Who is a Stereotypical Tesla owner?

[ken830]

I'm a tech-geek, early-adopter, car-guy, and bargain-hunter. Back in 2012, my wife and I were in our early 30's. I had already decided to wait for the Gen-3, but we changed our minds and placed a reservation for a Model S in 2012 because we were expecting our first child. I wanted a high-performance car instead of a minivan or SUV. High gas prices in the Bay Area and a long commute made the math work out. Convenience, safety, and utility of the car was only something we realized after we owned it -- and $40/share of TSLA seemed like a bargain to me at the time after we realized how great it is living with a Tesla over any other car in history.

 

[JonG]

I wasn't planning to restart a environmentally sound war. It was more about the motivations for buying. I'll save my thoughts for the appropriate thread.

The early adopter types don't sit along side those that have bought the car and talk about it being a lifer - that's at odds to me.

Maybe the thing that is common is that we're all niches of one sort or another?

 

[Xenius]

I wasn't planning to restart a environmentally sound war. It was more about the motivations for buying. I'll save my thoughts for the appropriate thread.

The early adopter types don't sit along side those that have bought the car and talk about it being a lifer - that's at odds to me.

Maybe the thing that is common is that we're all niches of one sort or another?

I don't count, because I haven't yet pulled the trigger.

- Young=ish (early->mid thirties) (32)
- somewhat green - given equivalent choices where cost isn't a crazy factor I do prefer to be environmentally sound.
- techie - yup
- married
- not a car guy, also not a luxury car buyer. (never bought a car more than 25k) I'd rather invest than waste money on a depreciating asset. A tesla on the other hand...
- yes, typically an early adopter
- hate gas, hate oil companies, hate the subsidies businesses that hurt the world and make money hand over fist get
- feels like the future is EV and I want to help push there, even if it's only by buying one car or singing the praises of a company striving towards a cleaner more efficient world
- that acceleration though

 

[Gynob001]

I consider myself a typical owner-Human, old enough to drive, loves cars and technology, power and balance at the same time quiet and smoothness, exclusive and elusive, trendy and evolving, stylish and comfortable, conservative but exploring, .....In other words, someone who could afford a Tesla.

 

[zro ltr]

I'm a younger guy (30), married (no kids), and a tech nerd. I also consider myself a car guy. Being active duty military, I'm probably also on the lower end as far as income is concerned. I chose a Model S because:

-the "wow factor" and newness of my 2010 Camaro SS had worn off. Being on a military base, everyone drives a pony car. Mine is the only Tesla most people around here have ever seen.
-I wanted to get away from gas, mostly due to the expense, but also to be more environmentally conscious.
-Most electric cars are wimpy and slow. Model S is a great compromise between performance and efficiency.
-Model S is a great-looking car, especially compared to other EVs.
-I wanted to help push the adoption of electric vehicles.

 

[Armadillos]

I'm a younger guy (30), married (no kids), and a tech nerd. I also consider myself a car guy. Being active duty military, I'm probably also on the lower end as far as income is concerned. I chose a Model S because:

-the "wow factor" and newness of my 2010 Camaro SS had worn off. Being on a military base, everyone drives a pony car. Mine is the only Tesla most people around here have ever seen.
-I wanted to get away from gas, mostly due to the expense, but also to be more environmentally conscious.
-Most electric cars are wimpy and slow. Model S is a great compromise between performance and efficiency.
-Model S is a great-looking car, especially compared to other EVs.
-I wanted to help push the adoption of electric vehicles.

I always wondered how the MPs at the base gates would react when a Tesla pulls up to the gate...

 

[ozweepay]

The demographic of the typical Tesla Model S buyer is well-known. Why? Because Tesla needs to understand how to spend its limited sales resources to reach an audience who is likely to purchase the car.

