Over the past 3 years I've found these boards to be ridiculously valuable...in purchasing my Model S and now researching a Model X. I generally find the most value to come from those who share their real life experiences. Granted, I like a "white vs pearl" thread as much as the next guy, but those deep real life stories resonate the most. So I thought I'd share my journey here...not intended to incite any feedback, just want to share it for others to consider in their journey. Ok, ok...it's a bit of therapy for me too.
First of all, let's start with the facts. We're a young family (in our 30s) with three daughters (10, 8, and 5). Prior to hearing the word "Tesla" for the first time, our vehicle stable in the garage consisted of a 2008 Sequoia and a 2010 Prius. Very exciting stuff right there.
I won't recap the Model S journey but I purchased a P85 two years ago in March 2014. It quickly replaced the Sequoia as our go-to everyday family car and has even pitched in on numerous road trips (with my proudest moment being a Seattle -> Eugene, OR trip one spring break with our family of 5, my brother-in-law, and the dog...and all the spring break luggage!!!). The Sequoia is still critical as our outdoor adventure vehicle (skiing, biking, camping, etc).
Despite paying 2x+ for the MS versus any other car I've ever owned I have few regrets. I'm a complete Tesla fanboy. The MS has passed 30K miles over the past 2 years and has been rock solid. Only regret is that I added the "P" at the last minute. Sure, those "roller coaster" launches (as my kids call them) are cool, but it wears off and in retrospect I wouldn't go "P" again. Not worth the up-charge for us.
So we find ourselves facing a few facts:
- Model S: My youngest two are growing out of the rear-facing seats (plus, they actually dislike sitting back there now) so we're losing 2 seats of capacity. Also, I have the Resale Value Guarantee (RVG) which comes up in March 2017. Oh, one more weird quirk that I've seen referenced here before...my 8 year old very rarely gets car sick in the Sequoia. In the Model S she gets car sick all the time. It's become almost a guarantee on most drives in excess of 15 minutes. Odd.
- Sequoia: Coming up on 9 years of ownership, we've driven this thing hard. It's starting to show the wear. While it has been mechanically rock solid it's time for a change. We recently moved to a more rural area and my wife finds herself filling up the gas tank twice (and sometimes three times) a week. Plus, she is very interested in many of the new safety systems on new vehicles.
Our new goals are:
- Get additional seating back by upgrading the Model S to a Model X since the youngest are growing out of the jump seats
- With the resale values of the pre-autopilot MSs dropping, take advantage of the Resale Value Guarantee in March of 2017
- Replace the Sequoia with a newer, more fuel-efficient vehicle
So back in January we started to do some research and our thought process went as follows:
Option 1: Replace the Sequoia with a Model X. Keep the Model S. All Tesla!
This option died a quick death. As much as I wanted to will (and hack) the Model X to take over the "utility" from the Sequoia it was quickly obvious that wasn't happening. We ski virtually every weekend in the winter. Yes, there are hitch mount ski racks but they are a pain to use and not great for your equipment. In the Summer it's not crazy for our Sequoia to have 5 bikes on the rear hitch and a cargo box on top. We're extremely active outdoors and while the MX works great for a day hike, for anything with more cargo (+5 kids and a dog) the Model X just becomes a pain in the behind. Ski trip to Whistler a few weeks ago...skis/poles/boots in the roof box, clothes/groceries in the back of the Sequoia. So easy. No dealing with skis on the back (and taking them off to Supercharge). No looking into hacking a cargo box to the roof using suction (and loosing a door). Realization...this family still needs a traditional SUV/cargo hauler. Next option:
Option 2: We got our invite to the Meet Model X event in late February. Before this event I got really amped on a new plan...let's just swap out the MS now (trade-in value is still higher than my RVG) with a MX, live with it for a while, then trade in the Sequoia for either a basic SUV or something pre-owned for those rare times we needed it. Hope here was that the MX would give us more utility than the MS and we could minimize the ICE SUV need. Unfortunately our Meet Model X experience did the opposite of what Tesla was hoping. I've requested my $5K to be refunded. While I covered this in detail in the Meet X event thread, in short:
- We thought for sure we'd go 7 seats to retain the utility of our current 7 seat MS. We hated the 7 seat model. Third row felt way too claustrophobic for us. Much preferred the airy-ness and legroom of the 6-seat (plus I could fit a pair of skis down the middle if I was going skiing with less than my full family). Found ourselves a bit bummed that we'd be down seating for only 6 though (no more driving the family and in-laws together like we do today in the MS).
