Considering canceling my order. Rekindle the Tesla fire?

[Mike7564]

Have a bit of dilemma. Been planning on getting a Tesla for a few years after my current car dies. With the series of price hikes last year, got spooked and placed the order for a 7seater MYLR in July. Had a far fetched idea that 4680 battery would push range over 400 miles and make up for the cost/lack of luxury finishes. Currently says delivery in “Dec 2022” though no actual VIN yet. My current car drives fine but is 10ys old, 150k miles and guessing will have expensive repairs in upcoming years. Calculate will save about $3-4k annual saving charging over gas.

But over the last year have watched the car lose feature after feature. Beyond the chronic panel gaps/finish issues which don’t surprise anyone anymore. Now USS, LIDAR, exclusive supercharger access, even passenger lumbar support. With each loss of feature, seem to cone with several weeks of angst by customers, followed by gradual “acceptance” that the feature removal is “for their own good”. Test drove the car and was hard to ignore the plastics/amorphous seats/etc. lacked some “luxury” features my 14 year old acura has.

Realize this forum has a select group of like-minded people with similar perspective. But must not be the only person who is frustrated that this isn’t the amazing car they envisioned.

What am I missing?

 

[GtiMart]

The car isn't perfect... nothing is. You need to list your requirements and see if it fits for you. Look at how it's built now, not three years ago. Don't think of "what was removed" because otherwise you also need to look at "what was added" and there's a lot of that too. Make an assessment as of today. If it's not for you, don't buy it.

EDIT: As a personal example... I accepted some minor imperfections because I love the technology, the performance (model 3 AWD+boost), the advantages of electric over ICE. I accept some quirks but appreciate the fast charging of superchargers even though they are on the pricy side. I don't see anything else on the market that would work as well for me at the moment. But that's me, YMMV

 

[Mike7564]

The car isn't perfect... nothing is. You need to list your requirements and see if it fits for you. Look at how it's built now, not three years ago. Don't think of "what was removed" because otherwise you also need to look at "what was added" and there's a lot of that too. Make an assessment as of today. If it's not for you, don't buy it.

EDIT: As a personal example... I accepted some minor imperfections because I love the technology, the performance (model 3 AWD+boost), the advantages of electric over ICE. I accept some quirks but appreciate the fast charging of superchargers even though they are on the pricy side. I don't see anything else on the market that would work as well for me at the moment. But that's me, YMMV

Fair perspective. Thank you for sharing.

Just surprising this can persist. At 60-70k, you are purchasing a “luxury car” - it’s not supposed to be a Prius/Accord. But how they are no longer delivering a luxury vehicle and asking people to purchase based on social mission/appreciation for the “opportunity”.

 

[GtiMart]

I don't agree. I purchased the most technologically advanced EV at the time. I didn't need it to be luxurious but there was a minimum I needed and the model 3 makes the cut for me.

A higher priced car doesn't mean a more luxurious one. There are plenty of sports cars that cost a lot but drive harsh and are not comfortable at all yet people are willing to pay for them. You seem to equate a high price tag to luxury, in which case a Tesla might not be for you.

 

[ATPMSD]

Keep one thing in mind, when is comes to technology tomorrow is always better. But if you keep holding out you never buy.

 

[exxxviii]

Have a bit of dilemma. Been planning on getting a Tesla for a few years after my current car dies. With the series of price hikes last year, got spooked and placed the order for a 7seater MYLR in July. Had a far fetched idea that 4680 battery would push range over 400 miles and make up for the cost/lack of luxury finishes. Currently says delivery in “Dec 2022” though no actual VIN yet. My current car drives fine but is 10ys old, 150k miles and guessing will have expensive repairs in upcoming years. Calculate will save about $3-4k annual saving charging over gas.

But over the last year have watched the car lose feature after feature. Beyond the chronic panel gaps/finish issues which don’t surprise anyone anymore. Now USS, LIDAR, exclusive supercharger access, even passenger lumbar support. With each loss of feature, seem to cone with several weeks of angst by customers, followed by gradual “acceptance” that the feature removal is “for their own good”. Test drove the car and was hard to ignore the plastics/amorphous seats/etc. lacked some “luxury” features my 14 year old acura has.

Realize this forum has a select group of like-minded people with similar perspective. But must not be the only person who is frustrated that this isn’t the amazing car they envisioned.

