I would not even consider the Model S if it were not electric. Too manay compromises in the car already as far as I am concerned. No memory in the keyfob. No retractable side mirrors. No collision avoidance systems. Too limited interior color options. Etc., etc. I know many people will disagree, but when spending $80-100K for a car, safety and creature comforts matter to most people. And I have been waiting nearly three years for the car, having put down deposits 2 days after the car was announced. The model S is a great driving car, but lacks features found in comparably priced cars. As a result, i canceled my Signature reservation and deferred my production reservation (I had 2 cars reserved). I deferred the production model because Tesla told me they would be adding the safety features to the car, although they would not tell me a timetable for that. I will wait to March 2013 to see whether Tesla has added some of these features. If not, I will likely cancel the production reservation.
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mnx
2018 M3P
I seriously doubt they'll be adding any new features before March, especially those safe driving aids. Unless of course, it's only a software addition then it could be possible...
No way I would even be thinking about Tesla if it weren't 100% electric. I have an ICE that I love. And it isn't stupid huge to boot.
Yes the Model S is stupid huge.
Yes the Model S is stupid huge.
My first car was a 1967 Oldmobile Ninety-Eight. I think Model S would fit in that car's trunk
My first car was a 1967 Oldmobile Ninety-Eight. I think Model S would fit in that car's trunk
From a quick Bing search (yeah! thats right Bing) I get.
1967 Olds 98: 2012 Tesla S:
L: 223" 196"
W: 80" 86.2"
H: 55.8" 56.5"
I will give you that your Olds was also stupid huge. But it was more than 2 foot longer, but it was also much thinner. And slightly shorter. I contend that the Model S is stupid huge.
Model S Specs and Standard Features | Tesla Motors
Oldsmobile 98 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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At the Get Amped event, I asked if the car had ultra-sonic parking assist and was told "not yet". I asked what that meant, and they said the car was wired for it and it would be made available later.
This seemed odd to me, because these things can be bought after-market, and dealers often install them on inventory cars for customers who want them. If Model S is already wired for them, all they're missing are the 4 little sensors on the bumper.
This reminded me of a story when I was a kid in the early 60's. My dad wanted backup lights on his new Mercury (yes, they were an option then), and his Mercury dealer (also a friend) pried off a metal cap and plugged in a wiring harness and suddenly the car had backup lights. He didn't charge my dad, but said normally they would.
I hope Tesla isn't going down this path!
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At the Get Amped event, I asked if the car had ultra-sonic parking assist and was told "not yet". I asked what that meant, and they said the car was wired for it and it would be made available later.
This seemed odd to me, because these things can be bought after-market, and dealers often install them on inventory cars for customers who want them. If Model S is already wired for them, all they're missing are the 4 little sensors on the bumper.
This reminded me of a story when I was a kid in the early 60's. My dad wanted backup lights on his new Mercury (yes, they were an option then), and his Mercury dealer (also a friend) pried off a metal cap and plugged in a wiring harness and suddenly the car had backup lights. He didn't charge my dad, but said normally they would.
I hope Tesla isn't going down this path!
I grew up with big cars, and tend to like them: '56 Buick Roadmaster, '59 Cadillac Coup de Ville, '64 Mercury Monterey, '77 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park Wagon and so forth. The first brand new car I bought was a Chrysler Cordoba, and it felt tiny! Never got into the big SUV craze, however.
My understanding is the Gen III Tesla is going to be more BMW 3-series sized... perhaps more to your liking.
No. I'd be saving my money to build a railroad or something. An electric railroad, obviously. :tongue:
Electric is the motivator for me. Car is secondary, but I happen to live in an area where car (and specifically car which can go to a six-hour drive-in show 60 miles away) is by far the most practical option.
Based on past observation, definitely a combination.
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Yeah.... but I've been ferrying around 4-5 people and immense piles of luggage more and more often, so I decided that maybe "land boat" size would actually get some serious use, even though my taste is for much smaller cars.
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This is actually a massive convenience factor for me. I've gotten really tired of going out to get gas. I know it's kind of stupid (the gas station is not that far), but I just don't like having to *think* about it. (Maybe the fact that my money is going to make global warming worse and enrich evil oil billionaires has something to do with it; maybe not.)
I also really hate oil changes, which I routinely forget to do. So that is a huge deal too. I suppose someone could sell an ICE with a service team which showed up at your garage to do the oil changes and refill the gas tank, but that's kind of implausible. :biggrin:
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Well, remember his long-term goal: he wants to drive fossil-fuel cars out of existence. In order to do that, he has to appeal to at least some people who don't have a prior bias against gasoline.