- While we liked the 6 seat version better, still some quirks. My wife felt like she was still slammed up against the doors despite having room in the middle (obvious that they just removed the middle seat). No arm rests.
- The quality problems on the vehicles at the event were significant. Second row seats that didn't work. Second row seat that squeaked loudly. Falcon Wing Door that had to be closed 4 times before it registered as closed. Frunk that required two employees to close. This scared us.
It has been a few weeks since that test drive and our conclusions are:
- Unlike the no-compromise MS, we're making compromises on the MX
- We love our MS so much, that we have faith that given time Tesla will address the quality issues
- We also hope that given some time Tesla will make some design tweaks to address those compromises (folding seats, arm rests, etc).
- Bottom line for me: I'm not trading a sedan (MS) for a much higher utility SUV (MX). It's an SUV that utility-wise gets me one additional seat (assuming 6-seat version) and some compromised utility (e.g. can put a roofbox on my MS, but not a MX).
Our current Option 3:
- Wait on the MX
- Request deposit refund (already done)
- Hope that over the next year there are design/utility tweaks
- As I approach next March (my two youngest will be grown out of the jump seats by then), evaluate where the RVG sits versus trade-in values. Assuming the RVG is a good deal (it's looking like it will be), execute the RVG and get a MX.
- In the interim, knowing that an ICE SUV is a big part of our family for the near future even post-MX, I have no problem spending a bit more on an SUV upgrade for my wife. Currently very interested in the Plug-In Hybrid T8 version of the Volvo XC90. Some concerns about reliability, but zero concerns about utility. Good cargo area, can put a box on top, bike rack on back, good to go. Plus the plug-in electric-only range will do wonders for my wife's "around town" driving during the week.
Whew. See, told you...typing that was therapy! I don't have many friends who would financially consider the XC90 let alone a MX. So this conversation has not been had outside my wife and me! I feel better. I'll wave to all you lucky MX owners from my MS for the next 12 months... ;-)
First of all, let's start with the facts. We're a young family (in our 30s) with three daughters (10, 8, and 5). Prior to hearing the word "Tesla" for the first time, our vehicle stable in the garage consisted of a 2008 Sequoia and a 2010 Prius. Very exciting stuff right there.
I won't recap the Model S journey but I purchased a P85 two years ago in March 2014. It quickly replaced the Sequoia as our go-to everyday family car and has even pitched in on numerous road trips (with my proudest moment being a Seattle -> Eugene, OR trip one spring break with our family of 5, my brother-in-law, and the dog...and all the spring break luggage!!!). The Sequoia is still critical as our outdoor adventure vehicle (skiing, biking, camping, etc).
Despite paying 2x+ for the MS versus any other car I've ever owned I have few regrets. I'm a complete Tesla fanboy. The MS has passed 30K miles over the past 2 years and has been rock solid. Only regret is that I added the "P" at the last minute. Sure, those "roller coaster" launches (as my kids call them) are cool, but it wears off and in retrospect I wouldn't go "P" again. Not worth the up-charge for us.
So we find ourselves facing a few facts:
- Model S: My youngest two are growing out of the rear-facing seats (plus, they actually dislike sitting back there now) so we're losing 2 seats of capacity. Also, I have the Resale Value Guarantee (RVG) which comes up in March 2017. Oh, one more weird quirk that I've seen referenced here before...my 8 year old very rarely gets car sick in the Sequoia. In the Model S she gets car sick all the time. It's become almost a guarantee on most drives in excess of 15 minutes. Odd.
- Sequoia: Coming up on 9 years of ownership, we've driven this thing hard. It's starting to show the wear. While it has been mechanically rock solid it's time for a change. We recently moved to a more rural area and my wife finds herself filling up the gas tank twice (and sometimes three times) a week. Plus, she is very interested in many of the new safety systems on new vehicles.
