Any other owners second guess if their next car should be another Tesla?

[NerdDoc]

Long time Model X owner here, late 2016 vintage. My wife is about due for a new vehicle as her current A4 is almost 13 years old and showing it’s age. We’ve been thinking about a Y or a 3 for her but I’m getting second thoughts with everything going on, including price hikes, delivery delays, reports of service and parts issues, Tesla company antics, and Elon seeming more unhinged. I was looking at EV offerings from other companies but no one can match the range or charging infrastructure of Tesla.

I love my Model X but it had its share of service issues. Luckily my local service center has been good to me but there’s only so much volume they can handle unless more centers open.

Anyone else with similar concerns?

 

[thesmokingman]

Nope.

 

[bjhinkle]

There’s no better alternative yet. We just went dual Tesla. No ragrats!

 

[Yelobird]

Next car will be a Tesla. Have had no issues and a great driving experience.

 

[juli1]

I like my Model Y but may buy a Rivian or Lucid next. The build quality is meh, with lots of service appointments after delivery.

When I look at the price of Tesla now, I think I could get a better price with another brand.

Not saying I will never buy a Tesla again but I will definitely look at what the competition offers.

 

[Puma2020]

I love my 2020 Y LR. However, a new one would cost about $27K more now (including FSD). I would have a very hard time justifying that given all of the options now available. The question is, what would be the purpose of the new vehicle. If you want to take long trips with it (as it will be newer), then the Tesla SC network is, by far, better than the assorted collection of the CCS chargers (plus also means multiple accounts with the various CCS providers). However, Tesla is expected to start allow CCS charging at its SCs. Not sure if that is with a dedicated CCS plug or via an adapter. The SC advantage (both availability and costs) was one of the main reasons I went with Tesla. Not sure if they'll price CCS charging costs at a higher rate to make it a profit center while keeping Tesla SC rates at a reasonable level. I suggest mapping out potential trips with ABRP with any of the potential vehicles and see how that works out for time, charging stops and costs.

Given that just about any EV model has an extended waiting period, you will need to put in an order and get in line. I've thought of the Ford EF-150 due to the ability to power the house during an outage. But, that "ability" requires a minimum of 320A service coming into the house and a dedicated 80A circuit to the outlet. As most houses currently do not have 320+A service into the house, nor the 80A circuit to the outlet, that would mean even more costs.

Luckily, you have a lot more choices now on what you want and need. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Madmacs]

Buying a car via traditional means is nothing short of awful these days. I ordered my Model Y Performance in January and my wife’s Durango died in March after 9 years of family hauling across the midwest. She wanted a Kia Sorento hybrid and the buying process SUCKED. Dealers lie, they once sold a car she had reserved, they tried and upswell *everything* they could in the process AND she got to pay 5% over MSRP for the privilege.

I might consider a Rivian R1T next time around as I occasionally would like a truck, but lots has to happen first. I would also consider an EV Wrangler as well but knowing Chrysler it will cost $100k.

 

[tashtibet]

own 2020 MY and Bolt EV-finally Bolt's battery got replaced. EVs come down to 3 factors: battery, software & charging stations-Tesla nails all. Planning to sell Bolt once T$LA stock split, let it move up a bit & sell amount of shares to cover the rest & wait for Texas MY.

 

[PecuniaNonOlet]

It's like what Churchill supposedly said about democracy. It's the worst except for all the other systems that have been tried. Tesla's awful but the other car companies are so much worse. Here's hoping Ford is able to separate itself from its dealerships like they seem to be planning. Getting rid of stealerships would go a long way toward competing with Tesla. Then the rest will work itself out over time. More charging stations opening, supply of new vehicles catching up with demand, etc. Then the pressure will finally be on Tesla to compete. A rising tide floats all boats.

 

[stkgator]

Go for it! The major problem with my MY is when I get in and press the brake pedal, the door does not close!!!!

I have had zero issues with my MY so far, I wish I could say the same about my MX - but I really enjoy both vehicles.

 

[Stirfry]

Based on the cost increases (~20% since originally ordered) and delivery delays I would probably not get another one. I don' think the car is worth 92k (CDN with options).

 

[tm1v2]

There’s no better alternative yet. We just went dual Tesla. No ragrats!

What @bjhinkle said. That's exactly what my wife and I found as of last fall.

Our 2013 S P85 was our only car for many years, since our child was born. Last year a life change meant we needed two cars going forward. My first thought was well one should be ICE then...lol I was so wrong. We test drove some cars, ICE and EV, and the EVs all ranked above the ICE cars.

