Teslas are Crap (long, sorry)

Status
Not open for further replies.
I don't own a Tesla and have no desire to buy one. I own Tesla stock and don't want to get burned twice. Have no hatred for the vehicle or its creator. From some of the palavering here I don't understand from where the animus towards Tesla's creator germinates.

Musk is to Tesla as this gentleman was to his automotive creation. It is still around after almost 60 years. He is revered. The man makes the car, the car doesn't make the man.

1710520590049.jpg

MotorWeek
 
This is kind of a confusing, contradictory statement. Are you doubting your own beliefs?

Many things Elon has done defy normal human ethics which is glossed over and explained away by his cult supporters. From testing on monkeys, breeding outside of wedlock, drug abuse and so on. The more you dig, the worse the horror show and long term predictable outcome is.

Today's news gave me a chuckle. As you mention artists, here is one's artists response to Tesla.

View attachment 208403

That artist = Pendejo …
 
I take exception to suggesting that the quality of a Tesla is equivalent to that of a Honda. Also, disagree with the characterization of Honda's as having mid quality. A person might be bamboozled by the idea of comparing an expensive vehicle to a moderately-priced one. The facts, confirmed by Consumer Reports, all the car mags, anyone with a brain, is that Tesla interiors fall to pieces, that when the cars fail, they fail with no graduality, panel fit and gaps are antediluvian. Look at some of those old Tesla's (2010-12's) and witness how tired and rough they are.

On the other hand, feel free to genuflect to Toyota and Honda, who have been schooling the world for 50 years on the subject of automotive quality and reliability. The world is full of hard-wearing, starship mileage cars from those two manufacturers. And it's not like one or two cars go 200,000, 250,000 miles. Almost all of them do.

Know that any Civic, any Corolla, blows away any Tesla in quality. Good luck with your search.
 
I don't own a Tesla and have no desire to buy one. I own Tesla stock and don't want to get burned twice. Have no hatred for the vehicle or its creator. From some of the palavering here I don't understand from where the animus towards Tesla's creator germinates.

Musk is to Tesla as this gentleman was to his automotive creation. It is still around after almost 60 years. He is revered. The man makes the car, the car doesn't make the man.

View attachment 208405
MotorWeek
Good mindset, same reason why I own cigarette company stocks, I don't smoke but I do encourage smokers to keep buying.
I have nothing against Musk personally even though he's sorta achieved the meme status in recent times.
 
Curious; how many owners have you talked to about their cars?
We have a handful of Tesla owners at work and I rode in one a few times, didn't drive it. The ride was comfortable as far as suspension goes, seats were only ok, interior was just ok, materials felt cheap. I bet any repairs outside warranty will be very expensive including minor fender bender or paint scratch repairs etc.
 
What I really like about my (base) Model 3:
  • One pedal driving. Having experienced vigorous regenerative braking, it seems kind of dumb to be burning fuel to accelerate and then wear off brake pads to slow down.
  • The acceleration. It's instant and awesome. And I have the base model.
  • Home charging. It's like you have a servant who takes your car away every evening and brings it back with the tank filled up before morning.
  • The dog in the car system. You get to take your dog with you and leave the car in the sun while the dog stays comfortable.
  • The people in the car system. We just went to get our hair cuts. I sat in the car for 45 minutes while the heat pump kept me comfortable. I wouldn't have left the engine on an ICE running for that long.
  • The low maintenance costs. I've spent essentially zero in 2 1/2years on maintenance.
  • The back up camera. It's very clear - an order of magnitude better than the one in the Mazda 6 I test drove.
  • The handling. And I understand the new Model 3 is even better.
  • The Nav system. Tesla has long distance travel worked out. The Nav system tells you where to stop to recharge and for how long. It even prepares the battery for charging to save charging time.
  • The minimalist interior. I like the simplicity.
  • "Tesla Favourites" on the stereo. Got them back again this morning. Yay Tesla.
 
