Do you guys not fear the out of pocket maintenance and quality issue costs? All the budgeting can do out the window when you are presented a substantial repair bill
One word - warrranty
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And you can use the money saved from not having to buy gas, to then purchase an extended warranty.
What’s the rush ! In a year or two prices will come way down. And at that time a Tesla won’t be the oh-so cool car you thought it was.
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Or you can lease a unicorn/fart car 3 series and not worry about if you have enough charge, just go fill up. I’ve got plenty of cash for gas at $234/mo
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Well, that’s part of the (financial) controversy w/ Tesla, right? How are they able to offer so much “more” for the price, when other long-established makes (who presumably can hire the best and the brightest in multiple areas) can’t do the same thing? Or, perhaps more specifically, don’t think it’s financially wise to do the same thing?
Taste in styling is obviously very subjective, but I think the Model 3 and X look completely ridiculous. To my eye, the Model 3 looks like a car that maxes out at $35000, not a car that STARTS at $35000.
The X looks like terd
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to charge at a super charge, Each supercharge has different rates but on average its going to cost you $7 per 100 miles…
At home just put in a nema 50 dryer outlet. Charging at home is all over the place depending where you live.
if you have to charge at home some cities it’s not worth it unless you got ALOT of solar
And, unfortunately, since Tesla doesn’t apparently plan to evolve its design language, the 3 looks like a shrunken Y, meaning it looks like a shrunken turd.
Perhaps it’s a result of function over form, but…
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Not a fanboy but even at that price it’s less than a gas car.
This is not a fact based criticism. You aren’t accounting for the actual costs for an EV after incentives. In places like NJ where there is no tax on EVs or where there are additional state-based credits (I’m looking at you – CA, NY, etc.), the cost savings for an EV at this MSRP are significant. Depending on perspective and risk tolerance thresholds, it might be cheaper to buy the EV (have something of value at the end of the term) instead of renting a fart car and gaining no equity by the end of the term.
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It doesn’t matter, they can make it 25K and some folks will still complaint about it.
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Yeah maybe, but i need a car i can drive to the mountains and back, that’s questionably in an EV, especially in the winter. Enjoy the free lunch while you can because if EV’s catch on, then it’s bye bye incentives/carpool/parking benefits. Oh and you only get equity in cars if you throw cash at them(high payments or cash down). If i bought something at the payment i have now, on a 5 year term i could only spend about $14k OTD, no thanks, I’ll drive the fart car for two years and see what the next deal is. As long as lease deals under 1% are around, that’s what I’ll be doing.
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Please re-read your response and ask yourself, is my hatred/distrust of EVs clouding my review of the economic facts? I am seeking to have an objective approach so that we all (the LH community) benefit. I have two gas cars (leased), one hybrid (leased), and one EV (purchased) right now. Each serves their own unique purpose, but the break point favoring ownership of an EV is upon us with a $35K Model 3. And, if you re-read my post, I never said you’d have equity right upon signing. FWIW, you don’t have equity in a lease upon signing either (and more often than not, you never have positive equity in a lease).
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The problem is that it’s not clear if the general public care about handling or styling. And, as you price your cars further downmarket, you’re going to be getting into what the general public perceives/wants vs. what an enthusiast (or someone who simply has a lot of $ to burn) wants.
Well, that’s also part of the “thing” w/ an EV. W/ battery technology improving at a fast pace, what is the value of an EV, say, 5 yrs down the line (vs. an ICE car)? Esp when the carpool stickers expire, and you have to sit in traffic w/ everyone else? I don’t think there’s enough data to make that determination.
EVs definitely serve a purpose, but, right now, I think that purpose (at least in the American market) is still fairly narrow. In high trafficked urban areas where carbon emission are a big deal, driving distances relatively small, and charging station plentiful, EVs are certainly very viable. Presumably, that only applies to a few metro areas, I imagine.
I agree with this sentiment. As to the range/improving tech issue, ain’t that true of the BMW 2018 3 series and X5 and the 2019 3 series and X5? Tech is evolving for the ICE cars too, why should the EV cars be dinged (more) for the same issue?
I don’t have a hatred for EV’s, I’m just a cheap bastard. If the money was right I could see getting one as a commuter car.
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Hey Joe – if you did not get a 3 series what car would you get?
Now, you’re talking my language. I have had two i3’s for less than $100/month. The value proposition was there, for those deals. All I am suggesting is that the $35,000 Model 3 makes it a considerable value from a purchase perspective.
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Mainly because of three things:
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Different business model. No advertisement/marketing dollars and no dealer network taking a cut from Tesla’s margin. They have been carrying little to no finished good inventory until January, helping again on the cost front.
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Economies of scale. They are by far the largest EV manufacturer in the world as of 2018 and most of the expensive/critical components are designed and manufactured in-house. (watch Sandy Munro’s Model 3 teardown on youtube if you have the time) Vertical integration helps a great deal on the cost side.
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Sole focus on EV. All the other manufacturers spend majority of their R&D dollars and capital investment on their core ICE models. Tesla has three models that share a very high percentage of components and software. They just spend less on R&D headcount and dollars to stay ahead of EV competition.
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