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by mikeg8 2295 days ago
I think there is a massive market of young people that would love to own a Tesla when they reach the required income level. It’s a green product, from a company with grand ambitions to address climate change, and an incredible car. Everyone I know who has one loves it, and most who get to drive them, wish they had one. It feels like the future, and 30k isn’t a crazy price for the value if offers.
6 comments

As a young(ish) person, what would most interest me in an electric car is essentially an electrified Corolla. I don't derive any value from performance, features, or looks. I care about safety, reliability, range, and cost.

A Model 3 with 500km of range is over triple the price of a Corolla and a Leaf is over double the price in my market - they just don't make financial sense until they drastically drop in price.

I own a new 2020 Corolla Hybrid and it gives me 58 mpg mileage and cost me $25,000 including all the destination, DMV, etc. charges plus with 3 years of add-on maintenance. Impressive considering when I pay $350 EMI ($0 down-payment on 84 months loan) every month on it and it already saves me about $70 that same month on gas compared to my previous car. So overall the Adj EMI would be just $280.
> there is a massive market of young people that would love to own a Tesla when they reach the required income level.

I'm one of them. If I would be on the market for a car it would be a Tesla, but I most likely never will never own one. It's a great car, green, geeky and the performance is superb, but I much prefer to use public transportation when getting around. Most of my friends (age ~30) with disposable income just don't want a car. We live in cities in Europe where public transportation is good enough. Owning a car is just a burden if you would only use it for weekend getaways.

The people who live in the countryside where you need a car for day-to-day life just can't afford it.

”It’s a green product”

‘Green’ also depends on how you use it. One can argue that, for many use cases, those cars are way too big and heavy to be called ‘green’.

I'm absolutely in this boat. I don't drive enough to justify a 45k expense (after options), but if I were driving more I absolutely would. Considering I live in a city with almost no public transportation, it's basically guaranteed if I can't walk to work anymore.
I'm solidly middle-aged (mid-50s) and I would love to own a Tesla. Not for the green creds (which are still nice) but for the performance.

I'll take a dual-motor version with a big battery, please!

Personally I'm planning to get a VW buzz once they're released