Deal breaker therapy

[ddimit]

The OP is almost a parallel of my situation, I had a 4 year old 535i. It was a good car don't get me wrong The Idrive was maddeningly difficult to use you had to go through 20 clicks and knob turns to change anything. the 85's menu are very simply elegant and easy to use. I used to stream from my phone all the time but do very little now with slacker and tune in integrated in.

You will have no regrets switching. I had 50k on my BMW and was looking at another 3 years of payments and when it was paid off I would have a 7 year old car worth nothing for trade in value and would be at the mileage point where it would start to have expensive maintenance issues.

the car is So much better that what you have.

 

[Jaff]

Only one thing holds me back from not buying a Tesla. An internal combustion engine.

This^^^

Besides, if you don't get the Tesla, you'll have to change your forum name to "Joe ICE"...:wink:

 

[Haggy]

Two things hold me back from buying though, and they might seem minor, but major to me:

I remember one time my wife wanted to buy an Acura. There was one deal breaker and the saleswoman tried to excuse it away. That made me want to buy it less. Nobody can justify the lack of those features. It's a matter of whether you can learn to live without them. Or it might be a matter of waiting for them.

In my case, the lack of autopilot (parts of it anyway) was a deal breaker. Then somebody totaled my car and it came down to ordering the MS or not. Once you order it and have to wait a year (it was really a couple of months but it's guaranteed to feel like a year) for it, you will realize how much you would have wanted it sooner. Once you own it, you will understand why there are so many owners who might want the latest features but wouldn't have given up owning what they have now in the interim until the features hit the market.

In my case, I lucked out. The day before I was scheduled to pick up my car, there were pictures in this forum of strange unannounced hardware. It was at the point when some wondered if it was a hoax. I didn't have more than a hope that the hardware would be there. So there's always a chance that things will be added. I don't think it's realistic to expect the camera any time soon. When I got the car, the only real aid was the backup camera, which is a fisheye version and I found it very unhelpful. There was a lot of debate over whether it would be feasible for Tesla to add backup lines to the camera image. It turned out they did that a few months after I had the car.

With things that can be done with software, you never know what they may add, when they may add it, and if they will add it. If enough people who see the car in the showroom end up telling whoever helped them that they decided against the car because it lacks those features, it will get noticed. But for now there's a backlog, no shortage of customers, and a long list of items people would like to see added.

If you owned the car now, would you rather see them add iPhone integration if the software could support it, or implement self parking and self steering? I can't answer for you, but Tesla sees where the demand is.

 

[Blu Zap]

@Haggy, good info.
I took delivery of my P85+ on 9/30/14. Much to my delight it had all the AutoPilot hardware. Lucky guy. I would have ordered the D had I known. But it was announced after my order. Not a big deal. The AutoPilot hardware is much more important than the AWD.

 

[Lerxt]

Amazing that anyone would keep an old technology car because of a lack of these features. Unbelievable.

 

[tomas]

Two things I miss about my 545. The dead rat smell in the hvac. Terminally creaky window seals. NOT

 

[Joules Verne]

Wow, three pages and a lot of passion here. No offense intended guys. Like I said upfront, they may be minor to you, but they are major to me.

I can't go by the "maybe they will add it in software" line of thinking. For one, they may never add it. People have been raising the lack of iPhone integration since the model S launched. I wont buy based on hope. For another, Camera support requires hardware.

Regarding the "you don't get the whole EV thing". Actually I do, and obviously it's the major draw for this car. I'm just as excited about the movement, the company, and the man (Elon) as I am about the car itself. No other car company has this vision, execution, attempting to change the world. I admire that, just like I admire Steve Jobs and Apple. I do want to become part of it.

So yeah, that's the big picture stuff.

Admittedly, I'm not a tree hugger (but I do loath the oil industry and the grip they have on us).
I am a technologist, and this car is undoubtably oozing with that.

That said, I appreciate technical design and the convenience it can bring. So on principle I have issues out the gate with having a 17" touch screen in front of me, but having to use my iPhone to control music selection. Then there is the audio quality, Bluetooth is terrible, and so are streaming services. I didn't spend a lot of time analyzing slacker during my test drive (a lot to take in that day), but what I did hear was overly compressed and thin music. Not for me. I have a lot invested in the Apple echosystem (and rhapsody downloaded content), and I want to use that. The car is the only place I get to tune-out these days, and the experience matters. Good integration matters.

Regarding the 360 camera, I have trouble turning my neck back, so this invention was a game changer for me. It enabled me to make parking maneuvers that I couldn't easily do before.

Lastly, on AWD, no need to debate with the RWD snow jockeys :wink:
The D delivers what I want on that front.

For a $100k daily driver car, I don't think my wants are unreasonable. But that's me. You don't have to agree.

 

[pmoa]

I echo what you posted here joe. But the one thing that got me is that you still use rhapsody!?

 

[ModelX]

I have lots of hopes of what will be on the model X, but have to admit that even though I am leaving a well equipped Lexus RX there are very few deal breakers. In fact heated seats (luckily already found on the S) and AWD are the only two must haves. Hoping especially for well equipped second row seats similar to the front.

 

[dsm363]

I would expect better iPhone integration in the future but agree if the car isn't delivered with the camera for 360 view don't expect to add it later. That said the pluses for this car far outweigh the negatives. I also have all my music in iTunes and on my iPhone and able to play what I want. Sure better integration would be nice by I get to drive the Model S while I wait so not bad.

 

[Joules Verne]

If you owned the car now, would you rather see them add iPhone integration if the software could support it, or implement self parking and self steering? I can't answer for you, but Tesla sees where the demand is.

Iphone integration. I listen to music all the time in the car.

Tesla should be well aware of the market for this. 69% of Apples $75 billion in sales last quarter came from the iPhone.

Self parking is cool but gimmicky to me. Demos that I have seen of cars that parallel park themselves require 4 feet clearance (2 feet on each side). When will you ever find those conditions in real life? Plus it's slow.

Cameras however, enable me to do it myself well enough.

- - - Updated - - -

I echo what you posted here joe. But the one thing that got me is that you still use rhapsody!?

I know, right!? :tongue:

Yes I do. It has served me well for so many years and there isn't a compelling reason for me to switch to spotify or others.
Call me loyal.

 

[dsm363]

What is the max bitrate Bluetooth can handle? I think Rhapsody can only go up to 192kbs on the mobile app.

 

[Joules Verne]

One more thing on Rhapsody

I know Rhapsody doesn't get much love these days, but they do offer a very nice platform. They have a great iPhone app, allows me to stream or download complete hires albums, offers a VAST library, and it integrates with my home sonos system all for $9.99 a month.

Its an unsung gem, very unsung... I haven't seen/heard an Ad for it in years, and do wonder how they manage to advance the tech and stay in business.

Discovered "Mumford and Sons" last night when they played on the Daily Show. Downloaded the "wilder mind" album this morning from Rhapsody, and I'm digging it. Current driving music.

- - - Updated - - -

What is the max bitrate Bluetooth can handle? I think Rhapsody can only go up to 192kbs on the mobile app.

For streaming you're correct.

However when you download to your phone, which I do, the quality is 320 kbps.