I considered the original Roadster as a toy, and never managed to justify the expense. Loved my Elise though. After 2 Renault Zoe's which have been great - especially running off solar PV - I took the plunge with an MS Raven LR. The purchase process was agony start to finish (it was the 4th car I 'comitted to' that Tesla actually managed to invoice me for after all manner of hassles) but I kinda knew what to expect and stuck with it.
As for many, it's been ups and downs, but over all no real grounds to complain with the basic car or even the service centre who have done perfectly well enough.
But I certainly didn't look at getting a Model 3 when I needed to move on from my Zoe daily driver. I couldn't face the indifference Tesla manage to exude both in nurturing any relationship that might lead to a sale in future, or the assumption that since they are the only game in town they can take future business for granted.
My concerns we reinforced when I recently requested a valuation against a new MS. The offer they made was not at all helpful. Didn't specify if the offer was based on a projected value with mileage assumptions, or of they expected to take the car now and leave me waiting for delivery in 2022 (may be). Just push the button and buy a car with minimal interaction. No mention of the value of FSD that was part of my car spec, or if they are obliged to honour any offer. If they expect to take my car now (don't see how they could make an offer on any other basis) then the sum they offered was a joke. Clearly I can sell privately - and since the car is mint, that would make sense - but their attitude towards the sales process massively devalues the product, especially for repeat customers for whom some of the Tesla 'rose tinting' is likely to have worn off! (Not really the issue, but the offer was around £55k for a mint / showroom 2019 MS R LR with FSD. My point here is that with no qualification and no chance to get the replacement vehicle for 18 months may be, it did not feel at all like they care about their customers or their (used) cars.)
Also, although relatively minor, stupid things like MP3 player album art suddenly stopping being displayed, the tendancy for some cameras to fog up / obscure so easily yet switching to vision only from radar system, no sign of FSD developments embracing UK roads and regulations and quite unattractive gross energy consumption and multiple bad experiences with fantom braking add up to a tall order to take sales claims for new vehicles as realistic.
The Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 however were really nice, we slightly preferred the Ioniq's styling with the little pixelated lighting.
I've been looking at the Hyundais and Kias. If I didn't have the MS I would most likely have postponed any move away from the Zoe and waited for the Ioniq 5. From an EV overall performance view point, Hyundai and Kia models seem to be pretty good on the whole, with perceived material quality being a common sticking point. But for the price, they have some very decent models already and the new ones look to continue that. I too prefer the Ioniq 5's looks, but in the end I decided to go with a demonstrator 64kwh Kona Ulimate pre-facelift. I have yet to find out for sure, but it might even have a UK towing rating! The price was only a shade higher than the Zoe offers I could find, but with a much higher spec and options there wasn't any competition, plus the dealer made me feel like they actually cared about the transaction. When at the last minute I noticed some quite deep scratches in the paint their wasnt even a hesitation. "I am so sorry, we would never sell a car with that damage. It will be fixed". Tesla were quite happy to let me drive their £80k ride from the collection point with rim rash and a gouge under the front apron.
I really am struggling to see me getting another Tesla. I want the one I've already got to deliver on some of it's FSD promises (regulatory framework permitting) and until that happens, or at least until it feels like someone somewhere is getting a dependable FSD product that does what was originally promised, then while I'll likely keep what I've already got, once bitten, twice shy.
