Tesla owner

I think that's why there's a stealmyteala.com website. An insurance payout would be better than market value, perhaps.

For now at least. But insurance payouts follow the market price of the car.
- Gap insurance

I’ve been afraid to say this on Lemmy, but I own a Tesla Model 3 and it’s worth it for many things, but mostly the FSD for my 40 min commute. I almost exclusively charge at home, and would not buy another Tesla now but, at the time I bought it, things weren’t so bad and it’s my first brand new car so sorry, not sorry.
- I hope you at least bought the FSD package outright with the car and aren't just funneling him $100 a month...
- Don't be afraid to say it, im in a similar position.
  Great car, especially for commutes, love mine to death.
  But still feel dirty driving a fuhrermobile.
I am old enough that I've bought and sold a bunch of cars. And not once has my choice involved "how will people assume who I am in this purchase." Some have been a bad choice and others worked out. I don't think people should buy new Teslas but I wouldn't have the cash that I could fire sale a perfectly working vehicle just because people assume the car is the person.
Same. It's a great car and I generally don't care what other people think of me. But seriously fuck Elon Musk. I'm a shareholder as well and would absolutely vote to remove him as CEO in a heartbeat.
That’s mr moneybags level shit.
As is buying an electric car in the first place.
- Someone was telling me the other day that the cheapest new car available in the UK was an electric Dacia. Obviously, you can get a used car for less than a new one, but electric cars are within reach of normal people, or at least normal enough people to not have Mr Moneybags budgets.
Same, 2020 m3 also, love the car to death, still hate nazis.
But they started texting me asking me to look at new models, and I am so fucking close to replying 'sorry, Im trying to sell the swastikar I already own'.
But he's just a CS rep, shitting on him does little.

Is this satire?
- I remember a few people got caught for hiring a hit man at hireahitman.com (or something equally on the nose and obvious).
  In that case, at least, law enforcement set up the website
- Definitely

There’s a great opportunity for someone to sell replacement badges and logos for “converting” a Tesla into, say, a Mazda.

People are already doing that! Not sure if it's a specific kit but I have seen many with swapped badges around lately.
Prosthetic exhaust pipes?
- First there were truck nuts...
- I saw on AliExpress a fake double exhaust pipe kit for the Nissan leaf (ev) to attach with VHB to the back side
  Edit: found the link in my notes app (acquisition date October 2023), but sadly it has been delisted, hopefully someone can use it to find a cached version or even just a photo of that https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004107275197.html
As people have said, already happening:
https://www.dmarge.com/cars/tesla-owners-rebrand-backlash
And it's not fooling anyone
- My favorite was a picture I saw online of a cybertruck labeled TOYOTA
I've also been daydreaming along these lines. I have an old Porsche that doesn't run I've sort of wanted to electrify. There are a few kits out there, but pricy. If I get a cheap-as-shit Tesla, could I break it down and retrofit? Weight and suspension would be a problem. Plus I've heard they are a complete arse about proprietary computer stuff.
That or a Mazda 13b could be fun, but I'd have to gear it down somehow.

I've actually been checking if the prices for used Tesla's have gone down enough. I've been itching for an EV for years. But other EVs are actually cheaper.

Saw some Peugeot 2008 for good prices.