What am I missing?

You probably have these four questions to answer...

1. Buy now or buy later?
2. Buy electric or buy gas?
3. Buy Tesla or buy something else?
4. Which Tesla?

Only you can answer #1. These are my personal answers to the rest, but you probably have totally different perspectives:

#2 I wanted electric for the absolute insane acceleration that redefines driving, the fact I never have to go to a gas station again, and maintenance is largely eliminated. What appeals to you most about an electric car?
#3 I chose Tesla largely because it was available now and had the range, speed, and style I wanted. I was close to buying a Hyundai Ioniq 5, but they were scarce, heavily "market adjusted," and I really did not love any of the colors.
#4 I wanted an affordable hatchback (relatively affordable) that could stow my bike without removing the wheels.

If you do not have a strong affinity to electric cars and to Tesla, then you might want to look at some other options out there.

Also regarding "luxury," people have wildly different viewpoints in how they define automotive luxury. These are just a few common criteria of how people perceive luxury. Personally, I find the Tesla Model Y is very much a luxury car that can go head-to-head against any other premium brand.

• Exclusivity
• Uniqueness
• Extreme performance
• Every conceivable technology option
• Maximum customization
• Bespoke interior
• High Price
• Fit & finish
• Dealership experience
• Brand promise & marketing imagery
• Etc.

 

[Watts_Up]

Would still buy a Kodak camera or a Nokia flip phone even if those were at half the price of the modern equivalent?

Buying any ICE right now is a waste because the resale value will goes down very fast.

If you were living in a state like North Dakota where there are not too many Superchargers,
may be getting an hybrid or a cheap ICE could be still a possible option.

My first question would be to know if you can charge at home?
If so, get an EV, If you only plan doing only short trips, any EV could do the job.
But if you plan makig long trips, Tesla is still the best regarding Supercharging network.

If you cannot charge at home, in largers cities like LA, there are a lot of public L2 chargers, some like Volta are free.
Or charge at night at a Tesla Supercharger which has off peak rate, sometime cheaper that you paid at home.

What value can you get from your current car?
Maybe you cannot get too much, so if you have space to park two cars, keep it
has it could be handy sometime and would not cost too much to keep it insurred.

Now about Tesla removing features, well Tesla certainly see that the cost of the EV needs to goes dow.
Only car manufacturers able to keep price low will be able to survive in the future by still making profit.
In particular any cars build in China like the Volvo, will be more and more competitive.
So Tesla is removing features not to make more profit but to reduce manufacturing costs.

Unless your economic situation is in jeopardy, you should still considere getting your MYLR7
especially with the $3,500 discount you can get, which is a better deal than waiting to deduct
it from your 2024 IRS payment.

 

[rwiegand]

Part of this might be misplaced expectations. With ongoing inflation and changes in the market "luxury vehicles" are more like $100-125K and up. An econo-box is $25-30K, a reasonable family car is $35-60K, even a work truck will set you back close to $70K. You can hope for luxury at $60K but it's just not happening, in any segment of the market.

Just looking at the CPI inflation calculator, the 3 series BMW I bought a little over 20 years ago (barely a luxury car) for $45K would be $82K in 2022 dollars.

 

[brancky3]

Now USS, LIDAR, exclusive supercharger access, even passenger lumbar support. With each loss of feature, seem to cone with several weeks of angst by customers, followed by gradual “acceptance” that the feature removal is “for their own good”. Test drove the car and was hard to ignore the plastics/amorphous seats/etc. lacked some “luxury” features my 14 year old acura has.

USS removal is still up for debate if it’s a bad thing, but I can tell you that LIDAR removal isn’t worth fussing over. I’ve never had a problem in my whole 7k miles with vision only; it just works. Superchargers are still exclusive.

I do agree the seats are garbage and it’s definitely lacking features that even cheap cars have now (vented seats and 360 cam to name a couple)

 

[glide]

Have a bit of dilemma. Been planning on getting a Tesla for a few years after my current car dies. With the series of price hikes last year, got spooked and placed the order for a 7seater MYLR in July. Had a far fetched idea that 4680 battery would push range over 400 miles and make up for the cost/lack of luxury finishes. Currently says delivery in “Dec 2022” though no actual VIN yet. My current car drives fine but is 10ys old, 150k miles and guessing will have expensive repairs in upcoming years. Calculate will save about $3-4k annual saving charging over gas.

