Full Self Driving: To Get It or Not to Get It?

[timmy818]

I love having FSD on my car. Auto lane changes on the highway, and the stop sign/traffic light detection are the killer features right now. And it gets better every day.

But they keep on talking about the ability to Rent FSD which would be awesome for people going on long car trips only occasionally.

And I know you want to roll it into your car note, but Tesla has had FSD upgrade sales in the past... I assume the may have another one prior to the public release of the next version of software.

How safe is it? I got my car in late June and I'm still scared to drive Auto Pilot on it sometimes. It does go into other lanes on the highway if your going over the speed limit. lol

 

[Phlier]

I love FSD. But I also like to actually drive the car. And I like range more than anything else.

Most people that buy a Tesla find that they end up driving it a lot more than they thought they would; one very common post theme here is "I love my Tesla. I wish I would've bought a Long Range model."

IMO, you should buy the longest range model you can afford. FSD is fun to play with, but to me it's just a toy. Range is soo much more useful.

Again, that is all IMO. There are others that would take FSD over battery size, as they have more modest range needs.

You should figure out for yourself: How important is range? How important is FSD? Do I frequently drive in an environment that would allow me to put FSD to good use? Are my driving requirements going to give me range anxiety in a non-LR car?

Once you have those things figured out, you can make a decision that is based on your own individual situation and not just on the opinions of strangers on a car forum.

 

[smatthew]

How safe is it? I got my car in late June and I'm still scared to drive Auto Pilot on it sometimes. It does go into other lanes on the highway if your going over the speed limit. lol

How safe is it? Auto Lane Change has never crashed. Ever. It may behave in ways that the driver isn't comfortable with, such as backing off on a lane change if it perceives a possible problem. But one you realize AutoPilot's #1 goal is no collisions, it's actions seem to make more sense.

 

[hlin07]

FSD purchase is strictly a personal choice. Those that are buying should only be buying assuming capabilities don't improve much.
1. FSD without driver input is NOT LIKELY in the next 5 years. I know there are improvements, but good luck convincing federal, state and local jurisdictions. So, you're likely buying something that's *cool* to show off, but can't really take your eyes off the road (and your hands off the wheel).
2. FSD cost depreciates. If you're going to resell the car, that 8k paid, NO ONE would pay anywhere near that price for the FSD.
3. Robo Taxi, if Robo Taxi will be a thing in the future, common sense from business aspect says if Tesla wants to scale up the robo taxi business, it'll want MORE cars with FSD enabled on the road, not less. So how would businesses normally entice demand? Lower price.
For me, I won't be getting it until it's no longer a vaporware. BUT, if Tesla allows FSD to be transferred from one car to the next, I'll buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[Mattopotamus]

This.


I was like how many times in my life do I need this range? Couple times a year.

The annual cabin/camping trip in the summer and another in the winter or a road trip to SF/SD from LA. I wonder how it would be like to cross country from LA to NY with an SR+ though.


I'm thinking about it since I need to grab a lot of stuff from the NY APT, haven't been able to go back since COVID. LOL, Teslamat it up?

I have rule of more than 4 hours and I fly. I guess if you are moving cross country that is a little different, but I would fly and hire someone to move the stuff haha.

 

[Mattopotamus]

FSD purchase is strictly a personal choice. Those that are buying should only be buying assuming capabilities don't improve much.
1. FSD without driver input is NOT LIKELY in the next 5 years. I know there are improvements, but good luck convincing federal, state and local jurisdictions. So, you're likely buying something that's *cool* to show off, but can't really take your eyes off the road (and your hands off the wheel).
2. FSD cost depreciates. If you're going to resell the car, that 8k paid, NO ONE would pay anywhere near that price for the FSD.
3. Robo Taxi, if Robo Taxi will be a thing in the future, common sense from business aspect says if Tesla wants to scale up the robo taxi business, it'll want MORE cars with FSD enabled on the road, not less. So how would businesses normally entice demand? Lower price.
For me, I won't be getting it until it's no longer a vaporware. BUT, if Tesla allows FSD to be transferred from one car to the next, I'll buy it in a heartbeat.

I feel like when a subscription becomes available they have to address that for people that paid up front. Even if there is a free, that would feel like a huge burn.

 

[BlindPass]

I feel like when a subscription becomes available they have to address that for people that paid up front. Even if there is a free, that would feel like a huge burn.

One would think they would, or at least make the rates so high that the FSD option was significantly cheaper.
But this is Tesla. Remember, it’s just what we agreed to being beta testers for new tech! I’ll feel lucky if our car is still worth keeping by the time FSD is real and the needed hardware upgrades to have it don’t cost me more than the difference between the FSD price and what I paid for FSD many years ago.

