When buying your first Tesla, what would you do differently?

[Gwak]

Hi all, new to the forum, looking to absorb some of your wisdom as I now look to buy my next car. I have an XC90 T6 at the moment and always kicked myself for not spending some extra cash to stretch for the T8 (hybrid).

For my next car, I am now thinking just jump straight to EV and Model X is certainly a prime candidate. Thinking back, is there something that you would have done differently (both buying new and used)?

I also have the following questions which some of you may point me to different parts of the forum (and appreciate them too regardless).

1. Is the large windscreen an issue for Australia's summer? And does the aircon keep up with Australia's summer?
2. How reliable (or not) are you finding your Tesla?
3. Is it still possible to get free unlimited supercharging?
4. Is there any point trying to haggle?
5. If you live outside of the major cities (i live in Canberra), do you find that to be an issue?

Thanks!

 

[RichAZ/CapeCod]

....
I also have the following questions which some of you may point me to different parts of the forum (and appreciate them too regardless).

1. Is the large windscreen an issue for Australia's summer? And does the aircon keep up with Australia's summer?
2. How reliable (or not) are you finding your Tesla?
3. Is it still possible to get free unlimited supercharging?
4. Is there any point trying to haggle?
5. If you live outside of the major cities (i live in Canberra), do you find that to be an issue?

Thanks!

Gwak, not sure you'll be getting much response to your posting. You're the first person I've seen on this forum from Australia!

I suggest, due to what will likely be unique EV ownership circumstances in your country, that you track down some local Tesla owners and put your questions to them. Perhaps there is even a Tesla owners club in your neck of the woods?

Best of luck,

Rich

 

[Blue heaven]

Hi all, new to the forum, looking to absorb some of your wisdom as I now look to buy my next car. I have an XC90 T6 at the moment and always kicked myself for not spending some extra cash to stretch for the T8 (hybrid).

For my next car, I am now thinking just jump straight to EV and Model X is certainly a prime candidate. Thinking back, is there something that you would have done differently (both buying new and used)?

I also have the following questions which some of you may point me to different parts of the forum (and appreciate them too regardless).

1. Is the large windscreen an issue for Australia's summer? And does the aircon keep up with Australia's summer?
2. How reliable (or not) are you finding your Tesla?
3. Is it still possible to get free unlimited supercharging?
4. Is there any point trying to haggle?
5. If you live outside of the major cities (i live in Canberra), do you find that to be an issue?

Thanks!

1. Aircon can handle Australian summer, but do try and park in the shade when possible as a hot car takes longer to cool down.
2. After 215,000kms my model S has been extremely reliable, keep in mind the model X has a few different reliability issues that could arise.
3. Unlimited supercharging is no big deal unless it's the main source of charging.
4. No point in haggling
5. There's plenty of Teslas in Canberra. There's also Teslas in Darwin, Alice Springs, Broken Hill, Port Hedland and Esperance.

PS: Can you wait 6 months for the model Y? It appears to be an excellent alternative.

 

[strykeroz]

1. Aircon can handle Australian summer, but do try and park in the shade when possible as a hot car takes longer to cool down.
2. After 215,000kms my model S has been extremely reliable, keep in mind the model X has a few different reliability issues that could arise.
3. Unlimited supercharging is no big deal unless it's the main source of charging.
4. No point in haggling
5. There's plenty of Teslas in Canberra. There's also Teslas in Darwin, Alice Springs, Broken Hill, Port Hedland and Esperance.

PS: Can you wait 6 months for the model Y? It appears to be an excellent alternative.

I've not done near as many k's as @Blue heaven but I'd echo those comments

1. Since 2019 there's a mode where you can leave the car locked but crack the windows a couple of cm to let the breeze take the heat out & help keep interior temps lower - I find this helps as it did with our old car. If you're not sparing the electrons you can also choose to leave the AC on if you're leaving the car for a short while, a mode that will start the AC or fan to keep the cabin from overheating automatically, and you can start the AC from your phone to cool the car before you get in it. AC has no troubles keeping up with the heat thru the glass roof I've found even at the height of summer.
2. No mechanical issues at all after a year. One flat tyre and that could have happened to any car.
3. Even on longer trips unless I'm heading south down the coast of NSW or day tripping to Toowoomba/Gympie I don't use the supercharger network really, and happy to pay when I do. Almost all charging is done at home or destinations in my experience, and more than half my fast charging has been done using other networks. NRMA sites are popping up all around you for example.
4. What @Blue heaven said. It's not a dealership and these are not salespeople. You're essentially ordering from an online catalog.
5. I'm sure I've seen Teslas in Canberra - you can even rent one IIRC. You'd be covered by a mobile service arrangement - might be worth calling Sydney and asking if it's a real Tesla person or a 3rd party if that will make you feel more at ease. A 3rd party guy came to my flat tyre and seemed to know his stuff (put a Tesla loaner on so I could be mobile while the original was repaired)

Cheers, Geoff

 

[mrpseudonym]

Not a bad question for a first post @Gwak !

