Why Are You With Tesla

[AW9nineteen]

Hey Everyone

I feel like every day I am seeing more and more compelling electric vehicles Being debuted. Which makes me ask, how much longer will I stay with Tesla. Then that brings me to, why am I with Tesla? My answer is mostly because of it being a fast, beautiful, electric vehicle. I hate everything about gas engines but the sound of accelerating. Do you think you will stick around with the new Audis continue to be produced? Lower priced options in the 3 range even. I personally don’t think that Tesla is so far ahead in the tech dept at all. It feels like the people who think that never came from a luxury car, even years ago.

Example... newest Audi.

 

[Cheburashka]

Supercharger network for one. Autopilot still seems better than most of the other systems on the market but it does look like others are catching up.

 

[gigawatt1010]

It's more of a personal preference for me. Started with a MS in 2016, then added a MX in 2019 and currently Solar Glass is being installed on my roof along with 3 power walls. Every time I made a decision to pull the trigger on those purchases, others just can't compare.

When I bought my MS in 2016, I needed the range and supercharging network that the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt couldn't offer. The style was also way better in my opinion, but that's subjective.

When we added the Model X, we were ditching gasoline all together, trading my wife's Range Rover for it. Again, at that time, there were no other offerings that can even come close to the MX.

We've always wanted Solar and when we built our house in 2014, they only had the panels available and the pricing was all over the place. The companies then were pushing the leasing option, but we just preferred not having the panels on our roof. When Tesla came out with the Solar Glass, we started saving our coins and when V3 came out with the price decrease, again, there was no product like it. We were fortunate we weren't part of the price increase fiasco that is going on right now.

I understand there are competition coming out over the next few years, but I choose to not be paying attention to them until they're out. For our needs, for right now, Teslas are the product of choice. That will only change if by the time comes that I need a new car and something that's not vaporware is out that will meet my needs better than my current choice will I switch.

 

[Ostrichsak]

While I would contest your opinion that Tesla isn't far ahead in the area of tech I would agree with most of what you are saying. I believe that their autopilot is years ahead of any other competitor and the Supercharger network plus battery tech also has a pretty good head start plus their manufacturing process is far more efficient and scales well which has them ahead of the pack... for right now. Now that the others are waking up I believe that they have the resources to make up a massive amount of that ground in relatively short order. Tesla has already figured out a lot of the hurdles and how to clear them... the others just need to apply what has been learned in most areas and have MANY more resources to do so.

Once another manufacturer makes a car that's even 80% of what a Tesla is today I will be gone if their customer service solution is still what it is today. Life is to short to deal with this kind of headache from a car company.

My most recent issue concerning dealing with Tesla is waiting 2.5 months now for a front license plate holder that I was promised at the time of purchase. The best part is I can't even talk to a human about it w/o making the 3+ hour round-trip visit and even then all I get is the runaround from people who don't have the first idea what's going on. Any other car dealer would have handed me a front plate holder the day of delivery or, at a minimum, had it for me within days and I could talk to a local human being about it in the meantime or if they dropped the ball. Tesla builds a great car but I just no longer possess the energy to deal with the incredible ineptness that exists outside of the vehicle engineering department of this company.

 

[pabla]

I most likely wont be with Tesla any longer, I am on my second Model S and I am pretty meh about owning a Tesla now. Seeing the E-Tron GT is pushing me towards leaving the brand sooner than later.

The reason why is because I don't care much for autopilot and I don't ever use Superchargers.. so what does that leave? A quick, good range, poor quality, and kind of boring car to drive. After sitting in the recent Audi's (Gas and electric) I can definitely see where the trade off of range and acceleration is, they have more useful tech features, quality is amazing and they feel like you are getting your moneys worth. That's my personal opinion though and may be biased since I have owned 6 Audi's in the past but I try to remain as neutral when it comes to stating my opinion.

To answer the OPs post, yes people will being jumping ship from Tesla for many reasons but Tesla still fills a niche that no other automaker has or will fill. I definitely am pleased to see some really compelling alternative offerings from legacy brands and can definitely say Tesla is giving them a run for their money. One major thing Tesla has going which will be hard to compete with, is their packaging and performance numbers.

 

[HalC88]

Legacy automakers have to make slow EVs so that they can keep selling their ICE vehicles; not good.

