Tesla moments

[Pilot_51]

On the way home today, in traffic stopped at a light, the guy to my right honked and motioned to roll down the window. I rolled it down and paused my podcast, but left the AC blasting.

Guy: "How's the new car?" (something along those lines, hard to make out)
Me: "It's awesome."
Guy: "I inspect that car for sealer and adhesive." (again, unsure of exact wording)
Me: [Awkward pause as I try to figure out what he just said] "Cool."
Traffic starts moving and we both start creeping forward.
Guy: "I'm the one who designed the sealer."
Me: "Cool."
Guy gives thumbs up and I return it as we drive off.

Apparently I don't handle those situations well because of the extremely limited time for conversation, so I end up giving really short and unenthusiastic replies. :redface:

 

[pmoa]

If they feel the need to put such a defensive sounding statement in their signatures, that speaks volumes right there ... :biggrin:

Completely agree.

 

[bmah]

I think its pretty cool that Tesla owners wave at each other

Depends on where you are. In my part of the SF Bay Area, nobody waves. Probably too many of us here, so it's not special anymore. :-O

The closest I've come was trading thumbs-ups with a guy in a McLaren.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Depends on where you are. In my part of the SF Bay Area, nobody waves. Probably too many of us here, so it's not special anymore. :-O

Oh yeah, that ended here around May 2013. I'd feel silly waving to another MS driver now. Having said that, I still exchange waves with Signature Red drivers; they are special

 

[Shelly]

cool, haha....

 

[Pilot_51]

Depends on where you are. In my part of the SF Bay Area, nobody waves. Probably too many of us here, so it's not special anymore. :-O

The closest I've come was trading thumbs-ups with a guy in a McLaren.

And here in Michigan, nobody waves because they're so rare and almost always going the other direction, at least in my experience. I'm always caught by surprise with a touch of disbelief and it's too quick to do anything about, especially with windows closed. The only owner who waved was SteelGrey, who coincidentally worked in my department on loan for two weeks, when I followed him from work and our homeward routes split, so really a "bye" wave rather than a "hey, another owner!" wave. I did wave at one as I was walking along the street near my house, but they had almost no way to know I was another owner unless they happened to see my car in the back of my driveway.

 

[Pilot_51]

I'm pretty sure this qualifies as my first unexpected Tesla moment with a complete stranger while I wasn't driving.

After I parked and started walking across the parking lot at work this morning, a minivan drove up...
Woman: "That's your car! I drive by it every day. I had to look it up on the Internet. I love your car!"
Me: "I love it too."
Woman: "How do you like it?"
Me: "It's amazing!"
Woman: "I bet it is."
(not exact words, but close enough)

 

[mwulff]

We had a nice tesla moment the other day. We were at the recycling station unloading trash. An elderly couple pulls up next to us and rolls down the window.

Him: I saw a car like that on the highway yesterday, what is it? It's beautiful.
Me: it's a Tesla Model S
Wife: it's all electric not a drop of gas anywhere.
Him: (looks at the back) there's no tailpipe???
Wife: nope, no emissions. Just plug it in like an iPhone.
Him: awesome, how much is it, if I may ask?
Me: this one is about $120.000
Him: ouch, but it looks worth it. Is there a cheaper model?
wife: sure, but it won't be out until 2017. The Tesla Model 3.
him: Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for that one.

very nice experience and it happens more often than I would have expected.

 

[mhpr262]

Me: this one is about $120.000
Him: ouch, but it looks worth it. Is there a cheaper model?

You could have mentioned that the same model was available for 75k ... before incentives and tax rebates and at least 15k in gas money ...

 

[mwulff]

You could have mentioned that the same model was available for 75k ... before incentives and tax rebates and at least 15k in gas money ...

I did. But it was clear that above 35.000 was too much for him. But he liked the car and that was what really mattered.

 

[grantgro]

I called the local 3m authorized tint shop yesterday to schedule my 85d for tinting and the lady asked what kind of car I had. When I told her it was a Tesla I had to repeat myself 3 times and finally even had to spell it out for her. She had no idea what it was. Honestly, a little worried taking it there to get tinted considering the lady who answers their phones doesn't know what a Tesla is but they're the only 3m authorized tint shop in the area and they've done a good job in the past on my other vehicles

 

[Cyclone]

I called the local 3m authorized tint shop yesterday to schedule my 85d for tinting and the lady asked what kind of car I had. When I told her it was a Tesla I had to repeat myself 3 times and finally even had to spell it out for her. She had no idea what it was. Honestly, a little worried taking it there to get tinted considering the lady who answers their phones doesn't know what a Tesla is but they're the only 3m authorized tint shop in the area and they've done a good job in the past on my other vehicles

I wouldn't worry about it honestly. The lady picking up the phone is unlikely the person putting on the tint, and there is nothing special about the Model S versus other frameless window vehicles. Any reputable shop should be able totally with you and show you their workspace and such, so you could ask for questions when you drop off the car and maybe even meet the person doing your tint. When I did mine, the gentleman put samples on to help me pick my shade and gave me a turn of the shop. It was a great gesture and the transparency of the process was welcomed.

