The Car Thread ... !

[44267547]

Is there a dealer installed option for remote start?

Good question. And there is not. Also, A few ‘credible‘ Youtubers mentioned the lack there of remote start for the key fob integration, which I personally just think it’s unacceptable for a $45,000 car.

**********************************

There is one thing Toyota really should highlight for the Avalon, that’s the ‘adaptive Cornering technology‘. Which essentially, when the driver begins to navigate a turn, the car detects the turning radius, and the headlights will project into the turn before it’s complete, thus illuminating the road at a more efficient angle. To me, these are the types of selling points that I like to see in a car that make a difference outside just the ‘performance‘ aspect for a commuter. If you live where I do, where black-bears and deer are constantly in the road, that’s a crucial feature.

Option list as follows:

 

[Apple fanboy]

Good question. And there is not. Also, A few ‘credible‘ Youtubers mentioned the lack there of remote start for the key fob integration, which I personally just think it’s unacceptable for a $45,000 car.

**********************************

There is one thing Toyota really should highlight for the Avalon, that’s the ‘adaptive Cornering technology‘. Which essentially, when the driver begins to navigate a turn, the car detects the turning radius, and the headlights will project into the turn before it’s complete, thus illuminating the road at a more efficient angle. To me, these are the types of selling points that I like to see in a car that make a difference outside just the ‘performance‘ aspect for a commuter. If you live where I do, where black-bears and deer are constantly in the road, that’s a crucial feature.

Option list as follows:
View attachment 948205

My Golf has that feature. Now I live in the country where it’s a lot darker, it’s a great feature. Especially if you are not familiar with the road layout.

 

[44267547]

My Golf has that feature. Now I live in the country where it’s a lot darker, it’s a great feature. Especially if you are not familiar with the road layout.

Nice. It really is useful tech that just isn’t another ‘filler’ option that a lot of vehicle manufacturers add just to inflate the price tag. I haven’t tested it at night, but I would like to.

 

[JohnR]

I realize this is an older post, but I remember you buying your 19’ Model 3. I’m just curious to see what your expectations have been thus far, dislikes/likes, or any of the above you want to provide feedback on. (I’m looking at the Perm. Pack Model 3 in white) You can also personally message me as in the past.

Thanks John.

Driving this car is SO much fun. Not just because it's quick, but the regenerative braking means that I rarely have to use my brakes (haven't totally gotten to 1 pedal driving). Autopilot makes traffic so much better...no sudden stops! I do not have FSD, so I can't speak to that (summon, auto lane change, etc) though I wish I did have it.

Even a year later I still get the stares and people ask me about it. I show them everything and if there's time, I take them for a test drive. My nephew, a KY state trooper, drove my car and when I put on autopilot, he was shocked at how good it was and that he could see that in the future, it will be harder to detect drunk drivers in these. We got on the 1/4 mile straight away and he got it up to 112mph and was impressed with the handling.

Recently I was pulled up to a stop light, a C7 was next to me (LOUD pipes!) with the tags "Ill Win". He had his window down and I said "you may beat me in the long run, but I'll take you on the take off." and he looked at my car and said "yup! What do you have there...4 wheel drive (dual motor)?" I said nope. And the light turned green and I left him there. 🙂

There are a few nags, like phantom braking, which happens very rare. I had it 3 times in the past year, it wakes you up! KY isn't like CA where they have superchargers everywhere, so when I want to go on a trip around KY, I have to plan it out to the superchargers.

That said, we drove to Jacksonville FL, had to stop 7 times on the way down to charge. Each time 20-30 minutes, but we spent that time walking around. By the time we arrived in FL, we were rested and ready to go!

My wife insists that I drive with autopilot all the time because she feels safer. ha she loves to drive it too. Software updates (free and over the air) bring updates/changes to the car that are neat. Latest one lets you set the windows to auto roll up upon parking and it notifies you if you left your door open.

What other car company updates the car for free?

I still like gas cars...ferraris are awesome and the new corvette is ok. But I will never buy another one, and not because it's "green", but because they are SO much fun to drive. we have gone 33,000 miles in 15 months.

