M3 vs Tesla S - My dilemma

[JibSTir13]

Duplicate deleted.

[Phatcat]

Originally Posted by JibSTir13

A friend recently got a Model X. It is a great commuter car (assuming the commute is within range, which for most people it is).

For a sticker price of $115k, the interior is lacking in both fit and finish, as well as quality of materials. To be fair, my F80 has full leather, which has ruined me for anything less. Before the F80, I would have thought the quality of materials in a Tesla is fine.

Tesla drivers I've met are not car enthusiasts in the same sense as those of us in this forum - they are more tech enthusiasts. There are Tesla owners that are enthusiasts like us, and they typically have a fun car, want to get one, or regret trading it in for a Tesla.

I'm not saying Teslas are bad cars, just a different type of car. I'm a fan of electric cars and hybrids (had a Prius for a few years). They are simply not in the same class as an F8X, or other high-performance vehicles.

The quality of the interior is fine, if selected the optional package.

And yes, like I said above, if any one buys this car to replace their performance car, they will likely be disappointed. Better to have both.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Phatcat

And yes, like I said above, if any one buys this car to replace their performance car, they will likely be disappointed. Better to have both.

+1

having an electric commuter and a gas pure sports car is the way to go.

I can't wait for the full autonomous driving tech to come and take my commute away, and to autonomously tow my car to the track while I zzzzz

[Wills2]

Anyone watched that Formula - E racing series? The most drab and dreary motorsport ever (in fact a world first in motorsport as there hasn't ever been a drab and dreary racing series but they have managed it)

No noise = no fun, no excitement, no thrill, no drama.

[skyline408]

I've been kicking with the idea of getting a Model S and even took one home for an overnight drive.

They have a new 75 model with new battery and motor, that is very affordable (75K with autopilot option)

Does 0-60 in 4.2.

The one I drove was built last month and didn't have the new motor, so it was slower -- but still felt plenty fast for me.

I absolutely love the panoramic roof. That's a must have IMO. I honestly didn't find the car all that advanced. I thought it was pretty basic compared to my wife's new '17 XC90.

The dash is not customizable, and the media options were sparse, no pandora, no spotify, etc. No way to customize lighting. Again, I felt it was pretty sparse. I found myself going through the menus and and looking for more options.

I don't like the top down view of maps, and again, no option for 3D view.

There are also some funky things like no door pockets.

Overall, the car is great for commuting and everyday driving. I went to the Supercharger in Mt. View and had to wait a bit to charge. I have a feeling it will only get worse with all the model 3s coming out.

I would say i'm still not completely sold it on it yet.. I like the price, but still not sure of long term longevity.

[jmg]

Why not both? I have a M3 weekender and a i3 commuter. I've been a one car guy my whole life and I don't think I'll ever go back. I went with the i3 because i got a good deal and it's way more interesting to drive than a volt or bolt and much cheaper than a Tesla. It would be nice to be able to afford a Tesla S, but honestly I'd want my fun fast car to be a gas car. Much more visceral. In all honesty as much as I absolutely love the M3, I think my next weekend car will be even more sports oriented a la Porsche.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by jmg

Why not both? I have a M3 weekender and a i3 commuter. I've been a one car guy my whole life and I don't think I'll ever go back. I went with the i3 because i got a good deal and it's way more interesting to drive than a volt or bolt and much cheaper than a Tesla. It would be nice to be able to afford a Tesla S, but honestly I'd want my fun fast car to be a gas car. Much more visceral. In all honesty as much as I absolutely love the M3, I think my next weekend car will be even more sports oriented a la Porsche.

I was close in getting a'14 i3 as well but couldn't get the right packages. It's so much more appealing as a cheap used car than a $50k+ new car.

EV commuter + gasser toy is the way to go for sure. Hold out for turbo or GT car before you move to Porsche!!

[Wingman335]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

OP, you haven't been married that long huh? Because this is easy for marriage veterans ...

(1.) Tend the garden and build that marriage savings account
Her birthday or your anniversary coming up? Perfect! Secretly get the Tesla and a giant bow. Make sure you figure out her color, etc. Have it waiting for her somewhere/sometime special. Say, "Honey I know we were talking about an M3 for me, but I know how much you wanted a Tesla ... Happy anniversary/birthday!"

