Tesla as a 1st car?

[Don85D]

If you present your wife with a list of cars and costs she may not pick a Model S. When they need to make a practical choice they can surprise you.

Finding a car in the right colour may be your biggest issue.

For many years I owned and restored Alfa Spiders while my wife drove the family cars. I wanted her to experience a sports car so I traded in the last Alfa for a Miata. She joined a club where there were weekly ice cream runs and annual tours to Vermont or West Virginia. She participated in track days and won prizes at Solo2 events. We still keep her Miata as a 'modern classic' but she drives the Model S. It can be a docile vehicle to control and she ignores the tuners who challenge her to a race. So sign up your wife for skid school and track training to complete her driver education, then it won't matter which car she drives.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Buy her a beater and let her drive that for a couple of years - no way a new driver knows how to avoid accidents, and I mean that in the nicest possible way

Yeah that ^^ I say pick up a good condition used Leaf for her. Unless she needs to do road tripping?

 

[Galve2000]

just get her a CPO S.. they are the best cars in the world and i'm sure she will appreciate the extra cargo space.

 

[Cheburashka]

If she might be accident prone, then you want her in the safest car out there, and that’s a Tesla.

Great idea. Buy a car that takes months to repair even for a small fender bender..

 

[gilscales]

C

So it finally happened, my wife passed her DMV written exam and now has a permit. She grew up in a country where most people don't drive and as a result, has never driven a car in her life. But now that she lives in California with me she will obviously need to be able to drive.

I'm not sure what route to go here in terms of getting her a car. Part of me wants to be a Tesla family. I could get her a very basic CPO/used Tesla and if the car is already dinged/scratched up it wouldn't matter since she will probably play bumper cars with everything on the road the first few years. That, and the safety of an S would be nice in case of an accident which let's face it is incrementally higher with a new driver.

Other part of me says why waste the money, get a used car for 10-15k for a few years then once she has more experience, move on to the plan above.

I'm curious what others think. Another question to ponder is if Teslas are easier cars to drive than regular ICE cars? I would not necessarily think so, but a few months ago I went to a Tesla event with a buddy who has a foreign wife and who just learned to drive, and she was telling us how much easier it was to drive a Tesla than other cars - mostly because of the regenerative braking.

I don't think I could handle the stress of sharing my P85D with her. I think my hairs will skip going grey and go straight to white in two years.

Least expensive model S I have seen is around 34k and not sure what shape a 34k model S looks like as I have never shopped for one maybe others can chime in on this, my point being that at $44,100 after the $1,200 delivery fee the new MR model 3 could be a much better deal as you may qualify for a $3,750 federal tax credit AND a $2,500 CVRP bringing the cost down to under 38k for a new vehicle that is arguably much safer to drive than a used S for a first time driver, if it were me AND I had the financial ability to do so I would not hesitate to get the model 3 as the safety of a vehicle extends far beyond crash worthiness to me as accident avoidance is also very important, something the excellent handling model 3 has plenty of.

 

[gilscales]

Great idea. Buy a car that takes months to repair even for a small fender bender..

Yes but cars can be repaired cheaper than people and even with a Tesla sometimes faster!

 

[mal_tsla]

model S is way too big for most new drivers.

Teslas don't make good first cars because repairs are expensive and take FOREVER. I would go with an inexpensive (relative to Tesla) car that has excellent IIHS crash ratings and has a real "commodity" / "can be fixed anywhere by anyone" feel to it.

 

[Big Toys]

Make believe she is 16. Do you buy her a $40K car?

 

[Don85D]

I'm still not sure why the husband feels that he has the right to determine the car that she gets. I would make a list of many cars (ICE included) with purchase price and recurring cost estimates then let her decide. If she is practical and knows her limits as a new driver she may chose a Civic instead of a Leaf. They are efficient and reliable. For shopping and errands the fuel cost and pollution are not big issues. The Leaf adds serious range anxiety to her life which she may not want.

She should learn how to maintain an ICE vehicle as one may be in her future by necessity.

Bottom line is that the OP should not buy her anything. Let her decide what she needs and wants as a first car. I'll bet that her girl friends (peers) have a bigger influence on the car she really wants.