 

[JohnR]

Looking ahead at current options to trade in my 2014 2.0 T Sonata as follows :

1.) Tesla Model S Perfm.
2.) 19’ Camaro 2SS
3.) Camry XSE 3.5 or Avalon TRD

Let me just pre-face by saying, I never wanted to own a Camry, because of how ugly they’ve been in the past, regardless of the reliability and strong resale.

But Not one person can deny or Not give credit to Toyota for what they’ve done with the Camry On styling. On my way home tonight from work, my local Toyota actually had a 3.5 XSE ‘blacktop trim‘ on the front of lot [It has everything you can think of.] Which the number one selling model is the 2.5 L trim (Price, fuel economy) and I believe there was a past report of a staggered number that Toyota only Produces 10% of the 3.5 XSE trims. So they’re not exactly all that ‘common‘, but this one has the ‘red pepper leather interior‘ that I really like as well. I haven’t driven one yet, but I did watch a review by ‘Savage geese’, and he said the power is there, but it’s throttled by Toyotas ECM. But talking to one person who owns the 3.5L trim, had said it has more than enough power to satisfy ‘the need‘. If anyone has any experience with the 3.5l trim in terms of performance, please chime in, as I’d really be interested to know someone else’s thoughts versus a structured video/canned review.

If this only had a V-8, it would be a ‘done deal’ With in the hour. But still..... In the least, I have to go drive this to make an informed decision.

Wow...that's quite a variety in cars. The Model S performance is a $94,000 car new. Those others aren't near that. Did you meant the Model 3 performance?

I'm not sure wher you live, but it may be possible to hook you up with a current owner of a 3 or S and possibly test drive them. Let me know. The Tesla owner community is very pro showing off the car.

 

[JohnR]

Well if electric cars still have gears then they should require oil changing too my understanding is that oil cools the gears and prevents their damage. Most of what I read on the internet and youtube videos electric car owners seems to imply that other than charging their cars they do nothing else to it, it just works.

Are the charging cables standard or does each car manufacturer has a propriety charging nozzle?
I also wonder what goes into those batteries, lihtium ion? I don't what that is but how much of it exists in the world and what happens if it becomes rare.

Much respect to Musk for naming an electric car after Tesla, that guy was never paid enough respect by history. It works very well as a brand name too.



Actually this is how I thought electric cars work, like an electric fan. electricity reaches the wheel and turns it as fast as you want, no gears or transmissions. I like the idea of the car being able to switch from FWD/RWD/4WD you don't have to choose one or the other but can have the best of everything. Is this possible with gas cars? I know 4WD can distribute power differently to each tire but I don't know if it can go fully FWD or RWD.

I don't know about other electric cars, but Teslas are 1 speed, so they don't change gears. Tesla maintenance is: Brakes, windshield wiper fluid, tires every so often. Every 2-3 years Tesla recommends changing out the cooling fluid for the battery.

 

[JohnR]

Just to build on what you said-

I don't know when I last had serious drivetrain issues on a modern IC car. They like an oil change every few thousand miles, and you should change the transmission fluid a lot more often than most people do. Most every "breakdown" you'll find is related to things like the cooling system(which, BTW, Teslas have), the alternator/charging system-which is a cheap repair-and my last super expensive repair was the A/C. Guess what too-Teslas have A/C and it doesn't work any differently than it does on any other car.

Aside from that, change your spark plugs at 100K miles or so, change your put a new serpentine belt in when you have issues, if you have a timing belt be proactive in changing it.

Catastropic engine failures are rare now. Most cars arrive at the junkyard with perfectly running engines, and plenty go 200K+ miles without ever having been "opened"(i.e. head, oil pan, etc). About the only serious thing I hear of happening is an engine overheading and warping the aluminum head, but depending on how bad it is, it can usually be saved if you care to.

As you said, all the other stuff outside the drivetrain that can break on any car is still there on Teslas and will wear out or break. Some of the fancy tech can be even more problematic than cars that use tried-and-true designs.

Things Teslas have in regards to your post. Wanted to point it out because it sounds like you are saying Teslas have all that, which they don't.

The cooling system is what goes around the batteries. There's no radiator like a ICE car.

