Please help me to understand about Tesla

[Brass Guy]

To respond to @loanchau2k concerns: no, you do not have to spend more money on your Tesla if you don't want to. I've had my MS over 7 years, and the only upgrade I purchased were brighter LEDs for both trunks.
I did purchase a set of wheels and tires for the winter, but I don't consider that an upgrade.
I wash and wax it a couple times a year when I have the chance.

Spend thousands more if you like, don't if you don't like.

 

[Pianewman]

True but if the cops had the ability to override the vehicle's settings they could remotely change the color, pattern of any wanted vehicle to orange, like a jail uniform.

HAHAHA! They could also dial down the electronics and immobilize it.

 

[GeezerSquid]

loanchau2k, you're missind the point - it's my car so I must brand it. And "ANYTHING WORTH DOING IS WORTH OVER DOING!!!

 

[FredMertz]

I posted this on another thread, but really want to create this own thread since I really don't understand and I worry that I have to spend money on my future MY. This is my first time to get involved with "Tesla owners". I was amazed by how people obsessed with Tesla. Let me know if this is true. I own many luxury cars, BMW, BENZ and Lexus, I never bother to spend any money after I bought those cars. I just buy them, drive them, don't take care of them that much, then sell them. To me, it's just a car, it helps you to get to A to B, that's it. But I spent brief time looking at this forum, I see people spent like thousands of dollars after they buy the Tesla. To me, a company like Tesla, BMW, or Lexus they already spent a lot of money on R&D to make the car looks good already, why spending more money to make Tesla look different. Does this forum represent a minority of Tesla owners or the majority? I have to admit, I am not obsessed with Tesla, the reason I buy Tesla because Tesla has 3 years ahead of other EV makers, and I just want to drive EV from now solely because of "GREEN". I plan to spend zero $ on Tesla after I buy it. Just drive then sell it. The care should serve me, not me serving the car. Looking at this forum, it looks like people serve their Tesla rather than let the car Tesla serve them. I could be wrong though...
This really makes me think that do Tesla vehicles are that bad so people have to spend money to look better and spend money to protect it. Speaking of protection, I never even think about protecting car's paint for my entire life? Why people spend money to protect Tesla's paint? because it's that bad? I see people in this forum spend like 10K to protect Tesla. I am sorry, but I really don't understand the rationale. First of all, if you spend 10K to protect the paint, would you be better off to repaint it. I really don't understand, help me out. Now, I worry about my future Tesla, I really don't want to spend any money on it. I worry that I have to spend because of Tesla's quality.
So the question is, do I really have to spend money on Tesla after I buy it, otherwise my Tesla will be bad. If this is the case, I might think to cancel my $100. I never have to spend any money on my other luxury cars after I bought them, except fixing the car issues off course

FWIW, I’ve been on Jeep, Porsche and Volvo forums and people are equally (if not more, as in the case of Jeep Wranglers) as obsessed with after-market upgrades, gadgets and gizmos. There are just people in the word more interested in this kind of stuff than you. Oddly enough, different people like different things to different extents.

 

[loanchau2k]

Thank you so much for inputs, guys. Again, I am sorry if my comments might offend people, I did not mean to. Just want to understand that do I have to spend money on Tesla for post-purchase. I don't plan to do anything with paint protection since I don't care about little scratches that much, but it seems like not a good idea according to this forum since most people think it's worth it to do it. I don't plan to keep any car for more than 5 years, I wonder without doing paint protection would affect the resale values? Can someone shed a light on this? Thx

 

[tashtibet]

I was never a car person but waited 2 years, 2 months & 6 days for my 2018 M3-and instantly bought TSLA-now I'm loaded-this is the pure magic of Tesla.
If you keep wondering, speculating, asking-you will be left far behind like all the legacy auto manufacturers.
PS: I was never interested in buying stocks either .....until

 

[NY_Rob]

...I don't plan to keep any car for more than 5 years, I wonder without doing paint protection would affect the resale values? Can someone shed a light on this? Thx

It depends on where and how much you drive your vehicle...

I've seen 2 year old cars that have been run through the mean streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn that look like they were used for target practice, driven in a bumper car track and never washed since new, then you see 5 year old cars from out on Long island that look like brand new because people actually have the ability to wash them, etc.... The nicer cars usually go for considerably more then the NYC driven cars.

 

[loanchau2k]

@tashtibet , me too. I am for sure not a car guy. But I do like EVs because I am a "green" guy. I believe EV is the future. All legacy auto manufacturers will have a hard time to transition to EVs. I believe they have to give up on ICE and 100% focus on EV, otherwise, they cannot compete with pure 100% EV manufacturers. Nokia, Kodak, Blockbuster are perfect examples that companies try to hold on to their legacy business that make them so rich, but in the end, it's too late for them to change.
Speaking of TSLA, yah, I missed this one. But I got into NIO, 5000 shares of it at $5. NIO totally fund %100 of this Model Y for me
To be honest, EV stocks seem like the Internet bubble, but for sure they are the future. You just have to choose the winner, investors have always said AMZN is the bubble since the company was listed in the stock market

 

[cusetownusa]

This is not unique to Tesla. Every car forum has people talking about accessories, etc. try hanging out in any one of the Jeep forums.

 

[captanzuelo]

I wonder without doing paint protection would affect the resale values? Can someone shed a light on this? Thx

Highly unlikely. I got ceramic coating because it makes it easier to keep the car clean. Had nothing to do with future resale value.

 

[Uncle Paul]

No biggie here. Some want to accessorize their vehicles, and others find it hard to justify the costs. Like most, I have been driving my stock Tesla for years. It looks and works great. Others wish to spend some $ to make them look a little more custom or shiny.