As much as people like to shit on them due to the connection to Musk, they can be good cars with some caveats.
The electronic door handles are bullshit and dangerous.
The touch console is not as good as physical climate controls. Everything else commonly used can be done through the steering wheel controls for the most part.
Service centers have really poor service, but since they’re EVs you shouldn’t need to do it often. (Unless it’s a Cybertruck lol).
Buying used is great because you don’t send that money to Musk. In fact the updates and support technically cost them over time.
- You still pay him every time you use the Tesla charging network. Which is one of the biggest (and best) so you’re kinda SOL on charging without supporting him.
I can share my experience if you'd like, I'm also EU based, I'm assuming like you if you're looking at Peugeot (they don't sell in the US).
I come from a long lineage of buying shitty old second hand cars and driving them until they die or aren't worth fixing to pass the yearly check. Eventually when I had a decent job and my wife moved here and couldn't drive manual cars, we got a Lexus hybrid, 4 years old car we still have today. I love Toyota/Lexus but when I started my business I wanted more space to move my equipment.
Started with a 20 years old Renault Kangoo, that was actually fine but none of the electric stuff worked (windows, dashboard, etc...).
I knew I was gonna replace it at least for safety reasons, and already wanted to go electric but my wife wasn't convinced, so I got one more gas car (ford focus wagon) and the engine was so shit it couldn't handle a slight hill climb with us in the car....
I decided I was done with gas cars and we actually debated getting a brand new car. During this search, it was clear Tesla was a slightly better deal on paper than the competition when buying new. Basically for the price of base models in other brands you get all the options with Tesla model Y...
But I really didn't want to get Tesla for all the moral reasons, + there's a lot of hidden costs with them especially insurance, additional safety equipment required by said insurance and the big costs for repairs in case of even minor fender benders...
Realised going brand new was just not for us, we're just not that wealthy and it would've ended up costing us more than the house monthly, not to mention going into debt for it.
So I took a long hard look at my requirements and realized 95% of the time I don't need the extra space, so I found a used Peugeot 208 electric which I was able to swap my ford for and basically didn't pay anything additional when all said and done.
I LOVE it, it's well built, I got the GT with all options, and the size is actually perfect for navigating European roads, I can park anywhere, go anywhere, no more worrying about no emission zones, etc etc.
The battery range is not the best on the market by a large margin but it's honestly totally usable, for daily use you always leave the house with a full battery and make it home easily, and fast charge is very fast for highway trips but you do have to stop more often. The space inside is way more than you'd expect, I just have to use my old trusted Tetris skills once I'm a while, and when it's not enough for the big projects with more requirements, I rent a van for the day...
Now don't get me wrong stellantis is pretty shit too but at least less visibly than Tesla, and their app/connected services are useless, but I still love my little 208. It'll certainly become the 2nd car some day though once we replace the Lexus for another full electric with more range/space.
I would worry about the 2008 though since it's the same battery in a heavier vehicle and range is already something I have to think about in the 208.
I worry a lot less about getting a "cheaper" electric brand too, because the mechanics of it are so much simpler with fewer points of failure, whereas I basically only trust Toyota's engines anymore on the gas front.

Just put one of those “I bought it before I knew Elon was crazy” bumper stickers on it and continue to drive it.

My neighbor's in that bucket, he bought one back when I would have bought my self one had I been in better financial health.
There's probably a lot of left-wing upper middle class that have them. Ever since musk came on the scene Tesla's been awfully bullish on making it hard to sell them.

This is me, exactly. We're leaving the country in the next 6-8 months and can't justify selling it just to buy another car that we'll then sell soon after. In the meantime, I get shit for "being a nazi" despite being a leftist. Good times.

Honestly, I love the car. We haven't had any issues with it, it drives great, the features are nice, and the energy efficiency is top notch. I wish Elno would step down as CEO and/or die so we could take it with us, but I doubt he will.

Love my m3 in the us, but I am so glad when we moved that I bought a plug in hybrid instead. It's a piece of shit in comparison and crazy expensive, but it feels cleaner.
Now I just wish I bought a Volvo plug in hybrid.

People don’t have to be stuck with a Tesla. I sold my 2018 Model 3 to Carvana last week for 18k. Yesterday I turned right around and bought a 2019 Audi Q5 for 18k. I never wanted to go back to gas, but I only plan on owning this until I can get the Rivian R2 I reserved. Then I’ll sell the Audi for the down payment on the Rivian. Should be a year or two max.

People don’t have to be stuck with a Tesla
But then the person you sold it to will be the person stuck with a Tesla, no?
- Carvana is a corporation, who gives a shit if they're stuck with a Tesla they can't sell.
After the bad experience with startup, tech company car brands that caused you to short sell your Tesla, your long-term plan is to get a different startup, tech company car?
🤦‍♂️
- Why not? I made a lot of money from Tesla. If Rivian follows the same path, I will again. I am a tech early adopter, I’m willing to do these things. My Tesla was amazing for 7 years. I got an ok price for it. The price was good enough to buy an Audi which is one year younger.
  Also, I doubt RJ Scaringe is going to stage a coup to own the US. Elon has set a fascist bar that nobody can clear.

Make money by charging people for a chance to beat it up

My alternate non-Tesla badges are arriving next week.

Like badges actually trick anyone.....
- Its two things: I don't want to show any support Tesla, and don't have the luxury of selling my car and buying a different one. Second, I think you might be surprised how many people really don't know what cars look like. Sure, "car people" will know, but most people aren't "car people".

Username checks out?

Sure. Now scurry off in your Cybertruck, and deep throat a boot
- I think there is a lot of middle ground. At the end of the day I don't have the mental energy to care about what some random billionaire is doing all the time. Its not that I don't care entirely but I don't spend every minute of my time thinking about it.