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Riventures

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Hello;

I am missing something, actually probably several things, about Tesla. Help me understand please, I am genuinely curious and want to understand.

There appears to be a large and growing base of Tesla fans out there, it may not be even an exaggeration to call some of them "fanatics." I have never been interested in a Tesla. I don't have anything against the company, actually, I do admire its accomplishments, but never thought of their products as something I would even consider buying. Thus, I never even sat in a Tesla, driven one, or have had any close encounters. My loss, it appears.

What is it, or what are the reasons Tesla vehicles draw so much fanfare? Educate me if you would please.
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SANZC02

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Hello;

I am missing something, actually probably several things, about Tesla. Help me understand please, I am genuinely curious and want to understand.

There appears to be a large and growing base of Tesla fans out there, it may not be even anan exaggeration to call some of them "fanatics." I have never been interested in a Tesla. I don't have anything against the company, actually, I do admire its accomplishments, but never thought of their products as something I would even consider buying. Thus, I never even sat in a Tesla, driven one, or have had any close encounters. My loss, it appears.

What is it, or what are the reasons Tesla vehicles draw so much fanfare? Educate me if you would please.
I can only give you my personal perspective.

Tesla was really the first electric car that I would consider to be a mass market product. With its performance specs and the super charger network that they created peaked my interest. Once I did my test drive I was ready to buy. I purchased a Model S, had more performance than the Vette I used to own in both acceleration and cornering and could comfortably fit 5 adults. The driving characteristics certainly made be only want to consider electric vehicles moving forward.

The interior of the car is OK for a 75K dollar car but I find it hard to imagine the same interior in the car at 120K.

I've had my Model S for 5.5 years and still consider it one of my favorite vehicles. If it had the multi purpose capabilities of the R1S it would be my favorite.

Given my experience with the Model S, I am patiently waiting for what I believe will be my future favorite vehicle sometime before Summer of 2022...
 

Sdvictor

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You get a lot of non-tech and non-car people who are enchanted by something new. Yes, EVs are the future, but also there's some shady business practices along the way that makes it so infuriating.

It seems like the Joe Rogan and techno-libertarian crowds are particularly in love with Tesla and cult of personality that is EM
 

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Fans are, by definition, fanatics. And yes, Tesla has plenty of them.

I don’t count myself among those but after taking an extensive test drive of a Model Y, I totally get why people go nuts for these cars. Even the basic dual motor Model Y is an enthusiasts car. If you’re not an enthusiast, you are likely to become one after owning one for a while. It’s a dang rocketship. The driving blew me away. I seriously considered ordering one that day. Also, it’s a technological juggernaut. Nothing comes anywhere near a Tesla in that regard. I don’t even see Rivian catching them for years. Lord knows GM, Ford, and Stellantis won’t. The gap between Tesla and other OEMs is truly massive.

My wife was with me and she became immediately enamored by the car. Not for the performance (though she liked that too), but for the bloody fireplace gimmick in Romance Mode. Seriously, she was giggling like a school girl for a good 15 minutes. There are all sorts of little details, both humorous and practical, that get and keep your attention. It’s very well thought out IMO.

Tesla’s has some justifiable knocks against it like the garbage fit and finish but it has soooooo many good things that many can easily look past the flaws.

So seriously, if there is a Tesla retail store near you, go drive one. They’ll happily give you 30 minutes or more to check it out.
 

buddha2lotus

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Here's what I enjoy about the Model S:

1. Everything is pretty much automated, with the key in my pocket: the handles auto present themselves as I walk up to the car, buckle up and press on the brake and wait for a few seconds and the car turns on, as I drive away from my house the car closes my garage door, the mirrors automatically flip back into position, coming home the car then automatically opens the garage door

2. Effortless acceleration, almost silent in its operation other than hearing the tires and then some wind when it's above 55 mph, ride is very firm but not punishing at all, handling is amazing for a car this size

3. Quite decent stereo system, quite responsive touchscreen even though it's almost 6 years old, no Sirius XM but I use Echo Auto for that, quite decent built in music player when using flashdrive

4. My complaints are with the not so luxurious interior materials, interior design is also not very ergonomic, my model year seats are quite firm but the headrest is too far back (I had to get a cushion from Amazon), and once in a while the touchscreen will get confused and needs a quick reset but overall still very dependable

5. It is incredibly nice not to have to get gas anymore. Despite averaging over 40 miles of daily driving to and from work, my home electric bill is about 20 bucks more than before. And it is so nice not have to smell any sort of exhaust in the garage. Maintenance is basically non-existent other than replacing the tires.

