Losing enthusiasm for Model 3

[McRat]

While I hear you we decided to pass on the other EVs because while can be a great secondary car they can’t be a primary car. No one but Tesla put in a charging network that enables long distance travel. My sister is 410 miles north with no CHAdeMO or CCS chargers but there are now 3 SuperChargers and two opportunities for destination charging. So a Bolt or a Leaf cannot get me there. My in laws are 640 miles to the south. With only two CHAdeMO /CCS stations I do not see how to make it work with a nonTesla EV. But with 5 SuperChargers I can do the trip in a Tesla. I no longer want to burn gasoline. Now that I have learned how bad my pollution can be, I want to change.

But there are roughly 270,000,000 million cars in the US that will go 640 miles. Some will do it non-stop. 20 mpg x 36 gallons. Some will go virtually anywhere in North American with 15 adults and a trailer.

If you measure a car by where it can and cannot go, you need to abandon EVs of 2018 vintage. I can go places that you'd have to helicopter a EV into, or tow 5 EVs on a trailer from LA to NY faster than any of them could get there under their own power.

I can take one of perhaps 8 different EVs to visit 30,000,000 people on either the West or East coasts.

But the honest truth? Our work 'EV' only has a 53 mile EV rating. It goes to and from our customers on electricity.

So how many Superchargers do I need? Luckily none because in the heart of SoCal there is not a single SC on our customer route. Not one.

 

[nvx1977]

battery charging and temperature management is a big factor for me. Tesla does it well. Given that EVs from other manufacturers are either produced for compliance, or to address the Tesla factor, I don't trust that they're as diligent with battery management. The end result is going to be a shorter battery lifespan.

And over here, people are queuing to buy one, yet GM won't sell them at all. What an idiocy!

yeah, sucks when they have no access to enough batteries to make EVs in volume. Gonna be a common theme for all these so called tesla killers.

 

[dhrivnak]

But there are roughly 270,000,000 million cars in the US that will go 640 miles. Some will do it non-stop. 20 mpg x 36 gallons. Some will go virtually anywhere in North American with 15 adults and a trailer.

If you measure a car by where it can and cannot go, you need to abandon EVs of 2018 vintage. I can go places that you'd have to helicopter a EV into, or tow 5 EVs on a trailer from LA to NY faster than any of them could get there under their own power.

I can take one of perhaps 8 different EVs to visit 30,000,000 people on either the West or East coasts.

But the honest truth? Our work 'EV' only has a 53 mile EV rating. It goes to and from our customers on electricity.

So how many Superchargers do I need? Luckily none because in the heart of SoCal there is not a single SC on our customer route. Not one.

0 if you want to burn gas. But that is not the point. I want a car of the future and at the moment I think that future is Tesla.

 

[Tonymil]

igotzzoom, you get a plus 1 from me. The Niro, Kona and Ioniq all sound promising. I'm driving a Soul ev now and love it. It's a well-made, comfortable car.

 

[xav-]

I see tons of Bolts around here in SoCal. I've heard nothing glaringly negative about the driving experience of the Bolt. If there's any resistance to it, it's for the styling.

I see maybe 1 Chevy volt for every 200 Model S.

 

[nvx1977]

With all due respect to the commenters here that say, "If you can't wait, just buy a Model S/X!" Not all of us make mid-high six-figure incomes. Even at around $50,000, the Model 3 would be a big financial sacrifice and by far the most expensive car I've ever bought. Not everyone can just waltz in and plunk down six figures without a care.

I would imagine the intent here was to get a used Model S in the 50k range, comparable to current config Model 3. But you've stated that even base price 3 would be a bit tough on the wallet, so.... Then again, these recently announced EVs from other manufacturers aren't easy on the wallet either.

 

[Uncle Paul]

OP has a valid point. When people were lining up to put down deposits, the idea of the Model 3 was magic. They saw a possibility of buying an aspirational Tesla for 1/2 the price of a Model S. Great range, performance, autopilot, fantastic styling, Supercharger access. Checked all the boxes for anyone wanting to run on Sunshine.

