I've been looking for a new daily driver for the past few weeks to complement my 4Runner which is getting up there in the years and is woefully fuel inefficient. I had my sights on a variety of sport/luxury sedans and hatchbacks, most of them of the German variety. The Audi S4 and A6 interested me most, especially since there are lots of clean, used examples a couple years old that have already depreciated nicely.

Unfortunately for me I visited the nearby Tesla store and test drove a Model 3 Performance. This is turning out to be a very expensive mistake. The car completely shattered my expectations. Even forgetting for a moment how fast it was, what surprised me the most was how it drove. The steering feel, ride quality and cornering/handling were absolutely best in class and shamed everything coming out of Germany right now. It had an upright, cab-forward driving position enabled by the short, low hood (no engine) which gave, for lack of a better term, a front row seat to all the action. It reminded me of the view one sees looking out of the windshield of an air-cooled Porsche 911.

And yes, the car is stupid fast.

Has anyone else here driven a Tesla? I'm seriously thinking about writing the check even though it probably won't be the smartest financial move I've ever made...

I have driven just the regular model S and I loved it. I have a deposit waiting on a Model 3 but I haven't cashed in on it because I ended up buying a Type R 7 months ago. I still love the concept of the electric car for in town driving. Perfect for short range chores and work commuting. Mainly because it'll always be charged up by time you're ready to go somewhere after waking up. Never having to stop for fuel during a 7-8 day stretch of working is great. I'm not lazy by any means but most of the time I'm in a hurry to get to work and after 12 hours at work overnight, I want to get home ASAP to let the dogs out and then go get some rest. All the modern features they add on are great too... Just the ticking of all the options boxes adds up though. Only downside to Tesla...and their current restructuring after Elon having to step down.

Go for it… I love their cars and what they are about. We have plans to buy a Tesla EV after we retire our current daily driver (Acura TL).

As of right now my biggest concern with buying a Tesla model 3 is maintenance and repair in the event of something like an accident but things are constantly improving.

We are in no rush, but we already have a DIY solar / powerwall project in the works which is going to allow us to charge and drive the car for free, similar to what EV West has done… I have enough battery to basically build the equivalent of 3 Tesla powerwalls for charging and running the house.

I felt the same. After some time the electric thing gets so boring.

Which is why it should never be your only car... Aside from my commuter I still have a 4Runner for off-road and a sports car.

That said, Tesla cars are actually fun... It's not like you are driving a Chevy Volt. The autonomous driving capability is unreal... you can't get that anywhere else. For a commuter, there is currently no better car. I currently dream of a Tesla while sitting in 405 traffic.

I totally agree with the autonomous driving. Very cool and great for a commute. They are way more fun than a Volt, no argument there. I just felt like it got boring to me way too quick anyway. Build quality leaves something to be desired too. Have you seen those panel gaps? Yikes. These are early 90's Land Rover type of gaps.

We kinda have a rule around here… don’t buy the first generation of anything. Model 3 is no exception, and things like the Ford Raptor were prime examples of that as well. Personally I think the Model S is very well put together but for that type of coin, you will find me in a Porsche Macan or 911 because I still like to drive and spending 100-150k on a commuter is NOT what I am about, but ill wait for the Model 3.

Ill give you the point on the build quality, it seems to be hit or miss from what I read, but for what it is and what they have accomplished, I still give them the benefit of the doubt because the amount of criticism they get when compared to other auto manufactures is unreal.

One of the biggest appeals of electric for me aside from cost reduction is I just think its cool… fill up at home, no need to ever visit a pump. It just works, perfect work car and around town errands car. Being into all that DIY solar and battery stuff feels like I am just adding an accessory to a hobby more so than buying a car.

A follow up to my original post...

Let me just state for the record that I could not care less about Tesla's Autopilot, and if I wind up ordering a Model 3 I will not be adding this option. I'm personally of the belief that autonomous driving aids should be "all or nothing". Either make it full-on Level 5 where I can close my eyes and let the car drive me from point A to point B with zero intervention required, or give me nothing at all. Oh, and don't forget, the manufacturer needs to cover liability insurance when their software is in control and indemnify me of any wrongdoing should there be any traffic infractions.

The reason I loved the Tesla was because of how it drove when *I* was at the controls. The driving dynamics pretty much blows all the German stuff out of the water. It drove like a go-kart, but it was quiet and comfortable at the same time.

It's a bit ironic that Tesla, a leader in autonomous driving aids (perceived or otherwise) happens to build - in my opinion - one of the best driving cars *for humans*.

While I completely appreciate what you are saying… and very much agree with your thoughts about liability and indemnification, I personally would still love to have autopilot.

The car is fully capable of delivering that A to B transport from a tech standpoint. The problem with autopilot is the legal / legislative side hasn’t caught up with technology.

In the interim, I still find it somewhat valuable for those human moments of distraction. I know it’s still considered beta, but I can see it being useful in my work sales roles… using the phone, taking a note, taking the edge off a long drive, stop/go. Even if used for 5 min it affords you some good flexibility vs having to be white knuckle in traffic or keep eyes glued to the road. Reducing driver fatigue seems to be a plus to me. After all, I still want to drive the thing, but I have a “co-driver” if I really needed it for a moment.

It’s probably a bad habit to get into as it only takes one accident, but it’s still something I would want to own and experience. That said, what you are saying makes sense, by the time legal catches up its probably time for your next Tesla anyways, or you can always buy it later on.

FIFY

This is my problem with autonomy. We live in the real world of changing weather, lighting, road conditions, randomness and chaos. IMHO, we're still years away from having cars capable of handling anything we can throw at them. And when that day comes, you'll be saying "Wow, things are playing out just like they did in The Terminator".

Hey, I don’t discount what you are saying. I just apply what I see in the AI / ML space it’s pretty amazing what is being achieved with machine learning and AI.

Bottom line, if “people” wanted this bad enough, it could be done today. Not Tesla but as a technology & industry. As it sits right now, Autopilot is a toy, not a tool.

With AI / ML in the mix, every mile driven its already learning and getting better than humans at driving and at an exponential rate. Just look at the Human vs AI in Chinese Go. Insane stuff. Google AlphaGo & Deepmind

I was only trying to make a case for the ability to deliver though technology and I believe we are already there.

I'm in

And now the wait begins....

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Teslas have no appeal to me at all...

I thought the exact same thing until I drove one and then.... mind blown.

I'm not referring to driveability. The concept simply doesn't interest me.