What I don't like about my (base) Model 3. There are no deal breakers here, but there are some annoyances.
  • It has a long wheelbase (to improve the ride I suppose) and the car is also kind of low. I have to be careful when entering a steep driveway.
  • I'm not crazy about voice commands. They do work (mostly) but I'd rather have more knobs and buttons.
  • It would be better if it had a longer range. What I have is just fine for 95% of my use. And I could have bought the long range version but then it would have been heavier and (I'm told) not handled quite as well.
  • There is no spare tire. I plan to buy an aftermarket narrow and high speed capable spare tire. But that should have come with the car.
 
I respectfully agree, except living a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget is still a rich lifestyle.

Replacing a battery on a Tesla is nowhere the same cost as a Prius hybrid, for example. If you live in Texas or other states, prepare to pay registration taxes above and beyond ICE. Prepare to pay much higher insurance costs. There are more points here that are rich ones in my opinion.
I got it now. I call them ten cent millionaires. ;)
 
  • Teslas depreciate. Yes they do. Almost every car depreciates. That’s why I keep my cars almost forever. When I’m done with them (after 18 - 20 years) they’re still in good condition and I typically get $2,000 - $3,000 for them. I hope to do that well (or better) with the Tesla.
There will probably be reman or aftermarket batteries available by this point in time, possibly supported by some legislation doing away with DMCA / patent issues.

Mandating that batteries are rebuildable is probably the best way to make sure EVs are not as disposable as they are now where a ding on a battery requires replacement which results in a total loss.

Heck even subsidies might be worthwhile to get the EV battery rebuilding industry started. Look at all the $$$ going into windfarms and other green initiatives that don't have much ROI or longevity.
 
Last edited:
People who drive in EVs to save the world are akin to those people who drive full-size trucks with beds of air because they need the truck for yard projects and home projects.
I'm not seeing that. The full-size trucks with beds of air drivers aren't the people claiming their PU is saving the planet. At least I've never heard or read of anyone making those comments.
 
So a member posts a thread with a tongue in cheek title in which he gives an honest review of his Tesla ownership experience and a number of others feel the need to weigh in about how awful EVs are and how they'd never own one, as they always seem to do in any EV thread, never mind that they aren't in the target market to begin with.
I thank the OP for giving us a thoughtful review.
Model 3 prices are now down to a level where I'm thinking seriously about owning one and want to see more of this sort of owner review while also discounting the opinions of those who haven't owned one and never will.
Finally, Musk could do himself a favor by growing a thicker skin.
 
I respectfully agree, except living a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget is still a rich lifestyle.

Replacing a battery on a Tesla is nowhere the same cost as a Prius hybrid, for example. If you live in Texas or other states, prepare to pay registration taxes above and beyond ICE. Prepare to pay much higher insurance costs. There are more points here that are rich ones in my opinion.
Do you know anyone who has had a Tesla battery replaced? How much was it? I don't know of anyone personally. I'm sure there are, according to the Internet.

My annual Tesla registration tends to be higher, but that is in place of the gasoline road use tax that I don't pay.
 
There will probably be reman or aftermarket batteries available by this point in time, possibly supported by some legislation doing away with DMCA / patent issues.

Mandating that batteries are rebuildable is probably the best way to make sure EVs are not as disposable as they are now where a ding on a battery requires replacement which results in a total loss.

Heck even subsidies might be worthwhile to get the EV battery rebuilding industry started. Look at all the $$$ going into windfarms and other green initiatives that don't have much ROI or longevity.
I agree. EV battery rebuilding will likely become an important industry. If EV batteries are as expensive as everyone says, there should be a lot of opportunity in rebuilding.

And if Teslas are easily written off because of the high cost of repairs, there will have to be a lot of used Tesla parts (think body parts and batteries) available for salvage. If batteries last 200 - 250,000 miles, would you be interested if you could get a used battery with 50,000 miles on it for maybe half price? That should put you in the range of 350,000 - 450,000 total miles before the second battery needs replacing. Not many of us get anywhere near those kinds of miles.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top