As previous people have said the buying process is pretty well set in stone, no haggling, you spec a car, place an order then you take delivery. No room for creativity.

Lots of Teslas Canberra. Servicing them now is pretty straightforward, the techs all practiced on our early cars

I would just add that the ModelX is a BIG car. Its great if you have a couple of kids and go on holidays but around town it needs some space. Probably not as much of an issue in Canberra, but if you are trying to park it in Balmain in Sydney then its harder, and I have not seen a Model X without its N/S rear wheel scuffed because of its size when navigating shopping centre car parks.

We are mostly Tesla enthusiasts on this forum, so you will get positively biased responses.
Get it bought and enjoy.

 

[mspohr]

I bought my Model S six years ago. Love it every time I drive it. Only a few minor issues promptly taken care of by service. I live a few hours drive from the nearest SC but lately mobile service has come to me to fix anything (door handles).
I figure I've saved over $25,000 on fuel and maintenance.
Have you taken a test drive?
Just buy it. Don't worry about anything.

 

[GrimRe]

Honestly I'd wait for the Model Y to become available in AU. Unless you really need the size of the Model X, the Model Y is still about as big as an Audi Q3 / XC60 and extremely roomy inside.

Also if you must have the Model X. Its perhaps worth holding off until Mid next year as the S/X lines at the Fremont factory are suspiciously shutting down for two weeks which some think is the sign of a refresh.

 

[PC__LoadLetter]

Tesla’s service centre in Canberra at Beard is great. One on-site guy and one ranger. Few customers. No fuss. Appointments exist in theory, in practice stuff just gets done ASAP. One time I had grief with my charge port not locking correctly. Drove in, he did some troubleshooting, and ~15 minutes later I drove out with a new charge port.

 

[ARMARM]

1. Is the large windscreen an issue for Australia's summer? And does the aircon keep up with Australia's summer?
2. How reliable (or not) are you finding your Tesla?
3. Is it still possible to get free unlimited supercharging?
4. Is there any point trying to haggle?
5. If you live outside of the major cities (i live in Canberra), do you find that to be an issue?

Model X owner since early 2018
1. The large windscreen is fine, the top half is tinted. The AC is my X is OK, my Amarok or the wife's i30 seem better.
2. The only thing that's stopped the car from driving was a 12v battery failure about 2 years into ownership. The Falcon Wing Doors on the X have been a little problematic, but after a few sensor replacements they've been fine of late.
3. I don't think so, it's not really a dealbreaker, but less than 8% of my charges have been at Superchargers.
4. There is no haggling, this isn't a middle-man dealership, you're dealing direct with Tesla. The price is the price.
5. Can't comment on this as I live in the Sydney Metro Area.

 

[Tasdoc]

Two Tesla household here.
A 2017 Model S75D with 90,000Ks and a 2019 Model 3SR+ with just under 20,000Ks on the clock

The only regret is not buying my Model S a couple of years earlier.

1. I had a MX as a loaner for a few days in a 40+ heat - no issues keeping interior cool
2. Model S front suspension rattle, tailgate misalignment, L front headlight "eyebrow" fading - all fixed under warranty, no other problems. Zero issues with M3 so far
3. Not anymore
4. Not for new orders, but for inventory and demo vehicles I think it is possible
5. I live in Melbourne, but most of my driving is in the rural Victoria. My MS bumper is full of chips now, but otherwise no issues

 

[moa999]

I'd add the great thing about the a/c is the ability to remotely turn it on 10min before returning to car.

Free supercharging no longer other than a few limited offers in the US (and the 1500km from using referral codes)

But you should be mostly charging at home which is a lot cheaper.
Roadtrips will cost about the same as a small car (and at the moment some third-party networks are cheaper than Tesla for charging)

 

[CWNE88]

I'd have walked away and waited until an actual car manufacturer made electric cars.

 

[moa999]

You're the first person I've seen on this forum from Australia!

Plenty around. Particularly in the Australia section (where this was posted, or possibly moved to).
Now over 10,000 Tesla's in Aus.

 

[mrpseudonym]

In answer to the question in the title of your thread ..

Make sure my wife was comfortable with the car before heading off overseas for two weeks. We took delivery at 5pm on a thursday and on the friday I left the country for two weeks. To this day she does not really like the car because she had some bad experiences in those first two weeks. A combination of the car being very different to drive than an ICE vehicle, and some gremlins with the early Model X’s.