Yes, Teslas have AC's, but they do NOT work the same as a ICE car. There is no compressor like what you see in a ICE car. In fact, they designed a new system called the Octovalve for the AC/Heat. Google it. Watch Sandy Munro talk about it.

There are a LOT less moving parts on a Tesla which means less break downs. "fancy tech"....ha! Even my 91 year old dad doesn't talk like that! And he's been a car guy for a LOT longer than me. But that "fancy tech" (uh...how do you post on the boards? Surely you have to use some "fancy tech" 😀 ) rarely breaks and if it does, Tesla has mobile rangers that come to you to service it.

Here's my (when he was 90 years old) dad when I got my car. I let him drive it around the block. He loved it. fancy tech...lol

 

[JohnR]

Practically speaking, any out of warranty repairs on a Tesla are pretty much going to be at the whims of their service centers.

I'm wondering where you got this information? Is this something you have experienced personally?

 

[MacBH928]

I always hear Miatas are incredibly reliable, but mine was not. The soft top fell apart and the rear window fell out, which is apparently common. The speakers stopped working shortly thereafter. A valve spring failed at 50K miles leading to compression loss. Somehow it developed a leak which allowed water into the trunk where it would collect in the spare tire well. The air conditioning worked briefly, then the compressor failed.

Not sure if I just got a bad one or if people just repeat what they read about great reliability without owning one. The internet would also have you believe that Dodge Rams will simply fall to pieces immediately upon purchase, yet my 200K mile 1996 Ram was a beast and never had the slightest reliability problem. Used cars are just a crapshoot.

Thats all I needed to hear to take out Mazda from any future buying options,
TBF American cars up until mid-90s were reliable and long lasting, they might not last as long as Japanese ones but their repair is cheap&simple and then it keeps going on and on. Its not until early 2000s when they turned total junk, but I hear they are better now.

From a consumer point of view, I see no reason why would any one pay thousands into an American car where he can get a more reliable Japanese/korean one that will probably make more money in the after market. My only guess Americans are buying them out of patriotism. I just don't see a British person taking long to decide between a Ford Fiesta and a Toyota Yaris

 

[quagmire]

Thats all I needed to hear to take out Mazda from any future buying options,
TBF American cars up until mid-90s were reliable and long lasting, they might not last as long as Japanese ones but their repair is cheap&simple and then it keeps going on and on. Its not until early 2000s when they turned total junk, but I hear they are better now.

From a consumer point of view, I see no reason why would any one pay thousands into an American car where he can get a more reliable Japanese/korean one that will probably make more money in the after market. My only guess Americans are buying them out of patriotism. I just don't see a British person taking long to decide between a Ford Fiesta and a Toyota Yaris

American cars went to crap in the 1980's( Cadillac V8-6-4, turning a gas engine into a diesel, etc). The trucks and SUV's didn't see that decline( that is where the money was after all and still is!).

My family has been a GM family. Our GM products( 1996 Suburban, 2002 Suburban, 2006 Equinox, 2007 Aura, 2013 Equinox, 2014 ATS, 2016 Suburban, 2017 Camaro) have all been solid products.

These days the bigger issues that bring down the reliability/quality scores is more on the electronics/software side of the infotainment systems than the actual mechanical parts of the vehicle.

 

[44267547]

Driving this car is SO much fun. Not just because it's quick, but the regenerative braking means that I rarely have to use my brakes (haven't totally gotten to 1 pedal driving). Autopilot makes traffic so much better...no sudden stops! I do not have FSD, so I can't speak to that (summon, auto lane change, etc) though I wish I did have it.

Even a year later I still get the stares and people ask me about it. I show them everything and if there's time, I take them for a test drive. My nephew, a KY state trooper, drove my car and when I put on autopilot, he was shocked at how good it was and that he could see that in the future, it will be harder to detect drunk drivers in these. We got on the 1/4 mile straight away and he got it up to 112mph and was impressed with the handling.

