One question: What issues have you had with the Tesla?
One comment: $600 seems like a lot, but it is only about $20, and I make that in about 6 minutes. Not having to deal with any car issues is worth a lot to me.
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"Tesla": The word that will get you a better Mercedes lease.
- Thread starter Petrocelli
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- mercedes quality control
One question: What issues have you had with the Tesla?
One comment: $600 seems like a lot, but it is only about $20, and I make that in about 6 minutes. Not having to deal with any car issues is worth a lot to me.
brucet999
Active Member
@Petrocelli sounds to me, like I was when considering the radical step of buying a Tesla. I knew all about the downsides of my previous ICE cars, and I knew that the manufacturer of any car presents only the positives. I came to the TMC to read what actual Tesla owners had to say, felt nervous about the reports of problems, but was still looking for something to tip the balance for my decision.
I'm glad every day that I made the decision to buy my MS. It is still a joy to drive.
I can't speak about Tesla sales, customer service, etc because I'm firmly of the belief that Tesla is badly managed right now.
It's so bad that Elon actually tweeted that he didn't even know the Service loaners program had ended.
https://electrek.co/2019/08/16/tesla-shutting-service-loaner-elon-musk/
I'm also pretty livid in that I've had my car for almost a year, and I still don't have the spoiler or the badge. Argghh.
But, I can speak to the car itself.
The most alarming thing about the OP's post was how much money they spent per mile. It wasn't just cost per month over so many years, but the gas expense as well. Sure I probably spent that much money, but at least I'd lease a DIFFERENT German car every three years. The OP is a car manufactures wet dream.
Tesla in recent years repositioned itself so it's much more economical price per mile than it used to be, and it's certainly far less than the OP is paying. Everyone and their brother knows that German cars tend be awesome while under warranty, and not so much outside of it. I myself regarded them as great cars to lease, but not so much to own. I'd always cringe when someone said they bought a pre-owned one.
With a Tesla you do tend to have more initial problems than other cars, but once those issues are resolved it's smooth sailing. It was this way with the Model S I had, and it was this way with the Model 3 I have now. Most Tesla's that have some minor issue are likely serviced by the mobile team so you don't even have to go to a service center.
The biggest issue for an owner is likely going to be SW glitches as it's basically a computer on wheels. SW glitches will always be a thing for Tesla because it's a direct result of not only having a car that gets SW updates, but where the company aggressively pushes updates.
It's so bad that Elon actually tweeted that he didn't even know the Service loaners program had ended.
https://electrek.co/2019/08/16/tesla-shutting-service-loaner-elon-musk/
I'm also pretty livid in that I've had my car for almost a year, and I still don't have the spoiler or the badge. Argghh.
But, I can speak to the car itself.
The most alarming thing about the OP's post was how much money they spent per mile. It wasn't just cost per month over so many years, but the gas expense as well. Sure I probably spent that much money, but at least I'd lease a DIFFERENT German car every three years. The OP is a car manufactures wet dream.
Tesla in recent years repositioned itself so it's much more economical price per mile than it used to be, and it's certainly far less than the OP is paying. Everyone and their brother knows that German cars tend be awesome while under warranty, and not so much outside of it. I myself regarded them as great cars to lease, but not so much to own. I'd always cringe when someone said they bought a pre-owned one.
With a Tesla you do tend to have more initial problems than other cars, but once those issues are resolved it's smooth sailing. It was this way with the Model S I had, and it was this way with the Model 3 I have now. Most Tesla's that have some minor issue are likely serviced by the mobile team so you don't even have to go to a service center.
The biggest issue for an owner is likely going to be SW glitches as it's basically a computer on wheels. SW glitches will always be a thing for Tesla because it's a direct result of not only having a car that gets SW updates, but where the company aggressively pushes updates.
I’ll tell you this .... I’ve been driving Cadillacs for many years.
One test drive in a Tesla, and that was over.
What you see on websites like this is a tilted view. People come here to complain. Nobody post “Everything is great with my Tesla” threads; they’re insanely boring and get run over by trolls anyway.
So here you go. 3 months, 6,000 miles and zero issues. The vehicle is everything I could’ve wanted, and then some.
So good, in fact, that my “I don’t like change at all ever” wife - who’s been driving Buick Enclaves (currently on #3) since they launched in 2007 - has decided she wants a Model X when we’re done with this Buick. That speaks volumes, if you know her.
One test drive in a Tesla, and that was over.
