Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Place to talk about Fast cars in general

Moderator: neil

Post Reply
Rav
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 822
Joined: Tue May 05, 2015 12:43 pm
Location: Marlborough

Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Rav » Mon May 03, 2021 3:33 pm

The last 2 wks have been pretty hectic. I work for a a small start-up organisation and we are creating the first, true driving test for Autonomous vehicles. We have a UK government grant and are due to deliver this test to the government in March 2022.

The BBC got in contact last week and asked if they could feature us in the BBC Click programme. Of course - this is excellent publicity.

Under some pressure I was asked to build a test rig to fit on a tesla and hire a tesla to fit this on. I hired a model 3 from a company in Portsmouth and built the rig to spoof the Tesla. We can trick it into thinking that it is seeing objects in front of it.
But the bottom line was that in the three days I had the car, i fell in love with it and I am thinking of selling my fleet and buying one.

I had the long range version and on full charge can make 230 miles. Charging is easy at Superchargers - 50 mins empty to full and £11- 15 for the full charge. No faffing with apps, just plug in the car, go for a bio break and coffee and you are done. Or perhaps plug in, watch some netflix and you are good to go.

Top speed is around 190mph (model S) and the Model 3 i had was around 155 mph with 0-60 in 6 seconds in Chill mode or 2 seconds in Standard mode.

I accept that the 50 mins charge time and the range will not be for all, but for me, it is great!!

Talk me round!!
1999 #032 Alpina B3 3.3 saloon (UK Press Car) - Buchloe Beast
2000 Porsche Boxster S - Viola
2015 Audi A4 Avant Ultra - Wife's car
2002 VW Lupo 1.4 16v - Daughter's car

ScooBeeFive
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 1217
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2020 3:40 pm
Location: Shropshire

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by ScooBeeFive » Mon May 03, 2021 4:39 pm

How did you find the build quality? I have no experience of them myself, but this seems to be the main criticism when compared to more mainstream manufacturers.
Paul

2013 F11 B5 BiTurbo Touring #135 - Alpina Blue
2017 F33 B4S BiTurbo Cabrio #235 - Tanzanite Blue

Fast3000
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 829
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:22 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Fast3000 » Mon May 03, 2021 7:11 pm

It's the future Rav love or hate it. My experience of having a P100D priced at £120K for a proper 1 hour test drive:

Plus points
Quiet
Decent ride quality
Great Grip
Massive touch screen as a reminder this is an electric car
FAST

Minus Points
Price
Like driving a roller coaster
No drama
You can be at illegal speeds quickly and then slow again quickly - with no feeling of remorse that you just broke the law (on a private road)
Build quality shockingly like dog poo


For me personally - As a daily car for family its fantastic. But as a car lover its just a computer on wheels so doesnt really work. As I said to someone0recently (and maybe its age.... @@@) its not about - 0-60s or top speed or having the latest gimmick (yes thats my opinion on Teslas a novelty) its about how you get there. Anyway I said they are a gimmick because nobody can explain how the electric ecosystem is 'carbon free' because its not. I really do hope they get there with complete carbon free production and like I said before....its the future. Anyway - my opinion don't mean jack. But just remember - if you get one we won't respond to your messages :P
Current
2004 BMW B3S #156 (Keeper)
2015 BMW 320d F30 ED Sport (70mpg)
Previous
2011, 2016, 2018 - Kia Sportage (Rolls Royce customer care)
2007 BMW Z4M E86 Coupe (Animal)
2006 Audi A4 B7 2.0T (Good car)
2001 VW Golf GTI MK4 (Meh)
1994 Ford Escort 1.6 Zetec (light n dandy)
1992 Fiat Tipo GT (Fun car)
1991 Ford Orion 1.6 Ghia (beefy engine)
1984 Ford Fiesta 1.1L (Audio more expensive then car)

Frosty
ALPIN
ALPIN
Posts: 565
Joined: Fri May 22, 2009 3:24 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Frosty » Mon May 03, 2021 7:48 pm

They are Taxi's in Amsterdam. That shook up MB when they offered better finance deals for the taxi drivers, who mostly jumped ship.