6. Lastly, they still have above average customer service: I got a flat earlier this year and through the phone app, the service guy came and put on a donor tire for me completely free of charge, went and got my tire replaced and then I dropped off the donor at the service center and that was it

7. I'm by no means a fanboy because I am quite put off by Musk and really couldn't careless about brands in general but Tesla does make ownership of their cars very enjoyable
 

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I'm a Tesla owner, but not a fanatic. The worst part about being a Tesla owner sometimes is the fanatics both the haters and the lovers.

I'm sure there are social anthropologists that could explain it better than a bunch of randos on an internet forum.

I think it has a combination of things, success story, fighting the system, making tons of money and being 'right', tech bro culture, hating capitalism, hating the rich, all that stuff rolled into a ball and you get the 'fandom' that is the cult of Elon Musk.

I have a 2019 Model X that I bought new for $89k. They don't make this mode of the X that cheap anymore. I compromised with getting the 'Standard Range' that was only made for about three months and then they went to the more expensive 'long range' and 'performance' as the only two models that year. So i have a bit of a unicorn.

It's funny when you talk to a Tesla fan, they're all excited that 'you're an X owner?' and then when they find out it's not the Long Range or Perf model you get that 'oh' you get when someone starts to talk down on someone. I always think of Toy Story 2 when Woody is having that dream and sees his arm is broken and goes 'ohhh, i don't want to play with you anymore' heh.

I've had it two years now and everyone who is excited about the doors opening when we dump the four kids out of the car at the parking lot, especially when you're near elementary school activities. The first time I dropped a kid off at carpool and got that choruse of <12 and under 'whoooooooas' when the door opened for my very embarrassed fifth grader to get out. I finally got my gull wing doors after seeing that delorean in the movie theater as a teenager in 1985 when Back to the Future came out.

I'm less in love with it than I was when it came out and when I got it. I need six passenger car. So there weren't many EV options, and I'm a huge believer in needing to de-carbonize our transportation so I put my money where my mouth was and replaced all my gas engines with EVs (three cars). Honestly It's less expensive, lot less maintenance, lot cheaper to charge at home or fast charge (free with my X and ID.4) compared to gasoline, we probably saved a combined $500-600 per month in just gasoline because of me commuting, kids going to school, my wife driving as well.

oh and I didn't buy Full Self Driving because when I got the car it was $6k extra and that was too much and now $10k extra is way to much. It's only worth $10k to me when I can stick a kid in it and it safely delivers them to a school activity. Right now I might pay $4k at most for what it can do.

And that's why I think so much gets wrapped up around Tesla, it enabled a lot of people to feel and tie that feel in with a company and people who equate the two together and you get fanatics.
 

Canthoney

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Simple answer, tribalism. My brand x is better than your brand y. Same reason for politics, sports, console wars, etc… Another reason is the cult of personality Elon has developed, for better or worse, the guy has a lot of influence and to give him credit he has pushed the industry forward much more than any other automaker would have been willing to take it. It’s something similar to Steve Jobs. There are also varying degrees of fans, I have an appreciation of all car brands, so I’m not really locked into one over another. I’ll have multiple cars from different brands with no problem so I don’t really have a loyalty to one over the other.
 

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As an enthusiast, I can attest that Tesla as a whole is a very challenging thing to wrap your head around. My vehicle is currently an Alfa Romeo, and I adore the paint, the seats, the shift paddles, etc. Getting a Model Y for the wife, I've found the value proposition to be pretty different from what I was used to in buying a car.

