Seriously considering the Tesla Y now, talk me down

[PeeCee]

I went to the MME show event at a dealer out of state this weekend. Since I was also visiting SLC I decided to test drive the Y. I was super impressed with the power and handling. The interior was very bland, and almost felt unfinished. However it made me take another look.

I have put together a spreadsheet and some of the big selling points are better warranty, much better range, than the MMR and available in 2-4 weeks. It is more expensive after the MME tax credit, but I won't see that until mid 2022 now (since 2020 tax year will not be possible).

Talk to me about range. I need AWD and will get the MME premium with extended battery. I also live in a cold climate (Idaho). My commute is 100 miles per day, which is why I am going electric, but that doesn't worry me. I often do weekend trips to Utah (250-500 miles each way depending on who I am visiting) and to the national parks (200-300 miles per day).

What can I realistically expect for highway range, in the winter with the MME AWD extended range and the Tesla Y long range (not performance)?

I was somewhat in the same boat as you last summer. I had been waiting on the MME for about 9 months, was anxiously waiting to get my hands on an electric car. The Model Y had lowered it's price, on paper it has bigger cargo and more mileage. My brain kept saying : "This is the better deal." Both cars do not have the Tax Credit in Canada (price is too high). So I went and test drove the car. The handling was good as well as the acceleration (pretty sure all electric vehicles have the same acceleration)... But what I didn't like was that the car, when inside, didn't feel like a car I would put so much money on it. As we said, it's bland and everything is driven by the touch screen. I didn't like that. I am also not a fan of the outside of the vehicle, it doesn't catch my eye that much. Then I read online about the build qualities and I didn't want to end up having to deal with that. At that price point, I expect the car to not have strange build qualities with paint, parts that don't line up, etc.. These issues has since been fixed (or say they say online), but who knows?

I came back home and for weeks it annoyed me in my head. The MME had a more traditional interior, the frame of the car is just BEAUTIFUL. It's must more attractive than the Model Y in my opinion.

So in the end, it was a Heart Vs Brain issue My heart loves the MME, but my brain was telling me the Y is better in terms of usage and I could of had one back in September for about the same price.

I my experience, when I go with Brains over Heart in a car (which I have done before), I end up regretting it. I see the other models on the road and there's always a little bit of envy when I go :" That was the other model I would have went for...but I have this car instead." So this time, I decided to go with my heart again. Sure MME has less range and less cargo, but I'm already in love with the car, so I will not regret. The Distance the MME does is more than enough for my needs and as well as the cargo, except for a few family outings to a cottage or something, I don't need all the extra space the Model Y will give.

In the end, both cars are fantastic vehicles. You wont regret getting a Model Y if you do, pretty sure of it, just as I know I won't regret getting the MME over the Model Y.

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[Woeo]

Overall I prefer Mach-E for everything with the exception being the lack of a tow package here in the U.S. You can get one after-market and I previously confirmed the Mach-E could tow up to 3k pounds which is pretty reasonable.
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MME is rated for towing in EU. Hitch is supposed to be an option there. I would be comfortable installing after market receiver for bikes or a gear platform. Would not actually tow because of potential insurance issues.

Those long weekend trips and national parks will be the problem. I'd spend some time researching CCS and Tesla option for charges on Plugshare and the other sites for places you might frequent. Tesla surely has the edge there, but CCS and L2 destination charging should significantly improve year by year.

A $200 investment in a TeslaTap adapter would allow you to use Tesla destination chargers at hotels, etc. for your J-1772 receptacle.

+1 on this one - one of the main reasons I’m staying away from Tesla. I’ve heard horrible comments from friends who have waited months for the smallest repairs/parts.

Ditto. Check out TFL on YouTube for one well documented example.

Also if you get in a accident, not an easy feat to get your car fixed. Lots of customers have documented their horror stories regarding not being able to get parts after an accident, cars sitting at auto body for weeks or months.

Agreed.

Check out r/realtesla on Reddit. Between the bashing you’ll find plenty of owners’ stories. Many of which were deleted from the ‘official’ Tesla sub-Reddit.

Beware of recalls! Recalls

Beware of no recalls. Many anecdotal stories of roof leakage, window leakage, suspension issues, bumper failures, hairs in paint, water intrusion in trunk & light assemblies, battery troubles in China, many of which are sent away from the service center unfixed as “within spec.”

https://www.google.com/search?q=tes...j1j4&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

I tried to buy a Y at the start of the pandemic, but after careful inspection of several brand new Y's, and reading the Tesla forums, the quality control is so bad that I couldn't get myself to do it regardless of the extra range.

Will the MME come with the same issues? We don’t know. Ford history is a mixed bag. They are promising attention to detail and seem to be on the path to deliver that in this case.

But we do know how Tesla is currently treating customers and building their cars.

 

[timf]

Beware of recalls! Recalls

My Model X has had several recalls on it, and the notices always say Tesla will contact you when parts are available for the repairs. I'm still waiting...

 

[Chiefsfan]

With the exception of Tesla, BEVs have terrible resale values. Will MME be more like Tesla or more like the others in this regard?

