Would You Buy a New Model S Today?

[Altes]

if they offered a sunroof....so NO

 

[Hblick48]

I had never driven a Tesla, Went to the dealer and they were pushing Model 3 at $41,000. Took a test drive, really liked it but found it not an luxurious as Mercedes previously owned. Really missed the front dashboard. Reminded me of 1959 Morris Minor I had with central speedometer.

I went onto Telsla website, found used 2016 Model S 75 (new design) for $40,900 (40,000 mIles) Love the car, much more luxurious than Model 3. Very happy except this is the first vehicle in 55 years that I've owned that I can't wrench on, but I love that warranty.

Just miss interior helper handle and lower door pockets.

 

[Battpower]

Reminded me of 1959 Morris Minor I had with central speedometer.

LOL. I've been struggling since the M3 was first pictured to remember where I had got that familiar dash feeling.

Morris Minor Shooting Brake. Complete with fungus in the woodwork and a petrol gauge that always read Empty.

So that must be why I could only go with MS.

 

[whitex]

So despite the numerous issues (and I'm not by any stretch of the imagination saying otherwise), you bought 4 Model S's? That tells a different story to the casual reader like me.
There must be more here that I don't get. I know for certain I would never buy the same car if all I had were problems with the car. Please enlighten us.

It's not that complicated really. The cars are a amazing to drive - instant power response, good road-holding - smooth as butter The cost for that pleasure is that they are early adopter cars, which have issues ranging from production inconsistencies to being in a perma-Beta state, using parts never exhaustively tested, etc. What kept me coming back was stellar service which took care of all of the issues while providing loaners. That changed with Model 3 release as this early adopter support model does not scale, especially with lower per-car profit of Model 3. So for example, when one of our Model S came with a side mirror which would flop around while driving, service diligently kept swapping the mirrors assemblies, each lasting 2-4 weeks each before it broke again, until engineering came out with a new and improved model. However, after Model 3 release, when the screen started yellowing on a year old car, I was informed that it's not covered under warranty and normal wear and tear. Yes, few months later they did a good will service to fix it, but I don't want to rely on their good will (which is in short supply as they try to make profit) to fix things which clearly should be warranty items.

So, in summary, car a dream to drive, has quality and engineering issues but those were offset by stellar service in the past. Today, with the focus on profit Tesla is reducing warranty coverage and service is completely not ready for the scale of production, resulting in long and unpredictable waits, no more loaners, etc. This takes away the benefit which used to offset negatives, hence I no longer buy their cars.

If they ever fix their parts/service/warranty, and still have the most compelling product on the market at that time, I will absolutely come back, until then, no, I am not buying a new Tesla (and believe me, the new performance model at $95K sounds very tempting - cheaper than I paid for P85D).

Makes sense now?

 

[SilverGS]

Not the person you're quoting, but there was a time I would have bought another S, feeling "equipped" to handle the issues. But its gotten to the point where even Tesla themselves are silent to your cries for help. My personal "Straw" was when my 12v was failing, and I went to the local SVC (brand new, these guys were still green and willing to talk to people haha) and I was told:

"sorry we dont have any, i've got 4 or 5 cars out back that need them as well, if your battery dies you'll just need to get it towed here and wait"

And because Tesla chose a VERY specific proprietary battery design, there were no aftermarket replacements that werent that custom LiPO one for 600 dollars (oMg WhY wOuLdn'T yOu BuY tHaT?!?! ItS sO GoOD!).

More fun non-koolaid for you folks who haven't had the pleasure yet:

• They shut off VPN and moved to websocket, punishing folks like me who rooted to fix their own issues they wanted to charge 4K+ for every time it fails, without admitting any fault or design flaw.
• Screens that leak, we thought it was isolated to 2012-2015 but it appears newer cars still have the issue
• COST TO REPAIR
• Time to repair
• They limited charging speeds to protect my battery, aka: we dont want to honor the warranty we promised you, so we're gonna throttle this back some incase they degrade and fail before your 8 years is up
• Rear axle clicking, back when we had to BEG service techs to do a ride along and listen
• Door handle failures, constantly. I've had 6 personally.
• Camber issues with the rear being nonadjustable, car eats through tires. Fixed on later models
• Fit and finish issues. Bad ones. Huge panel gaps, remember when the X's doors would fold onto the car and break themselves?
• Can't get ahold of a person, and when you do, the chances of them having any real authority are low
• (im reaching now, ill stop)

Some of you may have had stellar experiences, and I'm happy you have had them. I'm on several other enthusiast forums, more as an observer for my various vehicles, and I will say I feel like the "issues" of other vehicles are more well known, methodical, and more well addressed to the fraction of the population they affect. With Tesla, they are nothing if not consistent. Consistently unable to pick up the phone, consistently unable to deliver on a timeline, consistently leaving owners out to dry. It's really unfortunate.

I love the idea of the car, I love the car most days, I can't stand the company.

Appreciate the details. I was just curious as to why @whitex or anyone for that matter would buy 4 Model S's when they've had such a bad experience with one. There must be more to his story as to why he has had 4 despite all the issues

I'm one of the lucky ones so far. I've had my 2016 for one year so far and it may be too early to say this, but based on my limited ownership experience, I'd get another one without any hesitation when the time comes to replace it.

