For those who are a little hesitant to pull the trigger, what are some of your concerns?

[internalaudit]

In descending order (and this is from someone who is okay to buy cars new but plans to keep them until TCO -- total cost of ownership -- becomes absurdly expensive, which haven't happened to any of my ICEV Honda's and Toyota):

1. Whether Tesla Service Centers (including the company) will be around after eight years --> I have not read about any reassurances that the company will become profitable and will be cash flow positive. I think the company is chasing too many projects and won't focus on the most important tasks on hand.
2. No progress on the Right to Repair front that was brought up in Feb 2017 and which likely means high TCO: Tesla President of Sales and Service Says Program To Allow Owners To Perform Own Repairs Is "In The Works"
3. Inferior battery and drive unit warranty compared to the S and X; ESA details still unknown
4. Expensive PUP option (most expensive purchase has been a RAV4H but I'm willing to pay more if the car is going to be reliable post-ESA) but likely a good option to have with multiple drivers
5. Expensive EAP option when I only really want/need is TACC
6. Single tablet interface for a household with three drivers

Heck, I don't even mind purchasing 4 and 5 if I can get some assurance that Tesla will thrive and if cost of repairs down the road will go down because of increasing economic scale and improving efficiencies and lessons learned. But I will likely only opt for SR, AWD and maybe EAP because I'm not used to spending too much on a vehicle, especially if I cannot amortize the cost to more than a decade.

Would like to know of any reasons why you are hesitating to put in an order. Thanks!

 

[lapolak]

I share your concern #1, but I haven't actually considered #2 and #3.

Single tablet interface for a household with three drivers

Not sure I follow with this one. I rented a Model 3 off Turo last weekend, the car had the ability to create and switch between "profiles" that saved your preferred seat position, favorite radio stations, etc...

 

[xav-]

OP I could spend the next 5 minutes debunking each of your point. Judging from your post though I don’t think the model 3 is for you. You should go for a Honda Civic or something like that.

 

[gearchruncher]

As a current Tesla owner, I'd really like to see the "debunk" of #1 and #2.

 

[mka]

Who guaranties that Honda or Toyota will be around eight / ten years from now? I wouldn't bet on that. The automotive industry is changing in a fast pace right now. There will be losers.

 

[ebmcs03]

I have concerns for #1. Hence my hesitation of having to plop down $55k on the car with Tesla’s background. But i have no other choice. There’s nothing out there that can compete. I wish the Mission E is out or another good electric from VW with 220 or more mile range.

Currently nothing competes with the model 3.

 

[DanH]

I did (and still do) have some of your concerns, but it didn’t stop me from pulling the trigger. The smart move for you is to buy a Honda or Toyota. Low risk. For me, I want to buy some nice for myself for a change.
Life is short.

 

[RayK]

Who guaranties that Honda or Toyota will be around eight / ten years from now?

Uh, that would be 70-80 years of past history. Yes I know that it's no guarantee but that must count for something. And I'm pretty sure they haven't been bleeding money like TSLA has for several years.

 

[stayfocus18]

I really want to see more options... dont like the forced options right now... would ideally like standard long range with awd

 

[bay74]

Haven't ordered because where I live it'll be 2020 or later before any Model 3s are available. By then, there may well be viable alternatives from other manufacturers - yeah, I know, I am not holding my breath.

Also, I have little idea what the price will be, given we're talking about events two years from now...

 

[shrspeedblade]

Just got my invite two days ago (YAY!) but I am going to hold off for a bit as I'd really like some other interior options and to see the Performance model specs at least before ordering as well as it being financially advantageous to do so.

Waiting becomes a LOT more painful after two years once you have the invite in your inbox though!

Tesla will be around, even if the worst happens and Apple or Google pick them up for a song!
I don't find the PuP to be all that expensive for what you get compared to other cars in the class.

 

[SP_H]

I have concerns for #1, 3, and 5. Reading the forums here, every other post are about problems with M3, makes me hesitant. However, no one say they have to pay out of pocket, so it makes me hopeful that Tesla is taking good care of their costumers. Like you, I would wait for SR as well for those reason.

 

[voip-ninja]

My primary concern is AWD availability this year.

Other concerns are around long term reliability and post warranty repair costs.

A minor concern is about Tesla getting acquired by a company that cheats out on service.

 

[T34ME]

I pulled the trigger on 3/31/2016. Just waiting for the one with my name on it to chamber.

 

[jsmay311]

1. High cost (LR+PUP+AP is ~$23k more out-the-door than a new, loaded 2018 Volt (and AP is needed for TACC))
2. Unreliable keyless entry
3. No heated steering wheel
4. High vampire drain compared to non-Teslas
5. No blind spot detection feature
6. Many other various dumb/annoying design decisions (IMO, at least): No physical wiper controls and crappy auto wiper implementation, no way to change audio sources from the steering wheel, no AM radio, poorly designed phone docks, no driver-centered display, no way to engage cruise control at a current speed below the speed limit, no way for rear passengers to control their heated seats, etc., etc., etc.
7. General concerns about quality/reliability
   
8. A general distaste for Tesla's business practices/hubris/dishonesty and tendency to prioritize minimalist design over functionality.

Of course, there are many other positive factors pushing me towards getting one: Supercharger network, long range, performance, styling, efficiency, great forward visibility, Autosteer (and hope that it will improve in the future), etc.

 

[Terthen]

MX owner here, for me what's holding me back are the extra costs and time that will go with Tesla when the M3 will not be our primary car. To be clear we love the model X, but for a secondary car that is mostly to get to work, I don't need all the extras. Then have to consider extended warranty, inspections (not exactly cheap), because repairs otherwise quite expensive. For example my rear seat in MX wouldn't fold back up after being put down, and the fix was to just replace the entire seat--probably not cheap. We have been to SC about 5 times past year, waiting for a screen replacement for my MX still, so not sure I'm ready to double down on Tesla SC visits the price is right (base SR version is what I am eyeing).

In addition with competition coming out, like electric Volvo xc40, and more car subscription-like services coming out, i think the SR base model fits our needs as long as we get even a partial tax credit, but can't justify the LR with PUP (although it is so tempting!)

 

[xav-]

No AM radio? really??? What were they thinking!!

 

[sitter_k]

No AM radio? really??? What were they thinking!!

So you're the one that's always trying to get me to fax them documents!!!

 

[AUSinator]

No HUB is my concern. Elon said we won’t care. But he was wrong. If the HUB was a $600 option 99% of all m3 buyers would order it. Considering it would probably only cost Tesla $30 extra manufacturing cost per car it’s a missed business opportunity. With a HUB you can have a lot more screen realestate and the nav info on the driver side not to mention it’s cool and alot more convenient checking your speed. Worse thing of all I think the m3 is never going to have one because Elon had to defend himself on twitter for not installing them. This makes me sad because the car would be a lot better with one.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Dude if Tesla went broke they would be snapped up by another company, including all their liabilities (warranty, servicing etc).
In fact, they can't really go broke. All that would happen is their share price would fall until the shareholders accepted a takeover.