Input From Tesla Owners?

[jimbee]

^^^^ Isn't almost any car more than a Corolla (or equivalent) a lifestyle choice, not a dollars and cents choice?

 

[audreyh1]

The larger wheels reduce range as well as being easier to damage. Pretty much for those looking for higher speed performance which is why they are used on the performance/plaid models.

 

[audreyh1]

Isn't almost any car more than a Corolla (or equivalent) a lifestyle choice, not a dollars and cents choice?

Yeah, pretty much.

Same with houses, where you live, blah blah blah.

 

[jimbee]

I did test drive a 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance about a week ago. I thought it was a hoot, really quick. It would take me a bit of time to get used to one pedal driving. I'd also need more practice with the user interface,

 

[Midpack]

Listen to his podcast on EV Purchases.

https://clark.com/podcasts/01-13-23...n-clark-stinks-electric-vehicle-purchase-now/

"It is a lifestyle choice, not a dollars and cents choice."

I have said this before, it does not pay .... yet to own an EV. It is because one wants one, and any implied savings are irrelevant. And, that is OK.

Interesting. While he says not yet, he goes on to say EV prices will go lower this year, maybe even reach parity EV vs ICE. I find that hard to believe due to lack of production capacity aside from Tesla, legacy automakers were already facing lower profits/unit (more likely bigger losses/unit EVs). Teslas recent price reductions will put a bigger hurt on legacy auto. He also mentions EVs were a better value 18 months ago. Huh? He also says Tesla service after the sale is not acceptable. Interesting to listen to, thanks.

 

[Midpack]

I was able to contact Geico, and my premium from a '22 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid to a '23 Tesla MYLR would increase 79%. Ouch. It's a newer more expensive car, but I did not expect quite that much of an increase. With DW's car our auto premium would go from $1585/yr to $2138/yr. I'll have to think about that during the test drive later this week...

 

[audreyh1]

BTW my car was in Chill mode when delivered and I left it there as it matches my driving style. It doesn’t do outrageous acceleration etc. I’ve never floored it or tried to go very fast EXCEPT occasionally when passing. Wow, so quick and effortless, passing is a real pleasure, and merging so much easier. Otherwise I’m pretty much going with the flow.

And I spent a lot of time on teslamotorsclub.com while waiting for delivery and it was very helpful, still is. Lots of great tips, etc. There might be a ‘Waiting Room” thread for folks who have ordered a Model Y. There was for our refresh model. Interesting as people posted about their deliveries.

Now I’m on there mainly checking out new supercharger locations. I’ve contributed photos for several when they were under construction. And I enjoy the road trip stories.

 

[Midpack]

^^ I just got passed on the interstate this afternoon by a Model X in a deep crimson sort of color, definitely not the standard red multi coat. Don't know if was an option in previous years, or the owner had a wrap on it - but it was absolutely gorgeous. I'd buy a Tesla in that color almost regardless...

[edit: it appears there was a Signature Red option some years ago, might be what I saw today]

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

About 2 years ago Clark Howard said everyday feels like his birthday driving his Tesla, and he can't stop smiling while driving it.

 

[audreyh1]

That is a beautiful red. Our color red is pretty nice though. The current multi-coat red is a bit darker and more cherry colored than the previous multi-coat red.

There are some interesting colors being offered from the Berlin factory like Deep Crimson. They aren’t offered in the US though. And Berlin doesn’t build Model X’s AFAIK.

 

[DawgMan]

Yeah, the price reduction caught my attention. That said, I think I am going to wait it out 1 more cycle. I want to see more none Tesla options in the market that can go 300+ miles before a charge, ideally closer to 400. Until then, I am staying with gas. Kinda like cell phones, I think we are getting closer to flipping the average consumer, but a little more work needs to be done...

 

[Hank]

This thread just makes me long for the 1966 Plymouth Satellite with bucket seats that I used to drive. I had a lot of fun in that car. Tesla and all its technology is such a turnoff for me but I can understand why it's such a success.



They outperformed earning today too.



Everyone I've met with a Tesla likes it.

 

[audreyh1]

Yeah, the price reduction caught my attention. That said, I think I am going to wait it out 1 more cycle. I want to see more none Tesla options in the market that can go 300+ miles before a charge, ideally closer to 400. Until then, I am staying with gas. Kinda like cell phones, I think we are getting closer to flipping the average consumer, but a little more work needs to be done...

The Model S currently has a 412 mile range, so I expect it can easily pass 300 miles between charges.

We weren’t interested in a sedan style car however. For our SUV we have a 345 mile range but I haven’t tried to go that far between charges and I don’t have to push the envelope. Actual range is heavily dependent on driving conditions especially speed, and weather, especially wind and rain to some extent.

A much longer range is a trade-off against a much heavier/bulkier (thus less efficient) plus more expensive car. We’ll see how things evolve.