What you see on websites like this is a tilted view. People come here to complain. Nobody post “Everything is great with my Tesla” threads; they’re insanely boring and get run over by trolls anyway.
So here you go. 3 months, 6,000 miles and zero issues. The vehicle is everything I could’ve wanted, and then some.
So good, in fact, that my “I don’t like change at all ever” wife - who’s been driving Buick Enclaves (currently on #3) since they launched in 2007 - has decided she wants a Model X when we’re done with this Buick. That speaks volumes, if you know her.
I don’t think you can rent one from Tesla. Look on Turo Website/app. That’s where I rented. It’s kind of like Airbnb for cars.
You make enough to buy anything you want within reason.
Resell value after many years shouldn’t mean much to you.
Kilotango74
Active Member
It means you are held back by Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. You are more comfortable with the known, what it means to own an ICE vehicle, than the unknown, owning an electric vehicle. These doubts cause you to focus on the negative reports and posts on Tesla and you keep returning to the comfort of what you know, ie dinosaur burning, old tech, and slow Mercedes
As I think I mentioned in my post, none.
I think doing a test drive if you’ve never driven one before is good advice if you want an initial impression. Tesla BTW doesn’t rent Teslas but there are third parties who do for a longer test period.
Regarding resell, as more cars become EVs on the road, ICE vehicles will probably be less attractive to own and may depreciate faster than you think.
Tesla has done a pretty amazing job with the Model 3. If you haven’t, you might want to watch some of the latest Sandy Munro’s videos (his company, Munro & Associates, tore it down and in doing so he really changed his impression about the car and how he views its future success). He thinks it’s pretty ingenious what they’ve done and put them way ahead of anyone else.
Anyway if you are thinking of a car that will take you forward in the future and keep current, Tesla will likely outshine manufacturers for quite sometime due to not only the structural design but also the electronics, OTA updates and battery tech. It’s really a dynamic package they’ve had years in the works. Their Supercharger network and partnering destination charging locations make traveling longer distances pretty much worry free. And of course with an adapter you have the flexibility to use J1772 L2 chargers like ChargePoint etc too. Very impressive powertrain/motors.
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brucet999
Active Member
+1 to the poster who urged you to rent a M3 for a few days.
Although a 20-minute test drive may be enough to get some appreciation for the handling and acceleration of the car, a few days would give you time to acclimatize to the vastly different experience of the large display instead of the MB instrument cluster you are used to. Try it out with a long weekend drive including mountain roads (check out the instant acceleration at high altitude) crowded freeways (where AutoPilot reduces stress). Turn on climate control remotely and watch the internal temperature drop 25º in 5 minutes or less. Try using the Tesla App to find the car in a big parking lot. Try Summon to pull out of a parking spot where someone has parked too close to your driver's door for you to get in. Imagine plugging in at night in your own garage and waking up to a "full tank" every morning.
I promise that the cost of a few days' rental will be worth it. Either you will be sold on Tesla, or more certain than ever that another MB is right for you.
Good luck.
The Mercedes will be a very traditional car just like all the other ones you have owned. You already know what the experience will be like, so only you can determine if this is what you are looking for.
The Model 3 is an iPhone on wheels. The cars are just so different that aside from both of them getting you from Point A to Point B you are comparing apples and oranges. If you enjoy technology and having a car that is completely different from everything else out there the Model 3 is for you. If not, the Mercedes is probably the right fit for you.
I previously drove a C280, BMW 740i and Lexus LS460. Now that I have Model 3 I could never go back to driving an ICE car. There is nothing like a Model 3. It’s simply the best car you can buy, period.
And we own two of them and have had zero problems with them. If you are in Southern California there are plenty of service centers to choose from.
The Model 3 is an iPhone on wheels. The cars are just so different that aside from both of them getting you from Point A to Point B you are comparing apples and oranges. If you enjoy technology and having a car that is completely different from everything else out there the Model 3 is for you. If not, the Mercedes is probably the right fit for you.
I previously drove a C280, BMW 740i and Lexus LS460. Now that I have Model 3 I could never go back to driving an ICE car. There is nothing like a Model 3. It’s simply the best car you can buy, period.
And we own two of them and have had zero problems with them. If you are in Southern California there are plenty of service centers to choose from.
Curious George
Member
It is not quite black and white though. ICE still has some advantages.
- Want to tow a load or put on a roof top carrier/bag and not worry about running out of range?
- Don't want to worry about range loss in winter?
- Don't like the long charge times on road trips?
But for regular commuting, EVs should be fine.
