RE: New Tesla Model 3 Performance gets 510hp

No snobbery here. I drive a Mini

Buying a Tesla isn’t ’solely to save money’
A lot would say they are far superior in many respects, compared to BMW/Merc/Porsche/Peugeot

Not for me they aren't. I am not into modern cars and I can't ever see a time I will drive a Tesla.

Saying that, maybe when they sink to being £2k station stter territory (probably 2 years away) I may consider one but that's about it.

They hold no appeal whatsoever. I want a car, not a transportation device.

Those of us that have owned them are clearly guilty of neither brand snobbery nor Musk-hate (though he is a cock).

Those of us that have owned them know they're badly built, the customer service is awful and the cars are disappointing to drive in many cases (and I have driven the fastest ones of them all barring the Y). One trick pony is the phrase that springs to mind and there's currently a class action building steam over Tesla's fraudulent activity around selling FSD.

Those of us who have owned them KNOW they are not superior in many respects to the incumbent manufacturers like BMW/Merc/Porsch.

I categorically would never buy another product from that company ever again.

There are a lot of people who have no interest in EV's who seem to spend a lot of time in EV threads telling everyone that.

And so here we have a real life example of someone who HAS owned a Tesla and found the whole ownership experience terrible in every way, this will all get conveniently ignored.

I don't see a lot of that on here though in fairness, and on here they tend to get touted as the "best car in the world" and the "best thing since sliced bread" for some reason.

I personally prefer honesty though, and if something is crap, then say that it is crap I reckon. Who in the right mind would ever think that a Tesla competes with a BMW/Merc for example? It is laughable for me.

I’ve owned 4 EV’s and the Tesla is the 4th. It’s a late 2023 Chinese built MY LR.

It’s been faultless bar a tyre and done 13k miles. 9 supercharger visits and the rest at home. IOS, app and long range driving just epic and easy. It just works.

I don’t love it, I don’t even like it, but I do think it’s a brilliant family hack and my wife’s favourite car we have owned. I took her out of a 2023 RRS P400 and gave her this.

The paint quality is soft/thin. Panel fit and finish as good as the RRS (the boot is better aligned than the RRS) Interior is squeak free, but not a LR feel. I get the VAT back and claim the lease again company profits. BIK is cheap. Can’t really fault it for white goods motoring. I spent the savings on an R500 for the garage…

I also struggle with Musk, but I don’t really value (know) any of the CEO’s from manufacturers who I routinely buy things from. I buy based on the product and this EV is the best for what I need it for.

Would I rather own and drive a Taycan. Probably, until I come to drive more than 200 miles. But it’s not £450 a month with more useable space than a Defender 110.

But then pistonheads would have to change its name to modern classics and then classics.

It is 100% natural behaviour to want your purchase to be 'right', and we all know people who's 'whatever' is the best, right up until they get rid of it, then the next thing is the best. Cars are expensive so it's only natural that these would follow this trend for the majority of buyers.

It is human nature to a degree to want to demonstrate that we made the right choice and that other people should do it too, as it reinforces our own hopes and beliefs.

The real clincher for me is, if money was no object, would they still own that car? I'm confident the majority of Tesla owners would not. They therefore are a compromise, and perhaps not as great as the evangelists would have us believe.

I'm not anti EV, I 100% owned a Tesla and paid a spectacular amount of my own money to do so (far more than my Alpina, for example). No rental, no company car discount, actual hard cash (or bank transfer). The 'being electric' part was absolutely fine. A full 'tank' every morning and obviously the straight line pace. Sadly the product was not up to scratch as something to live with evey day, and this is something those of us who are minded to look for still see to this day. Worth noting I'm comparing their top offering to equivalently priced manufacturers, not their cheapest model to an Astra or whatever.

All my opinion (and we all know what opinions are like!) and I'm happy for anyone to enjoy what they own (as they absolutely should), but the level of evangelism isn't warranted based on my personal experience.