Is Tesla Still Looking After its Existing Customers?

[lucyf]

Hi All,

I don't imagine I'm the only person thinking about this. I apologise if I've missed the thread(s) that discuss it - I had a quick search but didn't find anything obvious.

I got an S 75D a little over a year ago. I think it's a great car and I'm still very happy with it. I recently took it on an Open Drive day at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Of course I would have liked a P100D, but the price difference at the time was prohibitive for me (around another £50 - 55k - GBP). Didn't P100Ds drop to about £85k before year-end recently? They seem to be a bit more now with ludicrous mode.

Whatever is going on with the pricing, there must be some people, like me, who would have paid a bit more for the performance and the bigger battery. I guess there are also some people that bought the P100D just before the price crash who are even more annoyed.

The Model 3s also look really competitive on price / performance / value for money. Tesla has always said that the Model S was the prestige / luxury car that would be desirable over the Model 3. This doesn't seem to be the case for a lot of reviewers and customers in the US.

These things (that Tesla has sole control over) seem likely to have a huge effect on depreciation and re-sale values. Is Tesla leaving the Model S customers hanging out to dry? Previously Tesla seemed to try pretty hard to look after its earlier customers (updates which reduced 0-60 times, etc). Is this a policy that they're demonstrably sticking with going forwards?

Looking forward to hearing people's thoughts,
Lucy

 

[theoceanwaves]

I feel looked after in some respect that my 2016 model S is still getting updates making the car feel fresher, the newer cars can be unlocked more which is nice. The M3 seems more nimble than the S and that is why I feel existing S and X customers and moving to 3, until of course a refresh comes out for the S and X more than just the motor and air suspension recently announced.

 

[4EVar]

Hi All,

I don't imagine I'm the only person thinking about this. I apologise if I've missed the thread(s) that discuss it - I had a quick search but didn't find anything obvious.

I got an S 75D a little over a year ago. I think it's a great car and I'm still very happy with it. I recently took it on an Open Drive day at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Of course I would have liked a P100D, but the price difference at the time was prohibitive for me (around another £50 - 55k - GBP). Didn't P100Ds drop to about £85k before year-end recently? They seem to be a bit more now with ludicrous mode.

Whatever is going on with the pricing, there must be some people, like me, who would have paid a bit more for the performance and the bigger battery. I guess there are also some people that bought the P100D just before the price crash who are even more annoyed.

The Model 3s also look really competitive on price / performance / value for money. Tesla has always said that the Model S was the prestige / luxury car that would be desirable over the Model 3. This doesn't seem to be the case for a lot of reviewers and customers in the US.

These things (that Tesla has sole control over) seem likely to have a huge effect on depreciation and re-sale values. Is Tesla leaving the Model S customers hanging out to dry? Previously Tesla seemed to try pretty hard to look after its earlier customers (updates which reduced 0-60 times, etc). Is this a policy that they're demonstrably sticking with going forwards?

Looking forward to hearing people's thoughts,
Lucy

Hi Lucy!

I have a 90D and would have loved a P100D but the price difference was too great, just like you. However, as with many things, prices go down at times, there are special offers, there are sales and discounts for weird holidays like Black Friday. It's just about the timing. And just because I bought a phone at full price, and then it went down to half price in the Christmas Sale, it doesn't mean the seller or the manufacturer aren't looking after me or owe me anything.

The Model 3 was out in the US long before you bought your Model S, so you knew what is was capable of, and you had the option to wait for the UK version (how long is a piece of string). But you bought a Model S and have enjoyed your car for over a year now and the price you paid was the price you paid. You should be really happy with what you have and don't worry about anything else or it will drive you mad.

Just my opinion.

Asif.

 

[Yev000]

The standard S is better, faster, goes longer and bigger than the the M3 SR+. Whether that is worth the £33,000 more is subjective. You can almost get 2 SR+ for the price of 1 MS SR...

The interior is more executive of course...

To be honest I sat in both and there is not a lot of difference in trim in the new S vs 3 (at least for me). I liked the 3's less cluttered feel more to be honest and this is coming from BMW 7 Series.

I feel that the model S is not necessarily 'left behind', but it is certainly paving the way for the more affordable version.

At the end of the day you are driving a 75D for a year now, while Model 3 has yet to arrive in UK. I think that you could swap your 75D for a new performance 3 with relatively little fuss. 75D is going for £53,000 on auto-trader and a performance 3 is £56,000. Just sell it privately and you are good to go.

 

[vitesse]

To me the S is a completely different car to the 3 and they are aimed at different people.

But a lot of people who would have bought a 3 bought an S because they desperately wanted a Tesla and the 3 wasn't yet available.

We have to be realistic: the S is 7 years old and coming to the end of its life in its current form. Much more than an external facelift is well due, though that doesn't mean the current S is a bad car at all. It's a phenomenal car, but S sales are slowing and, inevitably, it needs to evolve.

