Question for car guys/gals, why did you dump your ICE vehicle for a Tesla?

[hsctiger93]

I guess for me it boiled down to: If you're going to spend a bunch of money on a new car do you want something incrementally better vs. your 13 year old BMW or a quantum leap in technology?

Then you look at the energy benefits (electric, even in a heavy coal power plant area still has multiples MPGe vs. ICE), the reduced environmental impact of electric vs. ICE, the way the company presses the envelope harder than any auto maker, well those things all helped sell me. Test drive was the deal-sealer.

But then you go through about a year of ownership (Blue Steel turns 3 in 15 days) and you realize it only gets better. No oil changes; no gas pumps; no sleazy car dealer trying to tell you the left flugelbinder needs replacing when it doesn't; FREE firmware updates to make the car better; service people who come to you to get the car worked on; helping break down an outdated car dealership model that needs to go away; knowing your purchase helped to establish a greater future for our energy grid; the list kind of goes on and on.

That's when I realized that I made the right decision. 55k miles and I'm still happy to talk with people about range and chargers and driving experience and acceleration and whatever is on their mind. My experience with my first American car couldn't have been better.

 

[AcidTest]

I've only had 3 cars in 35 years prior to my MS. 1982 Nissan Sentra, 1991 Nissan 240SX (the only truly "fun" car before my MS), 2002 Honda Accord (bought CPO in 2005) and now a 2014 MS P85 (bought CPO last week). I looked briefly at hybrids in 2005 but the Prius and Insight just weren't ready for prime time - or highway driving - at that point to me. I knew that I wanted a "greener" car for my next one but also had a desire to move up a bit in class. Looked around for used MB, BMW etc but they just didn't have "green enough" choices for what I wanted. Then a couple of unexpected windfalls came in financially and I just said... 3 cars in 35 years, I deserve to splurge! Took a 2 day extended test drive in a MS and that was it. It's the ultimate combination of a high end performance car plus a green car; obviously right now it's pretty much unique in offering that.

The performance is thrilling, and being able to skip gas fillups and oil changes is awesome!

 

[Qbenjamin]

1. Technology
2. Renewable energy source for operation
3. Aesthetics
4. Quiet
5. Refer to items 1-4

 

[NoMoGasBro]

Why am I selling my 2016 BMW 7 Series with about 65k Miles on it? The Model S just fits me better. And the "Advanced Saftey Features" and "High-End Technology" actually works unlike some features on my BMW........g.e.s.t.u.r.e......c.o.n.t.r.o.l.......And that BMW is expensive to own. Car just got out of dealer about 1 week ago and is back in again for a issue that I've been having with the parking sensors.

 

[Hota]

The E46 M3 was my (then) dream car, handling was great, interior was great, gas mileage was acceptable, awesome Harmon Kardon stereo, and that notoriously that smoooooth inline 6 powerband. But once the car developed an intermittent SMG transmission failure, it became a money pit with the dealership visits.

I still can't get rid of my E46 M3...even with the pricey repairs. Luckily I'm semi-handy with a wrench. The driving experience is almost the polar opposite and I just crave the sweet exhaust note, rev matched downshifts, and rail-like handling on occasion. It may not be faster than the Model S in a straight line, but it feels faster and certainly makes me drive a lot faster!

 

[Pezpunk]

i drove a Challenger SRT8. i dumped it for the Model S P100D for a lot of reasons, but here are, i think, the main ones, ranked:


1. Acceleration / Driving dynamics:
The Model S just plain trashes the Challenger at the one thing the Challenger is supposed to be good at. accelerating in the P100D, even when already at highway speeds, is like teleporting. you see where you want to be, you press the accelerator, and you're there, effortlessly and almost silently. from a stoplight, if i feel like it, i can explode off the line faster than a Ferrari, while making virtually zero engine or tire noise, and without alerting every cop in 2 mile radius that i'm speeding. it's wonderful.

The Challenger, by comparison, was all sound and fury, and more often than not, not really that much actual acceleration. the tires rarely hooked up properly, and the transmission was always in the wrong gear. sometimes it wouldn't even bother to shift into the proper one, and sometimes it did so after a delay, and with an unpleasant thunk. the Tesla has otherworldly traction and is never in the wrong gear. acceleration is always completely instantaneous and traction is never in doubt. there's just no comparison. (the Model S handles far better as well)

2. The Console / UI / App / and regular updates.
Tesla is still to this day the only car company i've seen get the touchscreen right. it's the correct balance of simplicity and functionality. the phone app is the best in the business too. On top of that, Tesla keeps pushing out over-the-air updates with new features and upgrades to the vehicles it's already sold. this is game-changing.

So much of what Tesla does seems so obvious that it makes you wonder why Detroit didn't do it years ago. The UI and app stuff really shows how far behind automakers are regarding how people use technology today.

3. No more gas station visits.
Since i have a garage, i never ever need to publicly charge it, except on the occasional very long trip.

4. Superior buying experience.
I was so tired of the haggle song and dance with dealerships, shopping around, playing them off of one another, waiting for the perfect car at the perfect price, worrying i was not paying the "real" price, getting the "real" deal, and do forth. Ordering a Tesla was about like buying anything else online. And they worked with me over email while the car was being built and delivered, so that when I went in to pick it up, all i had to do was sign my name a few times. the paperwork took maybe 5 minutes. after a 20 minute vehicle orientation, i was out of there in under half an hour. meanwhile, trading in my wife's minivan was literally an all-day affair at Dodge.

