You all have about talked me out of a Tesla altogether...

[Dan1978]

Hi everyone,
I was going to purchase a M3P in a year or so (waiting for Project Highland at a minimum) so I found this forum to learn and be around a bunch of other Tesla enthusiasts. After reading the posts I'm now leaning towards a 2024 BMW 5 series.

I was/am most excited about FSD. I don't think anyone else comes close to Tesla in this regard. But after reading what feels like a constant stream of threads regarding issues with Tesla vehicles in general I'm concerned that this not worth the hassle. Everything from battery degradation, paint issues, fit and finish issues (I mean there's check lists on things to go over when you receive the car because of all the issues), problems getting service, issues with random errors, etc. I'm wondering I should just purchase 5 series.

I know that people tend to complain on forums versus the people who are happy not generally posting and I'm hoping that's what this is.

Honestly, I would have thought asking on this forum would have been like asking on MacRumors if I should be an iPhone of some android version but judging by the posts, maybe not?

Any unbiased thoughts / comments would be appreciated... am I just reading too much into all the negative posts and these are a small percentage relative to the actual number of vehicles sold? Or am I going to be constantly dealing with minor issues from the car?

 

[Star K1tty]

Most of ours are great but some have issues. For an accurate comparison I’d recommend reading through a BMW owners forum as well.

 

[ZuleMYP]

My wife and I test drove a Model Y while searching for an EV for her to replace her Macan. We expected to hate it due to the forum banter and general word of mouth. We ended up loving it more than anything else and placed an order for her MYP. 3 months later I placed an order for me a M3P to replace my Mach-E. Mine has FSD. I had *ONE* issue so far in almost a year And it was handled promptly (albeit getting used to the Tesla self service via the app is weird). I have zero complaints and LOVE FSD. With dojo coming online I expect we’ll see it improving even faster.

 

[Randy-12]

I love posts like this.

Someone crates an account just to say that they are not going to purchase this car but another brand.

Sigh.....enough said.

 

[Apprunner]

Hi everyone,
I was going to purchase a M3P in a year or so (waiting for Project Highland at a minimum) so I found this forum to learn and be around a bunch of other Tesla enthusiasts. After reading the posts I'm now leaning towards a 2024 BMW 5 series.

I was/am most excited about FSD. I don't think anyone else comes close to Tesla in this regard. But after reading what feels like a constant stream of threads regarding issues with Tesla vehicles in general I'm concerned that this not worth the hassle. Everything from battery degradation, paint issues, fit and finish issues (I mean there's check lists on things to go over when you receive the car because of all the issues), problems getting service, issues with random errors, etc. I'm wondering I should just purchase 5 series.

I know that people tend to complain on forums versus the people who are happy not generally posting and I'm hoping that's what this is.

Honestly, I would have thought asking on this forum would have been like asking on MacRumors if I should be an iPhone of some android version but judging by the posts, maybe not?

Any unbiased thoughts / comments would be appreciated... am I just reading too much into all the negative posts and these are a small percentage relative to the actual number of vehicles sold? Or am I going to be constantly dealing with minor issues from the car?

I have a 2019 M3P. I abuse the crap out of it by driving it like I stole it everyday. I honestly think that if I treated any other ICE like this, it would blow an engine. I've had 1 FM module go out in the first week I had it and my wiper fluid reservoir had a leak which was fixed under warranty...so I've had 2 trips to the service center in 4 years of ownership. No other maintenance required except air filter which i've done myself and once had a mobile tech come out and do it because it was convenient.

Its the most reliable car i've owned and I've had 2 Lexus prior to my ownership.

Edit: I've gone through 3 sets of tires which I replace at my local Discount Tire but its about the same as my prior cars i've owned.

 

[bfayer62]

My advice is to stop worrying about what people on the internet say. Our Tesla has been great. It's the best daily driver I have ever had.

I can tell you that of all the car forums that I have belonged to, this one has the largest population of people I have ever seen that put so much effort into arguing about why their cars sucks. Frankly I can't understand why they keep a car they hate so bad, yet they do, and some of them have been here for years and have hundred of posts.

Buy a Tesla, don't buy a Tesla, it doesn't matter. Just don't expect any other car to not have the same types of issue, all cars do.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Any unbiased thoughts / comments would be appreciated... am I just reading too much into all the negative posts and these are a small percentage relative to the actual number of vehicles sold? Or am I going to be constantly dealing with minor issues from the car?

Yes, there's always bias in forums for people to post issues and problems. Very few people will make a post out of the blue that they have had no problems, as that makes zero sense to do. Personally I've been fairly happy with my Model 3 and haven't had the issues that others may have had (only been to SC for issues noted on delivery and also for a flat tire).

