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How honest are you about Tesla issues when speaking to friends/family that want to buy a Tesla?

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Same situation here, he’s eyeing Rivian (400+ mi); like yours, my brother stomachs huge gas bills so the price of the truck isn’t scaring him off (he’d save loads on gas daily and “having a gas station at home” sounds good to him).

400+ is perfect for my brother. However, I hear comments on battery life all the time. Even showing the Teslaloop 400k+ car, people still see a battery swap at 130k. What if it's not covered in the future? How much is a battery swap?

Lots of fears to get people onboarded to EV. I have referred two people but I stopped unless they can name 3 tesla fan sites. If they don't know anything expect Tesla FUD from the news, I just tell them to go buy a Toyota/Honda or lease German cars.

I know Model 3 is a perfect car for me. I have 2 and will never switch to anything but another redesigned Model 3 in the future. Going to get a Tesla Roadster when kids goes to college. I just don't know how close family and friends feel about the difference of owning an EV vs ICE. For example my wife is kind of bored of the Model 3 because it doesn't sound like her Aston Martin but she's in love with the Auto Pilot and can deal with the issues AP has. I don't want to be blamed for selling EVs to people close to me if they don't like the car after 3 months.
 
400+ is perfect for my brother. However, I hear comments on battery life all the time......I don't want to be blamed for selling EVs to people close to me if they don't like the car after 3 months.

I totally get it, best you can do is let people benefit from your experience and let them make up their mind. I have to say though , that most that ride in it are sold immediately . Only detractor I’ve seen is cost so far.
 
I tell them I bought Full Self Driving and I currently fully drive myself around. I tell them the resistive heater is not efficient and can have a steep range penalty but I personally choose seat heaters instead when driving alone. I tell them about them about the two service center calls needed and how fast they fixed my issues.

Two weeks ago I was driving some relatives around in the suburbs they asked if it had as much power as a gasoline engine car so when we pulled out on the highway, which was totally empty, I came to a complete stop then demonstrated how it compares to a gasoline engine and they were completely shocked. The acceleration can be "a Tesla issue".
 
My truth, as I see it of course. Car is great, quick, fun, etc with some quality issues which may or not matter depending on the buyer. They don't stand out to me, I think the car looks great.

Regardless for all the hype, I comment that Auto Pilot really is a disingenuous name as it makes people think it should be equal to actual Full Self Driving. I also tell them the hard news (not popular here I believe) about AP is really not something that will likely make your drive less stressful unless you have the exact circumstances in which it behaves; I'm far from a Consumer Reports shill but they echo'd my feelings about how you must actually spend more attention to monitor the car than just driving, at least for me. For me, it is mostly more stressful.

I also say that I don't actually care much about AP (right now) because the car is just great fun to drive; acceleration, ride, handling (for such a heavy car especially) and I'm one that really enjoys the sound system, great seats, pretty big trunk ( I come from small cars).

In some future day when it can drive me from west coast to east coast and back, sure that will be fun. But I'm happy to drive the car myself and can honestly say it can be an enthusiasts/drivers car w/o apology.
 
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My truth, as I see it of course. Car is great, quick, fun, etc with some quality issues which may or not matter depending on the buyer. They don't stand out to me, I think the car looks great.

Regardless for all the hype, I comment that Auto Pilot really is a disingenuous name as it makes people think it should be equal to actual Full Self Driving. I also tell them the hard news (not popular here I believe) about AP is really not something that will likely make your drive less stressful unless you have the exact circumstances in which it behaves; I'm far from a Consumer Reports shill but they echo'd my feelings about how you must actually spend more attention to monitor the car than just driving, at least for me. For me, it is mostly more stressful.

I also say that I don't actually care much about AP (right now) because the car is just great fun to drive; acceleration, ride, handling (for such a heavy car especially) and I'm one that really enjoys the sound system, great seats, pretty big trunk ( I come from small cars).

