Should I buy a Tesla?

[KJJ71]

Hi everyone,

So, should I buy a Tesla?

Unfortunately the money tree in my garden isn’t producing, so spending quite the sum of my hard earned cash needs severe justification.

I am looking at P85D, probably 2015 model, which are around £40k here in the UK.

I have read a few threads relating poor reliability, including battery & charging gates. From what I’ve read, the “gates” issue derives from Tesla through updates. I don’t understand why they would want to do this? Why would anyone buy a performance car with a decent range, knowing it will be taken away??

I currently have a 2008 BMW e92 335d with 155k miles on the clock. Since buying it some 8 years ago with 20k miles, it has never let me down and pulls like a train to 160mph with no lag in acceleration.

Can these problems I’ve described be solved with a remap? To think of it, can a Tesla be remapped??

What common failures should I expect and most importantly, budget for?

I would greatly appreciate a brutally honest opinion, which will give me an idea of what to expect if I buy a P85D Tesla.

Thanks guys and apologies if I’ve waffled on a bit

 

[LN1_Casey]

If your budget is 40k and you're in the UK, I would advise to get a model 3 instead of an S unless there is reasons to get the larger vehicle. A model S is a great, beautiful car, but the older ones are indeed older, and have their various issues.

For roughly the same cost (not to mention, very likely a much better interest rate of a new car) you can get a car that fits the smaller roads better, as all the latest tech and computers, and even has almost as much range as the P85D did when new, and undoubtedly more now. More range means you can travel on holiday easier, and don't have to charge at home as frequently if you've the inclination. Also, the interior will still be undamaged, which every 5 year old car has some wear and tear to it.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Agree, test drive the Model 3, especially with the recent price cuts (not sure if you guys got those in the UK), you should get a brand new or newer Model 3 closer to your budget. The fact that you’re asking about how it would compare to your diesel BMW tells me you haven’t driven one yet. Go to your local sales center and test drive a 3, maybe even a pre-owned Performance Model 3. I guarantee you, hopping back in your oil burner BMW will feel like driving an antique car.

 

[InternetDude]

Going from a reliable BMW to an older S, bad idea!!

 

[D.E.]

If the money tree isn’t producing, and if the current car is working well, I wouldn’t buy a car. The P85 is an awesome car, as is the 3. Still, if money is an issue that BMW seems like a keeper.

 

[KJJ71]

If the money tree isn’t producing, and if the current car is working well, I wouldn’t buy a car. The P85 is an awesome car, as is the 3. Still, if money is an issue that BMW seems like a keeper.

Thanks for your advice.
I’m looking at the P85D because of the performance and I’ve calculated the savings in fuel, road Tax and Congestion charge will cover the loan per month, so really not costing me anything.

My BMW is mapped and is faster 0 - 60 than an M4, whilst still achieving 40mpg.

Back to my original questions,
Can a Tesla be remapped?
What’s with the Battery & Charging Gates?

Thanks guys.

 

[kavyboy]

Why would anyone buy a performance car with a decent range, knowing it will be taken away??

They wouldn't.

See this thread for a lot of info, especially the first post.

 

[KJJ71]

They wouldn't.

See this thread for a lot of info, especially the first post.

Thanks kavyboy, very informative

 

[Miles88]

I own a 2015 P85D. Built in May 2015. Serial # 83,xxx (if you can get the vin# of the car your looking at, the last 5 digits in the VIN are the serial # of the S). 32,000 miles. It’s been a fabulous car. Only maintenance, replacing the 12 volt battery (warranty). I wouldn’t hesitate in the least for buying one at 40K (49K US) if it has fairly low mileage and no damage, & I wouldn’t sell mine for that. The car’s sticker was 120K new, minus discounts for US EV credits (108K). Extremely reliable, at least mine has been. Interior leather looks like the day I took delivery. Still smells new as well. ( non smoker, no fast food). Look for low mileage & pay more to get a low mileage P85D. An older aged owner would be a big bonus.

Not sure what your asking about “Gates”. The P85D new had a range of 253 miles. Mine charges to 248 miles now at 100%. Supercharging is just as fast as ever. I recall Tesla throttled back the range & Supercharging rate on some early 2014 P85D’s. I mostly charge at home to 80%. If your VIN serial # is newer than mine, then Tesla has not reduced the range via software I imagine. But this can be checked by charging to 100% & verify the range is above 240 miles at least.