My sales rep told me the typical buyer is:

- Male
- 35-55 yrs old
- Earns north of $120k
- Is in an engineering field (includes IT)

He added that the correlation between Tesla ownership and religious adherence is very low. In other words, the deeper your religious convictions, the less likely you are to buy a Tesla.

---

(If you respond to the curious religion statistic, please refrain from disrespecting our religious members on TMC)

 

[ken830]

Emphasis mine:

Model S is a great compromise between performance and efficiency.

Really?? As I see it, there is no compromise between performance and efficiency when compared to any other car in history.

 

[zro ltr]

I always wondered how the MPs at the base gates would react when a Tesla pulls up to the gate...

Same as anyone who sees one for the first time. It's a mixture of "What is that?", "How many MPGs does it get?", and "It's so quiet!"

Emphasis mine:


Really?? As I see it, there is no compromise between performance and efficiency when compared to any other car in history.

You're certainly not wrong. I meant I get efficiency without sacrificing (much) performance. My Camaro was faster, but at 17mpg mixed for my commute, it had to go. I wouldn't even be hinting at "compromise" if I could afford a P85 or faster.

 

[Vgsllc1]

True that about the "Prius" comment. Also, I met many of tesla drivers, who are doctors (MD. not WHO)
Single, mid 20s with 2 kids.

My three good friends who work for the same oil service company, all drive Model S to work.

I've met all kinds of Tesla owners.

-90 year old couples with their flip phone attached to their neck lanyard
-Type A independent women
-Couples in their 50s-60s who love and understand technology
-Car guys that had a friend give them a ride and now they are hooked
-Prius Drivers
-People that have no clue how that their electric car does not use gas
-Type A men
-And my favorite (sarcasm) - Elitists who think they are better than everyone else and nothing is ever their fault (most of the time the is a type A person)

Im not trying to be rude, just telling you what I have personally seen.

- - - Updated - - -

This is pretty accurate!

The demographic of the typical Tesla Model S buyer is well-known. Why? Because Tesla needs to understand how to spend its limited sales resources to reach an audience who is likely to purchase the car.

My sales rep told me the typical buyer is:

- Male
- 35-55 yrs old
- Earns north of $120k
- Is in an engineering field (includes IT)

He added that the correlation between Tesla ownership and religious adherence is very low. In other words, the deeper your religious convictions, the less likely you are to buy a Tesla.

---

(If you respond to the curious religion statistic, please refrain from disrespecting our religious members on TMC)

- - - Updated - - -

Xenius, why are you hating on oil/gas? It is a life blood of the human race. Most of the things in your life and house are petroleum based products.
the electric you use to charge Tesla may come from natural gas. Oil/gas enable us to evolve and advance.

I guess you never set foot on an airplane either. You should be ashamed if you do because airplane use jet fuel.

Most businesses has government subsidies (oil/gas, corn, automotive...)

In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama set the goal for the U.S. to become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.[SUP][147][/SUP][SUP][148][/SUP] For this purpose, his administration pledged US$2.4 billion in federal grants to support the development of next-generation electric vehicles and batteries.[SUP][147][/SUP][SUP][148][/SUP] The funds were allocated as follows: $1.5 billion in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce highly efficient batteries and their components; up to $500 million in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce other components needed for electric vehicles, such as electric motors and other components; and up to $400 million to demonstrate and evaluate plug-in hybrids and other electric infrastructure concepts—like truck stop charging station, electric rail, and training for technicians to build and repair electric vehicles (greencollar jobs).[SUP][149[/SUP]

I don't count, because I haven't yet pulled the trigger.

- Young=ish (early->mid thirties) (32)
- somewhat green - given equivalent choices where cost isn't a crazy factor I do prefer to be environmentally sound.
- techie - yup
- married
- not a car guy, also not a luxury car buyer. (never bought a car more than 25k) I'd rather invest than waste money on a depreciating asset. A tesla on the other hand...
- yes, typically an early adopter
- hate gas, hate oil companies, hate the subsidies businesses that hurt the world and make money hand over fist get
- feels like the future is EV and I want to help push there, even if it's only by buying one car or singing the praises of a company striving towards a cleaner more efficient world
- that acceleration though

 

[gizmoboy]

I read the forum with interest while I wait the long 4 months to get my car in the UK and some things surprise me. The main one is I can't work out what or who the typical owner is.