 

[Mattopotamus]

One would think they would, or at least make the rates so high that the FSD option was significantly cheaper.
But this is Tesla. Remember, it’s just what we agreed to being beta testers for new tech! I’ll feel lucky if our car is still worth keeping by the time FSD is real and the needed hardware upgrades to have it don’t cost me more than the difference between the FSD price and what I paid for FSD many years ago.

With the limited info Elon provided, he said it would be more economical to buy it out right...but over how long? If the subscription model is $150-$200/month, I still see that as the better value.

 

[Michelle_eriw]

With the limited info Elon provided, he said it would be more economical to buy it out right...but over how long? If the subscription model is $150-$200/month, I still see that as the better value.

Depends on whether there's a minimum period. It may be like when you get a smart phone from a network; you're stuck into a 2-year contract. If you want to cancel before the two years are up, you have to pay for the phone.

 

[BlindPass]

With the limited info Elon provided, he said it would be more economical to buy it out right...but over how long? If the subscription model is $150-$200/month, I still see that as the better value.

Agree that’s the key.
For a buyer to be motivated to pay over $8k upfront would need to represent a significant anticipated savings over the length of one’s usage of the car (which is why early purchases of what’s still vaporware was such a bad decision). Like several thousand cheaper.

And for Tesla, such a high monthly cost is a win-win. It encourages people to pay upfront for a long period, or otherwise likely pay more overall but in easier to handle monthly payments.

 

[Redbrick]

I have a Model 3 on the way, likely coming within the next two weeks. We have a gas SUV which my wife drives and which we use for family trips, so this is just "my car" for getting around town and commuting to work (short drive, only about 15-30 mins depending on traffic). For that reason, I decided to go with an SR+ and keep it cheap by not upgrading the wheels or going with FSD. My other reason was that I'll likely want to swap it for an X or a Y in a couple years when my second daughter is in school and we possibly have another kid so I'll presumably need something bigger.

Question is: was leaving out FSD the right call? My logic was that this car is a relatively short-term hold, FSD still doesn't do very much and might still not do much by the time I'm ready to trade-up, and I probably won't have much use for the limited current features of FSD in the meantime. The logic was why spend the extra money. On the other hand, I'm now being persuaded that maybe FSD is in fact the right call given recent announcements of a gamechanging software update later this year and given the argument that FSD will improve resale value and may therefore be the smart thing to do for a short-term hold.

The reality is that it's now or never for FSD. Once I take delivery, I can't possibly see myself dropping the cash to upgrade given other uses that money can be put to. However, if I upgrade before delivery and roll it into my loan, it simply increases my monthly payment from $600 to $700 so it isn't as painful.

Thoughts? Advice?

why not just get the X or the Y w? Fsd now?

 

[Sukhshanti]

FSD isn't even FSD yet, it is just a gimmick at this point with some extra features over standard AP. If you are having to actively intervene while in FSD, then what is the point? Also, who knows if you will even be driving your same Tesla by the time it comes to full fruition as it is locked to the vehicle, not your Tesla account.

Don't get me wrong, I do love the standard AP and use it daily. I find that it is more than enough assistance for my driving style but to each his own.

 

[Edge]

I won't even remotely consider FSD until autopilot and even TACC can work 100% of the time without phantom breaking and random speed limit reductions. It's such a basic function that's the foundation for the rest of the functions in FSD. I got mild whiplash about 2 weeks ago from the car randomly deciding to jam on the breaks with absolutely no other traffic around me, driving down a straight road.

 

[drjerryk]

I did get FSD with my car and so far it has been a total waste of money. I wish I spent more time on the forums before I ordered my Model 3.

 

[Mr Jones FL]

If they come out with the pay per month option, I would like to see them attach the FSD to your account. So if/when you trade in your car, the FSD will follow you to the next Tesla you buy. That way, you can pay monthly, but if you bite the bullet and pay outright, that capability is with you forever, not just with the car.

 

[MexiCanuck]

I have SR+ with FSD capability. But I expect to be driving the car for 10-20 years. I don’t expect FSD to be “real” in the next 2-3 years, so for your timeline, I suggest not getting it.

You have short daily driving and you have an ICE in case of needed long drives where there are no practical charging opportunities. I don’t understand the benefit to you of paying for long range on a vehicle when you won’t need long range.

 

[derekmw]

As many have stated, it really depends on each person and their driving habits.

here's why FSD is just not for me:
1. I really enjoy driving the car and rarely do any trips longer than an hour in the car
2. I am a fairly aggressive driver living in CA, and I have no patience for FSD with how it follows the cars in traffic, lane changes, merges, etc
3. After my wife has been in my Tesla's over the years when I've tried FSD and the quirks, she would never let me use it with her in the car anyway...