New Tesla X owner - where to start!

[plodge]

Hey everyone

I'm looking at buying an X. I've had a few i3s, great cars, little go karts, but my wife refused to take it on longer trips because of the comedy charging network. I've had a few squeeky bum moments, so I can't really blame her. Every EV will have this problem for a few years yet, except Tesla, so that becomes our first choice. I want a spacious car, the X is it.

Are there any good buying guides you can all recommend? Basic options that are musts? I've looked at new or nearly new on the Tesla site and have been for a chat at Heathrow. I have seen some horror stories of the used cars tho direct from Tesla which is a concern.

Also spoken to RSymonds, another viable option if new starts to get too rich if the minimum viable spec gets a bit fruity on price, with the caveat you rely on the remaining manufacturer warranty is my understanding.

Whilst the prospect is exciting, it's a sizeable investment and I want a very informed choice.

Thanks so much!

 

[Akikiki]

Teslatap.com and These guys

 

[LK06]

The S is a very spacious car too. Had one as a courtesy car and could fit more in than our Tiguan.

A post 16 facelift on auto trader brings the price much lower compared to brand new.

 

[gangzoom]

Buying new your choices are simple, only one battery size, and you will know if you want to pay the extra £5k for 'Full Self Driving'.

Main decision will be seating options and interior colours, which trust me makes a massive difference to how the car feels.

We have a 6 seater with white leather. The criticism of the 6 seater is the 2nd row doesn't fold flat. However the 2nd row is fully motorized and the gap in the middle makes the 3rd row usable. I had a 5 seater X as a loaner a few times, and to be frank found the 2nd row bench seat pretty low rent for a 6 figure sum car.

If you must have a folding 2nd row than 5/7 sester is the best option, but the 6 seater is hardly short on boot space, I've had a 3 seater sofa in the back and a toddler bed with no issues.

The loaners all had black leather seats which I can understand why. But for personal ownership the extra brightness the white leather brings to the cabin is fantastic, add in the massive windscreen and there really is no other car in production that gives you such a special feeling when you get in.

Find a nice view, park up, crank up the tunes, and it really is the very definition of chilling!!!

Also don't worry about cleaning and the white leather, my daughter isn't exactly careful in the car, am sure this bit of brown was mainly dirt not poo, but a wet wipe later and all gone!!

As for problems, its a Tesla........If you want reliable motoring, hassle free motoring buy a Lexus RX. Our X is the most unreliable car I have ever owned, and software update issues, suspension failure, boot not shutting, drivers seat playing up the list is so long I've given up counting.

HOWEVER the experience it delivers is so good, I would not trade it in for any other car on sale today, and our other car is a Lexus, whilst I've owned 5 Nissan in the past so reliability is usually important to me.

I've written this before, I see the X like the mate at Uni who you know is abit unreliable but every night out you go on with them is hilarious, and ultimately all of us love drama/fun.

You can probably tell I absolutely love ours, as someone who at one point changed 3 cars in 6 months because I didn't like them, the X has got under my skin like nothing else.

The biggest failure of any car for me is been boring and soulless, which is often a criticism people make of EVs, but trust me they haven't owned a X. Coming up to 45k miles of ownership and I still smile every time I get into the drivers seat.

For me our X is so good I now see it as part of the family, and like all family you accept things are never going to be 100% perfect, but often you love them more because of the imperfections......Yeaph I just compared a bit of metal to flesh and blood, however neither my wife or my daughter wouldnt disagree (I think) .

 

[Lickrob]

I want a spacious car, the X is it.

Have you considered the Model Y?

 

[Jason71]

Have you considered the Model Y?

I am guessing he wants it now not in 18 months time

 

[plodge]

That's a passionate post- thanks White agreed, I drove one in San Fran a few weeks ago with the white interior, lovely.

Buying new your choices are simple, only one battery size, and you will know if you want to pay the extra £5k for 'Full Self Driving'.

Main decision will be seating options and interior colours, which trust me makes a massive difference to how the car feels.