 

[InternetDude]

I used to have two Model S over a period of 6 years but for many Tesla-inflicted reasons I’ve moved on. Now have a Lexus LS and RAV4 Prime in the garage. Never say never but the likelihood of buying Tesla again is basically zero at this point. There are some great alternatives from respectable companies out there now and coming soon. Actually soon though

 

[krsgio]

While I love my Model S I think once other options are available I would def consider other brands especially legacy like Audi. The biggest things keeping me from them currently is their performance/range for the cost. While the e-tron gt can manage around 300 miles it still has P85D performance for a significant amount of money. I'm not sold on FSD and if I could get a vehicle with more range, nice interior quality, good service and have similar 'autopiliot' tech as my AP1 I'd be happy to transition. While many say the supercharger network is a big selling point to stay with Tesla, and I agree its important, but how many people require supercharger on a regular basis? Beside apartment people maybe but I think smart people who buy EV prioritize a house or home charging over that. I know I would. I drive quite a lot and even with my limited range in my P85D I don't rely on superchargers on a daily basis unless something drastic comes up and I'm unprepared. While I've road tripped across the country, CA<>CO and CO<>FL, I could easily drive my other ICE car vs having to deal with the gimped charging times and inconveniences associated to not having the supercharger network the extremely few times I choose to do so in any non Tesla EV.

 

[SO16]

I simply don’t like the idea of rewarding companies that have either blatantly lied about diesel emissions or fought tooth and nail against EVs for so long. I’d be more apt to buy from a new EV startup over a legacy manufacturer. But I really prefer to reward the trailblazers like Tesla. EV startups after Tesla at least don’t have to prove that EVs are viable. Of course they do have the EV competition to deal with that Tesla didn’t have during their ramp.

It also helps that I like Tesla’s products the best and by far the best method of charging on road trips. I don’t want to be farting around with an EA or other charger at the screen trying to make a payment or issues during bad weather.

Tesla still seems to be innovating at a very good rate and willing to go against the grain. I have a MS from 2017 and a CT reservation. I just feel like most of the vehicles from other manufacturers are simply a car with an EV drivetrain. For some reason driving a Tesla is more than just a car to me.

 

[Ostrichsak]

While I love my Model S I think once other options are available I would def consider other brands especially legacy like Audi. The biggest things keeping me from them currently is their performance/range for the cost. While the e-tron gt can manage around 300 miles it still has P85D performance for a significant amount of money. I'm not sold on FSD and if I could get a vehicle with more range, nice interior quality, good service and have similar 'autopiliot' tech as my AP1 I'd be happy to transition. While many say the supercharger network is a big selling point to stay with Tesla, and I agree its important, but how many people require supercharger on a regular basis? Beside apartment people maybe but I think smart people who buy EV prioritize a house or home charging over that. I know I would. I drive quite a lot and even with my limited range in my P85D I don't rely on superchargers on a daily basis unless something drastic comes up and I'm unprepared. While I've road tripped across the country, CA<>CO and CO<>FL, I could easily drive my other ICE car vs having to deal with the gimped charging times and inconveniences associated to not having the supercharger network the extremely few times I choose to do so in any non Tesla EV.

Unless you refuse to drive an ICE car ever again that kind of rules that out as an option for us. For people like us who road trip as a hobby the Supercharger network is a necessity. Sure, it may be slower than it should due to recent nerfs to the system but have you compared similar trips in similar EVs on the options that are available w/o Supercharging being an option? The absolute fastest speeds available to them are still fraction than are now-slower speeds which kind of puts it into perspective. I also don't see that any of the 3rd party options currently out there are viable to travel across the country. They're sparse, spread out, slow and unreliable. I just hope that once the legacy companies see that EV really is here to stay they throw a ton of money at charging network to support their particular cars all at once which they would certainly have the resources to do. That said, my performance model just sits in the garage most days of the week so not having a Supercharger wouldn't be a big deal for that one at all. It may be how we start to break free from Tesla as one of our cars is more for fun and the other is the one that gets driven daily as a commuter and road trip warrior.

 

[Ostrichsak]

I simply don’t like the idea of rewarding companies that have either blatantly lied about diesel emissions or fought tooth and nail against EVs for so long. I’d be more apt to buy from a new EV startup over a legacy manufacturer. But I really prefer to reward the trailblazers like Tesla. EV startups after Tesla at least don’t have to prove that EVs are viable. Of course they do have the EV competition to deal with that Tesla didn’t have during their ramp.

It also helps that I like Tesla’s products the best and by far the best method of charging on road trips. I don’t want to be farting around with an EA or other charger at the screen trying to make a payment or issues during rainy weather.

Tesla still seems to be innovating at a very good rate and willing to go against the grain. I have a MS from 2017 and a CT reservation. I just feel like most of the vehicles from other manufacturers are simply a car with an EV drivetrain. For some reason driving a Tesla is more than just a car to me.

