Survey: Is Full Self-Driving Capability worth the cost?

[haroldo]

Many prospective owners are wondering whether Full Self-Driving Capability is worth the cost. I'm a relatively new owner and like it, but it definitely has room for improvement.
There's no shortage of threads discussing (complaining about) the product, so please excuse me for adding, yet another, discussion. However, a poll can give prospective owners a snapshot of the community's opinion (without having to read the 34 threads and over 800 replies).
Please do not reply to the poll if your car doesn't have Full Self-Driving Capability, nor if you've just purchased your car and haven't put the car through its paces.
Obviously, each owner had a different budget and value systems...some would think nothing of spending an additional $10,000, others might not feel comfortable, so take the results with a grain of salt.
Yes, I know there's the possibility of a subscription service which changes the cost/value dynamic.
Yes, I know Full Self-Driving Capability is continually evolving with new, and improved features forthcoming
Thanks!

 

[fiveten]

I'm glad I got it (paid $7k on it for one car (without it i would have had just basic autopilot) and paid $2k on it for two other cars (without it, I would have just had EAP on both those cars that I think cost me $4k, and now I have sold one of them). It hasn't been worth it yet, only advantage over EAP was that I got the FSD visuals...that hasn't been worth the extra $2k I paid on two of my cars. Main advantage over basic autopilot is smart summon (which is cool) and then the ability to change lanes on autopilot...hasn't been worth the extra $7k.

That being said, I hope it pays off on FSD is released...

 

[haroldo]

smart summon (which is cool)

Mine fails 90% of the time, including thinking my office complex' parking lot is a public street
The one, or two, times it actually worked, it took so long to set up, that it would have been easier to walk to car. As a parlor trick, it not only doesn't wow others, but it's pretty embarrassing

 

[fiveten]

Mine fails 90% of the time, including thinking my office complex' parking lot is a public street
The one, or two, times it actually worked, it took so long to set up, that it would have been easier to walk to car. As a parlor trick, it not only doesn't wow others, but it's pretty embarrassing

There are a few places i visit that it works really well at, and so I use it to show off at those places all the time...there are also a few places that it fails miserably at...I don't use it there so I don't embarrass it...

 

[tomas]

IMO, these are the wrong choices. Answer is X: we don’t know yet. The functionality that’s there today is meager and not worth it. The functionality in a year might be. So for me - who will keep car for probably 10 years, answer is X but may very well become A in the future. For someone who flips car every few years… different answer.

 

[Amped412]

You're giving Tesla an interest free loan in hopes you get what you paid for years down the road. I passed on purchasing FSD until I know exactly what I'm getting. Right now, EAP is all you get and EAP is not worth 10k.

 

[haroldo]

these are the wrong choices. Answer is X: we don’t know yet.

Not really, since the survey is designed to help people about to click the button to place their order. As with all technology, it'll always get better, faster, cheaper, thinner, lighter, and have a better battery life....but that's of little consequence to today's prospective buyer. For them, it's either buy or don't buy

The functionality that’s there today is meager and not worth it.

Guessing C,D, or probably choice F might work for you

 

[haroldo]

Not a statistically valid sample, but with 24 votes, 12 sort of like it, and 12 really hate it. Pretty much what I would have expected.

 

[Tam]

Not a statistically valid sample...

As long as it cannot rely on itself to prevent accidents it is not worthy of the name FSD nor its price.

 

[Tesomega]

Paid for my FSD when I bought my car in 2017 (Everything needed for FSD is already included). I have not received a single update in 2021 firmware wise..; I have not seen 1 MCU1/AP3 car participating in the BETA. for all intense and purposes Tesla will never provide an update even to try let alone give authorities to approve the tech (which they will not approve for my configuration).

Don't waste your money. Let Tesla burn its billions to build something it does not have and the approvals to use it. If they want you to participate in the BETA let them pay you some compensation for software validation (which is what the youtubers are getting in my mind - still someone else is paying not Tesla)

 

[jjrandorin]

Not a statistically valid sample, but with 24 votes, 12 sort of like it, and 12 really hate it. Pretty much what I would have expected.

