OWNERS! - do you get awkward questions about price tag?

[kinddog]

Wondering if, after showing the car to friends and/or family, there are any uncomfortable questions or conversations like:

"wow great car, how much did this set you back?"
"this model was about $85k"
"uhh... wow... okay... didn't know Initech paid so well for those TPS reports."
"uhh... yeah, so... wanna get some pizza?"

i mean, this car should come with a bumper sticker that says "I am either a historically irresponsible financial decision maker - or - I have more money than I possibly know what to do with. You decide."

 

[Robert.Boston]

My answer is "The base model costs about $50 grand after the federal tax credit." Outside the family, it's no one's business to know what I paid for the car. Talking about money isn't polite.

 

[efusco]

I just say "It's a high end luxury car, but Tesla's planning on making a more affordable version that just about anyone can afford in a few years." I admit that it's far outside my usual car budget but that I believe in and want to support the technology and that this is THE car I've been waiting for for 7 or 8 years and want to support the company that finally built it.

 

[mfarendt]

Or use the quote from Ferris - "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

 

[kinddog]

Or use the quote from Ferris - "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

 

[contaygious]

I get snarky "how much did that coat you?" comments sometimes. Probably more often then I think considering I can't hear people talking with windows up and music on.

 

[FlasherZ]

I say the following:

"Here's how I paid for it... first, the US gives us $7,500 in a tax credit on federal taxes; Illinois (as broke as we are) gives us $4,000 in a rebate. I'll save $40,000 over 150,000 miles in gasoline compared to my Suburban or Traverse. So now the car comes down to about $50,000 - as well-configured as it is. Normally, I keep cars for 5 years or so; instead, I stretched my Suburban to nearly 10 years now, and my wife stretched her Imapala to 8 years...so rather than buy new cars, we saved the dollars and invested them in this car. I'm still making an investment in our future -- in electric cars -- but in a few years, Tesla will have this down to a car that practically pays for itself over the life of it."

 

[bonnie]

My answer is "The base model costs about $50 grand after the federal tax credit." Outside the family, it's no one's business to know what I paid for the car. Talking about money isn't polite.

+1 That's how I've always handled the question when asked about my Roadster ... Sport ... with carbon fiber ... and and and. Only twice has someone said, 'but how much did THIS car cost?'. I've just smiled and repeated the cost of the base model. Or that this car isn't manufactured anymore. And then move onto the Model S and Gen III.

 

[ElSupreme]

I get that question all the time. I used to try to beat around the bush and say it starts at 50k and what not. Now I sort of sheepishly say it costs "85 grand ... but I save $300+ in fuel every month, I get 12 grand in rebates, ... but it is still a stupidly expensive car."

It isn't hard to look up the price. It is fairly obvious I got the 85kWh pack. You are at 80k right there. It isn't like they wont find out. It is fairly obvious it is a stupidly expensive car.

My wife has a bunch of friends and acquaintances that are way more wealthy than I am. And I was the kid on full scholarship at the high end private school in Tampa for 4 years. And I generally am not jealous of what they have at all, as long as they are gracious about their wealth and toys. I have no animosity towards them. I think this is a pretty common feeling so I don't worry about it as much. I used to but not really anymore.

Not to mention I am highly educated, have a professional job, and am really good at what I do (and pretty much everyone else can see that). I am young and don't have kids or other large expenses (I bought a cheap house) why not splurge on a car. Plus in Atlanta having a flashy car is not that uncommon, so that helps a bunch.

At work it is a little delicate about price but they are going to sit in my car, I'll punch it, and then they will think I got the performance unless I tell them otherwise.

The people who care how much money you make are the people who are going to go look up the cost online.

 

[kinddog]

Outside the family, it's no one's business to know what I paid for the car. Talking about money isn't polite.

I totally agree. Unfortunately most other people's parents did not do as good a job raising them as ours did us.

Still tough economic times, and haters gonna hate whether they bring it up to you, or just think it in their beanie little heads behind your back. Or get in the car with their spouse to go home and all be talkin smack about you to make them feel better about their own pathetic lives.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

I would simply direct them to some parallel territory... "It's in the same price range as a top-of-the-line Audi or BMW."

