Model X Wannabe: How to convince the wife?

[Mdlxwannabe]

The "Christmas Dance" Easter Egg seems to impress people.
If that doesn't work, try: "The Model X is jewelry you can drive, yet is good for the environment and the future. Many celebrities own Model X's. The kids will love it too!"

Personally I own one for pragmatic purposes. It's the closest thing to a truck that I can buy right now that runs off my surplus solar power. I love not having to go to gas stations.

Good idea.... I may go the Solar strategy first as I believe the tax credit reduces by 5-6% this year.... Though, she may catch onto my tricks..

 

[Mdlxwannabe]

I upgraded from a 2003 Honda Pilot 195k miles and still going strong. For last two years I’ve been towing daily with the Pilot and that thing drinks gas to the ring of $750 a month, plus maintenance is insane on high mileage. The MX basically pays for itself with those gas savings and no monthly oil changes. The reason I chose Tesla was for autopilot as I work midnights and had issues with sleepy eyes at the danger hours around 5am...I call it life insurance. Can’t really say much that you already don’t know. Id say North America road trips, Tesla camper towing at RV parks would be the next best thing. Wait for the new million mile batteries / plaid powertrain and interior refresh...your so close!!

Thanks! I wouldn't consider myself close by any means, but at least I can live vicariously through you X owners

Yeah, i've recently had to do a 1.5K brake job on my 05 Pilot as well as drink gas prior to March of this year....

 

[DSolie]

Bring her down to Oly. She can drive the X.

 

[FoxSTL2HOU]

You claim she won't do a test drive, but will she go for a ride in someone else's Tesla, like you did?

My wife and I watched the X unveil together, and she was onboard from the start, even if we didn't purchase for another year.

I don't know about your wife's height, but mine appreciated being able to step into the car and stand in the center (6 seat no center console) and tighten the children's car seats vs the Rav4 where she struggled reaching them.

If you have frequent family/grandparents/other visitors, having a 6/7-seater to haul parents/kids/grandparents all in one vehicle is a plus.

Good luck.

 

[blitzpa]

Do you have dogs? Dog mode was the one feature that won my wife over. Not kidding she tells everyone that's why we bought it. Good luck.

 

[henderrj]

Free unlimited supercharging maybe a key. We got our S in Phoenix and drove it across country. I think the first five times we charged my wife said "this doesn't cost us anything?" Now she loves it when we drive up to a superchager. Of course you'll have to buy a CPO to get that now but they might change that again in a short while.Do make sure she knows that CPOs from Tesla have a 4-year warranty on them, for the most part.

 

[Zaxxon]

I bought a Model 3. A year later, her car was an X. As others have said, having a Tesla in the garage goes a long way toward putting another Tesla in the garage.

For my wife, it was a combo of things: the driving experience, environmental concerns (no more gasoline at our home), safety safety safety, never needing to stop for gas again...

We settled on the X as we wanted a 7-seat vehicle for times when we have extended family in town, carpooling, and road trips with others.

Have you considered a Y? If it's just your family of 4, you might be surprised at how well a Y works out. We've taken multiple long road trips in our 3 and it's amazing what it fits. I have no doubt that with 4 occupants the Y would fit anything you could possibly bring. The X is now only really needed for carrying more than 4 people plus a bunch of stuff. I mention this as cost seems to be a sticking point, and the Y could save you $25k vs a new X.

If you do go for an X, I generally recommend a new X vs used as the price has come down considerably while the range and reliability have both gone up considerably.

Whatever you decide, welcome. It's hard to describe how great it is to drive these cars

 

[Mdlxwannabe]

Thanks folks for the insight and support. Love the welcome, especially to a wannabe! Will keep tracking this forum through the upcoming months and share if and when I make any "progress"..

 

[ColdWeatherEV]

If she won't go for a test ride, I'd say your chances of convincing her are pretty slim. The X is a very expensive car and most people just can't get past the price. If she has any environmental tendencies, then I would work on that angle. It is much easier making the leap if she has any concern regarding air quality and climate change. If you feel that you can afford this car and you wife doesn't, then you need to have a serious discussion about money. Make sure that the car purchase will not diminish the things that she feels the money is better used for. Like others have said, you might have to wait until one of your vehicles is no longer serviceable, and then replace it with a couple year old Tesla. I'm sure that would be a much easier sell.

