Hello, my name is Steve and I'm the proud new owner of a Tesla Model S 85D. I test drove my first Tesla at the Houston Galleria showroom and knew I had to have one before I'd gone even a quarter mile. What an awesome car!
My previous car was a certified pre-owned 2011 Mercedes E350 Bluetec diesel. This was my first luxury car purchase so my expectations were high. Boy, was I disappointed! The car had problems from Day 1. I'll spare you the gory details only to say that, of the many cars I've owned, my Mercedes came the closest to taking my life, TWICE, for no fault of my own. Dealer support was a joke. When Mercedes said, "The best or none" I should have chosen none.
In spite of my governor's best attempts to keep a Tesla out of my hands, I ordered one on-line, financed it through a 3rd party lender, and Uber'ed my way to the new north Houston service center to take possession of my car. The process was not without its faults, but nothing I couldn't muddle through. Every Tesla employee I dealt with was super friendly, professional, and helpful without question. Delivery was much more relaxed and thorough than the bum's rush I got from Mercedes.
After driving my Model S for about a month, I can say without reservation that I love the car. Everything has worked as advertised. The performance is breath-taking. The styling is just plain sexy as hell. My only regret is getting the piano black accents instead of carbon fiber because the shiny black bits collect dust like crazy. Other than that, I'm very pleased and finally living the luxury car experience that I had hoped to enjoy with my Mercedes.
Around town, my Model S is as fun as a carnival ride. I've never had so much fun accelerating to 35mph and it only gets better when I pull onto a quiet stretch of Westpark from a side street doing 50mph by the end of my turn. Woo-hoo!
Out on the open road, things are not so cheery. While the new-fangled cruise control and internet radio make long trips akin to a trip to the spa, my approach to nirvana takes a detour down Range Anxiety lane as I attempt to get to Corpus Christi from Houston and back in 100+ temperatures. Since there's no Supercharger in Victoria (where one is desperately needed to reach any part of south Texas) I end up getting routed through Columbus which adds considerably to my trip time. But fortunately, time in a Tesla is quite a bit better than unpleasant. Once in Corpus Christi, I plug into an old 30A dryer plug which easily gets me the juice I need to get back home.
So, that's my story. No obligatory car photos, just a grateful owner of an American product that delivers the best one can get in an automobile, BIG-TIME.
My previous car was a certified pre-owned 2011 Mercedes E350 Bluetec diesel. This was my first luxury car purchase so my expectations were high. Boy, was I disappointed! The car had problems from Day 1. I'll spare you the gory details only to say that, of the many cars I've owned, my Mercedes came the closest to taking my life, TWICE, for no fault of my own. Dealer support was a joke. When Mercedes said, "The best or none" I should have chosen none.
In spite of my governor's best attempts to keep a Tesla out of my hands, I ordered one on-line, financed it through a 3rd party lender, and Uber'ed my way to the new north Houston service center to take possession of my car. The process was not without its faults, but nothing I couldn't muddle through. Every Tesla employee I dealt with was super friendly, professional, and helpful without question. Delivery was much more relaxed and thorough than the bum's rush I got from Mercedes.
After driving my Model S for about a month, I can say without reservation that I love the car. Everything has worked as advertised. The performance is breath-taking. The styling is just plain sexy as hell. My only regret is getting the piano black accents instead of carbon fiber because the shiny black bits collect dust like crazy. Other than that, I'm very pleased and finally living the luxury car experience that I had hoped to enjoy with my Mercedes.
Around town, my Model S is as fun as a carnival ride. I've never had so much fun accelerating to 35mph and it only gets better when I pull onto a quiet stretch of Westpark from a side street doing 50mph by the end of my turn. Woo-hoo!
Out on the open road, things are not so cheery. While the new-fangled cruise control and internet radio make long trips akin to a trip to the spa, my approach to nirvana takes a detour down Range Anxiety lane as I attempt to get to Corpus Christi from Houston and back in 100+ temperatures. Since there's no Supercharger in Victoria (where one is desperately needed to reach any part of south Texas) I end up getting routed through Columbus which adds considerably to my trip time. But fortunately, time in a Tesla is quite a bit better than unpleasant. Once in Corpus Christi, I plug into an old 30A dryer plug which easily gets me the juice I need to get back home.
So, that's my story. No obligatory car photos, just a grateful owner of an American product that delivers the best one can get in an automobile, BIG-TIME.