People should understand that different people have different motivations, and not get too judgemental when others do things you would not justify yourself.

 

[jcanoe]

I'm waiting for the first jingle Tesla. Colorful ‘Jingle Trucks’ Rule the Road in Pakistan

 

[mark95476]

(Opinion: This is weak bait)

 

[bbwex]

As for the OP's thought that a car is just a means to get from point A to point B, I agree that when the car won't do that any longer, it is time to get rid of it! That being said, I agree with many others on this thread that some people will do all kinds of things to make their car unique, and others just leave things as they are. Having had a Porsche and been on their owners' groups, trust me, whatever people are doing to their Tesla's is minor compared to what some of those buyers spend in the first place, and then spend to tweak them just a tiny bit more, etc., etc. Certainly people interested enough to be on these forums are more likely to be the ones doing one thing or another to their cars, but no more than any other brand.

 

[origingalatic]

As for the OP's thought that a car is just a means to get from point A to point B, I agree that when the car won't do that any longer, it is time to get rid of it! That being said, I agree with many others on this thread that some people will do all kinds of things to make their car unique, and others just leave things as they are. Having had a Porsche and been on their owners' groups, trust me, whatever people are doing to their Tesla's is minor compared to what some of those buyers spend in the first place, and then spend to tweak them just a tiny bit more, etc., etc. Certainly people interested enough to be on these forums are more likely to be the ones doing one thing or another to their cars, but no more than any other brand.

Well, hold on. Porsche comes in many level. I don't know any BMW x3/Q5/GLC owners that dropped 50-60k would go spend $3-$4k on PPF to wrap an entire car. Hell, my neighbor who just got his X7 has no intention of getting wraps of any kind! The fact that Tesla owners would spend 5%-10% cost of the cars to protect it just means they love their car that much. This is why Tesla doesn't even need a marketing department. It probably has the high brand loyalty in the industry.

 

[ChrisMPK]

Take a look at a Sprinter forum if you want to see people go nuts. People spend 2x - 3x the value of the vehicle on modifications.

The only thing you really 'need' to spend on with a Tesla is some way to charge at home. This may or may not cost into the thousands depending on your situation, however it will more than be made up for by never stopping at a gas station again. It will also be useful for any other EV and is a value-add feature of the house when you sell it (assuming you own your home).

 

[jjrandorin]

I posted this on another thread, but really want to create this own thread since I really don't understand and I worry that I have to spend money on my future MY. This is my first time to get involved with "Tesla owners". I was amazed by how people obsessed with Tesla. Let me know if this is true. I own many luxury cars, BMW, BENZ and Lexus, I never bother to spend any money after I bought those cars. I just buy them, drive them, don't take care of them that much, then sell them. To me, it's just a car, it helps you to get to A to B, that's it. But I spent brief time looking at this forum, I see people spent like thousands of dollars after they buy the Tesla. To me, a company like Tesla, BMW, or Lexus they already spent a lot of money on R&D to make the car looks good already, why spending more money to make Tesla look different. Does this forum represent a minority of Tesla owners or the majority? I have to admit, I am not obsessed with Tesla, the reason I buy Tesla because Tesla has 3 years ahead of other EV makers, and I just want to drive EV from now solely because of "GREEN". I plan to spend zero $ on Tesla after I buy it. Just drive then sell it. The care should serve me, not me serving the car. Looking at this forum, it looks like people serve their Tesla rather than let the car Tesla serve them. I could be wrong though...
This really makes me think that do Tesla vehicles are that bad so people have to spend money to look better and spend money to protect it. Speaking of protection, I never even think about protecting car's paint for my entire life? Why people spend money to protect Tesla's paint? because it's that bad? I see people in this forum spend like 10K to protect Tesla. I am sorry, but I really don't understand the rationale. First of all, if you spend 10K to protect the paint, would you be better off to repaint it. I really don't understand, help me out. Now, I worry about my future Tesla, I really don't want to spend any money on it. I worry that I have to spend because of Tesla's quality.
So the question is, do I really have to spend money on Tesla after I buy it, otherwise my Tesla will be bad. If this is the case, I might think to cancel my $100. I never have to spend any money on my other luxury cars after I bought them, except fixing the car issues off course

You must not have been a member of many forums for the BMWs and Benz, as people do the exact same thing to those.

 

[miggz410]

Thank you so much for inputs, guys. Again, I am sorry if my comments might offend people, I did not mean to. Just want to understand that do I have to spend money on Tesla for post-purchase. I don't plan to do anything with paint protection since I don't care about little scratches that much, but it seems like not a good idea according to this forum since most people think it's worth it to do it. I don't plan to keep any car for more than 5 years, I wonder without doing paint protection would affect the resale values? Can someone shed a light on this? Thx

I'm just like you.. I don't keep cars for longer than 3-5 years... But I do like to modify my cars just for personal choice. It has nothing to do with the quality of the car... I usually spend money on tint, wheels, and accessories which can add up to $10k. But like I said, it's more of personal choice. I like my cars to stand out compare to the rest. Just putting your own personal touch in to it...

As far as paint protection, it does not affect the resale value. It just does what it's suppose to. Protects your paint from rock chips, scratches, and blemishes. I've never had to purchase any paint protection films on any of my cars. Owned my model S for 4 years before selling it this past August. Paint was still in great shape. It just needed a complete detail, it would have been almost as good as new. Resale value of the car is more up to the owner... If you don't take care of your car, then it's more than likely you won't be able to sell your car for higher value later on.

Go to a Carshow... You will see more Benz, Bmw, Lexus, Infiniti owners spending a crap ton of money on their cars than Tesla owners.