If you have a Tesla…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once our kids are driving age, yes, we'll let them drive the Tesla. We might adjust the acceleration and handling to make it less zippy, but that's not hard to do. They're some of the safest cars on the market.

OP here. That's actually really cool. I had no idea these types of options existed.

That’s actually one of the reasons it makes it a great option for a teenager. Also, they aren’t expensive anymore.

I thought they were still 100k!

A new Model 3 is now 39k. Used can be found for much less.

[Anonymous]

People still think they are expensive. Next year the rebate should come out right when you order the car. No waiting for tax time.
The car will snitch on your kid it the kid is going too fast. What's not to love and the safety.
Tell the kid you are watching them drive in real time.
DC's car will be Tesla unless there's something even safer in 8 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once our kids are driving age, yes, we'll let them drive the Tesla. We might adjust the acceleration and handling to make it less zippy, but that's not hard to do. They're some of the safest cars on the market.

Unless you are a pedestrian?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are many Teslas in our high school parking lot. They have a high safety rating and the Model 3 isn’t terribly expensive. We actually considered one for our teen but opted for something else.

They're a dime a dozen in Loudoun HS parking lots. And Loudoun in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only an idiot would by a Tesla why are you surprised

They are super unreliable

Interestingly, my sister has had hers for 10 years without any major issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once our kids are driving age, yes, we'll let them drive the Tesla. We might adjust the acceleration and handling to make it less zippy, but that's not hard to do. They're some of the safest cars on the market.

OP here. That's actually really cool. I had no idea these types of options existed.

Yup! And when they push software updates, features like that improve, are added, etc.

Also, to the person who questioned their safety for pedestrians: self-driving mode is not automatic. We have it on our Model 3 and you have to both earn it as a driver and then enable it. While in it, the car tracks your eye gaze and you’ll be pulled back into (normal) driver mode if you’re not paying attention.

Are they Honda-reliable? No. Those of us who chose to buy them know that. They have very little maintenance compared to ICE cars, other than tires.

[Anonymous]

Our teen drives our 3 sometimes but prefers our best up older car that is harder to drive and less safe because she doesn’t want people judging her. The Tesla stops on a dime and I can always see where she is and how fast she’s going on the app. I love that. She learned to drive equally on this and our other car so I think she is proficient with both. Even the other car has a lot of touch screen controls so it’s really not that different. The Tesla also has voice controls which is nice for safety — you can tell it to turn on the radio, etc.

[Anonymous]

My teen drives my Model Y because it’s the car I have.

Because I work from home more days than I drive in I don’t intend to buy (and insure) another car - that’s a waste of money.

Also love the safety and tracking benefits.

Only maintenance I’ve had to perform after years is a new set of tires.

[Anonymous]

Definitely learned a thing or two about Teslas - thanks. But you all kind of lost me with the giving your kids a car in highschool?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does your teen drive it? Alone?

I glanced over at the car next to me yesterday during a period of traffic congestion and was surprised to see a teenager driving a Tesla. The kid was talking animatedly and laughing, so I’m guessing also on the phone.

I’m used to the middle aged men and women driving Teslas all around DC, but a teen behind the wheel surprised me! Obviously, we are not a Tesla family so maybe I’m just behind the times?

I have seen teens driving Teslas as well. We have teslas and will get a different car for our teen once they drive. Teslas are very heavy, have insane acceleration even in “chill” mode, and the controls are so different from other cars. I like some features for teens - the tracking, ability to cap max speed, safety profile. But it just doesn’t drive like a “normal” car. And I think it would be a big adjustment to drive an outback around after driving a Tesla around. The braking alone is so different. I would worry that they would get so used to the regenerative braking that they could rear end someone. It’s probably my bias, but I think it’s better to learn on a conventional car first before learning to drive a Tesla. Once my teen learns to drive well, I will eventually teach them on the Tesla, but it won’t be their primary vehicle.

We made our learn on both the Tesla and the ICE. FWIW, the driving schools all use ICE cars, so they will get practice in those, as well. They may just look confused when they are given an old school key and told to put it in the ignition. Even our non-electrics are push-button. I definitely thought the Tesla would be harder or more confusing, but my teen was a better and more comfortable driver in the chill-mode Tesla (I think we have different braking options in our profiles, as well). I went into driving lessons thinking the Tesla would be a bad fit, but changed my tune over time. We don't switch cars around that much, so it's not a problem going to the ICE cars.......except I will always turn on the wipers by accident in the Tesla when I first get in (IYKYK).

Thanks that is good info for me. Just confirms that I am biased because I spent most of my life driving an ICE honda accord, so that is my comfort zone! We have the models with the steering yoke and no levers for turn signal, wipers, even shifting gears, so that is also an issue - would rather have them learn with a normal steering wheel and controls. I think we can buy a regular wheel but not sure about the turn signal etc. I do like that you can cap the speed, track, and adjust braking and acceleration profile though. And the app will alert if they come close to the max speed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely learned a thing or two about Teslas - thanks. But you all kind of lost me with the giving your kids a car in highschool?!

For most people I know, the teen uses the family car or they get the parents’ old car when the parent gets a new one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does your teen drive it? Alone?

I glanced over at the car next to me yesterday during a period of traffic congestion and was surprised to see a teenager driving a Tesla. The kid was talking animatedly and laughing, so I’m guessing also on the phone.

I’m used to the middle aged men and women driving Teslas all around DC, but a teen behind the wheel surprised me! Obviously, we are not a Tesla family so maybe I’m just behind the times?

Letting your high schooler drive your Tesla is fine. Buying them their own Tesla is dumb, right up there with getting your 6th grader an iPhone.

[Anonymous]

My 16 year old drives a used Model 3. The 3 was cheaper than the Toyota we load also considered for him. I was sold on the safety and ability to control and monitor aspects of the drive, and the safety score that he gets which seems to really motivate him. I’ve been surprised at how happy we’ve been with the choice for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely learned a thing or two about Teslas - thanks. But you all kind of lost me with the giving your kids a car in highschool?!

Well it’s not giving it to her. It’s that I take metro to work anyway and if I have to pick her up from school to drive her to sports practice, I would need to leave work really early. Unfortunately there’s no bus she can easily take. Before she could drive she took a bus but it required a mile walk with all her equipment plus then sitting by herself on the concrete pavement waiting for practice for about an hour or two. So it wasn’t ideal.

[Anonymous]

It’s the popular “cool” car for teens