There ARE compelling non-Tesla EVs now. Which is awesome. We came very close to buying one. And the EA DCFC network has way more coverage than Superchargers used to when we got our S. But nothing matches the whole smooth Supercharger experience, and Supercharger coverage now is usefully better in areas where there are zero CCS DCFC options.

Ultimately we backed out of that non-Tesla EV in favor of a 2nd Tesla - M3P in our case. The combination of range, efficiency, charging network, fun to drive, software maturity, and more was just too good. We've had our 2021 M3P for more than half a year now alongside our S P85, no regrets at all, it was the right choice for us. I still look forward to every drive in it.

That said, a Rivian R1T is our most likely Model S replacement someday! We're just hoping the 3rd party DCFC experience gets better, and that Rivian follows through with building out their own DCFC in areas that the 3rd party CCS networks don't cover.

 

[patnshan]

I love my Model Y, but after the same vehicle I bought in December 2020 has gone up in price more than $10,000 for essentially the same thing, I will look at the competition for sure when I am ready for another vehicle. The price is quickly rising itself out of "reasonableness" in my opinion.

 

[Suns_PSD]

I don't own a Tesla, just shopping.

But there is solid competition coming online.

It seems that if on road charging is a factor (as in, no 3rd car with an ICE) Tesla is still your best bet.

GL

 

[Johnny Vector]

Fortunately, I have 4 years to decide (or 5, if the stock market doesn't recover quickly enough to retire in 4). By then I hope the ID. Buzz California is available and provides all the features that currently exist in my imagination. The "bigger on the inside than outside" and "also provides time travel" features seem unlikely though, so I'll have to check it out in reality and decide then.

Honestly, I feel pretty smug* about switching to all-EV when I did. What I've got now would probably suit me for the next 20 years if nothing else came along, but an EV that can sleep 2 comfortably will call to me when it's time to really hit the road. The EV landscape will be radically different by then.

*Happy, I mean. Yes, that's it, happy. Not smug at all, nosir.

 

[kelpcar]

That said, a Rivian R1T is our most likely Model S replacement someday! We're just hoping the 3rd party DCFC experience gets better, and that Rivian follows through with building out their own DCFC in areas that the 3rd party CCS networks don't cover.

Why the T over the S? A truck seems like an odd replacement for the S, though the cabin is pretty decent even for the backseat.

Given that most choices are booked out at least a year, the SC vs CCS question should be one of "Where do I think charging will be in 2024?" If the others could work on (or be forced to) reliability of their stations, I don't think the SC advantage will hold up too much longer, esp if it continues to be overcrowded in high Tesla sales area. If the CCS adapter just continues to be a grey market import from Korea, the SC may remain a battle of expansion while the CCS side can get ahead of their user demand. Yes, a lot of ifs and guesses here. I just don't think I'd make that the primary driver in the choice.

 

[kelpcar]

Given that just about any EV model has an extended waiting period, you will need to put in an order and get in line. I've thought of the Ford EF-150 due to the ability to power the house during an outage. But, that "ability" requires a minimum of 320A service coming into the house and a dedicated 80A circuit to the outlet. As most houses currently do not have 320+A service into the house, nor the 80A circuit to the outlet, that would mean even more costs.

That's surprisingly overspec'd. Seems more about charging the big battery than about V2H. I believe the F150 will output as much as 9.6KW back, which is 40A on a 50A circuit if the same 80% rule holds in that direction. And no need for the house to have 200/320/400.

Otherwise, I'm never going to see V2H in my house, with its 125A main and a 40A connection from the solar inverter/EV charger to the panel. It certainly would be nice - a car is 4-5 Tesla Powerwalls at a better price and footprint.

 

[Tha_Ape]

I'm going to make a decision when the car is 3.5yrs old or 45,000mi (right before warranty expires). I'm not stuck to any particular brand, but my experience over the next couple of years will shape my opinion.

 

[tm1v2]

The comments about other car brands being a worse overall experience I agree with too. I'll take Tesla sales and service over dealerships any day.

That's based on personal experience with past cars, and recent experiences of friends trying to buy non-Tesla cars and get them serviced. Everything I hear makes me grateful for the Tesla sales and service experience, flaws and all.

 

[tm1v2]

Why the T over the S? A truck seems like an odd replacement for the S, though the cabin is pretty decent even for the backseat.

@kelpcar Our automobile needs have evolved, and we're only a family of 3 so no need for a 3 row SUV. Many things we'd rather put in a truck bed than the cabin of a nice brand new high end vehicle.