Recently I was pulled up to a stop light, a C7 was next to me (LOUD pipes!) with the tags "Ill Win". He had his window down and I said "you may beat me in the long run, but I'll take you on the take off." and he looked at my car and said "yup! What do you have there...4 wheel drive (dual motor)?" I said nope. And the light turned green and I left him there. 🙂

There are a few nags, like phantom braking, which happens very rare. I had it 3 times in the past year, it wakes you up! KY isn't like CA where they have superchargers everywhere, so when I want to go on a trip around KY, I have to plan it out to the superchargers.

That said, we drove to Jacksonville FL, had to stop 7 times on the way down to charge. Each time 20-30 minutes, but we spent that time walking around. By the time we arrived in FL, we were rested and ready to go!

My wife insists that I drive with autopilot all the time because she feels safer. ha she loves to drive it too. Software updates (free and over the air) bring updates/changes to the car that are neat. Latest one lets you set the windows to auto roll up upon parking and it notifies you if you left your door open.

What other car company updates the car for free?

I still like gas cars...ferraris are awesome and the new corvette is ok. But I will never buy another one, and not because it's "green", but because they are SO much fun to drive. we have gone 33,000 miles in 15 months.

Great post. I really appreciate the feedback. Glad you’re joining experience with the Model 3. I don’t know too many people who actually have one, so it’s nice to know that you’re really appreciating all the differentials with OS updates, performance, driving experience, etc.

You know, when the Model 3 first launched, I didn’t think it was a very appealing car. And I am one that said many times over, when you see something in person, it’s a totally different perspective from seeing pictures. I really do think the Model 3 is a good looking car, and the driving experience is so polarizing, that’s what makes it so unique, just aside from the whole economy standpoint.

Wow...that's quite a variety in cars. The Model S performance is a $94,000 car new. Those others aren't near that. Did you meant the Model 3 performance?

I'm not sure wher you live, but it may be possible to hook you up with a current owner of a 3 or S and possibly test drive them. Let me know. The Tesla owner community is very pro showing off the car.

You’re absolutely correct, I meant the Model 3 performance. I mentioned the Model 3 in some other posts prior, but Mistakenly said ‘S’.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Things Teslas have in regards to your post. Wanted to point it out because it sounds like you are saying Teslas have all that, which they don't.

The cooling system is what goes around the batteries. There's no radiator like a ICE car.

Yes, Teslas have AC's, but they do NOT work the same as a ICE car. There is no compressor like what you see in a ICE car. In fact, they designed a new system called the Octovalve for the AC/Heat. Google it. Watch Sandy Munro talk about it.

There are a LOT less moving parts on a Tesla which means less break downs. "fancy tech"....ha! Even my 91 year old dad doesn't talk like that! And he's been a car guy for a LOT longer than me. But that "fancy tech" (uh...how do you post on the boards? Surely you have to use some "fancy tech" 😀 ) rarely breaks and if it does, Tesla has mobile rangers that come to you to service it.

Here's my (when he was 90 years old) dad when I got my car. I let him drive it around the block. He loved it. fancy tech...lol

A friend of mine had his Tesla model X delivered back in May and seriously regrets it. He’s bought a second car for longer journeys as the charge is not as good as is claimed and charge points are rare in Wales by comparison. I know Tesla’s are not particularly stylish cars but I’d expect the range to be better at this point. It is the tech that is the draw. Interesting technology nonetheless.

 

[D.T.]

A friend of mine had his Tesla model X delivered back in May and seriously regrets it. He’s bought a second car for longer journeys as the charge is not as good as is claimed and charge points are rare in Wales by comparison. I know Tesla’s are not particularly stylish cars but I’d expect the range to be better at this point. It is the tech that is the draw. Interesting technology nonetheless.

Yep. I know a ton of people with them (in my larger group of friends/acquaintances), who are completely objective about the experience, and there's been plenty of stories of poor QA, underperforming range, frustrating repair logistics, etc.

Heck, I probably rode in a Tesla before 90% of most owners (original roadster), and right now, in my small-ish group of close friends, know 3 different owners, including a guy that owns a solar business, does all sorts of charging installs, and I'm in pretty constant communication with them, so I get a lot of feedback since we're all sort of "car guys".