The biggest problem with this poll (and most discussion in this part of TMC on this topic) is, there has been so much "discussion" on this topic, that most people who are actually happy with what they have are completely over having the discussion. They dont want to participate anymore in the discussion, so what you end up being left with are people who are unhappy with it (and unhappy people are always willing to share that sentiment), and a few die hard people who are still willing to have the discussion.

TL ; DR, people who like FSD for the most part are not into this discussion any longer, so any discussion here tends to skew toward people who are at best ambivalent, but usually more toward "dislike".

 

[BobDolesGhost]

Need option for A+ combined with maybe C, Not worth it - but will love it once (if) I get what I paid for

 

[ATPMSD]

I suggest it greatly depends on where you drive. I live in Atlanta and around metro Atlanta, it is far too timid to be used.

 

[holeydonut]

The biggest problem with this poll (and most discussion in this part of TMC on this topic) is, there has been so much "discussion" on this topic, that most people who are actually happy with what they have are completely over having the discussion. They dont want to participate anymore in the discussion, so what you end up being left with are people who are unhappy with it (and unhappy people are always willing to share that sentiment), and a few die hard people who are still willing to have the discussion.

TL ; DR, people who like FSD for the most part are not into this discussion any longer, so any discussion here tends to skew toward people who are at best ambivalent, but usually more toward "dislike".

But people with FSD should have more free time to post on TMC while "driving". This will allow them the opportunity to share their thoughts about how awesome FSD is... right?

 

[rxlawdude]

But people with FSD should have more free time to post on TMC while "driving". This will allow them the opportunity to share their thoughts about how awesome FSD is... right?

What part of "be alert and prepared to take over at any moment" is compatible with "post[ing] on TMC while 'driving'?"

 

[holeydonut]

Didn't do well in reading comprehension? What part of "be alert and prepared to take over at any moment" is compatible with "post[ing] on TMC while 'driving'?"

Maybe the emoji was wrong ... maybe I should have used or /s

But yeah, looks like rxlawdude follows the law and doesn't post on TMC while driving.

 

[haroldo]

The biggest problem with this poll (and most discussion in this part of TMC on this topic) is, there has been so much "discussion" on this topic, that most people who are actually happy with what they have are completely over having the discussion. They dont want to participate anymore in the discussion, so what you end up being left with are people who are unhappy with it (and unhappy people are always willing to share that sentiment), and a few die hard people who are still willing to have the discussion.

TL ; DR, people who like FSD for the most part are not into this discussion any longer, so any discussion here tends to skew toward people who are at best ambivalent, but usually more toward "dislike".

translation - bad news travels fast

Agree completely, but as a new buyer, and having discussed this topic with other new and prospective buyers, a simple illustration such as this provides a very clear conclusion, that being “if the cost of the option isn’t a problem, go fot it, warts and all, however, if you’re stretching to buy the car, save your money “, or at least that hourI read the results

 

[tomas]

Not really, since the survey is designed to help people about to click the button to place their order. As with all technology, it'll always get better, faster, cheaper, thinner, lighter, and have a better battery life....but that's of little consequence to today's prospective buyer. For them, it's either buy or don't buy

Disagree. Unlike a laptop or phone, when you buy FSD, you are buying both the current functionality and the future upgrades. So it is not just about today’s functionality. If it were, the results would skew lower, as most people would not pay $10k for what it does today.

the fact that you have failed to factor this into your survey impacts its usefulness. As does the discussion fatigue around this as pointed out by @jjrandorin

 

[haroldo]

the fact that you have failed to factor this into your survey impacts its usefulness. As does the discussion fatigue around this

We are sorry that our survey didn't meet your expectations. You are entitled to a full refund of any cost incurred, please allow 14 days for our back office to process. LOL
Seriously, this survey isn't perfect, it's not even good. But for the many, many prospective buyers (most of whom haven't been in this forum following the never ending debate), it might provide a useful snapshot
If not, they, or anyone else, are free to ignore this thread

 

[t3sl4drvr]

G: No-one knows because Tesla has not delivered FSD yet. You would pay for absolutely nothing today.