You don't see Alpina's as taxi's - just saying;-)
D5 F11 Touring #107
B8 Touring #21 SOLD - but regretted

Jonnywishbone
ALP
ALP
Posts: 270
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:45 pm
Location: London

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Jonnywishbone » Mon May 03, 2021 9:08 pm

They’re an energy storage company who happen to make cars!

I’m not against electrification. It’s inevitable and we will all have to embrace it eventually. For me though it wouldn’t be with a contemporary Tesla - as implied above, anecdotes and surveys (e.g. JD Power) would make me nervous about the build quality and I dislike the styling both inside and out, across the range.

For me if I was buying leccy now it’d be some flavour of Taycan (funds permitting!) however, given the clear superiority of Tesla’s battery tech and charging infrastructure if you want/need an electric car and you do a lot of long trips they are the only game in town.
Sal

2021 G21 B3 #115

Rav
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 822
Joined: Tue May 05, 2015 12:43 pm
Location: Marlborough

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Rav » Mon May 03, 2021 9:19 pm

Thank guys. Build quality was not where the purchase price goes. The door shut noise is not a clunk, more of a tin falling onto the floor. The paint is very thin, but i guess that you are paying for the tech. The model S is better built than the model 3, but there is £70k difference between the two.

I would be happy to live with far from perfect build quality, just for the tech. It was fantastic around the M25 and M4.

I appreciate that the ' electric cars save the world ' phrase is fictitious - but i liked the car more for the tech than anything else.
1999 #032 Alpina B3 3.3 saloon (UK Press Car) - Buchloe Beast
2000 Porsche Boxster S - Viola
2015 Audi A4 Avant Ultra - Wife's car
2002 VW Lupo 1.4 16v - Daughter's car

User avatar
Charles
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 8061
Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2003 2:44 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Charles » Tue May 04, 2021 8:49 am

I'm waiting for Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology to hit the mainstream - sustainable fuel source, fast refill, ready-made network of filling stations, water as the only product and no heavy batteries adding weight and dulling performance. By all accounts, it won't be long before this happens.

The biggest issue with battery EVs - as opposed to HFC EVs - is what happens with all the batteries when they reach the end of their useful life. A recent report identified that if every car in the world was a battery EV, then we would have 100 million tonnes of batteries to dispose of ... every year!!!
Charles
Teacher of Chemistry and driver of ALPINAs - not necessarily in that order ;)
B3S Touring (49/116) - been to the moon and now on the way back!
Renault Grand Espace - not mine but the wife's!

Yad3100
ALPI
ALPI
Posts: 338
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2020 1:31 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Yad3100 » Tue May 04, 2021 3:48 pm

Charles wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 8:49 am
I'm waiting for Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology to hit the mainstream - sustainable fuel source, fast refill, ready-made network of filling stations, water as the only product and no heavy batteries adding weight and dulling performance. By all accounts, it won't be long before this happens.

The biggest issue with battery EVs - as opposed to HFC EVs - is what happens with all the batteries when they reach the end of their useful life. A recent report identified that if every car in the world was a battery EV, then we would have 100 million tonnes of batteries to dispose of ... every year!!!
I agree with this sentiment. If everyone in the uk changed to EV we do not have the energy production to cope with the increased network loading. Also, if you live on in a terrace house how you going to charge it? We really haven’t any of the infrastructure to make this happen.

The waste associated with current battery tech is excessive, batteries travel the globe during production processes and the same will happen during recycling, it’s just not a sustainable solution, yet.
Adam
Alpina XD3 #193
Alpina C2 2.7 #0525
E36 M3 Saloon
E30 track car M52

Previous
BMW - E30 325sport x2, 318is, 325 touring, E36 Coupe 318is, M3, E46 M3, E92 M3, E82 123d, F30 335d, F22 M240
Ford - Capri 2.0x2, 2.8x3, 3000gxl, RS3100, RS Cosworth Sierra 3dr, Cosworth Sapphire & Escort 4wd, RS2000, RS Focus Mk1 x2 & Mk2, Mondeo V6
Opel Kadette 1.2 S RWD (first car)

