POLL - Age vs. Patience for Model 3

[Thomas Edison]

Then probably best to simply don’t respond and move on.

Then how would I know the results?

 

[S3XY]

Al Gore takes offense at the slight.

You may already know this but for everyone's benefit, especially Al Gore's, here are the details behind this running joke.

 

[roblab]

Do you remember the Harley ad a few years ago with two old men sitting in rocking chairs on a porch? They hear the familiar Harley rumble approaching and one says to the other, “Sure wish I’d gotten one of those Harley Davidsons!”

Substitute Tesla for Harley and it explains why I as a Baby Boomer am ignoring all of the warning signs of being an early adopter of a product made by a company with a questionable future. I love my S and could care less that the 3 is delayed as long as it gets here before the rocking chair is needed.

I never liked the noise, vibration or lack of power of the "Hardly Ablesons" I rode smooth, quiet, quicker cycles that still had 1300 ccs and got better mileage. Actually, my 600 cc could beat the Hardleys. I never understood the fanatacism of owning one. I asked one owner why he was so enamored, and he replied, "The girls like the vibration." I asked, "And the boys??"

As one who was left off the above survey (I'm 73), I'm on the list to get a 3. Having owned a Tesla for 5 years, and experiencing waiting many times only to find any wait well worth it, I have no problem with waiting.

 

[Dragon]

36 years old european guy here, ordered Model 3 on 31st march 2016. Hoped for a summer 2018 delivery, but estimated fall 2018. In the meantime Teslas Model 3 delivery estimation went online saying "Late 2018" and the recent news say this will get delayed even further. So now I'm hoping for spring 2019. Kinda depressing, in my mind it has already been postponed 3 times, haha. But Tesla still is (for the moment) the only way to go.

 

[atlas310]

38 and if the tax credit is gone, I can wait.

 

[Bad Horse]

28, will be 29 in a few weeks. I expected delays but I really hope I can get it before it gets hot again. Another summer w/o AC would suck (I'd rather not fork over ~1k to get a new compressor (bad clutch) knowing I will be getting a new car soon). That being said, I can wait. More time to build up the down payment. Unlike most people here who complain incessantly over lack of features XYZ, anything this car will have will be an improvement over what I ride around in, so I will be happy.

 

[jbcarioca]

Several people have noted the obvious. There are many Tesla owners and buyers who are older than boomers. It may be hard to believe but we exist. Some of us might be "last time buyers" others not. Either way we may account for as much as 20% of Model S buyers, no idea about Model 3. When I was in line waiting to place my reservations nearly half the line were geezers about half were everything else. Please change your options unless you think we'll all die prior to our Model 3 configuration date.

Since I have zero medications and normal vital signs for a person half my chronological age I plan to take delivery on both of my Model 3 reservations. Should I enter my age group as 2X or what?

 

[206er]

Mid 30's, relatively patient, have only ever driven Japanese cars (reliability+safety is all I've ever cared about) interested in going EV with a Tesla, only planning to get a base Model 3 if the full federal tax credit is still available. Otherwise, it'll be a new or lightly used Japanese ICE.

Always expected delays and have been fine waiting, but did not wait in line early outside on a cold 3/31/16 Seattle morning to reserve a new, sight unseen Tesla without expecting to receive the full federal tax incentive. "A Tesla for the price of a loaded Civic!" has always been the only selling point that's mattered in debates with my wife about this car.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

I'm a Xennial....the tiny little alcove of Generation X born between 77 and 83.

I got all the way through high school before I had internet and a cell phone, but had both by the time I was 21.


Anyway....I'm impatient and impulsive.

I'm making contingency plans to either buy a used S for a year and get a fully loaded 3 when available, or cash out the current car, and sit on that money to see if I can still get a First Production sometime "soon-ish"

 

[BluestarE3]

I replaced the traction battery on our old 2002 Prius late last year exactly because I expected serious M3 delays. A few months extra wait won't mean anything to me (early 60's here). Being required to always carry a phone is a more serious problem. Hope both issues get fixed between now and whenever.
Only risk: another manufacturer coming out with a long (enough) range EV that doesn't look like a punishment car. Supercharging is not critical for us. That could happen.
Robin

Nearly identical situation to yours: Replaced traction battery on 2001 Prius two years ago, mid-60s, don't even have a smartphone yet (let alone worry about having to carry one), Supercharging nice but not critical.

I've been interested in getting an electric car for two decades and the Model 3 is the first one that is affordable, has decent range and isn't a weirdmobile or econobox. So, I'm willing to wait.

 

[Bokonon]

I prefer to refer to myself as a member of the Oregon Trail Generation, partly due to it being named after my home state, but mostly because the afore-linked Mashable article describes my upbringing to a T. Additionally, my Gen-X half would like to quietly nonconform to the limited, rigid, and arbitrary poll options provided by The Man, while my Millennial half would like to vociferously refuse to self-identify as a Millennial. But anyway.

I stood in line for the Model 3 and have nearly infinite patience. Admittedly, a lot of that patience is a function of having a current lease that runs through October 2018, along with the financial flexibility to consider other stop-gap options in the unlikely event that First Production Model 3s are ultimately delivered over a year late. But beyond those practical considerations, I've come to realize that a lot of my desire to own a Model 3 has to do with what it represents and symbolizes versus what it actually is... in many ways, it is a "conviction" purchase, an itch that even a Model S could not fully scratch. As such, I will wait as long as is necessary to make good on that conviction.

 

[daniel]

I'm 69 years old. In 2006 I was so desperate to get into an electric car that I bought a Zap Xebra and drove it happily for 4 years. But I wanted something with more power so, after trying to get a Nissan Leaf and being thwarted over and over by Nissan's incompetence (i.e. promising over and over, but failing over and over to deliver my promised car) I bought the Tesla Roadster.

Now I'd like a safer car, so if the Model 3 does not turn out to be too big for me (it's bigger than the Prius, which is already too big) it will replace my Roadster. I'd like to get the Model 3 today, but since I'm already driving electric, I can wait as long as it takes. I am not a patient person, but in this case I have patience because in some ways this will be a step down.

 

[alseTrick]

31

I didn't reasonably expect my 3 until late 2018 anyways. So even with my initial March-May 2018 (something like that) estimate delayed 2 months, it doesn't change anything for me.

My only impatience is due to my current car being an old pos. I'm hoping it lasts another year but we'll see. I'd consider my impatience pretty low though. No animosity towards Tesla's production schedule whatsoever.