Anyone bought a Tesla Model S or planning to?? (Merced: buy, luxury)

[sdurbanite]

All I have to say is that this week I drove next to different Tesla for 3 days in a row while commuting to work. And this morning I saw one in my neighborhood and another one when I was out to lunch! I'm guessing people are trading in their M-B's and BMWs for this new beauty!

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

All I have to say is that this week I drove next to different Tesla for 3 days in a row while commuting to work. And this morning I saw one in my neighborhood and another one when I was out to lunch! I'm guessing people are trading in their M-B's and BMWs for this new beauty!

Yeah, I'm starting to see more and more of them in San Diego which is GREAT to me. Finally an electric vehicle that isn't ugly and cool! I imagine in 4 or 5 years you're going to see EV's becoming more mainstream as the technology and battery life improves. And most likely the big automakers will be forced to enter that space.

You aren't just seeing people with Mercedes and Beemers trade in for them. There are many people with more exotic cars that I have met that swear they will never buy an ICE again.

I went to the San Diego Tesla group the other night at SDGE's Innovation Center the other day which allowed us to use their room and it was really cool. It was funny seeing like 25 of these in the parking lot.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by earlyretirement

I went to the San Diego Tesla group the other night at SDGE's Innovation Center the other day which allowed us to use their room and it was really cool. It was funny seeing like 25 of these in the parking lot.

Let me know when your next meeting is, and I'd be glad to be the parking valet for your group

[gvillager]

Originally Posted by earlyretirement

You aren't just seeing people with Mercedes and Beemers trade in for them. There are many people with more exotic cars that I have met that swear they will never buy an ICE again.

It's not just former owners of exotics, MB's and Beemers. I know two people who drive a Tesla, their previous cars were a Nissan Pathfinder and a Ford Mustang. It's clear that this car isn't exclusive to the top 1% as many have suggested.

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by gvillager

It's not just former owners of exotics, MB's and Beemers. I know two people who drive a Tesla, their previous cars were a Nissan Pathfinder and a Ford Mustang. It's clear that this car isn't exclusive to the top 1% as many have suggested.

Oh NO this isn't a car that is solely for the 1%'ers. Many people out there are getting them. I also met some people that couldn't afford the higher end battery models or the Model S with the optional features. Although I have to say it does seem a bit silly to see a Model S with a Tom Tom GPS on the dashboard! I saw that the other day from someone that didn't get the Technology package. Looked TOTALLY out of place in such a high tech car with a 17 inch screen!

GVillager, how do your friends like it? Have they had any complaints at all?

[docmcstuffin]

I'm glad all these new tech are coming out. For all the current crop today, I'm most interested in the Volt. The Volt cures all of the negatives I have w/ plug-in electric car. Too bad they didn't make a 100k version of that car and put on the Cadillac brand. However, I'm most excited about Fuel Cell. GM/Honda just paired up for mass production of Fuel Cell vehicle by 2020. I wonder what will happen to Tesla when Fuel Cell hit its stride. Researchers just found a way to produce hydrogen fuel that's 50% cleaner than plug-in hybrid.

[gvillager]

Originally Posted by earlyretirement

Oh NO this isn't a car that is solely for the 1%'ers. Many people out there are getting them. I also met some people that couldn't afford the higher end battery models or the Model S with the optional features. Although I have to say it does seem a bit silly to see a Model S with a Tom Tom GPS on the dashboard! I saw that the other day from someone that didn't get the Technology package. Looked TOTALLY out of place in such a high tech car with a 17 inch screen!

GVillager, how do your friends like it? Have they had any complaints at all?

One of the cars died three days after ownership. Within three hours Tesla came out to his home and had him up and running again, never even had to take it into the shop. Turns out the 12 volt battery died. That was about 4 or 5 months ago and hasn't had any problem since. Try getting service like that from your local MB or Lexus dealership. The other owner hasn't had any problems. They both love the car and have no regrets.

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by gvillager

One of the cars died three days after ownership. Within three hours Tesla came out to his home and had him up and running again, never even had to take it into the shop. Turns out the 12 volt battery died. That was about 4 or 5 months ago and hasn't had any problem since. Try getting service like that from your local MB or Lexus dealership. The other owner hasn't had any problems. They both love the car and have no regrets.

Thanks for taking the time to post gvillager. I've been reading a TON of posts on Tesla's main website along with the TMC page. Yes, there are still kinks but so far it looks like Tesla is really going the extra mile to get problems fixed quickly and now have established a loaner program.

My friend in Texas also had a small minor problems but he said they treated him really well and they gave him a loaner Model S while his car was getting fixed.

Yes, that battery problem it sounds like they figured out.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by docmcstuffin

I'm glad all these new tech are coming out. For all the current crop today, I'm most interested in the Volt. The Volt cures all of the negatives I have w/ plug-in electric car. Too bad they didn't make a 100k version of that car and put on the Cadillac brand. However, I'm most excited about Fuel Cell. GM/Honda just paired up for mass production of Fuel Cell vehicle by 2020. I wonder what will happen to Tesla when Fuel Cell hit its stride. Researchers just found a way to produce hydrogen fuel that's 50% cleaner than plug-in hybrid.

Chevy has offered some amazing lease deals on the Volt; something like $249 per month with just $1000 down for 36 months with 15k miles per year allowed. Further more GM is saying they will actually make a profit on the second generation Volt meaning they will achieve profitability a full generation before the Toyota Prius did. It took Toyota until the very end of the 3rd generation Prius before they finally turned a profit so GM looks set to do it a generation sooner plus they're saying they will be able to profitably sell the 2nd generation Volt for $10k less than the 1st generation Volt. For the first time since the early 1920's we're actually seen real innovation and competing standards in the automotive industry and that's a very good thing because that's when the big leaps in technology occur.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by earlyretirement

Thanks for taking the time to post gvillager. I've been reading a TON of posts on Tesla's main website along with the TMC page. Yes, there are still kinks but so far it looks like Tesla is really going the extra mile to get problems fixed quickly and now have established a loaner program.

My friend in Texas also had a small minor problems but he said they treated him really well and they gave him a loaner Model S while his car was getting fixed.

Yes, that battery problem it sounds like they figured out.

One of the cool things about Tesla's warrenty is if your car needs service for any reason they will give you a free top of the line loaner car with all the options including the extended range battery. That's even if you just bought the base model. They're really treating their customers well and it looks like they've gotten the quality down right according to the various automotive magazines.