Now the cars are coming off the assembly line, at rapidly increasing speed. The magic is being replaced with reality. The cars are just regular electric vehicles, but with the Tesla magic still sprinkled on. You get Supercharger access, but some of them have waiting lines, you get great styling, but some reports of panel gaps. It may not come in the color you dreamed of getting. The charging still takes some time, and now the magic is in waiting for the base $35,000 car, the All Wheel drive, the standard battery, the full self driving...yes the reality is not as infatuating as the magic you imagined.

On the plus side...this is how the world works. This is why prostitutes get paid up front, why all the government projects cost 4X more than first announced, so they could get you to vote for the bonds to pay the bills. This is why that job you worked so hard to get, now seems not so great. This is why parents, who have so much promise for the future of their kids, get so broken hearted when they see them turning to drugs.

So while the Model 3 will not be as quickly produced and as low priced as promised, it is still a fantastic car, with tremendous capabilities and world altering promise. Owners drive them with pride, and are amazed at how much better they are than the gas guzzlers they replaced.

Keep the faith, but also keep your eye on the competition.

 

[anticitizen13.7]

OP has a valid point. When people were lining up to put down deposits, the idea of the Model 3 was magic. They saw a possibility of buying an aspirational Tesla for 1/2 the price of a Model S. Great range, performance, autopilot, fantastic styling, Supercharger access. Checked all the boxes for anyone wanting to run on Sunshine.

A Model S with equivalent range (300+ miles), premium interior, and Autopilot costs about 108k when I configured on Tesla’s website. That is roughly double the price of a Model 3 LR with Premium Upgrades and Autopilot.

Tesla did lower the cost for a long range premium EV quite dramatically.

I completely understand why people are disappointed at the delays in the more affordable Model 3 configurations. At this point, it’s either be patient or bail. I wouldn’t blame anyone for bailing because everyone’s situation is different. Tesla will deliver the SR and non-PUP vehicles eventually. Remember that people who ordered Model S 60 and 40 eventually did get the chance to buy the cars they reserved.

 

[IdaX]

.this is how the world works. This is why prostitutes get paid up front, why all the government projects cost 4X more than first announced, so they could get you to vote for the bonds to pay the bills. This is why that job you worked so hard to get, now seems not so great. This is why parents, who have so much promise for the future of their kids, get so broken hearted when they see them turning to drugs.

I nominate this for "Most Depressing TMC Post Ever"! Amazing use of Dark Tones and foretelling my kids future drug use!

 

[TEG]

It is hard to stay enthusiastic when it feels like you are being kicked in the groin repeatedly.
The expected delivery window keeps get pushed out over and over, and then all these reports of quality issues and problems with the cars that are being delivered...

Tesla Model 3 quality is terrible, but will it matter to buyers?

Also, each time I see news of senior people leaving, it makes me wonder what happened there.

Tesla loses one of its most senior engineers and director of manufacturing

Tesla’s Chief Accounting Officer leaves the automaker

 

[Lozza12]

I agree that stories about senior people leaving at Tesla causes doubt and can shake confidence.

People also need to keep some perspective. 400,000 forward orders was *always* going to take years to produce. Hell, Tesla only produced 100,000 cars last year in total.

Here in New Zealand I will wait 4 years for my 3. I reserved in April 2016 and RHD isn't being built until 2019/20! We also have no incentives.

 

[jomo25]

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I care enough to go out of my way to do a test drive. I have no doubt it's an impressive driving experience. The question I have to ask myself is if it's worth taking on additional debt at this point in time. I have enough to make a substantial down payment, but not enough to buy one cash.

Drive one if you get a chance. You’ll be surprised. I had an S. I have an X. But I prefer driving the 3 every day. It’s a much much more fun everyday car. I am blown away by it. And knowing I’m using about 25% less energy to do it is icing on the cake.

 

[igotzzoom]

I’m not ready to throw in the towel completely, but I guess the “Tesla Magic” has worn off a little.

 

[number12]

Should I short the stock because of this thread?

 

[Sandiegodoug]

I’m not ready to throw in the towel completely, but I guess the “Tesla Magic” has worn off a little.