Our new goals are:
- Get additional seating back by upgrading the Model S to a Model X since the youngest are growing out of the jump seats
- With the resale values of the pre-autopilot MSs dropping, take advantage of the Resale Value Guarantee in March of 2017
- Replace the Sequoia with a newer, more fuel-efficient vehicle
So back in January we started to do some research and our thought process went as follows:
Option 1: Replace the Sequoia with a Model X. Keep the Model S. All Tesla!
This option died a quick death. As much as I wanted to will (and hack) the Model X to take over the "utility" from the Sequoia it was quickly obvious that wasn't happening. We ski virtually every weekend in the winter. Yes, there are hitch mount ski racks but they are a pain to use and not great for your equipment. In the Summer it's not crazy for our Sequoia to have 5 bikes on the rear hitch and a cargo box on top. We're extremely active outdoors and while the MX works great for a day hike, for anything with more cargo (+5 kids and a dog) the Model X just becomes a pain in the behind. Ski trip to Whistler a few weeks ago...skis/poles/boots in the roof box, clothes/groceries in the back of the Sequoia. So easy. No dealing with skis on the back (and taking them off to Supercharge). No looking into hacking a cargo box to the roof using suction (and loosing a door). Realization...this family still needs a traditional SUV/cargo hauler. Next option:
Option 2: We got our invite to the Meet Model X event in late February. Before this event I got really amped on a new plan...let's just swap out the MS now (trade-in value is still higher than my RVG) with a MX, live with it for a while, then trade in the Sequoia for either a basic SUV or something pre-owned for those rare times we needed it. Hope here was that the MX would give us more utility than the MS and we could minimize the ICE SUV need. Unfortunately our Meet Model X experience did the opposite of what Tesla was hoping. I've requested my $5K to be refunded. While I covered this in detail in the Meet X event thread, in short:
- We thought for sure we'd go 7 seats to retain the utility of our current 7 seat MS. We hated the 7 seat model. Third row felt way too claustrophobic for us. Much preferred the airy-ness and legroom of the 6-seat (plus I could fit a pair of skis down the middle if I was going skiing with less than my full family). Found ourselves a bit bummed that we'd be down seating for only 6 though (no more driving the family and in-laws together like we do today in the MS).
- While we liked the 6 seat version better, still some quirks. My wife felt like she was still slammed up against the doors despite having room in the middle (obvious that they just removed the middle seat). No arm rests.
- The quality problems on the vehicles at the event were significant. Second row seats that didn't work. Second row seat that squeaked loudly. Falcon Wing Door that had to be closed 4 times before it registered as closed. Frunk that required two employees to close. This scared us.
It has been a few weeks since that test drive and our conclusions are:
- Unlike the no-compromise MS, we're making compromises on the MX
- We love our MS so much, that we have faith that given time Tesla will address the quality issues
- We also hope that given some time Tesla will make some design tweaks to address those compromises (folding seats, arm rests, etc).
- Bottom line for me: I'm not trading a sedan (MS) for a much higher utility SUV (MX). It's an SUV that utility-wise gets me one additional seat (assuming 6-seat version) and some compromised utility (e.g. can put a roofbox on my MS, but not a MX).
Our current Option 3:
- Wait on the MX
- Request deposit refund (already done)
- Hope that over the next year there are design/utility tweaks
- As I approach next March (my two youngest will be grown out of the jump seats by then), evaluate where the RVG sits versus trade-in values. Assuming the RVG is a good deal (it's looking like it will be), execute the RVG and get a MX.
- In the interim, knowing that an ICE SUV is a big part of our family for the near future even post-MX, I have no problem spending a bit more on an SUV upgrade for my wife. Currently very interested in the Plug-In Hybrid T8 version of the Volvo XC90. Some concerns about reliability, but zero concerns about utility. Good cargo area, can put a box on top, bike rack on back, good to go. Plus the plug-in electric-only range will do wonders for my wife's "around town" driving during the week.
Whew. See, told you...typing that was therapy! I don't have many friends who would financially consider the XC90 let alone a MX. So this conversation has not been had outside my wife and me! I feel better. I'll wave to all you lucky MX owners from my MS for the next 12 months... ;-)