Would you buy another Tesla?

[ediot]

sticking with OP's original question, my answer is: Yes i will, given that replacement is needed within 3-4 years. once we get to 2018-2020 or so, when other competitors are in the market, im hoping im not still stuck with a single brand.

currently it is the best car that suits my needs/ desires, handsdown. but i still have a lot of first world issues with it, a lot of which are littered in different threads in this forum, including the quality of local service to how much tesla tries to be an iphone with wheels (door interiors bulging out like hell... and they're empty on the inside.) - having a wide ass-car and not being able to use summon, the general build quality being so sketchy (my car creaks a little here and there all over the interior, i just ignore them) but i've tried out a few different people's cars and their creaks and gaps can be atrocious. the rear seats are more like assisted squatting than sitting since it's so low to the floor - i didn't realise how bad it was until i walked past a Mini demo show and went to sit in the back - the difference is night and day.

BMW i3 has the idea to leave 'holes' in the battery floor to act as rear passenger footwell (keeping the middle where you have the trans axle in conventional ICE cars). this is one of those little things that if tesla doesn't pick up on, i'm sure other EV makers will and hopefully we have more decent choices, instead of tesla being the only one.

i do follow tesla's philosophy a lot tho, uprooting the ICE car industry, the energy consumption and storage, car insurance and pace of AI development (for autopilot), all of which are amazing and i wish to be part of it. it's just that i hope taking part doesn't necessarily equate this one brand, and putting up with the particularly rough edges that tesla has

 

[Captain_Kong]

For me, yes, I'd buy another Tesla! The next one is likely (hopefully) to be the Roadster Mk2.

After driving my MS for a little over 2 years, I found it to be an incredible car with excellent performance and decent (but not great) built quality. Apart from minor defects such as leaking sunroof and charging port hatch, the car still feels rock solid. I certainly didn't expect to be buying a car with Lexus or Audi like built quality to begin with... and the fact of the matter is that it is not and quite far from it. Just open the driver's door and compared to what you'd see in a VW Golf, you will see how crudely the MS was built (it's always a matter of relativity, I can equally think of a Great Wall from China on the other hand). I shake my heads when I saw how the plastic edge / seal was put together around the front door's quarter panel window!

Buying a car is a very personal and emotional decision, as well as the ownership experience. For me, I know that I'm buying a car with incredible performance and technologies ahead of its time, the built quality is the trade-off.

In terms of customer service, I must said that I was treated like a royalty for the first few months after delivery, then the MS no. on the street grew and grew in direct negative correlation to how long my car got serviced. Having said that, I felt I have been always treated with respect and politely by the local staff. The local staff is generally a young bunch, sometimes i think that I know more about the car / Tesla than they do, but they're trying hard to service one of the largest private fleets in HK with limited resource and less than a year of run-in time. There is no excuse for poor customer service (think how Lexus has reshaped the industry), but I tend to cut Tesla a little bit of slack...

To sum this up, it's a company with great product and potential, and it's best seeing it as a growing start-up tech company, then you don't feel "too bad" about the whole ownership experience in HK. Can't wait to have the Roadster to park right next to my other ICE car (just in case...)!

 

[1HBO]

Be honest, my MS just two years old now with over 46km on the road. I just going to trade-in my MS to MX.
All common workman problems I faced before in my MS but it is acceptable for me.
I believe most Hong Kong Tesla MS users buy Tesla because of its advance technology and not for its workman and built quality.
Before Tesla, there is no one interested in EV. Now, a lot of traditional car manufacturers (Benz, Audi, Jaguar...)force to follow and published their concept EV car. Which is similar to "apps" in iPhone IOS first published few years ago and change the World with android "apps" in all mobile phones now.
If Benz, Audi, Jaguar..EV or even gasoline cars in Hong Kong can bring in Google map, Car play...autopilot, TACC, emergency brake...I will consider but unfortunately we have nothing in Hong Kong.

 

[wongsters]

My next car will definitely be an EV, and I suspect it will most likely be from Tesla. Totally agree with Captain_Kong above regarding the trade off between performance/technology and build quality. I am lucky enough that my one-year old MS has not had any problem that requires a service center visit...touchwood! I sent my car to the new service center three weeks ago for its first annual service. The staff told me it would be a 3-day wait but I got the call to pick it up the next day. Note to new owners, the appointment was made half a year ago!

As many have mentioned, I find Tesla staff friendly and helpful (at least they try) and in the few occasions when I called them up for help, someone always answered.

The reason I will most likely buy from Tesla again is its charging (and supercharging) network. Without the ability to charge at home, I rely a lot on SC, which is near home, and a Tesla medium-speed charger at the home visitor carpark. I very much doubt an EV from another carmarker could offer me that kind charging convenience unless their EV is compatible for SC.

 

[Captain_Kong]

IHBO: I believe a 10 year old Mercedes S class has most of these features (minus the EV drive-train)...

But man, MS' performance (and the improvement) is nothing short of ground breaking.

If there is ever a "tombstone" needs to be written about Tesla, it's the company (as well as the man) which has democratized performance to the mass.