 

[SilverGS]

It's not that complicated really. The cars are a amazing to drive - instant power response, good road-holding - smooth as butter The cost for that pleasure is that they are early adopter cars, which have issues ranging from production inconsistencies to being in a perma-Beta state, using parts never exhaustively tested, etc. What kept me coming back was stellar service which took care of all of the issues while providing loaners. That changed with Model 3 release as this early adopter support model does not scale, especially with lower per-car profit of Model 3. So for example, when one of our Model S came with a side mirror which would flop around while driving, service diligently kept swapping the mirrors assemblies, each lasting 2-4 weeks each before it broke again, until engineering came out with a new and improved model. However, after Model 3 release, when the screen started yellowing on a year old car, I was informed that it's not covered under warranty and normal wear and tear. Yes, few months later they did a good will service to fix it, but I don't want to rely on their good will (which is in short supply as they try to make profit) to fix things which clearly should be warranty items.

So, in summary, car a dream to drive, has quality and engineering issues but those were offset by stellar service in the past. Today, with the focus on profit Tesla is reducing warranty coverage and service is completely not ready for the scale of production, resulting in long and unpredictable waits, no more loaners, etc. This takes away the benefit which used to offset negatives, hence I no longer buy their cars.

If they ever fix their parts/service/warranty, and still have the most compelling product on the market at that time, I will absolutely come back, until then, no, I am not buying a new Tesla (and believe me, the new performance model at $95K sounds very tempting - cheaper than I paid for P85D).

Makes sense now?

Makes perfect sense!

 

[demundus]

Appreciate the details. I was just curious as to why @whitex or anyone for that matter would buy 4 Model S's when they've had such a bad experience with one. There must be more to his story as to why he has had 4 despite all the issues

I'm one of the lucky ones so far. I've had my 2016 for one year so far and it may be too early to say this, but based on my limited ownership experience, I'd get another one without any hesitation when the time comes to replace it.

I'd echo his recent sentiments. Its an amazing car if you can get over the fear of the black hole that is tesla service.

 

[DBV1]

Did not realize Tesla service is that bad. That would be hard to get used too, when you pay so much for a Model S.

 

[gavine]

Did not realize Tesla service is that bad. That would be hard to get used too, when you pay so much for a Model S.

Not all service centers are bad. Some are very good. It's a shame it isn't consistent but if you have a couple of service centers within reach, you can always try and different one. I have always had good luck with my service center, but I've read comments on this forum where owners who had issues found better luck at a different SC.

 

[SO16]

Did not realize Tesla service is that bad. That would be hard to get used too, when you pay so much for a Model S.

This seems to be hit or miss for some people. I have had great service with Clarkston MI and mobile service. Other really good service stories are found here too.

 

[dragoljub]

3.5 years in and recently had MCU2 and FSD computer put in. Car feels very fresh now. I’ll try to drive it until it falls apart which could be another 10 years.

 

[SilverGS]

This seems to be hit or miss for some people. I have had great service with Clarkston MI and mobile service. Other really good service stories are found here too.

Same for me with the Oakville SC in Ontario and excellent ranger service as well.

 

[dragoljub]

if they offered a sunroof....so NO

I totally feel you on this because my car has a sunroof the ventilated leather seats Alcântara headliner and wood trim that I actually like.

I use my sunroof regularly. Ventilated seats help a bit and I prefer the leather. But the raven suspension is compelling.

 

[DBV1]

Anyone experience the service in Cleveland, Toledo or Columbus and how was it?

 

[sorka]

I would wait until the million mile battery technology makes it out to production cars before buying.

I ordered my 2015 P85D a week after they upped the battery warranty to unlimited miles for 8 years. I wouldn't buy another without the same or better warranty.

 

[sorka]

I wouldn't buy a new S today. It's a 8 year old design thats been patched hundreds of times and is getting rather dated. Things on it that could be excused when Tesla was a fledging company are no longer excusable. Its tech lead on its rivals has been mostly closed and in some cases surpassed. It needs to be redone and I hope that that is happening soon.

8 year old design that was 10 years ahead of everything else. It's more than current and looks better than any other sedan on the planet. It's not even close.

But there are dozens of reasons I wouldn't buy another S currently. It's not because I don't love the car...it's just that I can't stand the company any more.

 

[KArnold]

Anyone experience the service in Cleveland, Toledo or Columbus and how was it?

Columbus is good - never had service when they didn't have a car available, one time a Uber, one time an ICE rental but mostly an older Tesla. But I'm sure to ask up front - it's not a given. Also used mobile several times.

While the SC is decent they are often hamstrung by corporate Tesla, like the yellow-screen issue. Corporate's lack of support with obvious warranty items are enough for me to consider alternatives when the time comes. Among other non-SC items.

 

[PhilDavid]

I'd say 90% of the Service Center issues come down to lack of communication.not being able to communicate with a human being over the phone.

What Tesla Services needs most are human beings you can talk to...

 

[JCattSS]

I feel like buying my used P85D was sorta rolling the dice. Haven't bought a used car in ages yet alone one and that was 5 years old when purchased. Had to fix a few things at first like front shafts, wheel hubs?, a few other small parts. Maybe 3k in repairs. Since then it has been great. A real pleasure to drive and such a beautiful car. That being said kinda lusting after a P100D or Performance model but this car seems to be solid and well cared for. Having a little more power beyond launch would be nice. Would definitely buy a new one if something tragic happened to ours but for now just going to update as wanted and repair as needed.
Would be very nice if there was a service center closer that 2 hours away. I think that would help local sales a lot.

 

[ucmndd]

I ordered my 2015 P85D a week after they upped the battery warranty to unlimited miles for 8 years. I wouldn't buy another without the same or better warranty.

+1, at minimum until they can demonstrate a modular battery that can be repaired or replaced at far less than it costs currently.

I’ve been thinking about this, if/when I have to buy another car a used 2020 right before the warranty term change would be a prime candidate.