I wanted to get an EV1, but the were only leasing them. Thought something stinky was up with that. Then they took them all back. Started looking into Aptera (Aptera Motors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Was one of the first 200 to sign up. Then delays started and pricing increased. Saw that Tesla was going to build a sedan and decided that I would rather seat 5 adults. No regrets. Was hooked from the moment I saw the technology behind their car. Love every minute of driving it. Go out of my way most of the time to drive longer! :biggrin:
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mnx
2018 M3P
I'm not sure when I first heard of Tesla, perhaps back in 2004 or so. I remember picking up a copy of Automobile Magazine in 2006 because it had a short article on the Tesla Roadster in it. Been following them ever since.
paulkva
part of the supercharge.info dev team
Kind of a long story, as the Model S entered my consciousness rather slowly and gradually...
I don't remember exactly when it was, but I've been vaguely aware of the Roadster for a while. I never paid much attention to it, though, not sure why but probably due to the price tag and the fact that any 2-seater is completely impractical for my family right now. I first heard of Model S late last year, probably on Edmunds.com when I started looking for a new car, but I didn't pay attention because (I assumed) it was way out of my price range and not realistic for my needs. I had also assumed that the 17" center console was a gimmick and that the UI would be awkward and counter-intuitive like so many ICE infotainment systems are. In fact, I was hoping to buy a car without nav for that reason.
I distinctly remember reading about the NY Times controversy shortly after it happened (Feb?), and I was amused and impressed by Tesla's successful rebuttal. By that point Model S seemed cool but still out of reach. Then I remember walking into the store in Tysons Corner VA in April, sitting in a car and playing with the touchscreen a bit, and still thinking "way out of reach." By then I knew Tesla wasn't allowed to sell cars in Virginia, and I was mildly annoyed at that fact even though I still didn't expect I'd ever buy one.
Finally, in mid-May, I was in Los Angeles and received some really good financial news. The next day I saw a grey P85 in a small parking lot (maybe 20-25 cars that weren't rentals) west of Malibu and thought "wow, they must be really gaining steam if there's one in such a small group of cars, maybe I should check them out more seriously." And an hour later I saw a blue Model S drive out of the same parking lot, and I was really intrigued. I promised myself I'd at least test drive one. (I was quite unaware of the statistic that 25% of people who test drive one end up buying one.)
In parallel, I spent much of 2013 gradually researching and test-driving ICE cars, mostly sport sedans, in preparation for buying something new to replace a 2004 Mazda station wagon. They ranged from Kia Optima to Lexus IS350; I think the IS was my favorite until I drove a P85 in DC. I really wanted a fun-to-drive sedan with good acceleration and decent gas mileage. I looked at a few EVs but dismissed them all for various reasons which I can't even remember now. And ideally I wanted manual transmission. Before Model S, I was just about prepared to accept that I couldn't have all of the above.
Once I drove the Model S, I couldn't stop thinking about it. The torque "curve" completely removed my desire for manual transmission, and the touchscreen was far more intuitive than I had expected. When I re-tested the IS350 afterward (because the 2014 came out), I couldn't help but notice how clunky and loud it seemed in comparison, and oddly, I had lots of trouble finding the RWD model in Virginia. I still think the IS is a great ICE car, but wow, my perspective was irrevocably changed!
It took my wife and me another month and another Model S test drive to come to terms with buying a car for the price of about 3 Kia Optimas. But here we are.
I don't remember exactly when it was, but I've been vaguely aware of the Roadster for a while. I never paid much attention to it, though, not sure why but probably due to the price tag and the fact that any 2-seater is completely impractical for my family right now. I first heard of Model S late last year, probably on Edmunds.com when I started looking for a new car, but I didn't pay attention because (I assumed) it was way out of my price range and not realistic for my needs. I had also assumed that the 17" center console was a gimmick and that the UI would be awkward and counter-intuitive like so many ICE infotainment systems are. In fact, I was hoping to buy a car without nav for that reason.
I distinctly remember reading about the NY Times controversy shortly after it happened (Feb?), and I was amused and impressed by Tesla's successful rebuttal. By that point Model S seemed cool but still out of reach. Then I remember walking into the store in Tysons Corner VA in April, sitting in a car and playing with the touchscreen a bit, and still thinking "way out of reach." By then I knew Tesla wasn't allowed to sell cars in Virginia, and I was mildly annoyed at that fact even though I still didn't expect I'd ever buy one.
Finally, in mid-May, I was in Los Angeles and received some really good financial news. The next day I saw a grey P85 in a small parking lot (maybe 20-25 cars that weren't rentals) west of Malibu and thought "wow, they must be really gaining steam if there's one in such a small group of cars, maybe I should check them out more seriously." And an hour later I saw a blue Model S drive out of the same parking lot, and I was really intrigued. I promised myself I'd at least test drive one. (I was quite unaware of the statistic that 25% of people who test drive one end up buying one.)
In parallel, I spent much of 2013 gradually researching and test-driving ICE cars, mostly sport sedans, in preparation for buying something new to replace a 2004 Mazda station wagon. They ranged from Kia Optima to Lexus IS350; I think the IS was my favorite until I drove a P85 in DC. I really wanted a fun-to-drive sedan with good acceleration and decent gas mileage. I looked at a few EVs but dismissed them all for various reasons which I can't even remember now. And ideally I wanted manual transmission. Before Model S, I was just about prepared to accept that I couldn't have all of the above.
Once I drove the Model S, I couldn't stop thinking about it. The torque "curve" completely removed my desire for manual transmission, and the touchscreen was far more intuitive than I had expected. When I re-tested the IS350 afterward (because the 2014 came out), I couldn't help but notice how clunky and loud it seemed in comparison, and oddly, I had lots of trouble finding the RWD model in Virginia. I still think the IS is a great ICE car, but wow, my perspective was irrevocably changed!
It took my wife and me another month and another Model S test drive to come to terms with buying a car for the price of about 3 Kia Optimas. But here we are.
Had a CLS AMG guzzling 14 mpg and was in the process of searching for a Plug-in Prius. Colleague at work told me about the Model S (he's not even a car guy...just read an article about it). I was aware of the Roadster but never looked into Tesla. That was this past October. Put a deposit in November. Got delivery in February. Have the Tesla smile ever since.
I've had this conversation completion sequence several times regarding Model S:
- Have you taken a test drive?
- No....
- Two key points: (1) If you like driving, you have to test drive this car. (2) If you test drive this car, you will buy one.
I suspect it's just as true for Roadster, especially in the pre-Model S era.
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
Falcon5
Member
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