I have several friends who have the Model 3. I’ve driven all of them. It’s a great car, and a good choice for your 40K. But for you, it’s a decision which car you want. The P85D is awesome, personally, I’ll take mine over any M3.

tried to upload some photos of mine. Keep getting an error message. Anyway, hope this info helps. In the US, buying a certified preowned P85D from Tesla brings with it a 2 year, 24K bumper to bumper warranty. In the US, the battery is warranted for 8 years, unlimited miles. That would transfer to you, if Tesla does the same in the UK.

So you asked “should I buy a Tesla?” I will say that if you actually get to drive a P85D, or any Tesla, you will never ever want to drive an ICE again, except maybe a Ferrari which we can’t afford. I had the opportunity to drive a Lamborghini & was not impressed. My P85D pulls much harder 0-60 (1.1G) Then I got to drive a Ferrari 458 Italia. That was an impressive car, wish I could afford it. Until then, I’m sold on Tesla & the instant torque & the 1 pedal driving experience. (Rarely use the mechanical brakes)

 

[Miles88]

@KJJ71...
Google

Is the Tesla Model S P85D the quickest car ever?

Consumer Reports article....You will get your answer if you should buy a Tesla.

 

[Wol747]

I would get a new Model 3 unless boot space is of overriding importance. Or, if it is, wait for a Y.
The S is a BIG car and probably not really suitable for UK roads - or parking! I've had my (new) S for 3 months now - in Oz - and have yet to attempt parallel parking even though our parking spaces are a bit longer than the UK ones tend to be. And, although I've not yet attempted the Spit bridge, Sydney, hill I am pretty sure the wing mirrors would be 50% in the lane either side!
I've tried the autoparking a dozen times but only once has the car given me the OK to try - and that time it very nearly backed me straight into a BMW, so that's not an option.
So, purely from the size issue, in the UK, go for a 3 or Y.
Just my take....

 

[KJJ71]

Thanks for all your advice.

You know, the UK isn't that small...haha!

Obviously reliability is a concern for any consumer, but from what I've read, Tesla updates can restrict the charging capacity and also performance (0 - 60), which I can't get my head around. It's like taking my BMW to BMW to have a service and they fit a smaller gas tank and tweak the engine to reduce power.....you know what I mean?

Another reliability issue seems to be failing door handles where they don't extend and retract. When they don't extend out, how would you get into the car?

Is there a "Goldilocks" year and powertrain, which is the best to go for and the opposite, a year and powertrain to avoid?

There's no point asking a Tesla sales person as they'll tell me they're all great, especially the most expensive ones

I would very much appreciate your advice please.

 

[Wol747]

I've been following Tesla for many years before getting mine: there's no doubt that for quite a few years there were several areas of poor reliability - door handles, screen yellowing, build quality, even IIRC suspension failures.
You will not get Japanese or even European build quality from an American car. What you WILL get here is probably the most advanced electrical engineering in the industry. And, true to Musk's original business plan, the roadster then the Model S were stages of development towards what is now the M3, My etc.
My point is that the model 3 builds on what has been learned from the previous models. If I was buying again from the same starting position I would go for a new Y even if it meant a delay, certainly not a used model several years old.

 

[DrJFoster]

There's a UK area where you might get some more local advice and I believe there's been a recent thread debating a new M3 v an older MS.

Tesla's can't be remapped, well Tesla do occasionally send out a performance boost or sell you an upgrade, but you can't take it to a back street man with a laptop and release an extra 100bhp.

Reliability on the 85 battery has been a problem for some - you will find as many people talking about driving for a million miles without incident as you will people who had issues within 5 mins of getting home. There's truth in the saying better the devil you know.

Going back in time I owned a E90 335D and if you've had one mapped you'll be used to a lot of mid range punch. An EV works very differently and while they're no slouch, the performance starts to drop off as you go faster. Watch any close drag race of an EV v a petrol car and you see the EV get ahead, they stay level pegging and then the petrol starts to close the gap. You'd need to be looking at Ludicrous to match your current performance over 50mph (no doubt this will be shouted down by people who have not experienced a mapped 335D).

On the flip side reliability isn't that bad and there are increasing numbers of aftermarket repair places who can fix stuff for a fraction of the Tesla prices, and the battery and motors have 8 year warranty so good for 3 or 4 years based on the models you've mentioned, unless you go M3. But I suspect you'd only be happy in the more expensive M3s

 

[KJJ71]

There's a UK area where you might get some more local advice and I believe there's been a recent thread debating a new M3 v an older MS.

Tesla's can't be remapped, well Tesla do occasionally send out a performance boost or sell you an upgrade, but you can't take it to a back street man with a laptop and release an extra 100bhp.

Reliability on the 85 battery has been a problem for some - you will find as many people talking about driving for a million miles without incident as you will people who had issues within 5 mins of getting home. There's truth in the saying better the devil you know.

