Tesla experiences

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Jobbo
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Tesla experiences

Post by Jobbo »

I'm contemplating a Tesla for my next car. Something like this: https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/used/5YJSB7E28GF130626 - a 2016 sub-£40k 85D. Has anyone lived with a Model S for any length of time?

The reason is that my commute is going to change substantially from the middle of next year; almost exactly tying in with my Volvo lease ending. It's going to be about 70 miles each way to work and if I do that every day, the cost of fuel (even if I assume 40mpg in a diesel) starts to make buying a Tesla look sensible; add to that the fact that I can run it as a company car with zero Benefit in Kind and it may even be cheaper overall than buying myself a £20k 330d Touring.

However, it's not just about the figures; if you do lots of miles you really need to enjoy your car. The Tesla does offer the autopilot which I've found so useful (on my Volvo) on busy motorway journeys at lowering stress levels. Having read road tests of the Model 3 it isn't as refined as the Model S and I'd need to spend quite a bit more than £40k to get equivalent range and performance to the Model S 85, so it's definitely the Model S I'd be after. But are they utterly shit and only loved by fanboys, or do the fanboys have a point?
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scotta
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by scotta »

looks like a good deal and with 4 years warranty. Other than sitting in one at an open day i have no other experience with the Tesla - I had to leave on the day before i got to drive it.

I have however driven the Jaguar I-Pace which i really liked. Cheapest of them are now £50k ish so possibly by next year they may be nearer your budget. Certainly a much nicer cabin that the Tesla.
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GG.
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by GG. »

Weird they give you CGI images rather than ones of the actual car. Presumably you can get them to send you proper pictures?

ETA: are you changing jobs, Simon?
Last edited by GG. on Thu Sep 19, 2019 10:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Carlos
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by Carlos »

Do you get free access to the Supercharger network like you would have if you'd bought the S new ?
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Rich B
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by Rich B »

Lots of reports about random stuff like £1k doorhandles breaking regularly and stuff - no idea if that’s just internet scare mongering.
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Jobbo
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by Jobbo »

Carlos wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 10:23 am Do you get free access to the Supercharger network like you would have if you'd bought the S new ?
Yes, it's for the life of the car. Though I hate service areas so it'd only be desperation that would send me there.

Taking over my dad's practice, GG. The plan is to grow it and merge it with my current place in time, but for a couple of years I need to get to grips with it and generally be there every day.
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GG.
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by GG. »

Best of luck with it - sounds like a fun new challenge.
RobYob
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by RobYob »

Have driven a couple of S for competitor benchmarking, I quite liked what I drove; quiet, impressive performance and that huge screen (didn't try any autonomous stuff) but other people whose opinion I respect conversely have very little nice to say about them. So safe to conclude quality is likely very up and down, or at least it was a couple of years ago. Make sure any warranty will cover quality complaint items as well as "broken" things.
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Jobbo
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by Jobbo »

That's why I'd want to buy from Tesla - best way of getting decent backup, I think.

Auto Trader has quite a few 3yr old Model Ss with 100k miles on; it's clearly a popular option for this sort of commuting.
RobYob
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by RobYob »

With the upcoming BIK tax changes I'm idly browsing S' on Autotrader myself :)
simon_g
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by simon_g »

The people I know with them love them. Things like door handles are a fairly cheap DIYable fix if you're out of warranty. That warranty that Telsa put on their used stock is probably the worth the extra over others.

Don't get too hung up on battery size or range figures - the 85s aren't actually 85kWh, so the usable difference between a newer 75 and an older 85 isn't a lot at all. Bear in mind too that range figures on Tesla used are NEDC (the standard at the time), new is the harder WLTP test. Better comparison here at various speeds: https://teslike.com/range/ . M3 SR+ on 19" aeros actually isn't that far off a S 85D for range at 70mph. I'd certainly consider the 3 instead.

Prices are all over the place - they were very firm but lots of Model 3 deliveries (plus more non-Tesla options) mean they're moving now.

https://tesla-info.com/ has loads of useful stuff including aggregating all the Teslas for sale in the country.
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scotta
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by scotta »

Jobbo wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 10:57 am That's why I'd want to buy from Tesla - best way of getting decent backup, I think.

