Sold my Tesla yesterday - No Sellers Remorse Yet

[EchoDelta]

I am extremely clear when I am posting as a regular person and when I am doing something as a moderator. They are separate. I thought I was pretty clear in saying "personal opinion only" and it had nothing to do with moderation.

I agree with you. I was expressing appreciation and trying to empathize: as you both do hard work to keep discourse civil - while also as an individual having a different perspective on sharing online than the majority.

 

[lencap]

JJR - I have no problem at all with your post. You expressed your opinion clearly and inoffensively. Without different opinions we aren’t challenged to think deeply. Frankly, I’m sure many others had the exact same thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to post.

 

[Jclboston]

Good luck with the new car and enjoy in good health! The road noise and the ride has been bugging me more and more as time passes. It’s lovely on nicely paved roads but being in the Northeast and in a city, bad roads are too common. If I stick with keeping an electric car around, I wonder if the Taycan is better with noise and ride.

 

[jjrandorin]

@EchoDelta

I misunderstood your intent. Thanks for the additional detail. Yeah I do realize I have a different view of online sharing than many. There are a few different reasons for it, but wont go into them here. I appreciate the empathy, lol. I make a concerted effort to both be as transparent as possible when performing moderation duties, and also take a hard look when performing moderation duties to do everything I can to not let any personal feelings influence those decisions.

Calling it out to myself helps me keep it separate.

@lencap

Thanks, I really didnt mean anything bad. I am happy you found the right vehicle for you. I remember your other thread, and I also remember suggesting that you likely were looking at a vehicle other than a Tesla. I still really like my model 3 performance (delivered 12/2018). I drove BMWs for like 18 years prior to getting my model 3 Performance, in 3 year lease cycles. My wife still has a 2019 X3 M40 that we ordered for her, with every option.

In the luxury department, that vehicle is head and shoulders above mine, but I love driving mine, and almost never drive her car unless I need to pick my mom up and take her to a doctors appointment or something.

Anyway, I am rambling now, but I get it, Teslas have "mass market luxury car" pricing, but they really are not that, in my opinion. What they are. is fun to drive cars where you get lots of performance for fairly cheap.

Enjoy your new ride!

 

[pnwadventures]

I had an Audi A4 Avant turbo before my Tesla. Bought it new, owned it for 13 years. Absolutely loved that car: extremely well finished, sporty, fun to drive, penultimate Quattro AWD, character. I’d still be driving it today if it hadn’t become an oil burning massive money pit and the engine hadn’t blown up.

 

[TBrownTX]

Teslas have "mass market luxury car" pricing, but they really are not that, in my opinion. What they are. is fun to drive cars where you get lots of performance for fairly cheap.

This I agree with 100% - struggled with this a lot when deciding between my model 3 performance and the CTS-V I was planning to buy.

A bit apples to oranges, but ultimately the tech and performance won out over the styling and luxury of the Caddy. Can certainly understand someone making another choice.

For me, I’ll never go back to an ICE car, and won’t have to as choices expand in the future. Eventually I’ll be able to have both.

Tim

 

[ODWms]

I’ve had my 2018 Performance 3 now for 2 1/2 years, and about 33,000 miles. At this point, and with my personal experiences with EV I cannot fathom EVER going back to any ICE vehicle of any manufacturer again; not even a hybrid. The reasons are too numerous and too manifold. if I ever do find a better car, even from another maker, it’ll be an EV. As many have intoned, different strokes for different folks, but after this experience I do not get it.

 

[XLR82XS]

What I learned is that Tesla is still the best EV on the planet, but things are changing. I overlooked the typical assembly issues that I experienced - paint/panels/etc, but the biggest factor is the road noise. The M3 windows are frameless, obviously, but that requires near perfect alignment and sealing to avoid wind noise. Sadly even the 2021 model I drove was far noisier than I expected, especially compared to more traditional brands.

That doesn't mean I'm bashing Tesla, far from it. I'm still on the list for the CT, but I've aged in the last few years and priorities have shifted a bit more toward comfort and quiet instead of pure acceleration. That doesn't negate Tesla's other obvious benefits, but I think that Tesla would be wise to place more emphasis on NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) when designing the next level cars.

Indeed things are changing and Tesla is not the best EV. They have great software (mostly) and a great charging infrastructure. They are lacking in quality and service and I believe that to be related to their rapid growth and CA. I hope they evolve to provide increased quality and improved ownership experience.

I sold a Model 3 and ordered a Taycan two weeks ago. With pricing now on point with the Model S it was a no brainer. I've been a Porsche enthusiast since I could walk and have never had a better experience with another brand. (MB, Lexus, BMW) There is no substitute.

 

[UncertainTimes]

At least you didn’t have to get the horrendous front grilles.

 

[Billee]

I can relate to the opinions in the original post. Due to the harsh ride, road noise, and lack of blind spot and rear cross traffic alerts, I am starting to look at alternatives.

 

[Luudcrs]

My replacement is a 2019 Audi A4 Prestige with roughly 27k miles, nearly 2k less than my M3. All services are up to date, and the original buyer bought an extended service contract covering everything through March 2023. Tires are new; car has every option package except the blackout grill, which I don’t particularly like anyway. The Audi original window sticker including delivery is just under $55k, excluding tax, tags, etc. That compares to the Tesla sticker of $53k or so. I added autopilot after buying the car when Tesla dropped the price to $2k for that feature. My all in cost on the Tesla including tax credits was $48k (including the autopilot that is now included in the standard base version) for a 2018 LR RWD (not AWD).

