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Toyota admits being hurt by Tesla, gives tepid response

Discussion in 'Tesla' started by el Crucero, Jan 17, 2019.

  1. el Crucero

    el Crucero Senior Member

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    Your wait is going to be over soon. I suggest you go into the Tesla store in the meantime and familiarize yourself with the User Interface, systems and controls, BUT DO NOT AGREE TO A TEST DRIVE. The reason being Tesla now allows a 72 hour full refund if you don't like the car that is only available to people who haven't taken a test drive. There are many model 3 owners in the Boston area who will let you drive their car and it won't count against you. Just sign up on one of the Tesla fora and inquire. I know i would let you drive my car if you are ever in the Lost Angels area. After 72 hours of ownership you may want to return it, you may find that you would like some other brand of BEV more to your liking, like maybe a Bolt or whatever.
     
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  2. el Crucero

    el Crucero Senior Member

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    This just out @bisco for those looking for a BEV/SUV in the $35K price range:
    Hyundai reveals full Kona EV U.S. prices - starting at $36,450 - Electrek

    I see two issues for someone in Boston - it is only available to those with a physical California address and no available proprietary Supercharger system. Yes, I know about the Electrify America system but that will be a "free-for-all" with availability to everyone and also to those who want to ICE those spots and the locations are currently very limited.
     
    #162 el Crucero, Jan 28, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2019
  3. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

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    That is probably true for some people. But even more people want a reliable car with good service. They don't want an odd ball car that is hard to service, a long ways to service center, small online community to provide help, and the manufacturer be more likely to close down, etc.

    Mike
     
  4. George W

    George W Senior Member

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    For a moment I thought you were referring to a Prius .

    Seriously tho, the Prius Chat community has been the best resource for a car I've no prior experience with. Can't say this about any other chat group I have tried, more like a bulletin board where I have seen a question go 2 years without a reply.
     
  5. el Crucero

    el Crucero Senior Member

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    There are maybe half a dozen Tesla fora that have membership numbers similar to Prius Chat. They are like Prius Chat but only on steroids - for better or worse. It is not unusual to see several hundred posts in one day on each forum from soup to nuts.
     
  6. George W

    George W Senior Member

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    It's not hard to grasp with recent 'out-of-warranty' owners finding themselves ignored by the same place they bought their car from.
     
  7. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    Anti-car or can't afford a car? Working 2 jobs or one 16 hours a day and so live proximate to the job or work from home? Go by any used car lot and it is packed (mostly with sedans) with a glut of serviceable cars. And a few are lucky enough or disciplined enough so they can afford to buy new and even up in the price range.

    Heck, one of the reasons I bought a Prius was it was different. If it weren't so darn reliable and useful I'd buy something else probably wildly different. But I am curbing my enthusiasms for now.

    I'm glad I'm not making billion dollar bets on what the economy will be like or what the public will want 5 years from now.
     
  8. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    Perhaps but I know a guy at work who owns 3 Dodge Neons, when asked he says that is the only car he will ever own because it’s efficient and reliable.

    Another guy at work only owns Jaguars and he says they are reliable with good engineering.

    I once upon a time had a TDI Jetta, it was hands down a huge money pit, biggest piece of crap I’ve ever owned and no local dealer either. Everything on the car broke and yet you have people singing their praises about how they go forever while leaving out the sheer quantity of “wear” parts you have to throw on every 80,000 miles

    So, Most people agree with what you state but you have to take a step back and ask what really are their priorities?
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thank you for the heads up. what is the purpose of the policy?
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    probably be awhile before they're sold in any quantity here, if ever
     
  11. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    I believe it is to give people, that had not test driven the vehicle yet, confidence in signing on the dotted line.
    I would further suggest, that not test driving before you are ready to buy is a very good idea.
    Not for the same reasons though. I would make that suggestion because I’ve seen an awful lot of people test drive a Tesla without the intention of buying, and then buying one. ;)
     
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  12. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    other than Limited Interstate charging infrastructure, there are youtube videos - owners on other contents that sing its praises.
    .
     
  13. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    I'm happy BEV works with your logistics and lifestyle...but it does not work for everyone. The Leaf I did drive...junk. I did look into obtaining the FIT EV and the RAV4 EV as an "additional" vehicle as well, but they were ONLY made as compliance vehicles and restricted by location...not allowed in TX...and I took those all the way up both ladders.

    You are correct about smug though...so my friendly is don't be part of "that" problem.
     
    #173 frodoz737, Jan 28, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2019
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    hunday is too calicentric, we likely won't see them
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    would that be because they aren't able to test drive? i'm still confused. maybe thinking of years of mainstream buying
     
  16. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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  17. el Crucero

    el Crucero Senior Member

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    I don't know for sure. My guess is that if you drive one in a test drive, you may not buy it, without really understanding how the car works in a 20 minute test drive. You really need to drive the car hard for 3 days to become totally committed. It takes 5 minutes to get used to the U.I. screen but three days to appreciate how much better it is than buttons, dials, and gauges It takes a day or two to get used to "one pedal driving" with regen braking and three days to use it effectively. It takes 5.5 seconds to get used to the power and then 3 days to understand there is more to the car than raw power. It takes 3 days to trust "traffic aware cruise control" and then you never want to drive without it again. It takes 15 minutes to understand the basic controls but it takes three days to learn how to play with them and tweak them to suit your personal profile (there are profiles for at least 4 people + profile for "easy entry/exit" + profile for Homelink). My personal preferences are in parenthesis. Do you like standard or low regen?(standard) Do you like standard or chill acceleration? (chill) Do you like sport, standard, or comfort steering?(sport) What kind of favorites do you prefer on Slacker audio?(cool jazz, enya, moonlight sonata) Do you like your remaining range in percentage or miles(%) I could go on, but you get the idea.and I don't want to spoil your fun of opening all the surprise packages.

    I think the 72 hour return policy makes sense for a car that is going to change forever the way you view driving and is more than fair, more than a dealership would do.
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed, but why not offer it to people who take test drives? sorry for my lack of understanding.
     
  19. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    Test drives are not always easy to get. In some states, Tesla isn’t even allowed to give test drives.
     
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  20. el Crucero

    el Crucero Senior Member

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    All the major stores have a model 3 to test drive, Boston certainly will.
     
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