We have a 6 seater with white leather. The criticism of the 6 seater is the 2nd row doesn't fold flat. However the 2nd row is fully motorized and the gap in the middle makes the 3rd row usable. I had a 5 seater X as a loaner a few times, and to be frank found the 2nd row bench seat pretty low rent for a 6 figure sum car.

If you must have a folding 2nd row than 5/7 sester is the best option, but the 6 seater is hardly short on boot space, I've had a 3 seater sofa in the back and a toddler bed with no issues.

The loaners all had black leather seats which I can understand why. But for personal ownership the extra brightness the white leather brings to the cabin is fantastic, add in the massive windscreen and there really is no other car in production that gives you such a special feeling when you get in.

Find a nice view, park up, crank up the tunes, and it really is the very definition of chilling!!!

Also don't worry about cleaning and the white leather, my daughter isn't exactly careful in the car, am sure this bit of brown was mainly dirt not poo, but a wet wipe later and all gone!!

As for problems, its a Tesla........If you want reliable motoring, hassle free motoring buy a Lexus RX. Our X is the most unreliable car I have ever owned, and software update issues, suspension failure, boot not shutting, drivers seat playing up the list is so long I've given up counting.

HOWEVER the experience it delivers is so good, I would not trade it in for any other car on sale today, and our other car is a Lexus, whilst I've owned 5 Nissan in the past so reliability is usually important to me.

I've written this before, I see the X like the mate at Uni who you know is abit unreliable but every night out you go on with them is hilarious, and ultimately all of us love drama/fun.

You can probably tell I absolutely love ours, as someone who at one point changed 3 cars in 6 months because I didn't like them, the X has got under my skin like nothing else.

The biggest failure of any car for me is been boring and soulless, which is often a criticism people make of EVs, but trust me they haven't owned a X. Coming up to 45k miles of ownership and I still smile every time I get into the drivers seat.

For me our X is so good I now see it as part of the family, and like all family you accept things are never going to be 100% perfect, but often you love them more because of the imperfections......Yeaph I just compared a bit of metal to flesh and blood, however neither my wife or my daughter wouldnt disagree (I think) .

 

[plodge]

Have you considered the Model Y?

I hadn't, but I'm after a car 'now'. If the Y interior is the same as the 3 then surely someone's going to have a crash one day taking their eye off the road trying to put the fan on. I'm not so sure I like the stark interior, nor the orientation of the display as to my eye it's looks bizarre.

X, or if my wife doesn't like the size of it, the S methinks. The Tesla dealer and used I'm nervous about, so it's either a low spec new X from Tesla, or a good spec used from RSymonds.

Unless the experts here think a used from Tesla direct is viable given the forum posts about others buying experiences?

Ta

 

[Jason71]

I hadn't, but I'm after a car 'now'. If the Y interior is the same as the 3 then surely someone's going to have a crash one day taking their eye off the road trying to put the fan on. I'm not so sure I like the stark interior, nor the orientation of the display as to my eye it's looks bizarre.

X, or if my wife doesn't like the size of it, the S methinks. The Tesla dealer and used I'm nervous about, so it's either a low spec new X from Tesla, or a good spec used from RSymonds.

Unless the experts here think a used from Tesla direct is viable given the forum posts about others buying experiences?

Ta

the lack of availability of the Y now or any fixed date in the future to get one is a totally valid reason not to concider it. As is the the relative lack of space a good reason not to buy an M3. But if the only reasons you don't like the M3 are those above listed above you might want to at least take a test drive. There are not many people who have driven one who retain that kind of reservation once they have actually tried it. Pretty much anything else feels very cluttered and dated ( OK maybe not the S and X ( well maybe just a little bit)).
I get the heater controls part. It's not my favourite part of the M3 experience TBH but its not like it's something you suddenly need to access mid overtake or while turning right. it's like the radio on any car. You adjust it when it's safe to do so. The voice control is not quite there yet but it is getting better and better (OTA updates gotta love em) so the need to use the screen for stuff like heater controls is getting less and less anyway.