 

[Luvtoride]

Some great comments and impressions of their Teslas and driving / charging experience. I love Christine’s comments and detailed explanations.

I have owned a Model Y Performance since June 2022 (yes, near the height of demand, prices and NO incentives…but I do have sensors!) I went for the Performance model as the promised delivery time was months sooner than the LR and I had a lease on a Lexus expiring in May.

I will direct my comments to Insurance and Collision repairs. When I dropped my Lexus RX 350 from my Allstate policy and added my Tesla, my premium changed by maybe 12-15% higher. I was pleasantly surprised by that. As I will explain below, there is a reason for a higher premium charged.

On the night of December 21, we were rear-ended when a deer was in the road and my wife who was driving stopped suddenly. Unfortunately, the driver behind us also saw the deer but didn’t see us stop and hit us (about 25 MPH). No injuries and the car’s back hatch and lower bumper were badly damaged. The car operated fine, including the hatch closing properly so it was completely drivable.

Allstate made an appointment for me for an estimate at an approved body shop that I chose as they are a TESLA authorized body shop. I was able to bring it there on Dec. 29th. During my visit, the body shop owner explained that becoming a Tesla authorized shop required an investment of over $200,000 in tools and equipment and months of staff training. As a result they charge a higher hourly rate for the work done on Teslas and Allstate and other insurance companies have been “pushing back” on those rates and thus the estimates. He warned me that it may take some time for Allstate to approve the estimate.

After a couple calls to my agent and the body shop after New Years, the estimate was approved by Allstate around Jan. 16th. The shop then placed the order with Tesla for the parts needed for my repair and I was prepared to “wait” for awhile (which since the car was drivable, wasn’t a big deal).

Last Saturday, Jan 21 the body shop called and told me the parts were in (even they were surprised) and I could bring the car in on Monday. I got my car back, today and they did an awesome job! Just about 1 month from the accident to be fully repaired, was amazing.

Sorry for the long time line, but I think it gives a real current example of getting repairs for Teslas is not as bad or as long as some complain. Maybe they are getting better as more independent repair shops are able to provide services.

 

[MRG]

Some great comments and impressions of their Teslas and driving / charging experience. I love Christine’s comments and detailed explanations.

I have owned a Model Y Performance since June 2022 (yes, near the height of demand, prices and NO incentives…but I do have sensors!) I went for the Performance model as the promised delivery time was months sooner than the LR and I had a lease on a Lexus expiring in May.

I will direct my comments to Insurance and Collision repairs. When I dropped my Lexus RX 350 from my Allstate policy and added my Tesla, my premium changed by maybe 12-15% higher. I was pleasantly surprised by that. As I will explain below, there is a reason for a higher premium charged.

On the night of December 21, we were rear-ended when a deer was in the road and my wife who was driving stopped suddenly. Unfortunately, the driver behind us also saw the deer but didn’t see us stop and hit us (about 25 MPH). No injuries and the car’s back hatch and lower bumper were badly damaged. The car operated fine, including the hatch closing properly so it was completely drivable.

Allstate made an appointment for me for an estimate at an approved body shop that I chose as they are a TESLA authorized body shop. I was able to bring it there on Dec. 29th. During my visit, the body shop owner explained that becoming a Tesla authorized shop required an investment of over $200,000 in tools and equipment and months of staff training. As a result they charge a higher hourly rate for the work done on Teslas and Allstate and other insurance companies have been “pushing back” on those rates and thus the estimates. He warned me that it may take some time for Allstate to approve the estimate.

After a couple calls to my agent and the body shop after New Years, the estimate was approved by Allstate around Jan. 16th. The shop then placed the order with Tesla for the parts needed for my repair and I was prepared to “wait” for awhile (which since the car was drivable, wasn’t a big deal).

Last Saturday, Jan 21 the body shop called and told me the parts were in (even they were surprised) and I could bring the car in on Monday. I got my car back, today and they did an awesome job! Just about 1 month from the accident to be fully repaired, was amazing.

Sorry for the long time line, but I think it gives a real current example of getting repairs for Teslas is not as bad or as long as some complain. Maybe they are getting better as more independent repair shops are able to provide services.

+1 Awesome experience. Here's a comparison from the dark past.

I have a 2020 performance model Y(stealth). I hit a deer in October 2020 while I was going 70mph. See attached. I drove it home 20 miles like that with all the sensors telling me something was wrong. At the time, the nearest Tesla approved body shop was in Albuquerque some ~200 miles away. The insurance paid for it to be towed to the body shop. After 3 months, they begrudgingly had it towed back; what a disaster. None of the sensors worked, as if it was brand new and needed driven. I tried, but it was February in SW Colorado, and the weather wasn't cooperative. When I finally got a couple hundred miles on it and still nothing worked, the insurance company got involved. Fighting over who was paying the tow bill seemed important to them, not so much for me..... another delivery showed the wrap they'd redone to be more full of wrinkles than most 90yos.

