Reasons for going with Tesla

[RyMY]

Might be repost.

After driving a car for the past 3 years with Apple CarPlay, would I miss it? I know there are aftermarket options.

I returned my lease already and have been sharing my wife’s car.

I have been shopping around. Audis, BMWs, Volvos, etc. Dealers were shady before the pandemic, now it’s worse. I love the feeling of buying a new car but hate visiting dealerships.I love the day of picking up my new car but hate the finance room. Always try to sell me services I don’t need.

Buying a Tesla should be less stressful. Except for the waiting.

Electric cars are the future. Anyone looking to buy a new car would be remiss not to consider an EV. But Tesla is the only car company that doesn’t have the dealer network. The price you see is the price you pay. The rest of the EVs on the market are by traditional ICE companies. You get to experience the dealer BS.

What are some reasons that made you choose a Tesla?

 

[Mini23]

-range on a single charge. That alone blew competition out of the water. I wanted to replace my gas car with something env friendly but also less pain for my wallet
-car is a computer essentially and will always be updated with core updates
-massive ev charge network compared to other ev/hybrid vehicles

There’s a lot of room for Tesla to improve upon but the above 3 are my reasons for continuing forward even as I wait 10+ weeks for my car

re CarPlay - I’ve been driving a bmw rental this week and I’ll say that I’ve absolutely loved the ease of it (and the bmw i7 and touch screen/dial controls) and definitely see why many CarPlay users are disheartened to be losing this with Tesla. For me personally, drivers dash and heads up display are the big functions I wish Tesla included for what is a luxury 57-60k+ car.

but at the end of the day I chose Tesla for my top 3 reasons and that makes me happy!

 

[UncleCreepy]

Mostly the supercharger network. I don't use it all that often, but it's there when I need it (went on a 6k mile road trip last summer, no problems at all).
At the time I bought my car there were no real competitors out there. Either the range was mediocre, they decided to go with FWD (on an EV... duh!) or the battery was only passively heated/cooled. There were always some things I didn't like about the competition. Sometimes you just want the original, not some me too-product.

 

[ajs847]

I think I could write a book in reply to this so I'm going to try keep it short.

Before looking at Tesla's, when I decided to sell my BMW x3M (reasons: cost of filling it up, cost of owning it while I WFH, maintenance cost, repair cost - I was getting an evap sensor error often that I got of dealing with). The BMW was a love-hate relationship. I loved being behind the wheel and driving it when I had the opportunity but because of the pandemic and my working from home I hated paying so much to have it sit in the garage. I sold it to carvana for 20% more than it's trade in value a year ago.

When i started to think about my replacement car, I first looked at the traditional luxury SUV offerings and realized I didn't like anything in my budget from BMW, mercedes, land rover, Lexus, Acura, etc. Except for maybe another X3 but I decided if I was going to get it, I didn't want the harsh suspension of the "M" so I was going to get either a basic 30i or m40i - if nothing else peaked my interest. The next problem was finding the right configuration I wanted (black/ black leather (not the fake BMW leather) with the executive package - I was finding some black/ black x3's but none with the executive package that were going for over MSRP according to the dealership and I refuse to pay over MSRP because of scarcity.

Moving on, when my wife saw how discouraged I was at finding an x3 I wanted, I started to look at the honda passport and realized I actually really liked it, and just by chance the Tesla dealership in highland park is right down the street from the honda so after that test drive I stopped and started talking with an SA about the model 3 and model y and he was able to get me into a test drive of a model Y on the spot and that's where this story begins....

My reasons for going with a Tesla:
- the supercharging network is superior to the rest of the offerings and I liked that there were dedicated places to charge up.
- the instant torque and feel of the car
- continuing the above: the suspension... I test drove the performance and LR MY's and decided that the LR had the drive feel I was looking for when the steering was in "sport" mode.
- *Most important point*: The transparent pricing - I actually appreciated knowing that there's no negotiating and no "surprises" at the end, I asked my SA for detailed payment estimates of the MYLR, MYP and M3P in black/ black configurations which show exactly how much tax, registration fees, delivery fee, etc will be at the end cost which is almost unheard of getting from a traditional dealer - you only get to this point anywhere else when your sitting across from the finance manager and all of a sudden the numbers you had in your mind for down payment and monthly don't make sense any more. The SA was happy to provide all of this to me and it allowed me to make my decision much easier.

quick edit: I wanted to add that the lack of apple carplay, and a heads up display or atleast a center dash was a little concerning to me until I went on 2-3 more test drives and got really used to how the display works. And I wanted to add that the maintenance of ICE cars for me was getting rediculous with all the electronics they're packing into them, I figured it's time to try something different. Last point, I am not buying a tesla for environmental reasons, if my car isn't burning gas, I know and 1000% acknowledge there's a coal or nuclear plant producing the electricity I need for my car.

 

[PNWLeccy]

I hadn't owned a car for 11 years when I started doing research on options. I'm the type of person who holds on to things for a very long time so I couldn't kick the feeling that if I bought an ICE I would be kicking myself in a few years for not just getting an EV. With that said, I wasn't sure an EV would work for my lifestyle, specifically being a single car household who likes to travel to remote areas in the mountains for hiking, skiing, etc. Ultimately, my criteria boiled down to:

• Range (Can I travel to the places I already like to go?)
• Charging (Is the charging network extensive enough to get to the places I like to go, with some buffer? How long does charging take?)
• Price - Upfront and Cost of Ownership (Compared to other EV's that I thought had decent range (in Early 2019, used Model S, Kona, E-Niro) and comparable reliable ICE)
• Resale - if EV lifestyle did not work out/we have to move a lot for work would I take a bath if I needed to sell earlier than expected

Tesla made the only EVs that had enough range, had extensive enough supercharging network, compared favorably to 5-10 year cost of ICE cars I was considering, and seemed to keep their value really well.

Everything else, both EV and/or Tesla specific, has made it hard for me to imagine ever getting anything else including

• Software Updates/Tech - I work in and have a passion for technology and I've always been frustrated by horribly outdated car tech (rented cars for 11 years, when needed)
• No/Very little maintenance - my dad was a mechanic and even though I'd be able to do lots of the routine work myself, I didn't want to
• Instant torque - I've told myself cars were just a means of transportation (they are) so I didn't care too much about driving characteristics, speed, etc. but Tesla's are so fun that everything else feels truly lifeless
• Clean - No grease, fumes, pollution, etc. It feels really good to go on a quick drive to pick something up and not feel guilty about burning gas for something I probably could have walked to, etc.

 

[NeverGoingBack]

I know and 1000% acknowledge there's a coal or nuclear plant producing the electricity I need for my car.

BUT …. If you do the research (which I did) you will find that the “all-in” (manufacturing+fuel+tailpipe+battery) carbon footprint of the Tesla is way lower. If that matters to you ….

 

[ajs847]

BUT …. If you do the research (which I did) you will find that the “all-in” (manufacturing+fuel+driving) carbon footprint of the Tesla is way lower. If that matters to you ….

I totally agree and I did my research myself. The battery pack is equivalent to the energy you'd get from burning 3.5 gallons of gas but is so efficient you end up getting 300+ miles of range.

 

[drtimhill]

— It’s like driving an iPhone on wheels
— Great charging network, no range anxiety
— You are driving the future, not a dinosaur
— Even after 2 years of ownership, I still get in the car and enjoy it like it was new
— Good for the environment, good for lack of noise pollution
— It’s just plain FUN

 

[PNWLeccy]

— It’s like driving an iPhone on wheels

I LOL'ed thinking about the inverse of this.

iPhone: "It's like swiping and tapping a Tesla without wheels"