I'll put it this way, cost isn't an issue, there's several use cases I've run into where it's clearly not the right vehicle for us, yet, and that really includes all EVs, though [assuming when vs. if] when it comes time to seriously consider an EV, I'll certainly cross shop Audi, BMW, Ford, etc.

From a consumer point of view, I see no reason why would any one pay thousands into an American car where he can get a more reliable Japanese/korean one that will probably make more money in the after market.

From a pure financial perspective, definitely a J/K econobox, mid-sized sedan, even many CUV/SUVs usually make the most sense, resell, etc., though I tend to lease the family car. I've owned a few Japanese vehicles, including some performance models like the 4th Gen Supra TT, and the last being a T4R (which we loved, used and abused), but some of us have more subjective motivations - because we want a vehicle that provides a visceral experience, because the looks, the performance, the sound - because we want something that's more than just going from A to B.

Because this ... 😎

 

[bunnspecial]

I'm wondering where you got this information? Is this something you have experienced personally?

One of the first Tesla owners I knew was Pat Murphy-the owner of Murphy's Camera(intersection of Bardstown and Eastern Parkway). He has a Model S that's several years old now(although not his only car). I know Pat decently well and could make some claim to having helped him buy that car 🙂 , and the last I talked to him a few months ago he was getting frustrated now that he was out of warranty. In fact, the last time I was in the store I mentioned not seeing it, and the store manager said "Best not ask him about it now."

Also, are you now going to tell me that the suspension, steering, tires, brakes, window regulators, and pretty much every other "car" part is somehow or another magically different from every other car on the road and somehow not subject to wear/breaking? Yes, I know many owners get a lot more mileage out of the brakes than an IC driver often gets(although admittedly I only recently swapped out the factory fronts on my daily at 80K "just because" I was tired of looking at the parts, although considering how much meat was left on the pads I'd guess I could have made it to 100K on them).

 

[JohnR]

One of the first Tesla owners I knew was Pat Murphy-the owner of Murphy's Camera(intersection of Bardstown and Eastern Parkway). He has a Model S that's several years old now(although not his only car). I know Pat decently well and could make some claim to having helped him buy that car 🙂 , and the last I talked to him a few months ago he was getting frustrated now that he was out of warranty. In fact, the last time I was in the store I mentioned not seeing it, and the store manager said "Best not ask him about it now."

Also, are you now going to tell me that the suspension, steering, tires, brakes, window regulators, and pretty much every other "car" part is somehow or another magically different from every other car on the road and somehow not subject to wear/breaking? Yes, I know many owners get a lot more mileage out of the brakes than an IC driver often gets(although admittedly I only recently swapped out the factory fronts on my daily at 80K "just because" I was tired of looking at the parts, although considering how much meat was left on the pads I'd guess I could have made it to 100K on them).

I know where Murphy's Camera is in the highlands....been there several times and bought my cameras from them. Didn't realize that you were local.

I'll have to go there and talk with him about his S and issues he's having

 

[bunnspecial]

I know where Murphy's Camera is in the highlands....been there several times and bought my cameras from them. Didn't realize that you were local.

Not local anymore, but I've lived in Louisville for the past 10 years up until recently and have lived in Kentucky all my life.

Murphy's is a great place, and one of the things I've missed about Louisville. Chuck's is another one...I was in there a few weeks ago(with an appointment) but he hasn't "officially" reopened.

 

[44267547]

I’ve been participating this thread for over three years now, and it’s like for anything else that starts with “I know a guy who had issues with his Model S”, you will have subjective opinions where members bash Tesla or praise them. After even visiting a few Tesla forums, it consists of the same type of content with those who flock to the Internet to vent or justify their experience with Tesla. But we have to remember, it’s a very small sample of people that come to the Internet and actually discuss their experience with a car. As a matter fact, there’s three members on this forum(Amafca, Dmunjal and Cnasty) who have nothing but positive Tesla Experiences after owning multiple models over the years.

Sure, Tesla had some initial issues With build quality, software related problems, etc, they’re far from perfection. The reason I think Tesla has so much backlash sometimes, is you have quite a few people don’t like Elon musk (He’s incredibly formidable and intelligent, but yet very eccentric with extreme maneuvers.), and they want to see this company fail, yet Tesla has had extensive growth with other model productions, stock rises,ect.