Top Tip. If there is a partner involved in the driving of the car, spend some extra time to make sure all is well right at the beginning.

 

[cafz]

Thinking back, is there something that you would have done differently (both buying new and used)?

I'd suggest using ABRP ( A Better Routeplanner ) to check the actual expected energy usage on the long trips you commonly do, rather than relying on the test cycle range. If there's a trip you'd like to be able to do nonstop, eg to a holiday house a few hours away, check it on there - it's quite real-world accurate.

For your questions:

1. The Model 3 seems to do fine in the Aussie summer. I would recommend getting a reflective windscreen sunshade for those times you have to park it in the sun, though (mostly just to reduce energy usage on the cabin overheat protection).
2. I haven't had any trouble in a year of ownership. You probably need to look at aggregated statistics rather than self-reported anecdotes to get a really good idea, though.
3. Don't believe so, but Supercharging is more something you'd use while on a long road trip rather than around town so I wouldn't put too big a $ value on this. The convenience of charging at home for everyday usage rather than schlepping out to a charger like it's a petrol station is underrated.
4. Sometimes you can get some extra free Supercharger credits thrown in, eg if you offer to pick up rather than have it delivered.
5. Canberra is fine, there's a Tesla service centre in the ACT and the NSW country areas from the Newell Highway eastward plus the Sturt Highway have DC fast charger coverage.

 

[paulp]

I bought my first tesla which the wife immediately decided was now hers.....so I bought another. At the time in Adelaide there were no superchargers or destination chargers. We’ve since replaced both model s with another model s each. We dont really do road trips so the charging side is never an issue for us.

I regret buying the roof shades because they arent necessary. Now I have two unused sets kicking around.....although I bought them with referral credits, along with a new set of tyres.

I charge from solar at home so electron use is no issue for me, and probably one of the best things is the nice cool car whenever I get back into it at an unshaded carpark, although not visiting petrol stations is right up there too. The ‘self driving’ is still very eratic. I tend to just use cruise control these days. It may improve in time....but in the meantime we have video games.

Like all previous cars its had a few issues, and these are generally at the start of ownership. We’ve been lucky in Adelaide with an incredibly responsive and capable service team. Suspension rattle - fixed quickly. Other issues - quickly fixed, and generally at my home or work. With all 4 cars once those little issues are out the way they have proven reliable, but I dont keep cars more than 3-4 years.

Haggling isnt really possible. You order online, and the price is the price.
Will my next car be a tesla? if roadster is available then yes, otherwise don’t know, but I do know my next car will be an EV. I’m done with petrol.

 

[paulp]

I'd have walked away and waited until an actual car manufacturer made electric cars.

So you’d either now own a Leaf or you’d still be waiting

 

[Tasdoc]

So you’d either now own a Leaf or you’d still be waiting

He-he. Why not? I guess there are still some folks waiting for horse carriage makers to build proper cars

 

[Gwak]

I'd have walked away and waited until an actual car manufacturer made electric cars.

Thanks, but can you elaborate?

In answer to the question in the title of your thread ..
Top Tip. If there is a partner involved in the driving of the car, spend some extra time to make sure all is well right at the beginning.

Great tip, never thought of that but can imagine that happening.

Two Tesla household here.
4. Not for new orders, but for inventory and demo vehicles I think it is possible

This is helpful, as I'm planning to go down that way, that is if I'm not waiting for the refreshed model.


Thanks a lot for the great responses! I have now contacted Tesla for a test drive, but will have to travel to Sydney for a test drive, which isn't practical at the moment. I'm not in a huge hurry so happy to wait.

My poorly worded question about living outside of major cities mainly relate to servicing, but most of you answered it that way anyway. I don't worry much about range and have solar panels and batteries to charge the car up.

My other option being considered is BMW X5 xDrive45e, which looks like a happy medium between EV and ICE, but likely to be more expensive once you throw in the options.

 

[paulp]

Thanks, but can you elaborate?



Great tip, never thought of that but can imagine that happening.



This is helpful, as I'm planning to go down that way, that is if I'm not waiting for the refreshed model.


Thanks a lot for the great responses! I have now contacted Tesla for a test drive, but will have to travel to Sydney for a test drive, which isn't practical at the moment. I'm not in a huge hurry so happy to wait.

My poorly worded question about living outside of major cities mainly relate to servicing, but most of you answered it that way anyway. I don't worry much about range and have solar panels and batteries to charge the car up.

My other option being considered is BMW X5 xDrive45e, which looks like a happy medium between EV and ICE, but likely to be more expensive once you throw in the options.

I’ve learnt my lesson with BMW. Never again. They make tesla after sales service look positively brilliant.