Including tax rebates, state taxes, registration fees and dealer “documentation fees” I walked out of the BMW dealership with the Audi and over $3k additional cash. My Tesla needed tires and also has moderate curb rash, neither of which the Audi has. Audi colors are Manhattan Gray metallic exterior, Nougat Brown interior - I like it. Tesla was base black/black (white is now base).

Sounds like a pretty good deal you got with the trade, coming out with a year newer vehicle plus cash. I had a 2015 S4 prior to my Tesla, so understand your decision. In a perfect world, I would put the Model 3's powertrain and software in that S4. I'd put a deposit down on that in a heartbeat! However, I can never go back to ICE now, not even hybrid.

 

[silentcorp]

I went back to ICE too, I was sick of the loud tire noise so now it's just a much louder ICE engine to deal with! /s

 

[Msjulie]

It's a good thing we have alternatives. Yesterday I had occasion to put ~400 miles on my car after weeks of barely going anywhere. I will admit I was losing enthusiasm for my Tesla partly due to the unattractive redesign of the UI (My opinion) and the many bugs reported on the many point releases.

Funny then how much I enjoyed driving it yesterday, the seats are surprisingly perfect for me and the zippiness never gets old. Was again remembering why I have that car and probably will until it dies. Mine is a 2018 so no double pane windows, etc, old school center console which I prefer, etc.

Choices are great though.

 

[Gasaraki]

First, a big THANK YOU to everyone on this forum. Over the nearly three years of 2018 LR RWD M3 ownership the information on this site has been wonderful and the overall atmosphere welcoming and supportive.

A short time ago my wife's 2011 BMW 335D's Check Engine iight appeared. We brought it to the dealership where it's been maintained over the years and they confirmed what I suspected, namely that future repair would likely continue and would be costly. That led to a long look at alternatives including Tesla.

Surprisingly after testing many different brands/models she settled on BMW 330e, a plug in hybrid that provides the instant torque we both enjoy. As I drove her car I began to notice how much quieter it is than my M3, and how the suspension is far more enjoyable and compliant to experience. That led me to notice other things about the M3, specifically the constant noise from tires/road, which was very noticable compared to her new ride. Once I experienced it I couldn't ignore it.

Add to that the need for new tires (28.5K miles on my car), and a very generous purchase offer (at least compared to other dealers) for my M3, and I found myself looking at other cars. To make a long story short, yesterday I sold the Tesla replacing it with an ICE (yes, I know).

What I learned is that Tesla is still the best EV on the planet, but things are changing. I overlooked the typical assembly issues that I experienced - paint/panels/etc, but the biggest factor is the road noise. The M3 windows are frameless, obviously, but that requires near perfect alignment and sealing to avoid wind noise. Sadly even the 2021 model I drove was far noisier than I expected, especially compared to more traditional brands.

That doesn't mean I'm bashing Tesla, far from it. I'm still on the list for the CT, but I've aged in the last few years and priorities have shifted a bit more toward comfort and quiet instead of pure acceleration. That doesn't negate Tesla's other obvious benefits, but I think that Tesla would be wise to place more emphasis on NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) when designing the next level cars.

The 2021 is NOT the same as the 2018 RWD. I would even say is very different from the 2018 RWD.

Stop killing the planet you monster! /s

 

[PNWLeccy]

Saying that, however, one thing I have never really understood personally, is a need to "tell everyone, everything". I dont get the desire to come to a tesla board, and say (basically) bye bye everyone!

Couldn't help but think of this meme

I don't actually have an issue with how the OP described his decision but many of these kind of posts are pointless and don't add much to the conversation

 

[Mr X]

Road noise? People drive around in dead silence without playing music?


Congrats on the downgrade I guess

 

[LoudMusic]

I'm sure you're not alone in hoping that happens.

The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same things. And hopefully in the not too distant future, Tesla will have a model that will fit you as well as (or even better than) The new BMW.

Enjoy your new ride... we'll still be here when you come back.

"If you and I agree on everything, one of us is unnecessary."

 

[Sukhshanti]

Sorry for your loss?

I couldn't fathom a better daily than my M3P, cheaper to own/maintain than a Prius and performance equivalent to a C8 Corvette. That minor issue of wind noise is somewhat annoying at times, but I forget about it as soon as I stomp the GO pedal.

 

[MadMax082]

Is it just me or is it that I just don’t feel/hear the road noise that much. I took delivery last month (March) and I don’t feel there is a big road noise. Coming from 2017 BMW 328i, I feel my new M3P is quieter.
For me personally, M3P is the best car I’ve ever had. Granted, maybe you guys compare the noise to the luxury “floaty” cars but I’ve always had more stiffer rides. Infiniti G35 coupe manual was way louder and even though it was considered a “sports” car, my M3P murders it in every category; from speed to road noise to stiffness to sound to tech.

 

[lencap]

Sounds like a pretty good deal you got with the trade, coming out with a year newer vehicle plus cash. I had a 2015 S4 prior to my Tesla, so understand your decision. In a perfect world, I would put the Model 3's powertrain and software in that S4. I'd put a deposit down on that in a heartbeat! However, I can never go back to ICE now, not even hybrid.

I agree that I got a good deal, especially so given my Tesla was a trade-in to a dealer. A few months ago before the chip shortages played havoc on new car production I would have expected to pay at least $5k plus my Tesla for the swap. Given my preferences I’m happy with the trade, but I will miss the effortless acceleration and low operating costs. Offsetting that a bit is the prepaid 4 year service contract that the original owner bought when he ordered the A4. It transferred to me when I got the car - an unexpected bonus that I learned bout when I took the car to the local Audi dealership to check it out.