I think what I see on this very thread with some members (Bunnspecial being one of them and Autounion39 being the other, who is non-existent) , is they interject too much of their own personal emotion why they don’t like Tesla, therefore Tesla is a ‘bad buy’ because of they know one or two people that had poor experiences, so it turns into a blanket of “Why I would never buy a Tesla”. Yet, could I make the same counter argument that I’ve heard nothing but positive experiences from those like my neighbor, John in this thread, the other two members who I mentioned, ect. I believe it’s really important to remain objective and ‘open minded’ that just because of what you heard doesn’t translate everybody else’s experience, especially when you have those who haven’t even owned one, yet want to push their narrative.

One last example I want to provide, is when I purchased my SHO, [which I actually owned two of them], there’s plenty of discussion about how the PTU units will blow up after 40,000 miles. Well guess what? That’s never happened with either one of those cars and furthermore, I’ve also driven thEcoboost Interceptors, well over 130,000 miles and never happened. So there again, it doesn’t mean that everybody else’s experience will be the same.

My sound advice for anybody that wants to purchase a car that they’re not sure of, make sure there’s a 1.)Warranty attached, 2.) Know the source of who you’re buying from and 3.) Don’t read too deep on everything on the Internet, as it can cloud your judgment.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I’ve been participating this thread for over three years now, and it’s like for anything else that starts with “I know a guy who had issues with his Model S”, you will have subjective opinions where members bash Tesla or praise them. After even visiting a few Tesla forums, it consists of the same type of content with those who flock to the Internet to vent or justify their experience with Tesla. But we have to remember, it’s a very small sample of people that come to the Internet and actually discuss their experience with a car. As a matter fact, there’s three members on this forum(Amafca, Dmunjal and Cnasty) who have nothing but positive Tesla Experiences after owning multiple models over the years.

Sure, Tesla had some initial issues With build quality, software related problems, etc, they’re far from perfection. The reason I think Tesla has so much backlash sometimes, is you have quite a few people don’t like Elon musk (He’s incredibly formidable and intelligent, but yet very eccentric with extreme maneuvers.), and they want to see this company fail, yet Tesla has had extensive growth with other model productions, stock rises,ect.

I think what I see on this very thread with some members (Bunnspecial being one of them and Autounion39 being the other, who is non-existent) , is they interject too much of their own personal emotion why they don’t like Tesla, therefore Tesla is a ‘bad buy’ because of they know one or two people that had poor experiences, so it turns into a blanket of “Why I would never buy a Tesla”. Yet, could I make the same counter argument that I’ve heard nothing but positive experiences from those like my neighbor, John in this thread, the other two members who I mentioned, ect. I believe it’s really important to remain objective and ‘open minded’ that just because of what you heard doesn’t translate everybody else’s experience, especially when you have those who haven’t even owned one, yet want to push their narrative.

One last example I want to provide, is when I purchased my SHO, [which I actually owned two of them], there’s plenty of discussion about how the PTU units will blow up after 40,000 miles. Well guess what? That’s never happened with either one of those cars and furthermore, I’ve also driven thEcoboost Interceptors, well over 130,000 miles and never happened. So there again, it doesn’t mean that everybody else’s experience will be the same.

My sound advice for anybody that wants to purchase a car that they’re not sure of, make sure there’s a 1.)Warranty attached, 2.) Know the source of who you’re buying from and 3.) Don’t read too deep on everything on the Internet, as it can cloud your judgment.

Some of what you say is true. But I think part of people’s dislike for Tesla is the price. For what you pay for it, people expect an equivalent experience that you would get spending that much with a traditional car manufacturer.
My only experience is my bosses model 3. Having recently being driven to London in it, I’m not keen on the interior design. But I’d say that for many modern cars. I want actual buttons, not a giant iPad glued to the dash.