@OP, Mercedes is not alone. Jaguar is handing out $3000 extra to Tesla owners if you buy an I-pace.
Mercedes sold 60,000 C-Class cars last year. Tesla sold 140,000 Model 3’s last year in spite of the fact that it was still a ramp up year for them as far as their production volumes. YTD 2019 figures are even higher for Model 3 while C-Class numbers are dropping quickly.
Tesla Model 3 US car sales figures
Mercedes-Benz C-Class US car sales figures
Tesla Model 3 US car sales figures
Mercedes-Benz C-Class US car sales figures
Just don't see the advantages. Don't ICE vehicles use up more gas quicker if you drive above a certain speed, use your heater or air conditioning and/or pull a trailer? I will share that running late for work one day I also ran out of gas a few blocks from work because I thought I could make it there and didn't want to go out of my way to a gas station (embarrasing nonetheless and really made me late). Don't know about you but after we've driven a few hours we're ready to hit the bathroom and grab lunch or dinner on our trips. We'll plug in at a supercharger and move the car before we usually even get to finish our meal.
During the weekday while around home if I'm been running errands and wasn't fully charged when I left home (usually only charge a maybe twice week) and find myself low it's easy to quickly charge for 60-100 miles if you need. Really not a problem.
Yes, I heard even with 0% financing, Jaguar hasn't sold many cars in the U.S. so now are trying to attract anyone who is considering a Tesla a "sweeter" deal in their mind. Might get a few takers but don't think many.
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They have poor charging infrastructure. Range at that price is an issue. Lots of improvement for them ahead. EV’s need to concede to Tesla and build their cars within their infrastructure. One company built for an Electric car and one went into it half assed.
Bill Foster
I'm going home!
As a former service advisor for MB at quite possibly the same dealership you take your car to, the Model 3 is leaps and bounds ahead of Benz in tech, driving quality, overall ownership experience, cost to own, ect.
OP, you do make a lot of valid points. Tesla does need to work on quite a few areas. Give them time, and they will. My purchasing process was... less than enjoyable.
But after owning my Model 3 Performance (well, P3D- to be more specific) for 11 days now, there is no way I will ever buy another brand. Ever.
The car is just so good that even a few horrible service experiences in the future won't be enough to turn me off to the car, and that's assuming that there *will* be horrible service experiences in the future; from what I've gathered so far (after reading everything published on the 'net about Tesla for the last three years), the average owner can expect no service visits in the first year of ownership.
On internet forums, people are more likely to complain about something than praise it. That seems to hold true on all other car forums except Tesla. Sure, there are people that post complaints, but I think you'll also find a higher ratio of people praising their cars here than on other forums. My experience, at least.
The car is so good that I'm able to overlook imperfect panel gaps and small cosmetic issues that previously would've been unacceptable to me.
The only way you'll be able to have "The Tesla Experience" is by actually going through the purchasing process, owning the car for a while, and making your own decision; give up your Mercedes and lease a Model 3 for three years. Since you get a new car every three years anyway, and you must turn your Model 3 back in at the end of the lease, what do you really have to lose? You may very well find your next car for the next 22 years. And isn't all maintenance included in the Model 3 lease?
Ah well.. enjoy your Mercedes. Maybe see you back here in three years?
But after owning my Model 3 Performance (well, P3D- to be more specific) for 11 days now, there is no way I will ever buy another brand. Ever.
The car is just so good that even a few horrible service experiences in the future won't be enough to turn me off to the car, and that's assuming that there *will* be horrible service experiences in the future; from what I've gathered so far (after reading everything published on the 'net about Tesla for the last three years), the average owner can expect no service visits in the first year of ownership.
On internet forums, people are more likely to complain about something than praise it. That seems to hold true on all other car forums except Tesla. Sure, there are people that post complaints, but I think you'll also find a higher ratio of people praising their cars here than on other forums. My experience, at least.
The car is so good that I'm able to overlook imperfect panel gaps and small cosmetic issues that previously would've been unacceptable to me.
The only way you'll be able to have "The Tesla Experience" is by actually going through the purchasing process, owning the car for a while, and making your own decision; give up your Mercedes and lease a Model 3 for three years. Since you get a new car every three years anyway, and you must turn your Model 3 back in at the end of the lease, what do you really have to lose? You may very well find your next car for the next 22 years.
And isn't all maintenance included in the Model 3 lease?Ah well.. enjoy your Mercedes. Maybe see you back here in three years?
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