Auto Trader has quite a few 3yr old Model Ss with 100k miles on; it's clearly a popular option for this sort of commuting.
Ive seen a few being used as taxi's - Which would be the ultimate test for durability.
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Swervin_Mervin
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by Swervin_Mervin »

GG. wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 10:22 am Weird they give you CGI images rather than ones of the actual car. Presumably you can get them to send you proper pictures?
Because from what I've read it means it puts the pressure on the buyer to take the away on the day when they actually see it for the first time. I've read of a few instances where buyers turn up to find the bodywork's in need of attention.
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Jobbo
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by Jobbo »

simon_g wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 11:00 am Don't get too hung up on battery size or range figures - the 85s aren't actually 85kWh, so the usable difference between a newer 75 and an older 85 isn't a lot at all. Bear in mind too that range figures on Tesla used are NEDC (the standard at the time), new is the harder WLTP test. Better comparison here at various speeds: https://teslike.com/range/ .
:shock: They all seem to be somewhat worse than I'd hoped; I thought a NEDC range of 320-ish miles would equate to a realistic 250ish, which would more than cover a 140 mile return journey. But factor in the actual range when new of an 85 being as low as 185 miles at 80mph (not an unrealistic speed to want to cruise on the motorway), along with a bit of deterioration in the capacity over time and potential diversions for motorway blockages and you're taking a daily risk with range anxiety. No charger at the office...

Hmm, think I may be swaying back away from Teslas.
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dinny_g
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by dinny_g »

Best of Luck with taking on your fathers practice Jobbo... :)
JLv3.0 wrote: Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:26 pm I say this rarely Dave, but listen to Dinny because he's right.
Rich B wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 1:57 pm but Dinny was right…
simon_g
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by simon_g »

Jobbo wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 11:10 am
simon_g wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 11:00 am Don't get too hung up on battery size or range figures - the 85s aren't actually 85kWh, so the usable difference between a newer 75 and an older 85 isn't a lot at all. Bear in mind too that range figures on Tesla used are NEDC (the standard at the time), new is the harder WLTP test. Better comparison here at various speeds: https://teslike.com/range/ .
:shock: They all seem to be somewhat worse than I'd hoped; I thought a NEDC range of 320-ish miles would equate to a realistic 250ish, which would more than cover a 140 mile return journey. But factor in the actual range when new of an 85 being as low as 185 miles at 80mph (not an unrealistic speed to want to cruise on the motorway), along with a bit of deterioration in the capacity over time and potential diversions for motorway blockages and you're taking a daily risk with range anxiety. No charger at the office...

Hmm, think I may be swaying back away from Teslas.
You're probably not going to chuck 21" wheels on it though. And any diversions will be at rather less than 80mph.

I'd have no qualms about a 140 mile round trip in all weathers in any Tesla, even the S or X 60s.

Car magazine ran an 85D and reckoned on a reliable 200 miles in all weathers - theirs was on 21s too. https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-revie ... st-review/
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Matty
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by Matty »

Jobbo wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 11:10 am No charger at the office...
Depends on long you were there. Would juice from a regular plug over a days work (9-6) not top you up enough to get home again? Alternatively, can you get a subsided install at a place of work like you can at home? Simon said in the FRR thead it was about £300 now?
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Jobbo
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by Jobbo »

I won't be putting 21"s on it, no :lol: The thing is, 140 miles is the basic commute, which is straight up the M5 and M6 (68 miles of the journey is motorway) so if you add any distance for a diversion and possibly seeing a client on the way home, you're rapidly using up the 60 miles of spare range.

Wonder what sort of economy this 530d xDrive Touring will do at a steady 80mph? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 3125819764 - no self-drive mode though. Maybe I should just get something like this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 8261526749

Matt, I won't have a dedicated parking space so charging at work isn't feasible yet; it may well be in the future because the business park owner is quite keen on new tech.
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mik
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by mik »

I was going to say the same: Neighbour had one fitted at home for his golf gte. £300 rings a bell.

I quite enjoyed the test drive I had of the modelS - although the steering was prett inert. I found autopilot too freaky - did not enjoy - but was only messing with it during 40mins total behind the wheel.
Last edited by mik on Thu Sep 19, 2019 12:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tesla experiences

Post by mikeyb »

Jobbo wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 11:56 am I won't be putting 21"s on it, no :lol: The thing is, 140 miles is the basic commute, which is straight up the M5 and M6 (68 miles of the journey is motorway) so if you add any distance for a diversion and possibly seeing a client on the way home, you're rapidly using up the 60 miles of spare range.

Wonder what sort of economy this 530d xDrive Touring will do at a steady 80mph? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 3125819764 - no self-drive mode though. Maybe I should just get something like this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 8261526749

Matt, I won't have a dedicated parking space so charging at work isn't feasible yet; it may well be in the future because the business park owner is quite keen on new tech.
Having been tooling around in dad's 530d for a couple of weeks recently, it will probably be around 45mpg. ETA - that's a RWD saloon so not directly comparable.

What's the trading entity of the practice (if you don't mind me asking) - LLP or limited company?
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