I’m not in the market for a new car. If I was, living where I do, I’d not be willing to go all electric.
But I guess at some point that will be the only choice.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Some of what you say is true. But I think part of people’s dislike for Tesla is the price. For what you pay for it, people expect an equivalent experience that you would get spending that much with a traditional car manufacturer.
My only experience is my bosses model 3. Having recently being driven to London in it, I’m not keen on the interior design. But I’d say that for many modern cars. I want actual buttons, not a giant iPad glued to the dash.

I’m not in the market for a new car. If I was, living where I do, I’d not be willing to go all electric.
But I guess at some point that will be the only choice.

My cousin has owned 2 and he absolutely loves them and a friend of mine is regretting his purchase. I’ve travelled in one and I’m very interested in the technology but at this point I’d not be interested in buying one. I couldn’t afford one to be fair if I was buying new lol but agree with you about the cost. Whilst we are not yet being forced to go electric, there are so many nicer cars out there for the price in my view, not that I’d want to convince others of that as cars are a personal choice.

Unrelated to Tesla, I am looking to change our family car. We currently have a 2015 Honda CRV and we’ve been quite tempted by the Volvo XC60 (2017 pre face lift). My wife wants an automatic this time as she’s never owned an automatic (I have) but these seem to be rarer on the secondhand market. Does anybody here know if these are good cars on the whole? Looked at 4 yesterday all with 30-48k on the clock and around £16.5k which is a great price for the amount of car you get. My cousin has an XC90 which is ridiculously huge but he swears by Volvo.

 

[44267547]

Some of what you say is true. But I think part of people’s dislike for Tesla is the price. For what you pay for it, people expect an equivalent experience that you would get spending that much with a traditional car manufacturer.
My only experience is my bosses model 3. Having recently being driven to London in it, I’m not keen on the interior design. But I’d say that for many modern cars. I want actual buttons, not a giant iPad glued to the dash.

I’m not in the market for a new car. If I was, living where I do, I’d not be willing to go all electric.
But I guess at some point that will be the only choice.

The price is subjective, because it depends on what you can afford based on if the vehicle dynamics meets your expectations. With what Tesla is offering with the experience in terms of the technology and the efficiency, coupled with the performance, I think the price point is Justified for those who actually can appreciate an EV. Now, I do agree with you about the interiors can be a bit drab, But when you look at a Tesla model altogether, it’s just.....different, and it takes time to adjust to how it’s not your ‘norm‘ of a vehicle in terms of the interior, exterior styling, ect. I guess that’s what makes Tesla so unique, is that it’s not your standard vehicle that were used to seeing so much of.

As far as the user interface with the iPad, I think it can be intimidating at first, but it’s something that is the complete control center for the entire vehicle, and it’s not just Tesla that has that type of objective, if you look at Ford with the new explorer ST [With the ‘Tech package’] it has a very similar ‘iPad like’ display for controlling a lot of the main functionality for the vehicle, so it’s something that we will start seeing across-the-board for a lot vehicles this regard.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The price is subjective, because it depends on what you can afford based on if the vehicle dynamics meets your expectations. With what Tesla is offering with the experience in terms of the technology and the efficiency, coupled with the performance, I think the price point is Justified for those who actually can appreciate an EV. Now, I do agree with you about the interiors can be a bit drab, But when you look at a Tesla model altogether, it’s just.....different, and it takes time to adjust to how it’s not your ‘norm‘ of a vehicle in terms of the interior, exterior styling, ect. I guess that’s what makes Tesla so unique, is that it’s not your standard vehicle that were used to seeing so much of.

As far as the user interface with the iPad, I think it can be intimidating at first, but it’s something that is the complete control center for the entire vehicle, and it’s not just Tesla that has that type of objective, if you look at Ford with the new explorer ST [With the ‘Tech package’] it has a very similar ‘iPad like’ display for controlling a lot of the main functionality for the vehicle, so it’s something that we will start seeing across-the-board for a lot vehicles this regard.

True. But I’m not a fan. It’s much easier to adjust the big dial to change temperature whilst driving than it is to do it on a touchscreen. It’s almost impossible to use my touchscreen whilst driving. Of course I have the buttons on my steering wheel to operate the cruise control and volume of the radio etc.
But in terms of styling touchscreens are sadly here to stay. Great on a phone. In a moving car not so much.

