3 ms·

There are both sociological and economic reasons for it. On the sociological - new cars can be a status symbol - especially in the Luxury markets. Interestingly

There are both sociological and economic reasons for it. On the sociological - new cars can be a status symbol - especially in the Luxury markets. Interestingly enough - the European luxury car market is roughly twice that of the United States, despite per-capita earnings being lower then the United States. Are you German and driving a beat up Honda Civic? Not a good look. Tesla is benefiting from this - the cars are highly viral, and aligned with affluence, political persuasions, environmental outlook, sports car enthusiasm, etc. It's turning Americans more willing to buy a luxury car, if it's a Tesla. Then social network comes into effect. If one of your friends buys a Tesla, you are very very likely to as well. This is basically the only marketing program that Tesla Does (Referral codes from friends). (BTW, I say all of this as someone who finally pulled a trigger on a "Lemur" Model 3 earlier this week). There is also the practical - when you buy a used car between 3k and 6k, you are basically on the long tail maintenance wise. It's a good bet that the reliability of the car, and the efficiency of the car are both dramatically less then then a new car. I also enjoy snappy acceleration and a car with a low center of gravity. You get into a Model 3, and Internal Combustion Cars just feel like a horrible piece of legacy technology. Could I get away with a old Ford Fiesta or a beat up Civic? Yep - and this is replacing a 15 year old Honda CRV... but I bought that Honda CR-V new, and I have gotten every bit of value from it - and I'm passing it on to family.

saiya-jin 8y ago
Ah, the good old fool's logic of trying to impress people you don't actually care about. How stupid this can be... Can you actually be impressed by somebody's car? I can't for more than 1-2 minutes even if we talk about porsche/ferrari. Lasting positive impression can't be bought, no matter how much cash you throw at it. Reliability of an old car can be an issue, but if you find a good mechanic, he will go over junky car, fix and replace what is needed, and on top of 3-5k you spend maybe another 3-5k at most. Even better is to have an used car be shopped around up by such a mechanic, but that often requires a friendship on some level. Voila, reliable car for 6-10k, you just need to get a check once a year (shouldn't be costly if initial one was done properly). I have 15-yer old BMW 3-series, amazing car. Won't change it till it dies/crashes/gets stolen. Fiancee bought before old Toyota Corrola combi for 5k - amazing workhorse. Driving experience is crap compared to BMW, but it just keeps working, consumes nothing (diesel 2l engine). New one costs easily 4x more, for very little added value. Unless your pay directly depends on you being reliably on time someplace, or you commute over longer distances in some higher white collar job, this is enough.
buboard 8y ago
The status thing must be important for tesla sales, considering that for its price point it s not a luxurious car, but rather mediocre. The novelty and eco factor however are guaranteed to keep its status icon for a few years, or until the first better competition comes along.
- InTheArena 8y ago
  I am in the market for a new car. I looked at the BMW,Volvo, the Mercedes, Audi and Lexus. I am replacing a Honda CRV, but my needs have grown, and my disposable income is reasonable, so I am looking at this segment of cars. I would (and in fact, am) taking the Tesla over any of the others, despite my early idea that I would get a BMW. I just didn't like the responsiveness of the car, the clutter and BMW nickle and dimeing me for repairs and things like carplay. I really liked the Volvo, but the things in the Volvo that I liked - the technology, and the panoramic roof, I could get for cheaper with the Model 3. I finally pulled the trigger when the Midrange ("Lemur") Model 3 became available. At that point, my out of pocket costs on the Tesla was cheaper then the Volvo and the BMW. If you have not already tried it - go test drive a model 3. It's a lot of fun.

saiya-jin 8y ago

Ah, the good old fool's logic of trying to impress people you don't actually care about. How stupid this can be... Can you actually be impressed by somebody's car? I can't for more than 1-2 minutes even if we talk about porsche/ferrari. Lasting positive impression can't be bought, no matter how much cash you throw at it. Reliability of an old car can be an issue, but if you find a good mechanic, he will go over junky car, fix and replace what is needed, and on top of 3-5k you spend maybe another 3-5k at most. Even better is to have an used car be shopped around up by such a mechanic, but that often requires a friendship on some level. Voila, reliable car for 6-10k, you just need to get a check once a year (shouldn't be costly if initial one was done properly). I have 15-yer old BMW 3-series, amazing car. Won't change it till it dies/crashes/gets stolen. Fiancee bought before old Toyota Corrola combi for 5k - amazing workhorse. Driving experience is crap compared to BMW, but it just keeps working, consumes nothing (diesel 2l engine). New one costs easily 4x more, for very little added value. Unless your pay directly depends on you being reliably on time someplace, or you commute over longer distances in some higher white collar job, this is enough.

buboard 8y ago

The status thing must be important for tesla sales, considering that for its price point it s not a luxurious car, but rather mediocre. The novelty and eco factor however are guaranteed to keep its status icon for a few years, or until the first better competition comes along.

InTheArena 8y ago
I am in the market for a new car. I looked at the BMW,Volvo, the Mercedes, Audi and Lexus. I am replacing a Honda CRV, but my needs have grown, and my disposable income is reasonable, so I am looking at this segment of cars. I would (and in fact, am) taking the Tesla over any of the others, despite my early idea that I would get a BMW. I just didn't like the responsiveness of the car, the clutter and BMW nickle and dimeing me for repairs and things like carplay. I really liked the Volvo, but the things in the Volvo that I liked - the technology, and the panoramic roof, I could get for cheaper with the Model 3. I finally pulled the trigger when the Midrange ("Lemur") Model 3 became available. At that point, my out of pocket costs on the Tesla was cheaper then the Volvo and the BMW. If you have not already tried it - go test drive a model 3. It's a lot of fun.