It all ended 9 months later with me working with the general manager of the multi state body shop and driving myself all over SW Colorado getting pieces done for favors owed to the manager of the regional bodyshop.

That's what a couple of years' difference makes.

 

[audreyh1]

Moral of the story - quit hitting deer?

It’s impressive that you hit a deer at 70 mph and still were able to drive.

I know, it’s tough in TX too. You really got to watch it out at dusk.

 

[twaddle]

We've had our M3 for a couple weeks now, so I can give you some n00b impressions.

The ordering process was brilliant compared to a dealership, but Tesla nickels-and-dimes you these days: no floor mats, no charge cord, no free supercharger (SC rates are much higher than home charging), and they will low-ball you if you're considering a trade-in.

Build quality was flawless. No complaints, but I hate the door handles at night.

1-pedal driving takes a minute to get used to, but then it's hard to go back to an old-school ICE.

The display is a bit distracting, but you get used to it, and I love the geeky joke features like the light show and boom box. It took a few minutes to figure out how to open the glovebox. And the windshield wipers (oh, and auto-wipe mode doesn't work that well).

Cold weather has a huge negative impact on range, but you probably knew that.

Range anxiety is real. The charge port in the rear will force you to become an expert at backing up to just about every charger. And the lack of parking sensors and 360 camera really seems dumb in a high-tech expensive car like this.

The car is a lot of fun. Driving is fun. Dog mode is fun. Even the app is fun. Hard not to love the car, and the CEO is endlessly entertaining too.

 

[joesxm3]

On the Tesla earnings call yesterday Elon said that the collision avoidance system makes use of FSD capabilities even if you did not buy FSD.

He also said that the demand spike is twice the production capacity. I hope I get assigned a vehicle in time.

 

[audreyh1]

Yeah, article at CNBC

The price cuts seem to have sparked demand, however. Speaking on a call with shareholders and analysts on Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk said, “Thus far in January we’ve seen the strongest orders year-to-date than ever in our history. We’re currently seeing orders of almost twice the rate of production.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/25/tesla-tsla-earnings-q4-2022.html

 

[Octogirl]

We love our 2022 MY
We took ownership of our Model Y Long range last February.
It was built in Fremont, CA in January 2022.
There were no build issues, which we had read about.
DH is a car-guy and he went over all the door, trunk, lights with dealer
We ve now driven it about 9,000 miles so far.
We drive in the Phila area and have no problem finding chargers
We also had a Tesla Charger installed in garage
I LOVE it ! The ride is smooth and no maintenance problems so far.
Suggestion: Read the book Power Play by Tim Higgins - It provides interesting background on Tesla engineers, Elon, production processes.

Let us know your experience

 

[Fermion]

Moral of the story - quit hitting deer?

It’s impressive that you hit a deer at 70 mph and still were able to drive.

I know, it’s tough in TX too. You really got to watch it out at dusk.

We had a deer literally do a kamikaze into the side of our van and we were only going about 40mph. Deer are incredibly dumb.

 

[audreyh1]

We had a deer literally do a kamikaze into the side of our van and we were only going about 40mph. Deer are incredibly dumb.

Yeah, it’s pretty crazy unpredictable.

 

[REWahoo]

Behold the deer, the deadliest beast in North America

Deer are responsible for the deaths of about 440 of the estimated 458 Americans killed in physical confrontations with wildlife in an average year, according to Utah State University biologist Mike Conover, employing some educated guesswork in the latest edition of “Human-Wildlife Interactions.”

Those deer-inflicted fatalities are not, so far as we know, caused by deer-on-human predation. They’re the unfortunate result of more than 2 million people a year plowing into deer with their sedans and SUVs...

 

[OldShooter]

Not a Tesla owner myself, but I did run across this article a day or two ago: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/no-way-charge-battery-tesla-140000238.html

I did drive a Model 3 owned by a friend who is over the top enthusiastic about the car. The "gas pedal"/regenerative braking thing was interesting, but that single center display killed any interest I might have had in the car. I want basic information like speed right there in front of me and accessible without moving my head and taking my eyes seriously off the road.

An airplane-style yoke would kill my interest too, but I guess those are less common -- maybe an option. His did not have one.

 

[audreyh1]

Not a Tesla owner myself, but I did run across this article a day or two ago: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/no-way-charge-battery-tesla-140000238.html

I did drive a Model 3 owned by a friend who is over the top enthusiastic about the car. The "gas pedal"/regenerative braking thing was interesting, but that single center display killed any interest I might have had in the car. I want basic information like speed right there in front of me and accessible without moving my head and taking my eyes seriously off the road.

An airplane-style yoke would kill my interest too, but I guess those are less common -- maybe an option. His did not have one.

Well you don’t have to worry about the yoke. It’s only offered on the Models S and X and now when ordering you can choose traditional steering wheel or yoke. All other models come with steering wheel only. Also, only S and X models have the driver’s side “instrument panel” type display.

But I love my yoke!