 

[s7davis]

I just wanted to point out that everyone needs to remember that Ford battery backs are 75kw and 99kw. However, they only using 66kw and 88kw. So technically I for see Ford over the next few years as they continue to tune the car via OTA updates that they will do like Tesla has and increase range as they tune vehicles to be more efficient. Remember tesla started out with the S60 that only did what 140 miles now they are up to 402 miles with the 100Kw battery back.

So with Ford just starting out I say they doing pretty good with a 260 mile and 300 mile range which varies on battery pack RWD or AWD and driving habits. Like most people I do not see the average consumer driving more than that in a day unless for business or road trips.

 

[Dmcerm]

Simple: Don't 'buy' in to the Cult!

 

[Davedough]

With the exception of Tesla, BEVs have terrible resale values. Will MME be more like Tesla or more like the others in this regard?

Telsa cars retain their value because of demand and the cult following. People get FOMO induced (fear of missing out) and see a "deal" that a gently used Tesla is a bit cheaper and within reason of their budget. Telsa doesn't report the car's problems to outlets like Carfax, so you have no idea of knowing whether or not that used Tesla is because someone couldn't afford it, or they're sick of it.

I don't think any EV will have that same kind of retention unless it has the same kind of following. I also think that as other EV makers catch up to Tesla in popularity and tech, you'll see the market for those cars plummet

 

[Mach-E VLOG]

Telsa cars retain their value because of demand and the cult following. People get FOMO induced (fear of missing out) and see a "deal" that a gently used Tesla is a bit cheaper and within reason of their budget. Telsa doesn't report the car's problems to outlets like Carfax, so you have no idea of knowing whether or not that used Tesla is because someone couldn't afford it, or they're sick of it.

I don't think any EV will have that same kind of retention unless it has the same kind of following. I also think that as other EV makers catch up to Tesla in popularity and tech, you'll see the market for those cars plummet

I think things are going to start changing rapidly with more competition. When you start having more used EVs go on the market plus more new EVS go on the market, it might be harder to justify buying a used Tesla at such a high price. Just looking at the local prices on a used Model 3. It's understandable now, but I don't see how a 2 or 3 year old Model 3 will sell for more than a brand new VW ID.4 or Mach-E for example. And you get a $7500 tax credit and probably better financing with them.

 

[dbsb3233]

With the exception of Tesla, BEVs have terrible resale values. Will MME be more like Tesla or more like the others in this regard?

Now that Tesla won't be the only game in town and will have lots of peer competition, their edge in resale value should disappear. 4 years from now a 2021 Tesla should fall in resale value just as much as a 2021 Mach-E, IMO. Or a 2021 ID4, or a 2021 XC40 Recharge, etc.

 

[dbsb3233]

I just wanted to point out that everyone needs to remember that Ford battery backs are 75kw and 99kw. However, they only using 66kw and 88kw. So technically I for see Ford over the next few years as they continue to tune the car via OTA updates that they will do like Tesla has and increase range as they tune vehicles to be more efficient. Remember tesla started out with the S60 that only did what 140 miles now they are up to 402 miles with the 100Kw battery back.

So with Ford just starting out I say they doing pretty good with a 260 mile and 300 mile range which varies on battery pack RWD or AWD and driving habits. Like most people I do not see the average consumer driving more than that in a day unless for business or road trips.

Yep. The 11% buffer on the ER battery seems like it could eventually be cut in half after they collect enough user data and it proves that the batteries are holding up fine. That would theoretically add about 16 miles to the range (although also take a couple of minutes longer to charge).

 

[SashaLondon]

To be realistic it’s a good car. Great range, great acceleration and brilliant software update. Only negative is possible build quality but they sell tons of cars without issues I bet.

 

[agoldman]

I don't think any EV will have that same kind of retention unless it has the same kind of following.

yup.. this forum is a good start!

 

[TheLight75]

I strongly believe Tesla is going in the wrong direction. They only seem to truly care about 2 things:

1. Expanding functions through software without much care to UX design
2. Increasing range to a fault

Tesla's heavy focus on constantly adding range & Full Self-Drive is implicit proof that they know that they can't compete with the major auto manufacturers once they scale up BEV production. Without FSD and a sizable range margin over all their competitors, they'll eventually be swallowed up.

Elon is so concerned with adding more range through weight elimination that he thinks structural batteries, where the frame itself is made from hardened & bonded battery cells, are the way to go in the future. Seriously? If you're in any kind of accident that damages the frame cells, your car will basically be totaled by the insurance companies. That's going to piss people off once the insurance carriers adjust premiums accordingly.

What shocks me more is that the markets can't see through Tesla's bullshit so they keep bidding up the price. I'm guessing in the next 4-5 years, the Tesla bubble will burst in dramatic fashion.

 

[malba2366]

Not interested in bashing the MY, or convincing anyone of what to buy but understand that it will not take until 2022 to get the tax credit. You can adjust your withholding such that your can realize the credit during calendar year 2021.

 

[rickmendes]

With all of the YouTube videos, since the Model Y was released, that showed all of its build quality issues, I don't understand why anyone would buy the MY now. Wait a year and maybe they will fix their quality and paint problems.

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