We spent 6 months researching and test driving Model Ys before we moved forward purchasing one. I was personally very frustrated with how inconsistent the early build quality was, and found each of the several vehicles we test drove to be noticeably different than the others in terms of quirks, noises, rattles, etc. When quality finally settled a bit and we decided to move forward, I was then further frustrated by Tesla removing the radar and passenger lumbar in our order, and the lack of transparency with which the company relayed this to us. We also had to drive 10 hours round trip to pick it up, because our part of our state has no delivery location. So all in all, for us, we found the purchasing experience to be pretty stressful, from top to bottom, which I would often tell anyone that would listen.

Then roughly one month into our ownership, I receive a notification that our vehicle experienced a serious failure and was not able to be driven. My wife called soon thereafter to tell me she was in an accident and I needed to come right away. The app showed me exactly where to go, and when I arrived, I found that the accident was far more serious than she told me. She had been t-boned on the driver side by someone running a red at roughly 50 mph. Both driver side wheels had been ripped completely off as the vehicle hit a curb after doing a full 360. The stiff battery tray did an amazing job of keeping the passenger cell in tact, and the weight of the pack kept the vehicle from rolling over. EMTs told us they'd never seen anything like it. Tesla called her immediately to ask if she needed 911. Obviously the other driver got out and (while my wife was still pinned in the vehicle) started blaming her. When help arrived on the scene, my wife (calmly and still pinned) showed the police the dash cam footage on the vehicle's display, making quick work of "he said she said" BS. The multi-angle footage has been a god send from a litigation standpoint, allowing us to focus on my wife's recovery (which was still terrible due to g forces) and not on insurance drama. We obviously lost no money on the vehicle because of crazy resale value.

So while it's nice that my Alfa has flawless panel gaps and gorgeous paint quality, people should realize that benefits like that evaporate as soon as you get into the car. Tesla meanwhile recently showed how they have been optimizing the operation of their airbags with OTA updates based on real world data they've mined from their own fleet. Developing above and beyond standard government tests like is absolutely unheard of, and likely 5-10 years ahead of anyone else. Other things:

-In 4 months of ownership, our replacement Model Y has averaged 260 wh/mile, ridiculous IMO for such a big (and fast) vehicle
-Vision-based AP works great for us. While it would be nice to have blind spot monitor, it's stunning what Tesla is able to do with zero onboard radar units
- Tesla rolling out the safety score tool has actually proven helpful for curbing some of our bad driving habits, without it feel like a personal attack by the other person. Objective data!
-The app updates have been fast and furious, more so than I expected.
 
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Denver_Paulie

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This thread ought to be fun........

I needed to edit my previous rant about Tesla. Great company, Horrible leader in Elon Musk.

Three things the world could do with a lot less of - Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and all the Kardashians.
 
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SoCal Rob

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Hello;

I am missing something, actually probably several things, about Tesla. Help me understand please, I am genuinely curious and want to understand.

There appears to be a large and growing base of Tesla fans out there, it may not be even anan exaggeration to call some of them "fanatics." I have never been interested in a Tesla. I don't have anything against the company, actually, I do admire its accomplishments, but never thought of their products as something I would even consider buying. Thus, I never even sat in a Tesla, driven one, or have had any close encounters. My loss, it appears.

What is it, or what are the reasons Tesla vehicles draw so much fanfare? Educate me if you would please.
I know what you mean. See also: Post: Tesla Fans
 

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SeaGeo

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Not a "why" for Tesla fans ,but the attacks on Missy Cummings, and Musk playing into them, are disgusting.
 

Dark-Fx

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Quattro Powers

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I had a Tesla and have one on order.

I’m a car person. My Model X had many cool features. My favorite was having an electric vehicle. I didn’t miss the fumes or visits to the pump. The charging network is very reliable and convenient. I enjoyed the technology and massive screen. The Christmas Easter Egg was delightful. My neighbors loved the show. I also enjoyed decent reliability with my Tesla.