 

[Brass Guy]

I called the local 3m authorized tint shop yesterday to schedule my 85d for tinting and the lady asked what kind of car I had. When I told her it was a Tesla I had to repeat myself 3 times and finally even had to spell it out for her. She had no idea what it was. Honestly, a little worried taking it there to get tinted considering the lady who answers their phones doesn't know what a Tesla is but they're the only 3m authorized tint shop in the area and they've done a good job in the past on my other vehicles

I wouldn't worry about it. The lady answering the phone probably doesn't work on any cars.

 

[ecarfan]

You could have mentioned that the same model was available for 75k ... before incentives and tax rebates and at least 15k in gas money ...

My answer to the price question is always to say "They start at..." With the current number being $70K. All cars have a base price and people understand what that means, and that options add to the base price. The base Model S is an extremely impressive car, especially now that so many things that used to be in the old Tech Package option are now standard.

 

[paulkva]

Fun one in Ocean City MD yesterday. I was trying to turn right into a narrow driveway that a black Lamborghini was exiting at the time, so I stopped and waved him ahead. After a thank-you wave, he pointed at my car and gave me a thumbs-up (which I returned of course). I was especially amused because I had my whole family with me and two trunks full of beach gear in the car.

I know I've seen similar stories posted before. I've had the Model S nearly two years and it still floors me that there are people who "upgrade" from other high-end cars to what I'm driving, in addition to those (like myself) who replace more mainstream cars.

 

[mmccord]

Fun one in Ocean City MD yesterday. I was trying to turn right into a narrow driveway that a black Lamborghini was exiting at the time, so I stopped and waved him ahead. After a thank-you wave, he pointed at my car and gave me a thumbs-up (which I returned of course). I was especially amused because I had my whole family with me and two trunks full of beach gear in the car.

I know I've seen similar stories posted before. I've had the Model S nearly two years and it still floors me that there are people who "upgrade" from other high-end cars to what I'm driving, in addition to those (like myself) who replace more mainstream cars.

I find I'm more likely to get a wave from someone in a ferrari or lambo than i am from an audi or mercedes.

 

[DrumCoder]

One of the things I like about this thread was that it is a fluff thread where positive experiences regarding Tesla can be shared. There's the rest of the forum for negativity, bitterness, and saltiness over how things aren't going 100% your way.

Was hanging out with some friends (who some didn't know I got a new car) after seeing Ant-Man, and there's a scene that I don't want to spoil but the story specifically revolves around that scene. We went to dinner afterwards and talked about that scene, so I pulled out my keyfob and said that this was a Tesla.

They were like "Yeah, right, like that's gonna turn into an ACTUAL Tesla."

They were instantly jealous 30 minutes later in the parking lot when they saw the actual Tesla.

 

[Max*]

Ok I saw this press conference in October last year about some fancy autopilot features. The webpage showed off loads of amazing stuff like automatic parking, meet me at the curb, and autopilot. Bought the car. Now they tell me, "yeah all that is actually remarkably tricky". Had I known, I would have saved 30k by getting a CPO.

#teslamoment

All jokes aside, the reasons I went with new over CPO are autopilot, AWD and blue.
-AWD isn't really required in VA, and the Tesla has no engine so having RWD isn't as bad in snow.
-Color choice I could have lived with one of the various shades of gray.
-But if this autopilot thing doesn't happen soon, I'll be kicking myself for not going CPO.

 

[beeeerock]

I've told the story of taking my old-school Italian mechanic for a drive... well, here's another one for the thread. Text is cut/paste from my Instagram feed. Note, his Testarossa is just visible in the background... probably should have parked them side by side!

"This is Franco. Today is his open house, celebrating 45 years in the auto business! I've known him since I was a teenager buying parts from him for the family Volvo. When I told him I was buying a #tesla he was skeptical to say the least... "electric cars are garbage!" Well... I took him for a ride and he changed his opinion 180 degrees! He loves my #teslarossa and asked me to let him display it at the open house. I agreed and made him this nice 'street person sign' to wear today. LOL! It says, "Seeking Forgiveness. I was wrong about the Tesla. Any forgiveness you can spare helps. Thanks and God bless." This is a Tesla Moment for sure!"

 

[Pollux]

Priceless! Nicely played, sir!

I've told the story of taking my old-school Italian mechanic for a drive... well, here's another one for the thread. Text is cut/paste from my Instagram feed. Note, his Testarossa is just visible in the background... probably should have parked them side by side!

"This is Franco. Today is his open house, celebrating 45 years in the auto business! I've known him since I was a teenager buying parts from him for the family Volvo. When I told him I was buying a #tesla he was skeptical to say the least... "electric cars are garbage!" Well... I took him for a ride and he changed his opinion 180 degrees! He loves my #teslarossa and asked me to let him display it at the open house. I agreed and made him this nice 'street person sign' to wear today. LOL! It says, "Seeking Forgiveness. I was wrong about the Tesla. Any forgiveness you can spare helps. Thanks and God bless." This is a Tesla Moment for sure!"

View attachment 88345