 

[dedicatedtek]

if price is the main issue, try:
https://ev-cpo.com/hunter/

several Pre-owned from Tesla, with warranty !

 

[Zorg]

Well, I have been driving a 3 for 18 months, and wife was driving older model S (which she loved). We test drove the X, and even took it home for one night. She was not completely convinced, but let me lease a new one last year. Well, fast forward 9 months, and I would have to pry it from her cold dead hands now... She loves the visibility, space and auto closing doors. Getting her into a Cybertruck is not going to be easy. Hope this helps.

 

[dmurphy]

What are some "practical" pointers I can ponder on as I strategize the next 3-6 months so that my wife is more amendable to the idea?

Have her whack a deer. My wife hit one in October (thankfully she was fine) - and after $21k, 5 months, 4 tow trucks, 2 body shops, one bankruptcy (the body shop, not me!) and one GM labor strike later .... it still wasn't right. After the 3rd post-repair failure, I said enough's enough and we had to get out of the Enclave. There was one - and only one - choice for us as a replacement. Didn't "love" the idea of spending almost $100k on a vehicle, but the appeal of being 100% electric was so strong. Never have to stop at a gas station again. Never have to smell exhaust. Never have to change oil, never spend excruciating hours with "The F&I" guy trying to buy a car. Never have to think about octanes or the smell of fuel or worry about your credit card getting skimmed at the pump again.

We started the experiment a year and a half ago when I replaced my Cadillac with a Model 3. Now the Model X is "her" car, and the transition is complete. It's a beautiful thing.

 

[Mdlxwannabe]

Have her whack a deer. My wife hit one in October (thankfully she was fine) - and after $21k, 5 months, 4 tow trucks, 2 body shops, one bankruptcy (the body shop, not me!) and one GM labor strike later .... it still wasn't right. After the 3rd post-repair failure, I said enough's enough and we had to get out of the Enclave. There was one - and only one - choice for us as a replacement. Didn't "love" the idea of spending almost $100k on a vehicle, but the appeal of being 100% electric was so strong. Never have to stop at a gas station again. Never have to smell exhaust. Never have to change oil, never spend excruciating hours with "The F&I" guy trying to buy a car. Never have to think about octanes or the smell of fuel or worry about your credit card getting skimmed at the pump again.

We started the experiment a year and a half ago when I replaced my Cadillac with a Model 3. Now the Model X is "her" car, and the transition is complete. It's a beautiful thing.


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WOW, thankfully your wife is fine.... Love the points you made;

Never have to stop at a gas station again. Never have to smell exhaust. Never have to change oil, never spend excruciating hours with "The F&I" guy trying to buy a car. Never have to think about octanes or the smell of fuel or worry about your credit card getting skimmed at the pump again.

 

[dlsspy]

Safety was the initial thing for us. We had to take a couple long drives every weekend. In addition to spending $400/mo on gas, sometimes we were just tired. EAP means more eyes on the road and they don't get tired. They also don't get distracted when someone yells.

Someone mentioned dog mode. It's pretty great when I have to run into a store or something. It would also work with humans. (though you can just leave the HVAC on normally when you're not mad at your SO).

We also have "bioweapon defense mode." Super appealing gimmick which ends up being huge for us. My wife has allergies sometimes, presses a button, and they go away. We also live in fire country. I've driven through really super heavy "dangerous -- don't go outside!" conditions without even noticing. We stopped to get a drink and my wife was trying to run back into the shop because the air was suddenly so bad. I had to point out that the magic of the car made it seem like we were in fresh air.

I almost never touch the outside of my car. Doors open when I get to it. If my hands are full, I just sit in and close the door with the brake pedal.

When someone parks too close to me, I just ask the car to get out of the spot so I can get in.

I only go to gas stations when I need to fill up a gas can for my chainsaw and/or ATV. When I get up in the morning, my car is fueled up and ready to go. This idea of finding a place to buy fuel from and paying whatever the current price is (haven't known for years) is an anachronism I don't care to go back to. You'd have to have a particularly specialized job these days to buy a horse to ride to work.