I ordered a Rivian truck for its style and design. Hopefully it will be as satisfying to own as the Tesla.
 
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Riventures

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You guys are awesome, thank you! You took the time to respond in detail and did help me understand, I appreciate it. In return, I'll try to provide my views into the conversation, rather than just receive input.

I know what you mean. See also: Post: Tesla Fans
I wish I knew about that thread, I would not have created this one. I actually read almost all of the contributions to that. Thank. you.

...
The interior of the car is OK for a 75K dollar car but I find it hard to imagine the same interior in the car at 120K.
It is interesting; the interior arrangement, not materials or quality - which I know nothing about - is what puts me off about Tesla. Similar arrangement in the Rivian is also playing negatively in my mind at this time.
If it had the multi purpose capabilities of the R1S it would be my favorite.
The negatives of the Rivian are countered with this multi-purpose functionality, and is still making me stay in the game.

Even the basic dual motor Model Y is an enthusiasts car. If you’re not an enthusiast, you are likely to become one after owning one for a while. It’s a dang rocketship. The driving blew me away. I seriously considered ordering one that day. Also, it’s a technological juggernaut. Nothing comes anywhere near a Tesla in that regard. I don’t even see Rivian catching them for years. Lord knows GM, Ford, and Stellantis won’t. The gap between Tesla and other OEMs is truly massive.
I do have hard time relating to similar sentiments about performance. Someone else wrote in another thread with the R1T they are looking to ambarass some unsuspecting sports car driver at the red light. Speed does not do much for me, nor acceleration. I have never been to a drag strip, nor have I raced anyone on the street.

My wife was with me and she became immediately enamored by the car. Not for the performance (though she liked that too), but for the bloody fireplace gimmick in Romance Mode. Seriously, she was giggling like a school girl for a good 15 minutes. There are all sorts of little details, both humorous and practical, that get and keep your attention. It’s very well thought out IMO.
I've got to see this fireplace thing :CWL:

So seriously, if there is a Tesla retail store near you, go drive one. They’ll happily give you 30 minutes or more to check it out.
I think I will, thank you. There are very close Tesla centers near me, it is very accessible, so even though I won't be buying one, I should actually go and see one.
...
really couldn't careless about brands in general but Tesla does make ownership of their cars very enjoyable
There was a time I cared deeply about brands, but no more. The ownership experience is far more important nowadays. I have been bitten far too often and hard by being loyal to a few brands in the past, which I won't do again.

I'm a Tesla owner, but not a fanatic. The worst part about being a Tesla owner sometimes is the fanatics both the haters and the lovers.
...
I think it has a combination of things, success story, fighting the system, making tons of money and being 'right', tech bro culture, hating capitalism, hating the rich, all that stuff rolled into a ball and you get the 'fandom' that is the cult of Elon Musk.
I think I understand this. Although there are more than a few conflicts in this thinking, I think I get the power of that conflict.

It's funny when you talk to a Tesla fan, they're all excited that 'you're an X owner?' and then when they find out it's not the Long Range or Perf model you get that 'oh' you get when someone starts to talk down on someone. I always think of Toy Story 2 when Woody is having that dream and sees his arm is broken and goes 'ohhh, i don't want to play with you anymore' heh.
Now, this is really weird. :oops:

I'm less in love with it than I was when it came out and when I got it. I need six passenger car. So there weren't many EV options, and I'm a huge believer in needing to de-carbonize our transportation so I put my money where my mouth was and replaced all my gas engines with EVs (three cars). Honestly It's less expensive, lot less maintenance, lot cheaper to charge at home or fast charge (free with my X and ID.4) compared to gasoline, we probably saved a combined $500-600 per month in just gasoline because of me commuting, kids going to school, my wife driving as well.
Unfortunately, I am bit too close to the energy industry with the exception of oil&gas. The "EV" as a solution is actually playing the reverse effect on me. I am fully on board with reducing and eliminating our carbon footprint, but I do not believe EVs will do that. On the other hand, I do like and am encouraged that the lobbyists and marketing efforts for renewable energy are gaining ground against oil&gas, I just hope it won't be short-lived.