 

[lucyf]

Thanks for your views guys.

L

 

[Asterix187]

I am in exactly the same boat. Model s 75d in November 2017. Got it on 1% finance so paying a fair bit off. Asked about upgrading to the new ludicrous version and was offered 38k for my car. I would basically have to fork out 20k just to sell my car at present as the depreciation has been so great. My guaranteed future value is 31k in 2.5 years time so there is literally no point in me going anywhere near an upgrade until the finance is up. Would happily pay the extra on finance for the ludicrous LR but it’s not financially feasible without being totally stupid.

 

[vitesse]

I am in exactly the same boat. Model s 75d in November 2017. Got it on 1% finance so paying a fair bit off. Asked about upgrading to the new ludicrous version and was offered 38k for my car. I would basically have to fork out 20k just to sell my car at present as the depreciation has been so great. My guaranteed future value is 31k in 2.5 years time so there is literally no point in me going anywhere near an upgrade until the finance is up. Would happily pay the extra on finance for the ludicrous LR but it’s not financially feasible without being totally stupid.

You would get a lot more if you sold privately.

Edit - Thinking again, if on finance I guess you might not have this option? Sorry for any confusion!

 

[Yev000]

Depends on the "finance" if its a loan or a mortgage its not linked to the car. Or you could get a new loan to pay off car finance. 1% doesen't look like a car loan which is normally around 5.9%.

But yes, best thing to do is sell it privately, then go and buy a new/used tesla from inventory, that way you are without a car for the minimum amount of time. You can easily get a car hire (next to the tesla pickup location for bonus convenience) for a week to plug the gap. If you can put up with a shoe box for a week that can be as little as £100.

 

[Asterix187]

Depends on the "finance" if its a loan or a mortgage its not linked to the car. Or you could get a new loan to pay off car finance. 1% doesen't look like a car loan which is normally around 5.9%.

But yes, best thing to do is sell it privately, then go and buy a new/used tesla from inventory, that way you are without a car for the minimum amount of time. You can easily get a car hire (next to the tesla pickup location for bonus convenience) for a week to plug the gap. If you can put up with a shoe box for a week that can be as little as £100.

1% was definitely the loan rate as it was a special offer run by Tesla mid 2017. I can however sell privately but really its all a bit of a hassle. I will probably end up giving it back in 2 years and getting a Taycan instead.

 

[12Pack]

The S is the workhorse/daily driver for our small family. Need the hatch and the interior space for hauling stuff for the house - and the family is not big enough to warrant an X. And the M3 is really not spacious at all even if the seats fold flat.

 

[tpnicho]

outside of the above, I am a little disappointed by the call I had with the service centre yesterday. Called to say there was a fix coming for the yellowing of my screen and that i could wait a few months for it, or pay £1k to have a screen replacement now. erm... think i will wait.

I love my motor outside of the fact i wish it was white so prob going to get it wrapped, but i am envious of some of the new tech in the 3, faster charging etc as i'm in a 75d. Aslo reading lots of reports about 75d's being nerfed at superchargers after not a lot of use.

 

[12Pack]

Not to stray too far off topic - but here's the story about the original screens including the yellowing. Luckily for us in England we don't have that sort of weather...
Tesla's Screen Saga Shows Why Automotive Grade Matters

 

[WannabeOwner]

For me:

Model 3 is noisy by comparison to Model-S, and doesn't have the cargo-space / accessibility re: boot vs: hatchback.

Anyone who bought recently is probably locked into Finance / Depreciation such that early change has financial penalties ...

... but for anyone able to make the change then Ludicrous is a freebie to current owners buying new.

 

[Asterix187]

Not to stray too far off topic - but here's the story about the original screens including the yellowing. Luckily for us in England we don't have that sort of weather...
Tesla's Screen Saga Shows Why Automotive Grade Matters

I have a yellow border ....

 

[tpnicho]

I have a yellow border ....

Me too sadly from the uk!

 

[vitesse]

Me too sadly from the uk!

If that's your S in the profile pic it can't be that old? Is Tesla going to sort it out for you?

 

[4EVar]

outside of the above, I am a little disappointed by the call I had with the service centre yesterday. Called to say there was a fix coming for the yellowing of my screen and that i could wait a few months for it, or pay £1k to have a screen replacement now. erm... think i will wait.

I love my motor outside of the fact i wish it was white so prob going to get it wrapped, but i am envious of some of the new tech in the 3, faster charging etc as i'm in a 75d. Aslo reading lots of reports about 75d's being nerfed at superchargers after not a lot of use.

Why do you wish it was white? I think your black one looks great!

 

[tpnicho]

Why do you wish it was white? I think your black one looks great!

2 reasons, first the Mrs wanted a white one and i never hear the end of it! Second is that in the pic it looks great but the previous owner did not look after the paint, its scratched / swirled quite badly. This weekend, assuming its not raining i have a date with the clay bar and the Meguiars paint correction kit!