As the resident Tesla owner who hates her car (but can't sell because her partner loves it), I'll weigh in.
If you want to be able to count on anything, receiving what you paid for, keeping what you paid for, being able to get into the car and drive off, then you should probably rethink.
We paid for FSD and there is no way we'll get what was promised. Ever.
We paid for radar and it was disabled.
We paid for USS and that still works but part of the software have changed so while we could tuck our car back into a parking spot at ground level, we can't do so in our underground parking spot (which used to be able to do.)
We are constantly losing and sometimes regaining, UI features. But after each update we have to figure out what is different. For instance, the latest issue we have is the now silent turn signal indicator. Thankfully, the tip to turn off Joe Mode works. My profile had the sound come but louder than ever without touching Joe Mode. But then it went away again. Such is the life of owning a Tesla. If you want to count on being able to hear that the turn signal is on, don't buy a Tesla. It sounds ridiculous but never in a million years would I have expected that to go away. Then again, I didn't expect them to bury the windshield defrost button under 2 levels of screen. That's back now after another update.
Then there is the issue that you are paying for a premium car but not getting premium fit and finish. Just ask yourself if that will bother you so you can make the purchase with the correct expectations.
There's the issue that other manufacturers have solved issues Tesla is still working on. Rain sensing wipers. Traffic Aware Cruise Control. Parking assist that works. Bird's eye camera view. The farts are flawless, cruise control isn't.
The following issue I have is because I didn't understand that my car's AWD was not controlled by the driver. The car's computer decides which motors should be working. If there is bad weather, my car remains a rear wheel vehicle unless I start to bad skid, then the front motor will kick in and I'll get AWD. I thought I had real AWD that would help me in bad conditions. The first year I didn't push the car at all because we were using the all-season OEM tires. It was a nightmare to drive in snow which was a surprise to me, sliding all over the road. I thought my AWD would compensate (as well as the weight of the vehicle.) Winter 2 was much better for normal driving but going around a corner in 2+ inches of snow was still terrifying. That's when I learned I need to gun it as I go into the curve, not slow down and creep carefully as I have been doing for almost 5 decades, all of them accident-free. When I gun it, the car slips and the front motor engages. It's crazy to me. I understand that always engaged AWD is overkill for this grandma that drives in Chill mode all the time. The range hit is too much. But damn it, I would like to be able to take the range hit for safer driving the 4 - 8 times a year I need it. I debadged my car when it was ppf'd but I'm glad the dual motor badge is off because it is more like marketing BS than an actual safety feature.
There's all the issues that make the car difficult for the passengers. I swear the car is designed for single, young, males, and they may always be single because the car doesn't treat passengers well. The seats belt receivers in the back making it impossible to put in a booster seat, a car seat and a small adult because the receivers are flush (or below) the back seat cushions. The fact that if you are a passenger in the back seat you have to ask the driver to change the heat seater because that isn't a control passengers have. Or that a front seat passenger has to ask the driver to activate voice command (which used to also be accessible from the home screen.) I'm lucky, my car still has a front pax lumbar and I will tell you this is the most comfortable car for long rides. With my arthritic knees, hips and back, I can usually start walking the moment I step out of the car. That was not true with my Prius, anything longer than 30 minutes required a moment or two to get my balance because my joints were so sore and I couldn't trust they'd hold me up if I started walking. I don't know how much of that is the seat and how much is also the lumbar setting in the seat. Newer cars don't have lumbar for front pax because "they weren't using it" (I have never reset it since getting the car because it is where I want it to be, I should not have to keep changing settings for no reason so that future owners will have the same feature.)
Finally, there's the question of when you need the car. If I was going to replace this car, it would be with a Toyota or Lexus Hybrid or maybe PHEV. (We are a single car family and drive many places where charging becomes a concern.) To buy such a vehicle, I'm looking at an 18 month wait at a minimum. Teslas are readily available in most trim levels.
Now you can read through all my experiences, and decide you don't think the same way at all.
But you have been given the flip side of the coin and will be prepared when you get your car. All the things I dislike about my car were things I didn't know before I bought it.