Keep in mind the Model Y just recently became the bestselling car in the whole world, so even if the percentage of problems are the same, it would have drastically more reports simply due to selling way more copies of the car.

Tesla Model Y is now the world's best-selling car, first EV to do so

The Tesla Model Y was the world’s best-selling car in Q1 2023, marking the first time ever that an EV...

electrek.co

The Model 3 also is a volume seller.

Tesla Reaches 4 Million Cumulative Global Sales Milestone: Report

In 11 out of the last 12 quarters, Tesla's deliveries rose compared to the quarter before, with the chart showing almost perfect exponential growth.

www.google.com

As another mentioned, try hanging out at some 5 series forums, I suspect you will find plenty of problem reports there too.

 

[Dan1978]

I love posts like this.

Someone crates an account just to say that they are not going to purchase this car but another brand.

Sigh.....enough said.

and I love responses like this.... Someone feels then need to respond to a post with nothing of value to add.

My mind is nowhere near made up. That's why I'm trying to gain a better perspective.

 

[Dan1978]

Thank you everyone!... Helps to know. I've wanted a Tesla for years. good to know it's likely a silent majority that is happy with theirs.

 

[Dan1978]

My advice is to stop worrying about what people on the internet say. Our Tesla has been great. It's the best daily driver I have ever had.

I can tell you that of all the car forums that I have belonged to, this one has the largest population of people I have ever seen that put so much effort into arguing about why their cars sucks. Frankly I can't understand why they keep a car they hate so bad, yet they do, and some of them have been here for years and have hundred of posts.

Buy a Tesla, don't buy a Tesla, it doesn't mater. Just don't expect any other car to not have the same types of issue, all cars do.

Actually made me laugh... and thank you.

 

[ZenRockGarden]

Add up all our minor annoyances about our Teslas and they are utterly DWARFED by having the support of the Tesla Supercharging Network. Game, Set, Match. There is no other option unless you never travel outside your home city.

 

[DayTrippin]

Welcome to the forum.

Everything has its pros and cons. One thing I love about this forum is how open and robust the discussion is here. Keep in mind that people are more likely to complain than praise in forums as you've rightly pointed out.

I am on several BMW forums and have owned a bunch of them. I'll likely never buy another. I've owned about 60 cars in my lifetime and over 200 motorcycles. I am a gearhead from the time I crawled out of the womb according to my parents. My last 4 cars in the past 18 months, and over $300k in total have been spent on Teslas. TBH I almost straight up hated my Y. My 3 and S Plaid might be the 2 best cars I've ever owned that aren't for daily drivers.

FSD has a ways to go but autopilot is quite useful. I especially appreciate it in heavy rush hour traffic. I learned a lot about its limitations reading on the forum here. That is why I love this place. There is a lot of complaining but also a lot of solutions as well. There is such a large base that you are unlikely the first person to have the issue. As a result there are often already solutions to the problems you faced just by the sheer number of Teslas out there. That is a huge advantage. Most of the issues have been discussed inside out so you probably have so many perspectives and can likely find one that applies to your situation.

All EVs are going to have degradation issues. Here you can understand how to manage it. Most other forums don't have the level of info that his does around it. The amount of info can be overwhelming and I often refer other EV owners to come here and read about batteries.

Having said all of that, I may not buy another until they have an adequate solution to replace the removal of parking sensors (USS) on the 2023 models. It was the reason I looked for a 2022 Plaid rather than 2023.

 

[Tronguy]

Aaanndd.. As much as I hate to say this, there are very definitely anti-Tesla trolls on this forum. I don't hang out on all the threads, but, for the few that I do (in particular, the FSD-Beta forum), it's pretty blamed obvious.

Stock price zips up? The trolls take over about how baaaddd FSD is. Remember, it's a Beta, and people using it are beta testers. It's kind of expected that there'll be bugs; kind of, what does one expect? The trollish types zip around claiming that everything is broken; then, after a bit, the saner members of the forum go, "Hey, what?!?", and the trolls disappear for a bit. Then come back.

The trolls walk a fine line, though: If they got really bad, the moderators would dump them.

In any case: At the household here we've got a Model 3 (2018 vintage) and a Model Y (2021 vintage). We like both cars just fine. On long-distance drives TACC/LK work like a champ, the cars are quiet and pretty reliable. Even now, with all sorts of BEV competition showing up, on a feature-by-feature and totality basis, the Teslas still beat out the competition.

 

[Vaillant]

Cracked windshield, new tires, touch up paint for the easily curbed wheels…that’s about it as far as problems/maintenance go in almost 5 years of Model 3 ownership. Definitely the most reliable car I’ve owned!

Edit: I forgot that I also replaced the 12V battery once (under warranty) and the cabin air filters once

 

[zoomer0056]

2024 BMW 5 series

I assume you've been active on the 2024 BMW 5 series forum. How is it over there?

