[AlexFL]

Originally Posted by Andrew@ActiveAutowerke

I picked up a model 3 performance last year when my f80 lease ended. So far so good it has its slight issues with panel gaps and such if you are extremely anal but honestly its so slight I wouldn't even bother taking the car in. with 15k miles on the odo its never been in for a repair or any service actually. Only thing thats starting to show up is a slight ticking from the suspension and you can only hear it when its silent in a garage but to be fair many of my bmws have also done the same thing over time ( I drive my cars very hard). Unlike bmw I hear tesla is willing to fix this known issue without any hassle. Autopilot is awesome and I take full advantage of it on my 25 mile hike to work which is mostly highway about 22 miles of that is on autopilot.

Handling is similar to a bmw but it gets a little loose at high speeds(suspension should fix this issue.) Cornering is fantastic and noticeably quicker and more stable around corners due to its lower center of gravity and insane traction control system compared to my m3 even with its tiny 235 ps4's. Traffic light to traffic light nothing really compares it always hooks even in the rain and with no gear changes you will be king of the traffic light races with a constant 3 second 0-60 with roll out. Where it really shines is roll races under 50 mph as it just jumps most cars by a car or so but only to reeled in around 130 to cars in the 500hp range as you lose power and torque.

I do miss my 6 speed, the danger of a 600whp rwd car and the ability to rev and show off sometimes but all in all its been a great do it all type vehicle.

You can follow some of my races on instagram @teslavseverything

Would putting wider tires improve the traction and the 0-60? Did you guys ever try this? I'm just having hard time understanding how the skinny 235 tires can deal with so much low end torque.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

My wife and I went to dinner with my buddy and his wife a few nights ago. The girls sat in the back so my buddy could show off his latest software update on his toy-- A T3.

Aaaaaaaaand, it tried to kill us.

He was demonstrating the Autopilot which (on the surface) is pretty amazing-- the screen started figuring out the middle of the street lanes and the traffic and obstacles around us, and then when it got smart enough, he enabled it.

It seems to be a lot of work though-- keep your hand on the wheel, keep tapping the right control stalk to go through intersections, keep an eye on what it's doing, being ready to brake suddenly-- personally, I thought it was more work than just simply driving.

And then, as we were going through a series of curves, for NO reason-- the thing just decided to aim *DIRECTLY* at a huge curb and drainage grate-- it was a pretty aggressive maneuver.

My buddy had to override it and pull it back onto the road-- it sure as hell got my undivided attention when it did that-- if he hadn't done a "panic intervention", the thing would definitely have taken out the front driver's wheel at a minimum.

On a completely unrelated note (heh)-- I stopped by my auto-body shop today since I had a quick question (they are the BMW, Porsche, Audi & Tesla specialists in Denver)-- they had a TON of Tesla's in the yard-- enough that I asked the tech if they were "flipping" them. His response? "No, people just crash them a LOT."

He also said that parts availability has a much longer delay than for Porsche, BMW & Audi-- a day or two for those makes, weeks or longer for Tesla.

So, neat toy, amazing technology, and you need to watch it like a hawk if you don't want it to commit automotive suicide. The Autopilot might be the bee's knees in Kansas on the interstate, but it sure as hell isn't ready for prime-time in downtown America suburbia.

On the plus side? It provided a LOT of abuse that I (and my wife, and his wife) could heap on my buddy over dinner.

And his wife? HATES his Tesla and doesn't like to ride in it.

R.

I had a chance to test a Model S about 2 years ago in Miami traffic... at the time, it was not full autopilot but it was to the point where in straightline, it could drive itself...

All I will say is that in that iteration, I would NEVER let this thing drive anyone automatically... it kept veering into the lane over and made some abrupt changes when cars next to us would get too close. It was the worse lane management I've ever seen and like you said, I still had to monitor with my hands on the wheels... as far as the car itself, outside of bizarre QC issues and a car that looked like it was put together for $25, the driving experience was actually quite decent.

[Yvette]

Tesla is just not for me. Hopefully we will have more variety after 5 years

[Cabbage]

Originally Posted by mousefarmer

When would any of you buy a Tesla? What needs to happen for that to happen?

For me its when the price goes down and the weight of the vehicle goes down to be similar to gas cars. I have no brand loyalty for any brand.

Fix the P.A.N.E.L. G.A.P.S.

[DanG]

I don’t have a garage with my house. So never because I have no place to charge it.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by DanG

I don't have a garage with my house. So never because I have no place to charge it.

You can charge it outside of a garage. People down the street from me charge their X in the driveway. Apartments will be another hoop that EV's will have to jump through and find a solution.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by stein_325i

You can charge it outside of a garage. People down the street from me charge their X in the driveway. Apartments will be another hoop that EV's will have to jump through and find a solution.

Not going to have a power cord hanging out tempting someone to steal it.

[AlpineKing]

Originally Posted by DanG

Not going to have a power cord hanging out tempting someone to steal it.

People in your neighborhood are stealing power cords these days? Jeez...

Family member just picked up the Model X Long Range. Haven't gotten behind the wheel myself yet, but sitting in it, very impressive vehicle with funky technology quirks. I'll be looking at one myself for an suv in a couple of years if the Rivian doesn't come to fruition.

[David70]

Originally Posted by DanG

Not going to have a power cord hanging out tempting someone to steal it.

Every Tesla Supercharger has a power cord and I have yet to see one stolen.

I have so much more around my house that has more value that could easily be picked up (porch and patio furniture, grill, yard hose, mini split compressor - pull power disconnect and pick it up and walk off, mail box). We live in the city and I doubt a hard wired power cord is likely to be stolen. One car garage holds the weekend car and 2 cars in the driveway.

[fgpalmer71]

Originally Posted by AlexFL

Would putting wider tires improve the traction and the 0-60? Did you guys ever try this? I'm just having hard time understanding how the skinny 235 tires can deal with so much low end torque.

The Model 3 Performance is AWD. Definitely helps turn the instant torque into instant inertia.

[W///]

Not time for me to jump on the ship yet, although I feel like electric cars are inevitable (still planning to keep my M's for good though). They would be super convenient for my short 8 miles commute to work, but there's not enough to justify me jumping in a new EV. A used BMW i3S is kind of an interesting proposition at $20k though.

I'd rather see other players in the game try their hands on the EV market than get a Tesla at the moment.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by David70

Every Tesla Supercharger has a power cord and I have yet to see one stolen.

I have so much more around my house that has more value that could easily be picked up (porch and patio furniture, grill, yard hose, mini split compressor - pull power disconnect and pick it up and walk off, mail box). We live in the city and I doubt a hard wired power cord is likely to be stolen. One car garage holds the weekend car and 2 cars in the driveway.

You'd be surprised how much copper is stolen every year at remote and unprotected commercial power sites.

[PopsnBurbles]

When I fall out of love for driving

[Mingwan]

When it stops having a cult following of tech simps, and forza playing teenagers.