue Service

You may qualify for a clean vehicle tax credit up to $7,500 if you buy a new, qualified plug-in electric vehicle or fuel cell electric vehicle.
www.irs.gov www.irs.gov

fueleconomy.gov

Federal Tax Credits for Plug-in Electric and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Purchased in 2023 or After

Save up to $7,500 on qualifying vehicles!
fueleconomy.gov fueleconomy.gov
 
NoLine said:
Have an S Plaid that I love, no maintenance issues, inexpensive to charge at home and is just a fun car to drive. That said I’ll always have an ICE unless Big Brother takes it away from me. When I drove the Tesla from SW Florida to Texas last year it added 4 hours to the trip and an overnight stay because of recharging. I do a back/forth to our place on FL a few times a year and you need an ICE.
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This exactly for us. We may drive our Range Rover diesel to Florida with it's 600 mile highway range but we would never consider taking the Tesla. I will always own an ICE vehicle or two and ICE vehicles for things like towing trailers and larger boats will be with us for a long time. The range on my buddies F150 Lightning is about 320 miles with just a few passengers but less than 80 miles for towing his boat.
 
I bought a used 2019 Model 3 about 9 months ago direct from Tesla. Other than getting burned a bit by the recent price cuts, I've been pretty happy with it. It mostly gets used around town with a trip thrown in every few months. According to the app I save $75-100 a month on gas which is slightly offset by higher insurance and an EV registration fee IN has. That will depend a lot on your local utility and gas prices. Mine uses roughly 0.25 kWh per mile if that's helpful. I haven't had to do any repairs or maintenance, although I'm probably due for a tire rotation. I did not have a charger installed a home, I use a L6-20 (16A/240V, I think) with the mobile charger that gives me ~13 mi/hr of charging which is plenty to recharge overnight.
 
Good luck. After a lot of reading last year, I went with leasing a hybrid. I will stick with it until infrastructure changes.
 
Desmond said:
Good luck. After a lot of reading last year, I went with leasing a hybrid. I will stick with it until infrastructure changes.
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Agreed. I simply can't buy into EV. Not given the current state of the technology. Particularly as regards the battery tech. The support infrastructure isn't there and I'm more than a little skeptical of the environmental claims as compared to IC technology.

Interesting article (I thought) I read just the other day: I love electric vehicles – and was an early adopter. But increasingly I feel duped.
 
tahoebum said:
We bought a Tesla in early 2015 mainly to save my wife time on her work commute when we were living in northern CA. It allowed her to use the carpool lanes when she was alone.

It became my daily driver 5 years ago and now has 142,000 miles on it. Repairs have been rare and inexpensive with a total of about $2,800 in repairs and maintenance in 8 years $1,200 of which was new brake pads and rotors. The acceleration still puts a smile on my face each time I drive it and I love the utility/cargo space. A foursome and 4 sets of golf clubs are an easy fit. I’ve driven newer Teslas and other electric cars from Audi, VW, and Porsche but none of them are compelling enough to make me want to upgrade. Strangely, the styling and all the body panels/glass except for the front bumper cover are the same on the 2023 Model S as mine. That makes 11 years of the same body style, maybe if they ever update to a different body style I’ll upgrade.

Home charging is super convenient as I don’t have a need to drive farther than the real world range of my Tesla which is about 200 miles. A friend of mine has a newer one and the range is about 320 miles. The farthest I drive it is the 140 miles up to our lake home where we also have a charger. One of the things I like best about driving as Tesla as my daily driver is never having to stop at a gas station. Each morning when I leave I have a full “tank”. Filling up our ICE vehicles can be painfully unpleasant during our colder winters days. :)

Expect about $1000-$1500 total cost installed for the home wall charger. In Arizona expect it to cost about $3 for home charging electricity for every 100 miles you drive it. I believe Tesla is now offering 3 years of free supercharging on certain models.

I would never take my Tesla on a long trip like some do but it is certainly possible with their Supercharger network. My buddy drives his back and forth the 1760 miles from MN to FL each fall and spring and it turns the 24 hour drive time into about 27-28 hours. He takes 2.5 days to do it so he is charging overnight twice. Mine will get shipped to Florida in October as I don’t have the patience to stop for charging.

The thing that makes me happiest driving the Tesla is the acceleration so if you get one I’d highly recommend the performance version. After 8 years with it, I’d have a really hard time not owning a vehicle that is sub 4 seconds 0-60mph. My guess is eventually I’ll upgrade to something like an Audi Etron GT but for now my old Tesla is super fun and very cheap to drive.
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This is about as good of a 1st person experience as you will get.
 
Hitsnmisses said:
Ah but is self driving steaming pile? Lol
Click to expand...

As an ex employee of NHTSA, no Teslas are considered fully autonomous. Besides, I don’t believe his model 3 has that capability anyway.
 
tahoebum said:
This exactly for us. We may drive our Range Rover diesel to Florida with it's 600 mile highway range but we would never consider taking the Tesla. I will always own an ICE vehicle or two and ICE vehicles for things like towing trailers and larger boats will be with us for a long time. The range on my buddies F150 Lightning is about 320 miles with just a few passengers but less than 80 miles for towing his boat.
Click to expand...
That Lightning I’m betting has an inflated rating. No AC and driving 55 mph. My neighbor and I went to Austin in his new Lightning last fall and we were burning juice after 168 miles we had to pull over of risk not making it. Started with a full charge.

I have a friend who works for a company that is promising to be Carbon Neutral by ‘30 and they have a lightning painted and logo’d up in company colors as a represention of how they are turning over the fleet. They take it to trade shows and always ship it in on a flat bed. Aside from some photo ops of mgmt driving it no one has seen it on the street.
 
I was looking at used older Tesla MS for it's free Super Charging and minimal waits at Stations. Starting next year you will also now have GM and FORD waiting in lines...no thanks
 
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