This is a very important part of the Tesla Secret Master Plan, one of the things he copied from the early car companies, all of which strove to make their cars Prestige Objects. This is in fact one of the things which causes more effort to be put into electric car technology, not just by Tesla, but by others. In fact, by making the Roadster a prestige object, *he caused GM to make the Volt*, and he's taken credit for that already.
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My fiancee was very sad about that. She wanted a car which looked like a sci-fi spaceship.
30 out of 31 for me, but the trips on the other day are the trips I really want a more comfortable, reliable car for, and I'm certainly not about to buy an *expensive* gasser. If we had more of a high-speed charging network built out, the Leaf would work. But we don't. And where I am, it's looking like it may take a very long time. If I were in California, I might have bought a Leaf already.
Think made the mistake of targeting the bottom of the market, which is why they went bust. I also might have considered it, but for the same range problem as the Leaf.
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So it's looking like we're leaning more to the EV enthusiast side of the equation. I know this might not be a representative sample, but I wonder what this says about Tesla trying to bring the EV mainstream (i.e. where people buy the car for the car and not because it's electric). Maybe that's the task of Gen 3 after they make some money off us guys
For every person reserving a Tesla who joins the forum, I'd say there are about 29 who don't. They're probably (much) less likely to be EV enthusiasts.
I actually suspect Tesla will only get a small subset of automotive enthusiasts; a surprising number of automotive enthusiasts are really into *engines*, of all weird things to be into. Among the subset who *aren't*, Tesla is probably doing quite well, but I think that's a really small group to start with.
Hobiemon
Member
Definitely not. My first reason is environmental i.e. no more gas and trying to make a better future. This may not be the right way but it is something I can do as an individual and in my mind a positive step. The car being this advanced is just a bonus. Already have changed many of my lights in my townhouse to LED has reduced my electric bill so by adding back the car charging and subtracting the gas bill I am ahead. The Energuide ( Canada ) that comes in the car has a 5 year average savings of $10,586 over similar gas engines. I might not realize that amount as I'm not a high mileage drive usually but this just feels good!
I realize this is an old thread, but since it has been resurrected already...
A huge part of why I'm buying the vehicle isn't just that I want an electric vehicle, but because I want Tesla to be successful about changing the game and making EVs that appeal to a wider audience. I believe in their vision and I think they've got the commitment and execution chops to make it happen – but it's my responsibility to help foot the bill, because I can afford to.
Otherwise there's no way I would spend this much on a vehicle. We have two perfectly serviceable ones as it is. There's no way I would buy a vehicle this large. I also miss some of the creature comforts like ventilated seats and parking sensors that others have mentioned. This is all secondary to goal #1, above. Of course it's far from selfless. I get to drive an amazing vehicle as a result and I take a lot of pleasure from that as well. If I didn't think it was a phenomenal car I wouldn't bother to invest in a company with no future. From where I sit, though? Tesla's future looks very bright indeed, even though it'll be tough for a while yet. I'm counting on buying my next car from Tesla, too.
A huge part of why I'm buying the vehicle isn't just that I want an electric vehicle, but because I want Tesla to be successful about changing the game and making EVs that appeal to a wider audience. I believe in their vision and I think they've got the commitment and execution chops to make it happen – but it's my responsibility to help foot the bill, because I can afford to.
Otherwise there's no way I would spend this much on a vehicle. We have two perfectly serviceable ones as it is. There's no way I would buy a vehicle this large. I also miss some of the creature comforts like ventilated seats and parking sensors that others have mentioned. This is all secondary to goal #1, above. Of course it's far from selfless. I get to drive an amazing vehicle as a result and I take a lot of pleasure from that as well. If I didn't think it was a phenomenal car I wouldn't bother to invest in a company with no future. From where I sit, though? Tesla's future looks very bright indeed, even though it'll be tough for a while yet. I'm counting on buying my next car from Tesla, too.
Al Sherman
It's about THIS car.
+1 My thoughts pretty much exactly. I would never consider the S if it were an ICE vehicle. Never, ever.
artsci
Sponsor
I will never sink a single penny into an ICE again. I'm done with them, period. My last one is Honda S2000 which goes up for sale on eBay as soon as the weather gets warmer. I love the S2000, have tracked it many times, and it's extensively modified. But now that I've driven Model S driving the S2000 is like driving an antique.
Babylonfive
Power12
Same here. $35K would be our tops for anything other than the Tesla.
Still can't believe I'm doing this...
Still can't believe I'm doing this...
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