oh and I didn't buy Full Self Driving because when I got the car it was $6k extra and that was too much and now $10k extra is way to much. It's only worth $10k to me when I can stick a kid in it and it safely delivers them to a school activity. Right now I might pay $4k at most for what it can do.
More than an automobile enthusiast, I am a driving enthusiast. I just love driving. I used to commute 3 to 3-1/2 hours for many years. Even then I enjoyed driving the cars. I like cars that resemble jetliner cockpits, love buttons, lights, signals, etc. I cannot explain it, I just do. My wife keeps telling me that I should not buy a Rivian, "it does not have buttons, you will hate it." She has a point I am afraid.

Simple answer, tribalism. My brand x is better than your brand y. Same reason for politics, sports, console wars, etc… Another reason is the cult of personality Elon has developed, for better or worse, the guy has a lot of influence and to give him credit he has pushed the industry forward much more than any other automaker would have been willing to take it. It’s something similar to Steve Jobs.
Yes! I can relate to this. In my time, it was about Beta vs. VHS, Commodore vs. Atari, Gates vs. Jobs, NetWare vs. Windows NT, Cisco vs. Fore, Motorolla vs. Blackberry, ie vs. NetScape, etc. I think the Tesla thing may be even stronger amongst some than these examples.

As an enthusiast, I can attest that Tesla as a whole is a very challenging thing to wrap your head around.

...We also had to drive 10 hours round trip to pick it up, because our part of our state has no delivery location. So all in all, for us, we found the purchasing experience to be pretty stressful, from top to bottom, which I would often tell anyone that would listen.
How do you feel about the Rivian purchasing experience thus far? :p
Please don't answer that, haha, it has been trying for many, I have never been through something like this before.

She had been t-boned on the driver side by someone running a red at roughly 50 mph. Both driver side wheels had been ripped completely off as the vehicle hit a curb after doing a full 360.
I am so glad she is alright, this must have been a horrific experience.

-In 4 months of ownership, our replacement Model Y has averaged 260 wh/mile, ridiculous IMO for such a big (and fast) vehicle
-Vision-based AP works great for us. While it would be nice to have blind spot monitor, it's stunning what Tesla is able to do with zero onboard radar units
- Tesla rolling out the safety score tool has actually proven helpful for curbing some of our bad driving habits, without it feel like a personal attack by the other person. Objective data!
-The app updates have been fast and furious, more so than I expected.
As a driving enthusiast, I am finding it difficult to adjust to technology. I make my living in technology, so it is not foreign to me. However, I feel that each time I buy a new car, technology has taken something away from me once again. At the same time, some of the examples you have listed are superb, the right way to take advantage of new technical capabilities for sure, and I know I have to accept and move on.

I love driving. I enjoy shifting gears, engine sounds, tire chirps. I look forward to every single corner to execute the perfect fast-in/fast-out. I also used to love working on my cars, but with age, it has become more of a chore than enjoyment.

EVs are not all exciting to me. The R1T is exciting. My wife really dislikes my choice, she tries to convince me of an SUV. I am sick and tired of SUVs. Regardless of propulsion, a multi-purpose truck is what I want.

I wish the R1T had more of a cockpit rather than mimicking Tesla. I am starting to understand the Tesla owners, and maybe I have to give in and accept that most EVs will have something drawn up from Tesla as they were the first mass-appeal EV.

I do hope Rivian succeeds, and I do hope Lucid and others succeed as well. We need more than just Teslas roaming around. At the same time, I do feel the heavy dependence on technology will play against us in the longer term. It almost feels like buying a smartphone or tablet to me. You know it won't be usable in 5-6 years, or the OS won't upgrade anymore, because you don't have enough storage, memory, or whatever. I hope I am wrong on this.

Thank you again for all of the insightful responses, and I hope I have not bored you.
 
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Riventures

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I had a Tesla and have one on order.

I ordered a Rivian truck for its style and design. Hopefully it will be as satisfying to own as the Tesla.
Welcome to the community and thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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