 

[44267547]

True. But I’m not a fan. It’s much easier to adjust the big dial to change temperature whilst driving than it is to do it on a touchscreen. It’s almost impossible to use my touchscreen whilst driving. Of course I have the buttons on my steering wheel to operate the cruise control and volume of the radio etc.
But in terms of styling touchscreens are sadly here to stay. Great on a phone. In a moving car not so much.

You’re totally right, I don’t like interacting with just a display either, as it’s just more cumbersome, and requires direct placement and you have to parked for safety considerations. I have experience with such Touch capacitive controls, even those really aren’t user-friendly compared to your normal mechanical push button/turn knob dial. And of course, there’s so much more that can go wrong with a touch display.

for some cars, I like that they have both options with a touch display and physical push buttons, but that seems to be fading away where it’s migrating towards an all Touch- display, and that poses its own issues and safety concerns for distractions.

 

[JohnR]

Not local anymore, but I've lived in Louisville for the past 10 years up until recently and have lived in Kentucky all my life.

Murphy's is a great place, and one of the things I've missed about Louisville. Chuck's is another one...I was in there a few weeks ago(with an appointment) but he hasn't "officially" reopened.

Are you still in KY? I live in Elizabethtown

 

[JohnR]

The "iPad" is definitely different and it took some getting used to having no lighting directly in front of you. But you get used to it pretty quick. And there are buttons on the steering wheel that control music volume (up/down and press in to mute) and preset stations (right and left on the scroll wheel), the right wheel controls speed (up/down) and when you push in you can do voice control (tell it to text/call someone, open glove box, etc).

I rarely interact with the touch screen while driving. But with autopilot, it makes it easy to do so if needed.

 

[JohnR]

I’ve been participating this thread for over three years now, and it’s like for anything else that starts with “I know a guy who had issues with his Model S”, you will have subjective opinions where members bash Tesla or praise them. After even visiting a few Tesla forums, it consists of the same type of content with those who flock to the Internet to vent or justify their experience with Tesla. But we have to remember, it’s a very small sample of people that come to the Internet and actually discuss their experience with a car. As a matter fact, there’s three members on this forum(Amafca, Dmunjal and Cnasty) who have nothing but positive Tesla Experiences after owning multiple models over the years.

Sure, Tesla had some initial issues With build quality, software related problems, etc, they’re far from perfection. The reason I think Tesla has so much backlash sometimes, is you have quite a few people don’t like Elon musk (He’s incredibly formidable and intelligent, but yet very eccentric with extreme maneuvers.), and they want to see this company fail, yet Tesla has had extensive growth with other model productions, stock rises,ect.

I think what I see on this very thread with some members (Bunnspecial being one of them and Autounion39 being the other, who is non-existent) , is they interject too much of their own personal emotion why they don’t like Tesla, therefore Tesla is a ‘bad buy’ because of they know one or two people that had poor experiences, so it turns into a blanket of “Why I would never buy a Tesla”. Yet, could I make the same counter argument that I’ve heard nothing but positive experiences from those like my neighbor, John in this thread, the other two members who I mentioned, ect. I believe it’s really important to remain objective and ‘open minded’ that just because of what you heard doesn’t translate everybody else’s experience, especially when you have those who haven’t even owned one, yet want to push their narrative.

One last example I want to provide, is when I purchased my SHO, [which I actually owned two of them], there’s plenty of discussion about how the PTU units will blow up after 40,000 miles. Well guess what? That’s never happened with either one of those cars and furthermore, I’ve also driven thEcoboost Interceptors, well over 130,000 miles and never happened. So there again, it doesn’t mean that everybody else’s experience will be the same.

My sound advice for anybody that wants to purchase a car that they’re not sure of, make sure there’s a 1.)Warranty attached, 2.) Know the source of who you’re buying from and 3.) Don’t read too deep on everything on the Internet, as it can cloud your judgment.

Excellent post. Couldn't have said it better.

Elon Musk is (to me) such an incredibly smart person. He's running Tesla, Space X, Neuralink, and Boring company. He's being a disruption in the automotive company and space travel. I think those that don't like him are afraid of him.