A little advertised fact and prediction is that within 12 months, 99% of the so called hyper cars in the world and ever produced (if we were to cut a line in the sand as those which can do 0-100kph in less than 3s) is likely to be Tesla.

Granted, buying Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche etc. is more than the 0-100kph sprint, but the senior leaderships at Fiat, VW, etc. should pause and reflect on this point!

 

[FequalsMA]

If Benz, Audi, Jaguar..EV or even gasoline cars in Hong Kong can bring in Google map, Car play...autopilot, TACC, emergency brake...I will consider but unfortunately we have nothing in Hong Kong.

Don't even get me started on the absolute dreadful feature offerings from most cars sold in Hong Kong.

So many models are de-contented compared to the same models sold in the US or Europe.
Low resolution screens, lack of GPS and blanks for buttons get me the most.
In many cases you can't even opt for it even if you wanted to pay more.

Sadly. even Tesla are not immune but it's not for lack of offering it in this market.
If it weren't for the archaic Transport Dept, we would get cars virtually identical to USDM.

 

[Captain_Kong]

FequalsMA: You can start by "blaming" the local concessioners of the different marquees (rather than Mercedes, Audi, Toyota, etc.) for this. For example, BMW, RR, Mclaren are being distributed by Sime Darby in HK. Very few marquees have a direct distribution model like Tesla, and this spec issue has little to do with the marquees themselves, but the greed of the local distributors.

The way it works in the trade is that each distributor will commit to buy a certain quantity of a particular model for a particular region. Say buying 100 units of BMW 520i in various colors with a pre-specified “standard” features for HK. These features is hardly standard between different regions, but whatever the local distributor thinks would be required to sell the car for the local market for a certain price point.

Hence you may get a situation that a UK 520i comes with a standard M body kit, but this is an expensive option in HK. This is also why if you would like to order your 520i in hello kitty purple with nigh vision driving aid, be prepared to wait for a long time when BMW gets this individualized order and builds one for you.

Every now and then, the distributors get this ordering wrong, then you end up with the heavily discounted “stock sale” situation.

For most of the car model from a marquee, the features list is as thick as an encyclopedia. It’s up to each region’s distributor to decide what they want to have in a “standard” car. Even so, many of the features available from the marquee to the distributor may not be made available to the local customers simply because the local distributor decided it’s not worth the effort, and most of the car sales person would actively pursue you not to deviate too much from the "standard" vehicle so you can have one from the "stocks" fleet quickly.

 

[FequalsMA]

From a business standpoint, I totally get the desire for concessionaires to be more profitable and improve margins.
It just makes for stale cars on the road and major stifling of new technologies.
Even worse when you think of the additional FRT you need to pay for new cars.
Quite reflective of the automotive industry as a whole on reluctance to change.

Gladly, this is completely the opposite of what Tesla has achieved through the direct sales model.
Sure, build quality can be lackluster on some of the cars but its refreshing to see what has been possible with so much support thrown behind technology. Its only a matter of time for things like build quality and fit and finish to improve.

 

[Captain_Kong]

Yeah, for this reason, we found the various car dealers' interest groups (in US, HK, etc.) up in arms with Tesla (not only because it's an EV company, also its direct distribution model). While we can hardly complain as a Tesla customer.

Though I hope Tesla would offer a zombie apocalypse option package since they designed the car for such a scenario.

 

[jumpman]

I dont necessarily agree that you should compromise on what you get because you're offering bleeding edge tech. The car is not a cheap purchase even without the tax. Its a HKD$1M car without tax so it needs to built accordingly. Its a car! you are buying a car and not a large battery with motors and a giant computer. I would have been more than willing to pay more for better quality and on par with whats expected in this price point.

I dont love the car but I appreciate what it does. Its a good means of transport and point to point but hardly an engaging driving experience. My main gripe isnt so much about the car but about the company in HK. Promises are just not being fulfilled. The car is suppose to be future proof yet new upgrades are not being offered to older models. e.g. Ludicrous mode, LTE, apps, newer climate controls etc. I have chased for things for over a year and now I dont care anymore.

Even something as simple as the little rubber nipples covering the screws that bolt the hatch lights, (i suggest you all check as I can guarantee you, at least one will be missing from everyones car) they didnt even have replacements in HK and needs to be ordered. (I walked into the Sydney Tesla centre and they gave me a bunch for free)

No car is perfect but customer service exist to help filter the issues and give an overall positive ownership experience. Thats what I dont feel from Tesla in HK. So my answer is NO, this is my first and last Tesla but not my last EV. My money will go to Porsche next.

 

[Optic]

With this well founded sentiment, sounds like a good time to sell my TSLA shares at a lost.

 

[ig_epower]

I think a more fair question would be - "Would I buy another Tesla TODAY?". All the other companies listed in this thread talk about products that are not available yet.

So if I could not wait for those other cars to be deliverable, and I had to purchase an EV today to meet my transportation needs, I would certainly get another Model S.

 

[Captain_Kong]

Optic: Before you press the SELL button, pls do reflect on this

Here's why Elon Musk is the most impressive member of the 'PayPal mafia' - Business Insider

Also from another TSLA investor since its IPO and through and through... Good times are ahead!