But over the last year have watched the car lose feature after feature. Beyond the chronic panel gaps/finish issues which don’t surprise anyone anymore. Now USS, LIDAR, exclusive supercharger access, even passenger lumbar support. With each loss of feature, seem to cone with several weeks of angst by customers, followed by gradual “acceptance” that the feature removal is “for their own good”. Test drove the car and was hard to ignore the plastics/amorphous seats/etc. lacked some “luxury” features my 14 year old acura has.

Realize this forum has a select group of like-minded people with similar perspective. But must not be the only person who is frustrated that this isn’t the amazing car they envisioned.

What am I missing?

Vehicle costs ~30% more
Loan rates are 3x what they were
Electricity costs are up ~50% in some areas
Has fewer features
CEO is completely unhinged at this point

Not sure how anyone recommends Tesla or its products as a “must buy” these days.

 

[cdub]

Yes. I'm getting totally cold feet about going through with my order. Mainly because this is literally double or triple what I've ever spent on a car with the Model Y. I can afford it. But it's still a lot of cash to see fly away.

Giving me second thoughts especially when I think prices will be coming down in the new year due to high interest rates and material costs getting better.

 

[cdub]

4680 battery would push range over 400 miles

This will be released the day after whenever I take delivery for sure.

 

[golferguy]

A few references hert to Lidar being removed. Don't worry about that, since the car never had it. It was radar that was removed.

LiDAR is a fool’s errand,” Musk said at Tesla’s Autonomy Day in 2019. “Anyone relying on lidar is doomed. Doomed…expensive sensors that are unnecessary. It’s like having a whole bunch of expensive appendices. Like, one appendix is bad, well now you have a whole bunch of them, it’s ridiculous, you’ll see.”

 

[ucmndd]

Just surprising this can persist. At 60-70k, you are purchasing a “luxury car”

No, you’re not. You’re just purchasing a $60-70k car.

If you want a car with luxury features at that price point, there are plenty of options with tried and true affordable ICE powertrains wrapped in lots of leather and creature comforts.

There are also plenty of $60-70k performance cars that don’t have squat in the way of luxury appointments.

Tesla’s somewhere in the middle. You’re buying a very expensive modern powertrain wrapped in a decent but certainly not luxury package.

If you want the expensive cutting edge EV powertrain AND luxury, you can have that too, for $30-50k more.

All of that said, I think your gut feeling is correct - the car market is SUPER out of whack right now and I’d personally not buy a new car if I didn’t absolutely need one.

 

[Chisale]

Owning a Tesla has a lot of ups and downs. Just briefly some of the downs:
1.) The CEO is a piece of work who spends too much time on politics and other silly distractions outside of his primary business.
2.) The car's software is often glitchy as hell.
3.) Constant lies about future capability.
4.) Service woes.
There's more, but you know most of it....
Now for the good.
For starters, when you're driving down a smooth highway for a long duration. The car really is a wonder to behold. It's quiet. Efficient. Not smelly. And you're not making people around you sick with noxious fumes. Almost all of the time, It. Just. Runs. Spectacularly. When you get back in an ICE after driving your Tesla for a while, you wonder what the heck is wrong with it.
Then, sometimes things happen that REALLY make it worthwhile. I'll give you two examples that happened to me lately. I was at a park doing some L2 charging. I was getting ready to go for a hike, putting my boots on ect. And I could see this about 10 year old boy eyeing me from the side. I knew he wanted to come up and say something but he couldn't break the ice. So I jumped the gun and turned to him and said "hello, how are you doing." Then it was was like a stream of consciousness with him. He replied. "I just want to let you know that your car is my favorite of all time." Then he started asking question after question. I answered them all and let him sit inside. His mom came up too and she had lots of legit possible-future-owner questions too. When we got done he left smiling from ear to ear.
Another one. I got my tires rotated at the local tire shop recently. They were all done and the shop manager was handing back my keys and pucks (apparently they lost theirs) when the technician who worked on my car came out to talk to me. He was about 19 or 20 and he started by saying: " just want to say thank you for bringing your car in today. It's so exciting when we get Teslas in here. There's still not a lot and I just love working on them." I asked if he had done the tire rotation and he said "yes" and that the techs tends to have a squabble over who gets to do it. He had some questions too and when I left he wanted to make sure that I knew the pucks were back on the front seat, that I got the key card back.... and on and on.
Now how many times when you are driving Hondas, Fords or Toyotas does a kid at a park come up to you and say that you have his favorite car. Or the service tech at the local tire shop come out and chat it up? Never. So, yes, there is a lot of baggage, but there are those moments when it makes it worthwhile.