Looking for stereotypes is a losing proposition; all you'll find is a bunch of outliers and the fact that stereotypes tend not to be very useful descriptors.

 

[green1]

The stereotype is pretty easy: Rich, enviro-conscious, show off.

The reality is much different, and far more complex.

I'm sure I really skew some demographic or other:
- I don't care about the environment (ok, I do, but not to the point of altering my purchase patterns, and I certainly wouldn't do this for an environmental "image")
- I'm not rich by any stretch, The car I bought cost more than 1.5 times my annual salary (and that's even accounting for the fact I didn't buy it new, had it been new it would have been more than double!)
- My most expensive car previous to this was about one tenth the price.
- There are zero government incentives available to me
- I don't drive anywhere near enough distance in a year to justify something like this, heck I don't even commute!

Why did I buy this car? I'm not 100% sure I can even answer that fully, but I'll try to list some factors:
- I'm a tech savy early adopter (This probably accounts for more than I'd like to admit)
- I like the idea of fuelling at home and not having to go to a gas station
- I do like luxury sedans (my first car was a 17yr old Mercedes S class)
- I like the simplicity of an electric drive train, I understand it pretty fully and in depth, I could never say the same about my ICE vehicles as much as I tried.
- It's a nice looking car, and it's got practical seating and storage space

So who's the sterotype? you see a few of them, probably many of the movie stars you see with the Tesla fall in to that category, but I'd say the "normal" Tesla driver is a far more diverse and difficult to peg down group.

 

[tmoz]

I can't say that I hate oil and gas or the companies that produce the products, but I do feel it is time to move on. Whale oil was once the main source of oil/fuel. Coal had its heyday and now is retiring. As they say, "The stoneage didn't end because they ran out of stones, they found something better." Same with the oil age. Most of us on this forum should still be around when we see worldwide oil usage decline in a decade or two.

 

[Nigel16494]

I wanted an electric for a long time. Always envious of the people that made their own. I thought the EV1 was great. Started out with a Volt and loved driving electric, drove it more than my X5. Made the stupid mistake of test driving a Tesla and the rest is history, X5 was gone the next day.

 

[beeeerock]

As they say, "The stoneage didn't end because they ran out of stones, they found something better."

Bingo. I think that summarizes it quite nicely. Whether you bought your Tesla because it's greener, because it's safer, because it's faster, because it's cooler, because it's quieter, because it's more luxurious, because it's sexier... etc... it comes down to finding something better. Everyone of us would tick at least one of those boxes and probably more than one... and maybe a few I haven't listed.

When you look at it that way, the typical buyer is someone who's willing to take the leap to what is relatively new, relatively untested, relatively unusual - in order to enjoy items from the 'better list'. So if you're going to form that into a sterotype of some sort, it would probably have to do with being dissatisfied with the status quo and being willing to take on new challenges. I'm not sure if there's a name for that... :biggrin:

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

"The stereotype is pretty easy: Rich, enviro-conscious, show off."

What!?
I am not!!
Really I'm not, no way.
I'm serious here.

 

[green1]

"The stereotype is pretty easy: Rich, enviro-conscious, show off."

What!?
I am not!!
Really I'm not, no way.
I'm serious here.

And that's why stereotypes are rarely accurate.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

OK, OK, l may have lied. :wink:

 

[Veggen]

- Male
- 35-55 yrs old
- Earns north of $120k
- Is in an engineering field (includes IT)
He added that the correlation between Tesla ownership and religious adherence is very low. In other words, the deeper your religious convictions, the less likely you are to buy a Tesla.

Yup, 5 out of 5.