Hang in there. The car is a blast to drive. It’s also very efficient and charges at home fast.
Very quick too. You will get use to lack of guages in front of you very quick. Car is a lot of fun to drive on curvy roads.

 

[iluvmacs]

But there are roughly 270,000,000 million cars in the US that will go 640 miles.

"270,000,000 million"... 270 million million... I think that's a little high ;-)

 

[Esme Es Mejor]

With all due respect to the commenters here that say, "If you can't wait, just buy a Model S/X!" Not all of us make mid-high six-figure incomes. Even at around $50,000, the Model 3 would be a big financial sacrifice and by far the most expensive car I've ever bought. Not everyone can just waltz in and plunk down six figures without a care.

Meh. I got a CPO Model S just over a year ago, and according to Kelley Blue Book, it’s cost me $800 of depreciation. That’s an amazingly cheap ownership experience.

Maybe a used Model 3 is in your future.

 

[bthienthai]

The longer I wait the more excited I get about the AWD and performance Model 3 and of course the Porsche Mission E. Come on...its a Porsche...it's an EV...what's not to get excited about. Yeah...no supercharger network for the Mission E....but it is CCS and chargers are out there and numbers are growing.

The Mission E would cost the equivalent of a model S. So, not everyone can afford that. Let's face it. The reason so many people are interested in M3 is because of its price.

 

[xav-]

I definitely want Tesla to succeed and was SOOOO excited to stand in line to reserve a sight unseen $35k Tesla on a cold 3/31/2016 Seattle morning. Over time, I the delays and underwhelming reveals wore on me, and found the $49k+ version of the Model 3 to be underwhelming after getting to spend a few hours with one. Cancelled, and now feel kinda silly for having lined up outside of a store to reserve the car... lesson learned!

what delays? It's on original schedule. if you had told me a year ago that by November 2017 there would be a guy in my office building driving a model 3 I would have thought you were nuts. I remember joking that "there would be at least 6 model 3s shipped in 2017, 7 if you include Elon's"

$49k for fully loaded except autopilot... 310 miles of range.. it's so much better in every way than the base $35k stripper. It's the best $14k ever spent. 200 miles is not enough anyway... once you take into account the cold, the battery degradation, the fact that you can't charge to 100 percent.. you are just better off buying an ICE...

And just to remind some people... model 3s going for $150 a day on Turo!!

 

[bthienthai]

I'm surprised that one vent thread got so many support, encouragement from everyone But I feel that the OP neglected to mention that he's disappointed not really because it's delayed but because when it's delayed, the chance of getting the 10k credit is becoming more unrealistic as the clock is ticking. I know for sure that a lot of people counted on buying an M3 at 35k so that with 10k credit, they'd be paying only 25K for it; it'd be like buying an Accord or Camry. Because he said so himself, that he's not in critical need of a third car right now. So, the delay itself isn't enough to change one's mind. It's losing the tax credit that make people want to cancel.
But it's kind of conflicting that he's not in critical need to buy a new car, but he's tired of waiting and is willing to look at the Bolt and others. That part I don't understand. It's similar to, "I'm not hungry right now. But I don't want to wait for a table at that fine steak restaurant. I think I'll go get a cheese burger somewhere".
Another thing people fail to mention, and this is something that has made me decide to stick with Tesla if I decide to buy an EV is their battery. I'm sure you guys have heard that their battery only degraded about 5% after 5 years or so? That is a major factor for me, versus going with the other guys whose battery we have no idea how it's going to perform. I would hate to spend 50k on the car to then shell out another 5k or more on the new battery down the road.
Don't get me wrong. I'm very much disappointed like the OP too. But, it's more in a sense that the actual cost of the car would be much more than projected. I anticipated that with the Auto Pilot option, it'd be around 35k after the tax credit. But now, it's going to be in the range of a well-optioned Mercedes C300. That is still stretchable for me, but the problem is the car doesn't look cool stock. You'd need new wheels, new interior (red or white) to make it look nicer. That would even stretch the price upward even more.