 

[Matador]

I think a more appropriate question would be:

If in 3 years time (that's about time for you to sell your tesla under RVG programme) new models of EVs with similar technology are available by traditional brands like Mercedes, BMW and Audi,

Would you still choose tesla?

 

[Lerxt]

I think a more appropriate question would be:

If in 3 years time (that's about time for you to sell your tesla under RVG programme) new models of EVs with similar technology are available by traditional brands like Mercedes, BMW and Audi,

Would you still choose tesla?

Without question yes. I'll always support the Ev revolution. Can't stand the dirty old brands.

 

[LKH]

Yes, traditional brands like M.B.A. have their admirable manufacturing ability.
But you see, Tesla is not a car manufacture. It's tech. company that happens to make cars.

On day 1, tesla wired their Model Ss with 3G connectivity. Tesla is an internet company, and they gather data. Cars that built by Tesla are like ants serving their deep-learning brain. Tesla is a different breed, and Europe just doesn't have that in the DNA.

 

[harryohk]

I would buy another Tesla, although I miss the build quality of the Mercs that I drove for many years. I've been driving my P90D since July, and absolutely love it. I've had no specific issues with build quality, noise or creaks, and the only problem I've had has been with the charger port, which doesn't often open when I want it to, and opens of its own accord if I park anywhere near a supercharger (my office is in Pacific Place).

My one bugbear is down to my own stupidity, when I misjudged the width of the car as a I drove out of a narrow driveway. The resulting minor damage will cost HKD65k to repair, as the rear wing has to be replaced. It's taken a month to order it, and will take 3 weeks to complete the work, which I find staggering. I get that aluminium is hard to work with, but I'm sure that it took less than 3 weeks to build the car in the first place, so I do find the time hard to understand.

I visited the Tesla body shop in Kwai Hing to have the estimate done, and the manager there told me that they're getting about 200 cars per month for body repairs, quite a statistic!

 

[Captain_Kong]

Harryohk: I fell your pain! This for HK$65k!? It's quite a shocking repair bill.

For the next EV, IF Jaguar finally builds its i-Pace and true to its prototype, this would steal quite a few sales form MX or the roumoured MY customers.

But I don't think it's likely that the traditional ICE OEMs would be launching EVs any time soon in such a scale which is to rival Tesla, notwithstanding all the hypes. They certainly don't lack the financial and engineering resource to design and launch such products, what's lacking is commitment.

Even if we were to roll-back the clock to 2014 after the initial success of MS, many promises were made about exciting EVs from the established ICE OEMs, but can any one named a few creditable EV rivals to MS or MX?

Absolutely, how about Mercedes SLS E-drive, Audi R8 Etron, VW e-Golf and Chevy Bolt you can get at friendly local and respective dealerships, and Porsche will promise to ship you your Mission E in 2020! Bear in mind that Tesla has an open patent system on its EV technologies, and every auto OEMs have at least 4-5 years to anticipate and prepare for mass adoption of EVs.

I think, sadly, what's likely to happen in practice is that most of the OEMs will push aggressively into hybrids with a limited no. of EV models. Most of the EVs would end up like this:

The Audi R8 e-tron is dead with less than 100 built

This is by no mean to say that Tesla is the only EV one should consider to buy or it's the car to get, and it's far from perfect (built quality, reliability, etc.), but I'm highly skeptical that any traditional auto OEMs would switch to EVs in the near future in a material way. Just think about all those potentially out-of-work metal foundry, transmission workers...

 

[FequalsMA]

If in 3 years time (that's about time for you to sell your tesla under RVG programme) new models of EVs with similar technology are available by traditional brands like Mercedes, BMW and Audi,

I do wonder how quickly cars of Hong Kong will adopt new tech.
So far the only cars i know to have CarPlay available in HK are XC90, new 5-series, Ferrari FF.

A lot of it will depend on how "connected" the local concessionaires think their clients want their cars be.
Many of the USPs that the model S have over other cars depends on an internet connection.

 

[Captain_Kong]

I do wonder how quickly cars of Hong Kong will adopt new tech.
So far the only cars i know to have CarPlay available in HK are XC90, new 5-series, Ferrari FF.

A lot of it will depend on how "connected" the local concessionaires think their clients want their be.
Many of the USPs that the model S have over other cars is depends on an internet connection.

I think you touched on a good point on the internet connection (or a lack of) and what the local concessionaires has "decided" for their customers.

I've a XC90, notwithstanding the technologies and the advertised "connectivity" of the car, I was amazed to find out the HK ver. didn't even bother to spec the car with a built-in sim-card slot (in the trunk) in order to enable internet access or other remote features, nor this is available as an option here. Internet access is provided by teething your mobile phone to the car, though not sure if the later batches have come with the sim-card slot now.

This is very typical and reflects how traditional ICE OEMs / concessionaires approach EV and car connectivity - fantastic engineering, but useless when it comes to digital integration. To be fair to the XC90, although I don't have CarPlay, but the OS and voice command functionalities are by far one of the best I've experienced, though it could use a larger CC screen.