In some future day when it can drive me from west coast to east coast and back, sure that will be fun. But I'm happy to drive the car myself and can honestly say it can be an enthusiasts/drivers car w/o apology.
Well to be honest I'm not all that comfortable with the EAP in my car but I'm glad it's there when I want to play with it and I know it gets better with every update. I'm guessing when I get the hardware upgrade and they start writing code to take advantage of it autopilot will become very useful. I do tell people that I have EAP autopilot but I also tell them I really don't use it much.
 
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I'm an owner, a stock holder, and an admitted fanboy and I get excited when asked to talk about my car. In fact, it seems every time I turn around these days a friend or a friend of a friend is interested in buying a Tesla and wants my opinion and advice. Typically when these people speak to me they want to know what I think about my car and what I think about the company. They read a lot of negative things, most of which is FUD, and often I'm asked if I think Tesla will be around to service their car or if they will they go bankrupt. Some of this stuff is just silly of course but what they don't know to ask about are the real issues that occur in Tesla ownership.

As a regular reader and contributor to this forum I am often disappointed in reading how poorly Tesla sometimes behaves (and dare I say sometimes it seems Tesla is inept) in dealing with their customers. Things like lack of quality assurance, screwed up deliveries, delayed warranty work, spare parts availability, etc. that all get in the way of what could be a great experience. I'm willing to put up with all this but would others if they knew about it beforehand?

Listen, I'm a big fan of Tesla and I believe they have a bright future, but I also recognize it's not yet all sunshine and roses. Tesla still has lots of problems and we see that everyday on this forum. So the question is, how much of the stuff that is not so great about Tesla ownership should we share with potential or new Tesla owners?

How upfront and honest are you about these issues when it comes to friends, family, and acquaintances that are thinking about buying a Tesla?
Totally honest. This car, as much as I love it, isn’t for everyone. I want folks to go in eyes wide open.
 
I just take them for a ride and demo the features. Mine has pretty much been perfect.
This morning I took a guy that had been wanting to ride in my car for a short trip to a meeting we were going to. I wish I had taken a video of his smiling face, he was so happy and obviously impressed by the big nav screen and the acceleration. When we arrived he was still smiling and he turned to me and said, you think the company will still be around? Of course I said yes I do but I left it at that.
 
I sell others on EV ownership, but not necessarily on a Tesla.
And I never embellish or lie - a personal attachment to a thing (a car) is not worth flushing your personal credibility down the drain!

a

P.S.: Congratulations on being an owner, condolences on being a stock holder, but why a fan-boy?
Every time I drive the car I become a fan boy. What’s wrong with your M3? Not the best car you’ve ever driven?
 
I'm an owner, a stock holder, and an admitted fanboy and I get excited when asked to talk about my car. In fact, it seems every time I turn around these days a friend or a friend of a friend is interested in buying a Tesla and wants my opinion and advice. Typically when these people speak to me they want to know what I think about my car and what I think about the company. They read a lot of negative things, most of which is FUD, and often I'm asked if I think Tesla will be around to service their car or if they will they go bankrupt. Some of this stuff is just silly of course but what they don't know to ask about are the real issues that occur in Tesla ownership.

As a regular reader and contributor to this forum I am often disappointed in reading how poorly Tesla sometimes behaves (and dare I say sometimes it seems Tesla is inept) in dealing with their customers. Things like lack of quality assurance, screwed up deliveries, delayed warranty work, spare parts availability, etc. that all get in the way of what could be a great experience. I'm willing to put up with all this but would others if they knew about it beforehand?

Listen, I'm a big fan of Tesla and I believe they have a bright future, but I also recognize it's not yet all sunshine and roses. Tesla still has lots of problems and we see that everyday on this forum. So the question is, how much of the stuff that is not so great about Tesla ownership should we share with potential or new Tesla owners?

How upfront and honest are you about these issues when it comes to friends, family, and acquaintances that are thinking about buying a Tesla?

It’s best to lie
 
100%, always. My car has had 3 issues needing repair but have had exelent service from the Houston team. Biggest screw up was they sent my car to the wrong state after purchase but Texas makes it extra hard to buy as it needs to be done out of state. Body fit and finish is 6/10, not concourse quality by any means but good enough for daily commuter
 
I tell them it's the "Revolutionary Future Today". I have no major issues. I tell them it's like an iphone that continually improves, sometimes 2 steps forward and 1 step back. The EAP is mind boggling and is getting better all the time. They're astounded at the range and 5-6 cent incremental cost per mile ( electricity and tires ). Tesla needs to do some public advertising as they're now trying to reach the average "Joe".
 