(2.) Plant the seeds
for the next 6 - 9 months spend a LOT of time detailing the X3, talk about it, maybe buy a cheap mod or two. If you see an M3/4 with her say, "whoa check it out! awesome!" Secondly, start talking about a european vacation. See where this is going? Ideally at some point she says, 'boy you really wanted that M3 didn't you?"

(3.) Harvest time
Create a nice 2 week stretch of good will: do extra stuff around the house, buy her flowers for no reason, etc. Then harvest: "Boy that Tesla is pretty great - e-cars are definitely the future ... but we might not ever have the chance to get a 6 cylinder M car again so I was thinking ... for our anniversary let's do European Delivery! we could blah blah blah"

Victory. The goal isn't to just to get the M3, it's to get it and make her feel awesome about it. This might seem manipulative but anybody that's been married more than 10 years knows that's all a good marriage is: mutually accepted manipulation.

You were going to wait anyway. Adapt to your particular circumstances.

Great advice, GrussGott! Although I lucked out- thinking of the family and practicality, I decided to get an Outback or an Audi allroad. But the moment my wife heard this, she dragged me to a BMW dealer to test drive the M3 and practically forced me to get that because she knew how much I wanted that car.

And now we are doing an ED in September to pick it up. Funny how things work out!

[jeffucd]

I was in the same boat last year. I already had a 2016 M3 for weekends and track days and wanted something with more tech, smoother ride, more space, and better for the environment. So in December 2016 I pulled the trigger on a 2016 Model S 90D. But, the car had bad parking sensors so I didn't take delivery until February 2017. I was literally sitting in the delivery center in a scheduled appointment with my wife and toddler in December for an hour before they said, sorry it's not ready, and we will call you when it is. I was thinking, you couldn't have told me this at any point in the last few weeks?!

Fast forward to February 2017 and I'm back taking delivery of the car. I ordered the 19" wheels and they came with the 21". I'll take a 4,500 option but this right out of the gate made me scratch my head. I also noticed that of the 4 wrong wheels, 3 had mismatching tire models. Then I noticed the roof was wrong, I had ordered the all glass pano but they delivered a sunroof. I asked them to take the car back to service to get the things fixed right and they said they couldn't. I had to take delivery of the car first then go back through service (and all the while making payments on the car) to resolve them. Then I asked to take it for a drive to see if I could identity any other issues first but they said that's not allowed due to insurance. I wasn't happy, but I also wanted the work done so I did as asked.

Many other issues came up after. New screen replaced after glitching, a dead pixel, and random shutdowns while I was driving, more bad sensors and the like. I was part of a third party beta app that tracked the cars economy and I was noticing about 70% of claimed efficiently after driving for 2k miles. I know my driving habits and hypermile the shit out of all my cars pretty well. They said they saw no problem and wouldn't help. Worst part was that even though I had direct phone numbers and emails of the service team, each issue I raised took about TWO WEEKS before I would even get a phone call back.

Enough was enough so I swapped out of the lease just this month and said good riddance. There are more details here but it was a frustrating experience. I wanted to like the car and company vision. I was reasonable with the service team and was working exclusively with the service manager with my issues. But in the end they said their hands were tied and that others were having the same issue. Can't imagine the shitty service the model 3 owners are going to get when the existing fleet of model S can't be serviced within a reasonable time.

So, I now have a 2014 Cayenne GTS with all motor, and the M3 just got coilovers, BM3, and charge pipes for being a good girl.

One cool part in all of this though is that I made such a stink that they loaned me a brand new P100D with Ludacris that was like nothing I've ever experienced.

Tl/dr: have both, Tesla is gone, lost time and money. Wouldn't recommend.

[swifty]

I wrote here while back in 2016 while I had the e92 m3.

Not sure if OP got something in the meantime.

Currently have a F80 and the Tesla is still going strong. None of the issues the above poster had. Infact I have yet to go to a Tesla dealer for anything so far.

The F80 is awesome too. I love it. More than the Tesla if I had to choose only one mainly cuz of the driving/handling aspect. Everyone else in the family would choose the Tesla 10 times out of 10. It feels faster. Never have to stop at a gas station in winter. You can Warm up or cool the interior to your desired temp before u reach the car. Comfortable ride. No dealership visits atleast for me. List goes on and on.