Would you buy a Tesla? Or any $40k car?

[Anonymous]

In the spring we will be buying a new car. We usually buy Toyota’s but they are getting boring to me. I really want a Tesla, but my husband says not to get one because he is not sure if the company will be around in the next 10 years and we will need to get it serviced at the dealer. Anyone else think this? Or have other financial arguments on why to buy or not buy a Tesla? We are looking at the model 3 either new or slightly used. New cost is about $50k with about $6k in tax refunds (federal and state) and we have an $8k trade in. Plus about $100 per month in gas savings. It would be the most we have ever paid for a car. We usually pay about $30k or less.

[Anonymous]

We have a Chevy bolt and it was about 24k with rebates. So it’s not like Tesla is the only electric car available. Supposedly electric cars don’t need maintenance other than brakes and tires because there are no fluids involved. This is supposed to be a significant cost savings. I don’t know; talk to me in five years to confirm whether this is true.

[Anonymous]

My husband wants an electric car. So an electric is in our future, and the exact one will depend on our budget.

I was thinking that with my kids being 13 and 8, it's probable that they will only drive electric cars! Wow!

[Anonymous]

I thought about getting a tesla, but ended up going with another lightly used Toyota.

[Anonymous]

I’m an overall fan of electrics and hybrids.
I’m not a fan of Elon Musk. I think he’s brilliant but untrustworthy.
That tweet he put out about Tesla potentially going private did it for me.
I think that Tesla’s success rest less on his cars and more on his licensing of his technology to others.
Many established car companies are very close to bringing an EV to the market. These companies, every single one of them, have much deeper pockets than Tesla. Porsche is just one that is very close.
Finally, Tesla has no dealer network. Their model is to sell direct. Try and get service or repair in an area they don’t have a store. I live in NY and our state requires car manufacturers to have a dealer for their product. If they don’t have dealers they are limited to something like 2 stores that they can run. Until this law changes, and it likely will at some point, service is out of the question.
Spare parts? Good luck on that. Tesla has all it can do to get enough parts to build new cars. Spares and replacement parts can be a long wait.

[Anonymous]

Honestly? I find Teslas to be boring and pretty fugly. The tech is really cool, but they are not the only electric game in town.

I would go with a plug-in hybrid. There are a ton of options right now.

[Anonymous]

Your Tesla value could plunge suddenly and you would be sol. We were in the market for s luxury car and almost bought one before changing our minds. Next week a software update was pushed out to new cars while the older cars did not get the update and nobody wanted them. Tesla does not care. Their service is awful too. Don’t bother. So glad we went with a Lexus instead.

[Anonymous]

I heard recently from something of an expert that hybrids are most environmentally friendly, because electric-only cars have very toxic batteries. The calculus might change eventually, but not there yet.

We bought a new Acura TSX wagon about eight years ago, because my DH wanted something nicer. I don't know that it was much better than getting a Honda (though a really nice Honda Accord would be basically same in price). If you have money to spare, it's not the most frivolous expense, but still somewhat unneeded. IMHO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m an overall fan of electrics and hybrids.
I’m not a fan of Elon Musk. I think he’s brilliant but untrustworthy.
That tweet he put out about Tesla potentially going private did it for me.
I think that Tesla’s success rest less on his cars and more on his licensing of his technology to others.
Many established car companies are very close to bringing an EV to the market. These companies, every single one of them, have much deeper pockets than Tesla. Porsche is just one that is very close.
Finally, Tesla has no dealer network. Their model is to sell direct. Try and get service or repair in an area they don’t have a store. I live in NY and our state requires car manufacturers to have a dealer for their product. If they don’t have dealers they are limited to something like 2 stores that they can run. Until this law changes, and it likely will at some point, service is out of the question.
Spare parts? Good luck on that. Tesla has all it can do to get enough parts to build new cars. Spares and replacement parts can be a long wait.

I am an electrical engineer, a big fan of Elon Musk, but would likely not own an electric car for my personal vehicle for as long as I live due to irrational emotional attachment to gasoline engines. Presently, electric cars like Tesla is still like the equivalent of vegan for cars - it's more of a lifestyle choice and not just a car you buy and drive, and you put up with some inconveniences. I also would not trust Tesla for long term support of their cars. They are notorious for not sharing information with customers that would help with DIY or third party servicing. There are stories of Tesla remotely degrading the functionality and performance of a car because it received unauthorized service.

[Anonymous]

No and no

[Anonymous]

Yes electric is the future! I will not buy another ice car again.

[Anonymous]

No electric, yes to $40k car

Drive something that makes you happy

[Anonymous]

$40k is not an outlandish price for a new car these days. I would not buy a Tesla though.

[Anonymous]

Yes I'd buy a Tesla. We had a reservation for the 3 but had to cancel because our financial situation changed. But, once we are back on track we will get the Tesla.

[Anonymous]

Yes to both.