I can understand that having to deal with issues is frustrating, especially for a new car. But at the same time, gas cars are not without issues, especially having driven an old car, you know that there are 100 issues that can pop up, from radiator, transmissions, to engine or some weird timing belt crap, then you can forget to change the oil or refill come coolant for a few months and then your car would fail critically. It's a nightmare driving a car that's just waiting to fail on you, and the answer is "trade it in!".

Driving electric is the complete opposite. You might have issues at first, but after they're taken care of, the EV is incredibly reliable. As for me, I'm lucky enough to have no build problems. There were software issues but my major issues had been fixed with software updates. Even my minor ones such as phone as key issues was not a true issue as there's the card key. (after upgrading to an iPhone X it's solved) All issues I've had were no show stoppers, and they're concerning features that regular ICE car's don't even have. Overall, the good out weight the annoyances by a ton, nobody at home wants to drive an ICE car anymore.

Will I recommend a M3 to everyone? No. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't know how to operate a smart phone, or doesn't have the aptitude to plan a trip based on battery capacity. Also, if you can't charge an EV at night, it'll be too much trouble to own an EV. But for anyone who possess a sensible amount of intellect, I will share the good and the bad, along with a glowing recommendation.
 
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My daughter has recently decided to buy her third car after putting 200,000 trouble free miles on each of the first two. She asked me if she should buy a Model 3. I told her “no”. Why? She lives 200 miles from the nearest Tesla service center. The repair shop she uses for scheduled maintenance on her current car is just down the block. She has never experienced an unexpected maintenance issues with her first two cars. I love my Model 3, but I’m retired and can deal with the issues I’ve had with Tesla service. I also have a second car. She has one car, commutes over 100 miles every day and has NEVER had to miss work or be inconvenienced by an issue with her car. And these are cars that averaged $30,000 when new.

Until Tesla Inc. starts supporting their customers with fully prepped cars upon delivery along with reliable, convenient service after sale, kids like my daughter simply can’t afford to be inconvenienced with the issues that we, as early adopters, are willing to put up with. I am, because this car is the future and I love the overall experience (and I’m willing to deal with the issues and I have the time to put up with the inconvenience). My daughter is not.
 
Will I recommend a M3 to everyone? No. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't know how to operate a smart phone, or doesn't have the aptitude to plan a trip based on battery capacity.

Absolutely right. Planning stops better in varying weather conditions (particularly cold) is exactly where the route planner enhancements should go. Having driven in the north eastern winters I was surprised how often my safety margin 30-40% reduction in range saves me from being stranded. I can’t see everyone remembering to do this or wanting to put up with it (some of my siblings would get stranded for sure) and that’s one key point to consider before referring someone ( it shouldn’t need to be but it is unfortunately something you need to do). Of course if they don’t travel long distances where you need that range between SC stops then there’s no concern.
 
FSD, sure. But EAP has really made the car for me. I understand EAP is somewhat situational, where you live and drive, but I am loath to try imagine how I'd feel about the car if it didn't have it.

EAP when it was still available for $5K seemed like a fair deal to me. When it became AP for $3K and all it did was steer and drive within a lane, and you needed to pay an extra $5K (now $6K) to get back the rest of the EAP features, that made it seem like it just wasn’t worth bothering with. We rarely drive on freeways anyway so it’s really of limited use to us.
 
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I wanted to buy a M3 and let people drive it, but servicing my Tesla MX from a 2 hour 100 mile distance from the service center has become such a headache, I decided not to buy the M3. Until Tesla starts servicing my MX in a reasonable fashion that does not take huge amounts of my time I am not buying any more Teslas and am telling people not to buy any in my area.

I can't wait until Tesla gets their feet under them again. At that point I will buy a M3 or Y and let lots people drive it. And just like many others on this thread, i believe the car will start selling itself.