 

[docherf]

If you present your wife with a list of cars and costs she may not pick a Model S. When they need to make a practical choice they can surprise you.

Finding a car in the right colour may be your biggest issue.

For many years I owned and restored Alfa Spiders while my wife drove the family cars. I wanted her to experience a sports car so I traded in the last Alfa for a Miata. She joined a club where there were weekly ice cream runs and annual tours to Vermont or West Virginia. She participated in track days and won prizes at Solo2 events. We still keep her Miata as a 'modern classic' but she drives the Model S. It can be a docile vehicle to control and she ignores the tuners who challenge her to a race. So sign up your wife for skid school and track training to complete her driver education, then it won't matter which car she drives.

Got my son m3 for 1st car - perfect. He loves it. Safest car out there.

 

[Big Toys]

Maybe that's they way they live.

In any case, it would be unfortunate for a new driver to mess up a $40K car, because that $40K belongs to him as well.

 

[Stiction]

If you buy her a used car, make sure it has a backup camera.
I vote for the Prius idea

 

[SilverSp33d3r]

If your interested I’m also considering putting my 2014 silver s60 up for sale.

 

[nomis_nehc]

Or that she doesn't understand or really care much about cars?

OP, I think it would help people to give better and more relevant recommendations if you list out some parameters. For example, what's your budget? Any clear models that you do not want to purchase, for example, no Volt or Bolt, etc. Having some restrictions would allow us to tailor more of the conversation to you.

 

[Tic-tac-toe]

I'm still not sure why the husband feels that he has the right to determine the car that she gets. I would make a list of many cars (ICE included) with purchase price and recurring cost estimates then let her decide. If she is practical and knows her limits as a new driver she may chose a Civic instead of a Leaf. They are efficient and reliable. For shopping and errands the fuel cost and pollution are not big issues. The Leaf adds serious range anxiety to her life which she may not want.

She should learn how to maintain an ICE vehicle as one may be in her future by necessity.

Bottom line is that the OP should not buy her anything. Let her decide what she needs and wants as a first car. I'll bet that her girl friends (peers) have a bigger influence on the car she really wants.

Long time ago, my father bought a new Honda Civic for me when I was in grad school. Very sweet of my dad. I’m his little girl. I agree that my husband choosing a car for me is a bit much. My darling husband knows better

I still have the Civic. It’s 21 yrs old, never been in an accident, runs great and promised to my car obsessed 11 yr old when he learns to drive. Eeeeeck!!!

I won’t have a problem with my son learning to drive and driving the S when he learns to drive in 5 yrs. Hopefully in that time, Tesla will be more timely about parts and repairs, The car dings and protests so much about any problem, it’s like having Mom in the passenger seat next to you.

 

[PWlakewood]

Any Tesla is a great first car for many reasons and if safety is your number one then the model 3 and S would be great. I prefer large sedans and my wife likes them as well but prefers the size of an SUV. If money is no concern get the model 3. In fact I would take her to drive a few cars and see what size she feels more comfortable in.

 

[Lasttoy]

Check insurance prices first. The shock might be to great.

 

[PWlakewood]

Check insurance prices first. The shock might be to great.

Or it may not be a shock as I found out. It all depends on way too many factors to say his/her insurance will be higher/lower

 

[vickh]

AP and autopark could make avoiding accidents easier I'm debating whether to trust my parents/son with one day

 

[maximizese]

I wouldn't recommend it. My opinion is that a Tesla is a niche car that is unlike most cars and that a new driver would benefit from learning the basics first. I learned to drive in a 1989 Mazda 323 that was a 4-speed manual without a tachometer, without power steering, without power brakes, and without a passenger side mirror. That car taught me to not take any of these modern luxury/tech for granted and I feel confident in keeping my cool if I have to deal with emergency maneuvering if the brake booster, power steering, or powertrain were to give out. My wife started driving an automatic and it took a long time to teach her how to drive a manual because she was accustomed to an automatic and didn't understand why gear ratios, friction points, and engine speed were all relevant to keeping the motor from stalling. After learning, she has a better understanding how a car works and feels like a better driver because of it.

EVs may be the future, but I think it might be wise to start with the basics first.