5. Tesla makes driving so easy.
you just walk up, get in, and go. no turning on, no turning off, no idling, no locking or unlocking actions. it takes all the mundane habits and rituals and simply does them for you. the only downside is if you drive your partner's ICE car, you will find yourself rolling your eyes as you have to unlock it yourself, and when you reach your destination, you might walk away from the car while it's still idling in its parking space. whoops!

The only thing really i missed from the Challenger was the Plum Crazy paint, but that was a problem easily rectified...

 

[Stirfelt]

Well, I haven't "dumped my ICE" yet ... but I have made the reservation deposit, and when my number comes up, I will.

Why? I have driven a hybrid for 7 years ..... never considered anything else. I had budgeted for and planned on buying the next generation Prius, but when I saw that goofy looking vehicle, I was completely turned off. I looked at the Ioniq ... much better looking, but I'm concerned about several mechanical issues.

My brother owns a Tesla and has nothing but good things to say ... so, I paid my deposit.

 

[jelloslug]

I "dumped" my i3 for my Tesla.

 

[Merrill]

Well, I haven't "dumped my ICE" yet ... but I have made the reservation deposit, and when my number comes up, I will.

Why? I have driven a hybrid for 7 years ..... never considered anything else. I had budgeted for and planned on buying the next generation Prius, but when I saw that goofy looking vehicle, I was completely turned off. I looked at the Ioniq ... much better looking, but I'm concerned about several mechanical issues.

My brother owns a Tesla and has nothing but good things to say ... so, I paid my deposit.

I guarantee once you own a Tesla you will be off the ICE.

 

[gavine]

Great thread. I dumped my ICE mainly for the instant torque of electric. I had a 6.0 liter V8 in my last car and it paled in comparison to electric acceleration. Then we dumped the wife's ICE SUV and now have two EVs.

 

[Pezpunk]

Great thread. I dumped my ICE mainly for the instant torque of electric. I had a 6.0 liter V8 in my last car and it paled in comparison to electric acceleration.

GTO?

 

[Buddyroe]

I dumped one ICE vehicle and went with a model s because there is nothing about this vehicle I do not love.

4. A new supercharger coming to my town!

Why would a supercharger in your town matter? Or do you not have a place to charge at home?

 

[_jal_]

We've had a lot of very cool cars, but the MS if really cool. My brother got an E350 about the same time I got my MS. He's already "meh" on it, but is always excited about the updates I get.

It's a really outrageous car. lots of people call it a spaceship and that sounds cliche, but that's basically what it's like. It's silent. It's essentially infinitely quick. It plays Blue Oyster Cult on demand. It has no pulls on the doors ... until you walk up to it. It's like a little bit of the future in your garage.

The arguments! People will tell you, even though you own one, that it takes gas; that you can't take road trips; that you have to install a "charging station" in your garage, etc. It brings out a whole other side of humanity!

I guess to answer the OP question, it was just too cool to not get. I laid in bed the night I was borrowing one from the local SC and was sad that I'd have to return it. I returned the test drive car and placed my order right there and then.

 

[Uncle Paul]

I sold my Dodge Viper and Jeep Grand Cherokee for my Model X. Got enought for both of them, that with the Tax Credits etc, it covered most of the cost of the Tesla

The Tesla has the performance of the Viper (except at the track) and more carrying capacity than the Jeep (both 5 passenger)

Best thing I have ever done automotive wise. X is a fantastic traveling vehicle (the dog loves it),

With saving on fuel and insurance, the purchase will mostly work out to a wash.

The fuel cost savings were mostly eaten up by spending $800 to install a charging plug, but waking up to a fully fueled vehicle every morning is a huge upgrade. Never liked pulling into a filling station so the home charging is great.

Like traveling long distance without paying for fuel. The longer stops required by electric fueling has also allowed us a much better traveling experience. We have met people and done things we never experienced at gas stations.

We are now putting more miles on the Tesla than we ever did with both the VIper and Jeep.

Trading up to an all electric Tesla has been a life altering experience for us.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

I've always believed in living with a minimum impact on this planet, while not sacrificing life quality.
Tesla was an opportunity for me to stop polluting so much when I drive. I figured, until I kick my meat eating habit, this would be a good way to compensate. Next is solar cells, followed by some sustainable gardening (maybe), followed by reducing meat intake. I hope by the time I die, I'm living a zero impact life while having a good time! Oh who am I kidding, the car looks hot.

 

[gavine]

GTO?

Close....4-door GTO (the G8)

 

[mknox]

I had been interested in electrics for some time, and had even entertained a conversion project back in the 1990's. I worked my whole career with electric distribution utilities, and using "our" product which is produced locally and supports the local economy just made more sense to me than sending my gasoline money elsewhere.

I certainly liked the "cool" factor of the Model S as well.

I was able to make the numbers work when I compared the financing, insurance and fuel costs between my then existing car (Cadillac CTS) and the Model S. With my long commute, the Model S was going to actually cost a tiny bit less than the Cadillac on a monthly basis.

Interestingly, environmental considerations were not high on my list. But at the end of the day, when someone buys an EV for any reason, the environment wins by default.