First Expression of MY

[DarkHelmet]

My son’s Honda Civic was delivered on Friday. All of the doors and panels were aligned and the paint job was excellent. The car purrs like a happy kitten and the interior was perfect. It is a $26,000 car.

The only thing a Honda will do that a comparable M3 won't, is go in for regular service, oil changes, burn gas, and depreciate... quickly.

To the OP... What is a "first expression?" It's impression.

FYI, took delivery of a new MY last week. 10 days from order to delivery and no matter how hard I look the only issue I could find was a very minor misalignment of the rocker trim to the fender trim.

 

[Kamban]

Well at least you understood my point of view while providing a mature response. I agree on the tech piece but for me I feel by now they could improve all aspects of putting together a vehicle. Who knows how well the tech really is either now that I think about it. I am saying when you display something to a consumer it has be your best. I am sure it will be getter better over time but for me at that given moment gave me pause to hold off for time being until I start seeing some improvements. No way I was questioning anyone's decision why they bought it.

I wish Tesla did not have those poor fit and finish issues nor the poor paint quality that has brought them to a last place finish in CR and JD reports. But then it has been producing cars since only 2008 and the mass produced Model 3 since 2016. Compared to nearly 100 years for the big 3 and more than half a century for the Japanese ones. I owned a Datsun in the 80's and it had more rattles than radio noise. Hopefully with competition from VW and now even Toyota coming out with full EV, Tesla will improve their trim and finish.

Another problem till recently has been money. As recently as 3 years ago they were still tethering on bankruptcy even while producing increasing volumes of Model 3. Now they are on a surer footing.

Another issue is that they are putting their hand in every cookie jar - cars, SUV, truck and even semi. In addition to building a supercharging network and having its own dealerships and service centers, unlike others who franchise it out. I don't know how they can do all that and still improve the outer quality of their cars.

 

[Ldub22]

It was a big deal to me before I took delivery last July. Then I got in it and forgot all about it. I got worked up from these forums. I did have a few issues and they were resolved with one service visit.

And that is the difference between a window shopper and an owner.

 

[Gladius]

We may have different interpretations to defend or criticize but, at the end of the day, it is a car with poor assembly of trims.

Tesla is a good car in terms of technology, maintenance cost and many other things to be proud of;

In fact, in my opinion, Tesla is a very good software and energy company; but, in terms of fit and finish, Tesla cars are ordinary and cheap.

It doesn't matter what year it is build and if you purchase a Model S or Model Y. The dashboard, interior plastic materials, rattling panels and trims, assembly of the product, industrial design etc etc. There are plenty of opportunities.

When you spray windshield fluid, it floods your car. It is a design failure! The Center console does not provide enough leg space. Doors are misaligned (compare that with Mercedes). Paint quality is poor (Compare that with Mazda). Cabin noise and trim assembly is terrible (Compare that with BMW). Trim quality is poor (Compare that with Cadillac)...

But with all that in mind, plenty of people love that car because if you compare the advantages and disadvantages, you may accept the car the way it is.

Tesla can have million reasons for that, but the day that other car companies catch up and -if- a company like Lucid, challenge Tesla with their luxury product, Tesla may improve their own product trim. It is business and market. Supply and Demand. Remember you pay 35k+ for a used Tesla. You can have a used Bimmer with that money.

That is exactly the point where if you cannot place your best product to showcase and other competitors will come along very quick. Their software is their advantage and there is nothing stopping others from building or buying the tech. Yes it may take time but when you cannot get a simple finish right, people will start looking at other products.

 

[jcanoe]

This thread has been going on for so long that my Model Y has already been updated to the latest software.

Dazed and Confused (1993)
Wooderson: "I get older, they stay the same."

Tesla (2020)
Tesla vehicles: "The Tesla vehicles get better, the other cars stay the same."

 

[ohmman]

Moderator Note: 18 posts moved to snippiness. Not all were snippy, but some quoted a snippy post, or quoted a post that quoted a snippy post, etc. Or they were responding to other posts that were moved away. If there was anything in those posts that you'd like to have back in this thread, feel free to copy and paste from the link.

An aside - this is not an owners' forum, it's an enthusiast forum that exists to discuss Tesla and related topics. Non-owners are welcome here, but they should understand that there are a lot of owners here and might consider posting in the way that they'd walk up to an owner in person and discuss his or her car. That will generally temper the discussion.

 

[Kamban]

And that is the difference between a window shopper and an owner.

I don't like the use of the word window shopper because every so called window shopper is a potential future Tesla owner. Some might become one right away and some would like the quality of the work improved before they make that leap.

But I also agree that the minor issues were weighing so much, exacerbated by all the posts on this forum. I took delivery of the vehicle and it looked fine to me. It definitely did not have the fit and finish of my 50K 2017 Acura Hybrid, which coincidentally cost me the same as the Y. But the Acura is big and ponderous, has the acceleration lag and the multimedia is a joke and the maps are so horrendous that I have never used it and instead relied on my phone google maps. But the Y is a fun vehicle to drive, nimble and quick and the navigation system is light years ahead of the Acura and the entertainment system is also much better.

I had a rattle yesterday and I thought oh, oh , yet once more on the Tesla. And then I found out it was my garage door opener rattling on the visor. It is easy to blame the poor manufacturer because of all its past issues.

 

[DanDi58]

I wouldn't want a used BMW at any price, sorry.

 

[electricar]

The interior materials on European cars look great when new but after awhile the soft covering on the plastic pieces peels off, the wood cracks, and the painted leather and the metallic look plastic pieces turn a weird color. My Model S interior pieces look exactly as they did the day I bought it.

 

[smcginnis]

That is exactly the point where if you cannot place your best product to showcase and other competitors will come along very quick. Their software is their advantage and there is nothing stopping others from building or buying the tech. Yes it may take time but when you cannot get a simple finish right, people will start looking at other products.

I am dying to pull the trigger on a red MYP, but I can’t bring myself to drop $65,000 plus on a car that they can’t get the fenders to fit correctly. I worry that if they screw up what you can see....

 

[Ldub22]

I am dying to pull the trigger on a red MYP, but I can’t bring myself to drop $65,000 plus on a car that they can’t get the fenders to fit correctly. I worry that if they screw up what you can see....

I’m getting my Red MYP on Friday. I’ll report my experience.