It's become easier to turn our backs on Tesla since they turned their backs on their customer in terms of service. I buy today based on what's best today and not what's best 20 years ago or 20 years from now. It's this same histrionics that kept the legacy automotive makers profitable for so long while innovating nothing and bringing nothing new to the table in the first place. Companies need to learn to become more nimble as do us as consumers to reward products and services we find value in.

p.s. nobody said you had to buy a VW or related product nor do you have to reward any of the legacy companies who sought to kill the very idea of EVs *cough*GM*cough* but there are other very reputable builders entering the game. Our last Kia Optima Turbo was an AMAZING car. Truly. If they made something like that in an EV that was even 80% the car of our 5-year-old Model S I'd buy one in a heartbeat and rejoice at having a local service center that was responsive to any issues I had (we never had any with our Kia in over 100k miles, first year of an all-new model too BTW) and believed in customer-facing phone numbers and unresolved issue escalation. It would be SO refreshing.

 

[Needsdecaf]

Legacy automakers have to make slow EVs so that they can keep selling their ICE vehicles; not good.

LOL, what?

 

[Bill Price]

W

My most recent issue concerning dealing with Tesla is waiting 2.5 months now for a front license plate holder that I was promised at the time of purchase.

Well, SUGAR! I wish I had known that a few days ago. I took the front license plate holder off of my S over two years ago and kept it thinking SOMEONE on the forum might need it and I could ship it to him. I just threw the damn thing in the trash last week.

 

[Needsdecaf]

It's become easier to turn our backs on Tesla since they turned their backs on their customer in terms of service. I buy today based on what's best today and not what's best 20 years ago or 20 years from now. It's this same histrionics that kept the legacy automotive makers profitable for so long while innovating nothing and bringing nothing new to the table in the first place. Companies need to learn to become more nimble as do us as consumers to reward products and services we find value in.

Agreed.

 

[SO16]

It's become easier to turn our backs on Tesla since they turned their backs on their customer in terms of service. I buy today based on what's best today and not what's best 20 years ago or 20 years from now. It's this same histrionics that kept the legacy automotive makers profitable for so long while innovating nothing and bringing nothing new to the table in the first place. Companies need to learn to become more nimble as do us as consumers to reward products and services we find value in.

Not all of us feel like Tesla has turned their backs on us. I’ve had worse treatment from legacy auto and dealers.

Fortunately we can both vote with our money.

 

[pabla]

It's this same histrionics that kept the legacy automotive makers profitable for so long while innovating nothing and bringing nothing new to the table in the first place. Companies need to learn to become more nimble as do us as consumers to reward products and services we find value in.

I don't know about this statement about legacy brands, I do feel like they have been innovating for a long time. Look at the recent advances in headlight tech, suspension systems, convenience features, engine efficiency and power output. There are some areas they can improve on like OTA updates and touchless purchasing

 

[MorrisonHiker]

With Tesla, it is about more than cars. We appreciate Tesla offers solar and Powerwalls as well. We've only had Teslas in our garages for over 3 years. While we would consider other EVs, none of them come close on range or have the Supercharger network which makes charging on road trips effortless. We typically only use Superchargers on road trips and have never had an issue with them. For home charging, we are also a Tesla household and have Tesla solar, Powerwalls and wall connectors. Other manufacturers continue to build ICE vehicles and most haven't expanded into the solar/home battery business. They are only building EVs because Tesla took away their marketshare.

With many countries banning the sale of ICE in the future, we will continue to support Tesla and other companies that never produced ICE vehicles. Like @SO16 , we won't soon forget Diesel-gate. We've driven by the lot south of Colorado Springs where thousands of diesel VWs are stored...and that's just one of the many lots around the country. What a waste.

 

[Bill Price]

To answer the OPs post, yes people will being jumping ship from Tesla for many reasons but Tesla still fills a niche that no other automaker has or will fill. I definitely am pleased to see some really compelling alternative offerings from legacy brands and can definitely say Tesla is giving them a run for their money. One major thing Tesla has going which will be hard to compete with, is their packaging and performance numbers.

Let us not forget their infrastructure? Who has a better charging network worldwide?

 

[Ostrichsak]

Well, SUGAR! I wish I had known that a few days ago. I took the front license plate holder off of my S over two years ago and kept it thinking SOMEONE on the forum might need it and I could ship it to him. I just threw the damn thing in the trash last week.

If it makes you feel any better the car I need it for is MC Red so it likely wouldn't have solved my needs anyway. I woulda thrown that up on CL or fb Marketplace or something though as you'd be surprised what parts people are looking for. No sense throwing perfectly good parts in the landfill.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Not all of us feel like Tesla has turned their backs on us.

Give it time. There's two types of Tesla owners: those who have been burned by the "customer service" support and those who haven't, yet.