Going back in time I owned a E90 335D and if you've had one mapped you'll be used to a lot of mid range punch. An EV works very differently and while they're no slouch, the performance starts to drop off as you go faster. Watch any close drag race of an EV v a petrol car and you see the EV get ahead, they stay level pegging and then the petrol starts to close the gap. You'd need to be looking at Ludicrous to match your current performance over 50mph (no doubt this will be shouted down by people who have not experienced a mapped 335D).

On the flip side reliability isn't that bad and there are increasing numbers of aftermarket repair places who can fix stuff for a fraction of the Tesla prices, and the battery and motors have 8 year warranty so good for 3 or 4 years based on the models you've mentioned, unless you go M3. But I suspect you'd only be happy in the more expensive M3s

You're quite correct DrJFoster, my 335d is absolutely astonishing, 0 - 60 in 4 sec, whilst 60 - 160mph mid-range still pins me back in my seat and I still average 42- 45mpg. Of course I don't drive like this all the time but that's what I'd like in a Tesla. The various roads I take to and from work limit me to 40 and 50mph due to average speed cameras, so having a heavy foot isn't a consideration, but every now and then I like to take winding country roads where I can put her through her paces, open her up a little and experience the thrill and reason I bought the car.

I am really on the fence with this decision, maybe I should wait for the Y model and test drive them all? As I've said, I'm not rich by any means so realistically £40 - £45k is about what I can afford. Everyone has their "Thing", ranging from holidays, sports, DIY, clothes, mine is having a nice car.

From the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate all the helpful advice you have given me. I mean, you must read the same posts from people like myself again and again, yet you still take time to help and explain.

Thank you very much and take care of yourselves.

Keith.

 

[Watts_Up]

I tried to upload some photos of mine. Keep getting an error message.

It might be that the file is too large, like more than 5 Mbytes.
If you use Windows, you car try to open the file using Paint (or right click and select Edit)
and just save the file. In general this reduce the size by half or even more. In general, upload would work then.
Otherwise to can extract part of the image using 'Select' to even reduce the image size.

 

[InternetDude]

Just to add to the discussion... I had an 85D not P85D but here’s my “reliability” experience.

 

[EVortex]

If you decide to make the change make sure you are very selective about the specific car you get. There are great ones and not so great ones. I recommend thoroughly educating yourself on what to look (this forum and other sources), and then don’t get impatient in your search. In addition to finding the right car, another main factor of Tesla owner satisfaction is the quality of your Service Center, so I would research that as well. Best of luck to you in your decision - I can say that many people on this forum, including myself, will never go back to an ICE car after having a Tesla.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Hi everyone,

So, should I buy a Tesla?

Unfortunately the money tree in my garden isn’t producing, so spending quite the sum of my hard earned cash needs severe justification.

I am looking at P85D, probably 2015 model, which are around £40k here in the UK.

I have read a few threads relating poor reliability, including battery & charging gates. From what I’ve read, the “gates” issue derives from Tesla through updates. I don’t understand why they would want to do this? Why would anyone buy a performance car with a decent range, knowing it will be taken away??

I currently have a 2008 BMW e92 335d with 155k miles on the clock. Since buying it some 8 years ago with 20k miles, it has never let me down and pulls like a train to 160mph with no lag in acceleration.

Can these problems I’ve described be solved with a remap? To think of it, can a Tesla be remapped??

What common failures should I expect and most importantly, budget for?

I would greatly appreciate a brutally honest opinion, which will give me an idea of what to expect if I buy a P85D Tesla.

Thanks guys and apologies if I’ve waffled on a bit

Stay away from Tesla!!!! I bought a P85 in 2013 and thought I would never buy another car. Tesla completely ruined that for me. Every software update came with more bugs than the one prior. Every software update would remove or break features for which I paid. Tesla encourages owners to drive their cars fast and hard, for the great PR Tesla gets, but they know the battery cannot sustain such stress over years and throttles back your performance and charging the more you use it.

Tesla's new warranty terms specifically exclude battery degradation due to software updates. Tesla can basically take your performance car and turn it into a non-performance car, via software update, and there would be no warrantable issue.

If I were you, I would wait for VW Group to release a reliable EV in your market without any of Tesla's bullsh**t. My client just bought an e-Tron and said it completely blows every Tesla out of the water. If you want performance with a Kia build quality, and from a company that will take away over time what it sold to you, then Tesla is your brand. If you want any level of comfort in your car, from a company that values the ownership experience, go with anyone but Tesla.

 

[Art VandeIay]

Hey @AmpedRealtor, your signature gives your last comment a little less current, but a lot more voltage...