 

[gangzoom]

The advantage of buying new from Tesla is you know you are getting the latest hardware, and Tesla tend to change things often. AP hardware, MCU, Raven drivetrain all have been introduced since when we took delivery in 2017.

None of those things are dramatic changes but been humans we all like to have the latest and best, though any brand new Tesla now will be superseded by future hardware changes too.

The main disadvantage of buying new is ofcourse price, a 6 seater X with white interior is now just shy of £100k, we paid £71k for ours new. So you can see Tesla have little interest in pushing X sales at present.

Used prices are falling to more sensible levels now, but even so you still need £50k to get into a 3 year old X, when a 1 year barely used ex demo iPace is now cheaper with less miles. Am not sure that is an example of Tesla's holding their value or Jaguar's poor residuals.

Buying a CPO X from Tesla will get you better warranty cover, though actually am happy to run our X without a warranty and will be doing so.

I would say getting the right seat/colour combination is probably the most important bit of picking a X that suits your needs, and than it case of how much you want to pay.....

 

[gangzoom]

Have you considered the Model Y?

The Y is going to be great, but the stuff it misses is the stuff that makes the X just that bit more special....

• Powered doors, once you get use to them its hard to go back to a car where you jave to manually touch the doors, its just seems a bit uncivilized.
• The massive windscreen, every other car feels claustrophobic in comparison.
• The rear FWDs for nursery runs, its unbeatable for loading/unloading little people. The FWD also work well as an umbrella when raining.
• The ability to actually take 6 people in comfort, the Y will be a 7 seater but by the looks of the space in the back its barely usable. Where as am taking a full car 5 adults + 1 toddler on a 1000 mile road trip to Scotland this summer.

My biggest disappointment on the Y has to be the lack of powered doors and rear FWDs. When I have to manually open the doors to my wifes Lexus it really is like giving up a TV remote and having to manually press buttons again. My wife calls the X a 'pansy' car, I don't disagree, but I think the reality is she just jealous I get to drive it every day .

I understand why Tesla haven't bothered with making the Y as complicated, the X was/is a production pain, but the result is a truly unique car, there is literally nothing else on the road like it!!

 

[Jason71]

My biggest disappointment on the Y has to be the lack of powered doors and rear FWDs. When I have to manually open the doors to my wifes Lexus it really is like giving up a TV remote and having to manually press buttons again. My wife calls the X a 'pansy' car, I don't disagree, but I think the reality is she just jealous I get to drive it every day .

I understand why Tesla haven't bothered with making the Y as complicated, the X was/is a production pain, but the result is a truly unique car, there is literally nothing else on the road like it!!

You mean because they want normal people to buy it not just Pansy's? Well that and being able to build it in volume and sell it at a price point where enough people can afford it for it to be a mass market car, but mainly the pansy thing.

 

[gangzoom]

^The Y is looking like a fab car, and we will probably get one to replace my wife's car. But the X has spoilt me, once you get use to things like powered doors manual doors just seem so basic. Why would you want to give up powered doors - which is useful every single time you want to drive, for a car without powered doors?

I once even thought about buying a VX220 as a daily driver, once I contoured my self to get in the heater hardly worked!! But these days I wish the EU allow advanced summon to work so the car can met me half way down the car park and save me walking a few more meters.....Yeaph I've changed what I enjoy in cars .

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

In the UK, here Tesla Info: A buyers guide, worldwide inventory listings and support for owners

As well as all the listings they have buyers guides, FAQs, market comparisons, depreciation info... nobody comes close

 

[Yev000]

going to have a crash one day taking their eye off the road trying to put the fan on

Not trying to be funny, but I've never had a car that had fan controls on the steering wheel....

The model 3 is also fully controllable via voice. "set fan to #" etc. via steering wheel

The Y will also be way more reliable than an X New Tesla Model Y Wiring System Is Revolutionary