I've seen the car (RWD) and based on other annoyance factors (like the lack of a key fob, lack of instrument cluster, lack of quality on the build, etc) - I'd put the value of the car around $50k.
I read all those posts too before I got my 3. I would have never bought my S if I didn't have the basic understanding that when something goes wrong, people go to complain on a forum. You should have seen all the things said to be wrong with the S in 2013 when I bought. But I knew that when things work fine, few if any come to a forum to post "all is well". That's why you can't rely on
anecdotal evidence on forums, regardless of how many people post about it because there's thousands more people out there not posting. So here's some facts for you:
Car Brands Ranked by Owner Satisfaction
If all your negative posts about Tesla are really true, it would not have the highest "would buy again" of any car maker -- 90% -- and that question is the best test of customer satisfaction. It's the highest by far -- as you will note.
But the fob issue was a concern, especially since my wife would be driving it a lot and she's not great at even knowing how to turn on blue tooth on her phone. But I showed her the card, how it works too, it's in her wallet, but it's not been needed since it's worked flawlessly with her iphone (knock wood). It works great too with my android too. I find it one of the best features of the car. I wish my S had it too.
I love how people are shouting "take my money!!" about this car without considering it's short comings.
I couldn't shout loud enough after having my S for over 4 years now and counting, and this summer so far has been great with our 3. It's an unbelievable car. I'm still looking for the shortcomings.
No official comments by Tesla, very disappointing. No phone call, no e-mail, no update on my ordering page, absolutely zero communication. No mention of any goodwill gesture (hey, how about free EAP to make up for some of this?).
Tesla rushes these cars up to us so we can take advantage of our rebates before they go away, and most of us here SHOUTED: jump in fast because the Ontario rebate can't last long regardless of who is in power. $14k to Tesla owners for an expensive vehicle was just too good to last. Heck, even $5k in BC is going away -- and the fact that we're all mortal, made me jump in and not wait for AWD, and I
really wanted AWD.
Another huge potential problem is the low number of service centers in Ontario. I wonder what will happen if my car breaks down - it has to be towed, a rental arranged, repaired etc... this could take weeks or months if going by experiences in other threads. Again, was willing to overlook this - now I am more and more unsure.
The same was said here -- when I bought there was only one very small shop on Powell St. for everyone in Western Canada -- and they sold a ton of Teslas out here. Yet, I've never had better service from any other car maker, including BMW -- and it continues to this day. In fact, I have a couple of issues with my 3 (condensation in tail light and glove box latch) and they keep calling me to do a mobile repair, but I keep putting them off since I'm back and forth with it to my cabin and work -- and there's just no time in the summer for the fix. Too much fun with the car!
The build quality means that the depreciation will likely be very high (I pretty much will assume the car will probably be close to $0 after 5 yrs)... that means the present value should be much less than they're asking.
Same was said about the S. Again, the facts:
Tesla Model S retains its value better than gas-powered cars in its segment, losing only 28% after 50k miles
Plus, if you're concerned about money and resale value, how much is gas in Ontario? I've had my S over 4 years now, no oil changes, no new brakes, -- only wipers, washer fluid and new tires. I've saved huge on gas, etc, and I plan to keep it 8 - 10 years. By that time, it will have cost me about the same as a Camry, and that's without a $14k rebate on a less expensive car -- the 3. That's going to cost people a whole lot less when all is said and done for most of us who keep and cherish them -- but you seem to only think depreciation after a few years -- all cars do that -- and Tesla hold out better than others. Add the other savings and the comparison is out the window.
And people got $14k off on it in Ontario and waited for AWD and now blame Tesla when the rebate is gone? That gave me a really good laugh. We all shouted at you to order, and to Tesla to TAKE OUR MONEY!!!