 

[jjrandorin]

I can tell you that of all the car forums that I have belonged to, this one has the largest population of people I have ever seen that put so much effort into arguing about why their cars sucks. Frankly I can't understand why they keep a car they hate so bad, yet they do, and some of them have been here for years and have hundred of posts.

Yeah, this is absolutely a thing, more than any other car forum I have been on since 2010. Some of it is because the company is not great at handling exceptions. Ordering a Tesla is like buying toilet paper on Amazon, but if the toilet paper was backordered for some indeterminate amount of time (like during the beginning of covid).

People expect "Im buying a 40/50/60/100k item, I am supposed to be able to have them hold the car for a couple weeks or deal with my vacation unavailability", and it doesnt work like that. Thats mostly great ( that its as easy to order as placing an amazon order) until someone wants anything that isnt in the clickboxes, then people get frustrated.

Another part of that is Many early adopters feel burnt by missed promises, and the polarizing CEO (NOTE, thats as far as I am going to let that part of the discussion go in this thread).

Anyway, this site has by FAR the largest number of regular members I have ever seen that go out of their way to post / repeat / promote negative content about the product the site is based on. Tesla (the company, and its products) are neither as bad as some would have you believe, nor as great as others would have you believe. They are just products like any other.

 

[JayPaul]

I bought my TM3 LR AB with FSD in January '23. I loved it so much I sold 2 other vehicles, gave the TM3 to my wife and got a TMY LR AB with FSD. 90% of my driving is done under FSD Beta (the TM3 is on the latest beta, my TMY is only on 11.3.6). I love FSD so much that it was a significant part as to why I got a second Tesla. I commute 3 hours per workday (26 miles each way), 1 hour to work, and 2 hours home.

Complaints might be by area too. I'm in the Long Island area and commute to Brooklyn every day using FSD Beta. I love it. Yes, there are certain situations that I know I need to disengage, I do and move on with my life. Before my Tesla's I had 0% FSD now I'm around 90%...

 

[bfayer62]

Yeah, this is absolutely a thing, more than any other car forum I have been on since 2010. Some of it is because the company is not great at handling exceptions. Ordering a Tesla is like buying toilet paper on Amazon, but if the toilet paper was backordered for some indeterminate amount of time (like during the beginning of covid).

People expect "Im buying a 40/50/60/100k item, I am supposed to be able to have them hold the car for a couple weeks or deal with my vacation unavailability", and it doesnt work like that. Thats mostly great ( that its as easy to order as placing an amazon order) until someone wants anything that isnt in the clickboxes, then people get frustrated.

Another part of that is Many early adopters feel burnt by missed promises, and the polarizing CEO (NOTE, thats as far as I am going to let that part of the discussion go in this thread).

Anyway, this site has by FAR the largest number of regular members I have ever seen that go out of their way to post / repeat / promote negative content about the product the site is based on. Tesla (the company, and its products) are neither as bad as some would have you believe, nor as great as others would have you believe. They are just products like any other.

I can agree with some of this. With some car brands they have spent years convincing potential buyers that they are buying into a community, (I own a Subaru too by the way) , others market you to believe you are buying into a status symbol (who cares what other people think).

With Tesla it's "we sell cars, give us money, pick it up when it's ready, or don't". No free stuffed animals, no free leather case for the owners manual, just pay us, take the car. hope you like it. It is certainly a different business model than most. In other words not a lot of care a feeding goes into the process.

I have only been to the service center twice, mobile service came to my house a couple of times, for minor stuff. Overall great car, very reliable, and I get new features with a software update every couple of weeks. No real complaints, love the car. My wife drives it when I don't. No pumping gas in the rain. No smelly gas burping on my dress shoes. Commuting 60+ miles a day has never been more relaxing.

If I didn't have a place to charge at home, I probably would not have bought an EV, but I do, and it's cheap to charge (<$0.06 a kwh). That makes it a win win for me.

 

[texas_star_TM3]

aaaahhh..... BMW 5 series and Model 3P aren't even in the same category of vehicle.

The 5 series is a fairly large luxury sedan with the Model 3 much more compact and nimble. Heck - *lightly* equipped the 5 series is already $10k+ more than the Model 3P and with BMW the sky is the limit...

if you dont want the Model 3P ... then consider the BMW i4 in M package.

 

[MountainPass]

Having been a BMW and MB technician before and now exclusively dealing with Tesla, I would still pick the Tesla over the BMW. That's your choice of course, but I feel like you've been done a disservice if by coming to this message board, you want a Tesla less than before. I don't think that is the objective or sentiment of this forum. In my own opinion, people come here to post about their problems, but when everything is fine, they don't post about it. You are not getting the full picture by reading thread after thread of complaints!