Funny, it's the opposite problem when you drive a Ferrari. People assume that the car cost you a million dollars, when you might have paid $50K for it.

 

[Arnold Panz]

I get this question a lot. Most people are pleasantly surprised to know that at its most expensive it's about $100k. Just based on looks alone people figure it's in the Maserati/Bentley price range. Truth be told, most people, when you tell them it's all electric, goes up to 300 miles on a charge, show them the frunk, explain that it's faster than a Porsche or BMW M5 etc. etc., they're shocked that it's "only" $100k (or less).

When people ask about the price of my specific car, I non-answer the question by talking about total cost of ownership -- no oil changes, no transmissions that can die, no gas to pay etc., and say that for the 5-7 years I plan on having the car, it will cost me the equivalent of a $40-$50k car, and for the 40 kWh or 60 kWh versions it's even cheaper to own over the long haul. That discussion usually gets them distracted from the specific price of my car.

 

[jbherman]

If I choose to answer this rude question (it depends on how well I know the person asking and if it's a business or personal relationship), I either say "it's expensive, but competitively priced for what you get" or "similar to a Porsche Panamera, but the performance and investment are better in the end." If I'm feeling truly offended, I might just say "what's your income and I'll tell you if you can afford it?!" I haven't gone that route yet!

 

[NigelM]

I get this question a lot. Most people are pleasantly surprised to know that at its most expensive it's about $100k. Just based on looks alone people figure it's in the Maserati/Bentley price range. Truth be told, most people, when you tell them it's all electric, goes up to 300 miles on a charge, show them the frunk, explain that it's faster than a Porsche or BMW M5 etc. etc., they're shocked that it's "only" $100k (or less).

Same here.

My response is that "...prices go from 50 something to over 100..." then if the follow up comes asking about mine specifically I just say that "...well, I couldn't resist all the extras..." and smile. If my wife gets asked she just says "I don't know, my husband bought it for me as a gift...", that gets a few chuckles and an occasional jaw-drop.

 

[Discoducky]

Tell them about your great PenFed loan rate!

 

[Joel]

My answer is "The base model costs about $50 grand after the federal tax credit." Outside the family, it's no one's business to know what I paid for the car. Talking about money isn't polite.

+1. That is my response. Verbatim.

 

[carrerascott]

"Cheaper than the most expensive Audi's, Mercedes, etc."

or

"It cost me $0 in gas."

 

[SCW-Greg]

Everybody has a vice. Some it's skiing, jet bikes, boating, traveling, a 2nd home... some all the above. For me it's this car.
If it was any other car it may not pencil out, but it's the only one solves so many problems at once. If I'm going to put money down, I couldn't think of a better place, or for more pure enjoyment than this.

 

[dave]

The problem is that currently the car IS a toy for the rich... If you can't afford a top end Audi or BMW you can't afford this car either. We've justified the price tag to ourselves for various performance/political/environmental reasons, but the car is still very expensive and out of the reach of most people.

I am the one person in my family circle who has worked his butt off, got a decent job, and can (barely) afford this car. I'm finding it very awkward now to explain the price tag to friends and family. As much as I justify it, the reality is that none of them could afford it, regardless of how much of a "value" it is, or how good it is for the environment, etc...

Part of the problem is that I didn't think the car would be so stunning in person. (I bought it without ever seeing one). I was thinking it would be more of a "stealth" car, but everyone goes nuts when they see it, drooling over the door handles, etc. I'm not a big fan of all the attention its getting so far.

 

[Mike_Schlechter]

Wondering if, after showing the car to friends and/or family, there are any uncomfortable questions or conversations like:

I basically explain that I started saving for this car before it was even announced, and that I accept the high upfront costs being offset by low ownership costs - much like my PV system. And, like my PV system, I financed it, so it isn't as if I laid down all $80k at once.

When I told a guy who stopped me on the street my cost was around $80k, he said it was about $120k less than he thought the car was. There are a ton of cost perception issues out there, and as an early adopter of green tech I am fairly used to this dance.

Also, I totally agree the actual costs is a private matter, and haven't told anyone but my wife the actual cost I paid out upfront or financed.