Fast3000
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 829
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:22 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Fast3000 » Tue May 04, 2021 7:40 pm

to add the the build quality debate: amongst paint, lack of door clunk, you should also look at how misaligned the panels can be! It made my Kia look like a Rolls Royce. Ok that's an exaggeration but still....
Current
2004 BMW B3S #156 (Keeper)
2015 BMW 320d F30 ED Sport (70mpg)
Previous
2011, 2016, 2018 - Kia Sportage (Rolls Royce customer care)
2007 BMW Z4M E86 Coupe (Animal)
2006 Audi A4 B7 2.0T (Good car)
2001 VW Golf GTI MK4 (Meh)
1994 Ford Escort 1.6 Zetec (light n dandy)
1992 Fiat Tipo GT (Fun car)
1991 Ford Orion 1.6 Ghia (beefy engine)
1984 Ford Fiesta 1.1L (Audio more expensive then car)

woolley11
AL
AL
Posts: 147
Joined: Wed Feb 10, 2021 10:19 am
Location: East Yorkshire

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by woolley11 » Sun May 09, 2021 10:29 am

Don’t - have you seen what’s underneath 😄
Attachments
A9747CF0-08F4-40BB-9915-37543A05E968.png
A9747CF0-08F4-40BB-9915-37543A05E968.png (3.87 MiB) Viewed 1832 times
BMW 5 Series Touring G31 - dealer spec
Alpina B10 3.3 Touring
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
VW Golf MK1 GTi Campaign
Vauxhall Omega 3.0 MV6 (pre-facelift)
MG ZT+
Volvo 850 T5-R estate

Trilly-Uk
A
A
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:55 pm

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by Trilly-Uk » Mon May 10, 2021 1:55 pm

Like Charles I think Hydrogen is yet to play its card but today its not here. Close relative who is an an advanced driver, likes his cars and can drive them recently got a Telsa 3 from an Audi SQ5 and absolutely loves it. I was surprised he made that change and more that he likes but they wouldn't be as popular as they are if that bad.

Had a dual carriageway "drive" with a Model 3, don't know what version as I was marginally in front :wink: but I think we both a little surprised at each cars performance. He pulled in nicely behind me after we had our drive.
Kevin
2022 G31 540i Xdrive Touring
2018 9YA Porsche Cayenne
2003 E46 B3 Coupe #270 Carbon Black
2002 E46 330ci Convertible

Previous
2006 E61 550i Touring. Carbon Black
2015 F32 D4 Coupe #51 Alpina Blue, Cognac Lavalina
2017 Mini Cooper SD, 2016 Smartfor2 White Edition, 2015 F31 Touring 320d, 2014 Outlander PHEV
2006 Volvo XC90 4.4V8, 2003 Volvo XC70 2.5T, Omega MV6 3.0 Estate, Astra GSI16v
Volvo360GLT, Austin MG Metro Turbo, Hillman Avenger 1260DL, Citroen 2CV/Dyane
+ Unmentionable company cars

juliasiren
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2023 12:37 am

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by juliasiren » Thu Nov 16, 2023 11:49 pm

It's awesome that you had such a positive experience during your test run. I'm actually considering getting a Tesla myself. Speaking of Teslas, I recently stumbled upon some images of the Tesla interior, and I have to admit, it looks pretty rad, doesn't it? The futuristic vibes and tech-savvy features are quite appealing. Your experience with the charging at Superchargers and the performance specs are impressive, too. It seems like Tesla offers a unique blend of convenience and speed. If you're loving it, that's a pretty solid endorsement right there!

User avatar
JohnW
ALPIN
ALPIN
Posts: 534
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 3:32 am
Location: Bolton
Contact:

Re: Help needed - Thinking of buying a Tesla!

Post by JohnW » Sun Dec 03, 2023 2:45 pm

I’m with Charles on the Hydrogen fuel cell technology. I’m an engine fan.
JohnW
2008 B3 BiTurbo Coupe #161
Previous: 2011 D3 BiTurbo Saloon #373, 2014 F30 320iX M Saloon, 2009 M3 DCT Coupe, 2008 B3 BiTurbo Coupe #074, 2009 E82 123d Coupe, 2006 E92 325i Coupe, 2002 E46 325iSE Coupe, 1998 E36 318iSE Saloon

Post Reply