 

[EVDeepDive]

Would still buy a Kodak camera or a Nokia flip phone even if those were at half the price of the modern equivalent?

Buying any ICE right now is a waste because the resale value will goes down very fast.

If you were living in a state like North Dakota where there are not too many Superchargers,
may be getting an hybrid or a cheap ICE could be still a possible option.

My first question would be to know if you can charge at home?
If so, get an EV, If you only plan doing only short trips, any EV could do the job.
But if you plan makig long trips, Tesla is still the best regarding Supercharging network.

If you cannot charge at home, in largers cities like LA, there are a lot of public L2 chargers, some like Volta are free.
Or charge at night at a Tesla Supercharger which has off peak rate, sometime cheaper that you paid at home.

What value can you get from your current car?
Maybe you cannot get too much, so if you have space to park two cars, keep it
has it could be handy sometime and would not cost too much to keep it insurred.

Now about Tesla removing features, well Tesla certainly see that the cost of the EV needs to goes dow.
Only car manufacturers able to keep price low will be able to survive in the future by still making profit.
In particular any cars build in China like the Volvo, will be more and more competitive.
So Tesla is removing features not to make more profit but to reduce manufacturing costs.

Unless your economic situation is in jeopardy, you should still considere getting your MYLR7
especially with the $3,500 discount you can get, which is a better deal than waiting to deduct
it from your 2024 IRS payment.

Why are you pretending that it is either Tesla or ICE? There are plenty of EV options now. Kia EV6, Ioniq 5, VW ID4. I would say in many ways the KIA EV6 is just a much better car than a Tesla Model Y, and is cheaper to boot.

 

[glide]

Buying any ICE right now is a waste because the resale value will goes down very fast.

BMW M2 has entered the chat…

 

[Unclepaul]

When you say you have decided against Tesla, you should post which car you have decided would be better. Most all cars have gone up in price recently. The better ones are in short supply and usually saddled with additional dealership markups when you go shopping.

Tesla is still a great choice. They are fast, handle well, lower maintenance, less expensive to fuel, quicker, and maintain their value better than many other choices.

Tesla removed ultrasonics because they were confusing and delaying the FSD system. They removed the PASSENGER lumbar adjuster because few PASSENGERS were using it and needed the chips for other features. To offset the ultrasonic sensors Tesla has released higher resolution cameras, which should make vision even better.

There is also an increasing worry that as the marketplace turns more to EVs, used gassers will have few buyers in the marketplace. Driving a gasser will carry a stigma due to smell and exhaust fumes. Cities will ban their use in the city centers, and few will want to own them.

 

[ucmndd]

Tesla removed ultrasonics because they were confusing and delaying the FSD system. They removed the PASSENGER lumbar adjuster because few PASSENGERS were using it and needed the chips for other features. To offset the ultrasonic sensors Tesla has released higher resolution cameras, which should make vision even better.

I agree with the general sentiment of your post but defending these choices by parroting Tesla’s “official” reasons is a complete joke.

These features went away due to bean counting and hubris. Nothing else. Defending the removal of the ultrasonic sensors in particular as a customer-friendly move is absurd. It’s super evident that their hasty removal before there was ANY plan or development underway to replicate the features with other hardware was in response to some supply chain crisis or arrogant penny pinching.

 

[EVDeepDive]

Tesla removed ultrasonics because they were confusing and delaying the FSD system. They removed the PASSENGER lumbar adjuster because few PASSENGERS were using it and needed the chips for other features. To offset the ultrasonic sensors Tesla has released higher resolution cameras, which should make vision even better.

Except they gave us cars without the functionality that was given by the USS, "until future date". Worse yet, most cars that are coming out now don't have USS OR the new Cameras. So we are really just getting the short end of the stick. Even the Matrix headlights seem to be a crapshoot on the LR currently.