What did it for us is the winning combination of spacious cabin, comfortable ride, awesome amounts of storage space for whatever you want to take with you, and still really good handling and performance (we've had snow, though we don't have an icy steep driveway so I can't speak for that...), and still have exceptional fuel efficiency. How often do you see all those together in one car? Surely that is worth at least slightly more than the sum of each individual benefit.
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Help! I am getting cold feet
- Thread starter pbleic
- Start date
darthvdr
Member
Aside from all the benefits mentioned, I also picked up my son from the airport recently as he was home for the holidays. He brought his girlfriend with him and they had a lot of luggage, which we struggled to get into the trunk, but then my wife brought up the frunk since we are so used to having an engine in there that we had more cargo capacity. Everything fit snug and we had much more space than expected.
Data plan concerns are warranted and not what all cars are going to do. Navigation requires 3g, the new AT&T relationship is going to look to get paid, and simply to get a route up on Tesla's screen will require it. Google maps will too, I think (non-tech pkg).
Garmin is free. The Volt, and other cars have and are likely to continue providing free nav, even using a portion of the Sirius signal ($4 month) for real-time NAV traffic.
I'd love it if surfing the net while waiting for my wife was something I could cancel, at who knows, $30/month, but we're talking about another monthly cash stream for other integral tech package features.
During a recent test drive, it was made clear to me that even if your phone-as-hotspot is activated, the tethering is something Tesla is merely "Allowing". Feel lucky?
Maybe it was the $600 yearly required service contracts, that while no longer mandatory, left a taste in prospective and current Tesla owners mouths about what to expect. They don't need cash like they did then, but I still get a captive feeling.
Garmin is free. The Volt, and other cars have and are likely to continue providing free nav, even using a portion of the Sirius signal ($4 month) for real-time NAV traffic.
I'd love it if surfing the net while waiting for my wife was something I could cancel, at who knows, $30/month, but we're talking about another monthly cash stream for other integral tech package features.
During a recent test drive, it was made clear to me that even if your phone-as-hotspot is activated, the tethering is something Tesla is merely "Allowing". Feel lucky?
Maybe it was the $600 yearly required service contracts, that while no longer mandatory, left a taste in prospective and current Tesla owners mouths about what to expect. They don't need cash like they did then, but I still get a captive feeling.
Electricfan
Active Member
I think you should wait. I thought long and hard about it. For me it was the money - 90k is a lot of money - I'm not rich by any stretch. But the fact is this is a car made by a tech company that is just now learning how to make cars. It is not the product of a car company that has been making cars for a long time. It doesn't stack up to an expensive luxury car if you take the exotic drive train out of the equation. And from your comments it sounds like you're not that captivated by the electric part. Just my two cents. I love my S and have no regrets, but I bought a Volt and loved it (still have it), and am all about the electric part, not the luxury part.
This is a really great comment @Electricfan I am, in fact, captivated by the electric part. Very much so. But, I would be moving out of a highly functional semi-luxury SUV (X3) for this. As I read - and even read Elon Musk's self criticism in comments in Europe, I realize that they are (rapidly) figuring out the features, but there is still a gap. No grab handles for passengers for those fast accelerations! No eyelets to tie down in the cargo area - Elon Musk said last week that this was a design oversight. Seats that are being upgraded for comfort next year, no room for sunglasses, etc. in the cabin, etc. And, the 4WD being discussed for next year is a real plus. I would really, really like to buy this car now, but I may well wait until next year. Still thinking and reading.
chickensevil
Active Member
Yeah, I think this is something that most people take for granted and don't really THINK about it until it is lost. And if you never used those things on your cars you might not have even thought to add it in. The critical piece is the functional car bit. They got that in flying colors. They also got the "way of the future" with the touch screen and high end electronics in the car. So the other stuff, while less important in terms of overall "carness"... is certainly something they should work to add in the future, and have no doubt that they will.
I have had quite a bit of interaction on the video game design side of development, mostly in assisting in QA stuff (it is a side hobby of mine), and you would be surprised what basic things people just don't consider when they make something. It isn't until someone says... hey where is "this", that they go: Oh yeah! how could I miss THAT?
So if these are things that are deal breakers for you, I totally get that, I only hope that Tesla can capture you up before you hit the point where you don't care about them anymore to even consider it (have seen this happen)... eventually you are likely to lose interest and your potential to get the car would drop to 0. So while I would agree with what others have said about this car not being for everyone, I think that it can get there (or close to it).
If I were you, I would wait or not buy it at all unless you are ok with all the issues you pointed out. I also agree that 90K is a lot for many and the Model S is definitely NOT a perfect car at this price range. Can Tesla include all the features that are present in other luxury cars? Yes, of course, those are not new inventions, but if it did, the car may not be ready for release even today. More features requires more testings and design integration, not to mention additional costs related to parts, labors, equipment, etc. Elon's ambition was to release the car below 50K after federal credits. I'm sure may features were boycotted after their cost/benefit analysis. You can see that those who purchased the car about a year ago, didn't even had the option to include folding side mirrors, or parking sensor, etc. One may say 90K is a lot money and Tesla should have more than enough margin to cover those little extra costs. This is also a Yes, but remember, a big chunk of the 90K we are paying is going to fund future developments, like the Model X and E, just like all Roadster owners contributed to the development of Model S. We all know how much a Lotus costs, and how much Tesla is selling Roadsters. I could go on and on, but all the above are meaning less to individual buyers. Let's say you are going to replace your car or adding a new one, and willing to spend 90K, pick the one that best fits your needs and budget in the current market. Just my own thoughts and I love my car.
I find the somewhat austere cabin and dash refreshing in a world of automobiles which are over the top with needless bells and whistles. I also think most S owners place significant value in the environmental aspects of an EV. If one is not similarly motivated, then ICE makes more sense. Regarding upgrades that are in the pipeline, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. So far the things I missed out on don't seem that important. When that opinion changes, I'll trade up. AWD might hit that threshold for me.