You are doing well to educate yourself ahead of time.
If you want to be able to count on anything, receiving what you paid for, keeping what you paid for, being able to get into the car and drive off, then you should probably rethink.
We paid for FSD and there is no way we'll get what was promised. Ever.
We paid for radar and it was disabled.
We paid for USS and that still works but part of the software have changed so while we could tuck our car back into a parking spot at ground level, we can't do so in our underground parking spot (which used to be able to do.)
We are constantly losing and sometimes regaining, UI features. But after each update we have to figure out what is different. For instance, the latest issue we have is the now silent turn signal indicator. Thankfully, the tip to turn off Joe Mode works. My profile had the sound come but louder than ever without touching Joe Mode. But then it went away again. Such is the life of owning a Tesla. If you want to count on being able to hear that the turn signal is on, don't buy a Tesla. It sounds ridiculous but never in a million years would I have expected that to go away. Then again, I didn't expect them to bury the windshield defrost button under 2 levels of screen. That's back now after another update.
Then there is the issue that you are paying for a premium car but not getting premium fit and finish. Just ask yourself if that will bother you so you can make the purchase with the correct expectations.
There's the issue that other manufacturers have solved issues Tesla is still working on. Rain sensing wipers. Traffic Aware Cruise Control. Parking assist that works. Bird's eye camera view. The farts are flawless, cruise control isn't.
The following issue I have is because I didn't understand that my car's AWD was not controlled by the driver. The car's computer decides which motors should be working. If there is bad weather, my car remains a rear wheel vehicle unless I start to bad skid, then the front motor will kick in and I'll get AWD. I thought I had real AWD that would help me in bad conditions. The first year I didn't push the car at all because we were using the all-season OEM tires. It was a nightmare to drive in snow which was a surprise to me, sliding all over the road. I thought my AWD would compensate (as well as the weight of the vehicle.) Winter 2 was much better for normal driving but going around a corner in 2+ inches of snow was still terrifying. That's when I learned I need to gun it as I go into the curve, not slow down and creep carefully as I have been doing for almost 5 decades, all of them accident-free. When I gun it, the car slips and the front motor engages. It's crazy to me. I understand that always engaged AWD is overkill for this grandma that drives in Chill mode all the time. The range hit is too much. But damn it, I would like to be able to take the range hit for safer driving the 4 - 8 times a year I need it. I debadged my car when it was ppf'd but I'm glad the dual motor badge is off because it is more like marketing BS than an actual safety feature.
There's all the issues that make the car difficult for the passengers. I swear the car is designed for single, young, males, and they may always be single because the car doesn't treat passengers well. The seats belt receivers in the back making it impossible to put in a booster seat, a car seat and a small adult because the receivers are flush (or below) the back seat cushions. The fact that if you are a passenger in the back seat you have to ask the driver to change the heat seater because that isn't a control passengers have. Or that a front seat passenger has to ask the driver to activate voice command (which used to also be accessible from the home screen.) I'm lucky, my car still has a front pax lumbar and I will tell you this is the most comfortable car for long rides. With my arthritic knees, hips and back, I can usually start walking the moment I step out of the car. That was not true with my Prius, anything longer than 30 minutes required a moment or two to get my balance because my joints were so sore and I couldn't trust they'd hold me up if I started walking. I don't know how much of that is the seat and how much is also the lumbar setting in the seat. Newer cars don't have lumbar for front pax because "they weren't using it" (I have never reset it since getting the car because it is where I want it to be, I should not have to keep changing settings for no reason so that future owners will have the same feature.)
Finally, there's the question of when you need the car. If I was going to replace this car, it would be with a Toyota or Lexus Hybrid or maybe PHEV. (We are a single car family and drive many places where charging becomes a concern.) To buy such a vehicle, I'm looking at an 18 month wait at a minimum. Teslas are readily available in most trim levels.
Now you can read through all my experiences, and decide you don't think the same way at all.
But you have been given the flip side of the coin and will be prepared when you get your car. All the things I dislike about my car were things I didn't know before I bought it.
You are doing well to educate yourself ahead of time.
