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post #7456 of 10045
11/15/12 at 9:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desi View Post

Agreed, my only gripe with the Tesla S after watching so many videos and reading so many hands-on is the super large touchscreen. Looks a big deal out of place. Also the $50,000 starting price with a upper model of $108,000 is kind of wonky.

Battery tech obviously does not scale well... Still a moving target and this is somewhere where I would love to see a standard in battery interface appear.
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post #7457 of 10045
11/15/12 at 9:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackhood View Post

As that linked report shows; it levels in both price and performance with the C63 or M5. Seems like they got the pricing spot on to me...

Only problem is that the first ones to hit Europe will be delivered in march/april and they were ordered before february, so there's a bit of a lead time.
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post #7458 of 10045
11/15/12 at 10:37am
True, but 18 months isn't unheard of in unique cars. Ford GT 40 was something like 36 months, and every new Aston comes with about 24 months as a starting point. I would say that all things considered there are fewer downsides than one would expect from a new manufacturer, with new technology entering a market that reached maturity 80 odd years ago.
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post #7459 of 10045
11/16/12 at 1:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackhood View Post

True, but 18 months isn't unheard of in unique cars. Ford GT 40 was something like 36 months, and every new Aston comes with about 24 months as a starting point. I would say that all things considered there are fewer downsides than one would expect from a new manufacturer, with new technology entering a market that reached maturity 80 odd years ago.

18 months was the norm for daimlers in the 90s and i believe early 00's, fuckers took forever to deliver.
Although it was funny, if you wanted a new one every two years (not unheard of with 50k km's a year) you might just as well order the new one when you picked up your previous order at the dealers...

I remember the change from the daimlers to bmw's 7 series (the bangle one) , the whole family was surprised the thing standing in the driveway within 6 months or so smile.gif
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post #7460 of 10045
11/16/12 at 2:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackhood View Post

True, but 18 months isn't unheard of in unique cars. Ford GT 40 was something like 36 months, and every new Aston comes with about 24 months as a starting point. I would say that all things considered there are fewer downsides than one would expect from a new manufacturer, with new technology entering a market that reached maturity 80 odd years ago.

This isn't a hand built super car, it's supposed to be "the new black" and be able to compete with Audi, BMW and Mercedes, which it isn't with those lead times.

Also it's a 140k$ without tax here, which you don't have to pay on electric cars (for now), so it's not cheap either.
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post #7461 of 10045
11/16/12 at 2:57am

700

 

I drive a 09 VW GTI, 6speed @20.5k miles.

 

Prior to buying the GTI, I use to drive around in a '91 Mazda RX7. I love my GTI, is the perfect daily driver, but dammit, I miss my 7.

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post #7462 of 10045
11/16/12 at 6:04am
Regarding Tesla, through some channels I happen to know that they are going to start production in Europe VERY soon. Which will cut back on the delivery time (for FindFinn) significantly.
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post #7463 of 10045
11/16/12 at 7:38am
I haven't ordered one I know a guy who has one on order, I think he is number 5xx.
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post #7464 of 10045
11/16/12 at 8:32am
The problem with Tesla is that they are not ramping production up as quickly as they had hoped. The Fremont plant that they are using used to build thousands a month of Corollas and its GM twin, but initial production snafus along with rumors of Elon Musk micromanaging the production line (apparently he used to or maybe still does inspect every car that came off the line) are holding them back by a lot.

If I were in the market, my Tesla S would option out to over $90K. I think that's the one any reasonable person wants.
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post #7465 of 10045
11/16/12 at 11:52am
Looking at (now don't poke too much fun...) 2007-2009 Volvo S80's, particularly the AWD V8 and T6 models. The T6 offers MARGINALLY better MPG but comes at a lower cost whereas the Yamaha built V8 apparently is thoroughly entertaining with a sonorous exhaust note. Need the AWD with adaptive and select-able suspension and steering dynamics to help tighten it up for more spirited driving, while still letting it cruise nicely for when my parents take it for a trip.

Something about the flagship Volvo's being far rarer and less "douchey" in comparison to the mid range German autos is attractive to me. I also think they're beautifully designed with an understated touch. I was walking home from work last night when an S80 was pulled up into a parking garage. I got a great look at the interior and it looked really well appointed and I loved the design aesthetic. Will try to test drive during the Thanksgiving Holiday week.

Any thoughts?
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post #7466 of 10045
11/16/12 at 12:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteslashasian View Post

Looking at (now don't poke too much fun...) 2007-2009 Volvo S80's, particularly the AWD V8 and T6 models. The T6 offers MARGINALLY better MPG but comes at a lower cost whereas the Yamaha built V8 apparently is thoroughly entertaining with a sonorous exhaust note. Need the AWD with adaptive and select-able suspension and steering dynamics to help tighten it up for more spirited driving, while still letting it cruise nicely for when my parents take it for a trip.
Something about the flagship Volvo's being far rarer and less "douchey" in comparison to the mid range German autos is attractive to me. I also think they're beautifully designed with an understated touch. I was walking home from work last night when an S80 was pulled up into a parking garage. I got a great look at the interior and it looked really well appointed and I loved the design aesthetic. Will try to test drive during the Thanksgiving Holiday week.
Any thoughts?

They still feel thoroughly "accountant" to me, although that should not be a bad thing.
Then again, the ubiquity of audi a4/a5sportback/a6's for the last couple of years has me thinking that audi is the new brand of choice for that subgroup.

But if that's not a deterrent, the s80 is a great car imho. I drove one (albeit armored) a while back which was owned by a relation, and was surprised by the handling. I can only this will be very good when its not weighing over 2 tonnes.
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post #7467 of 10045
11/16/12 at 1:43pm
My uncle runs a Saab/Volvo garage fixing (not selling) the things. In my reasonably limited experience both of the brands are very solid cars. they both follow a certain Quantity vs Quality mentality that is heavily biased towards quality. By producing fewer "face lifts" they seem to have worked out how to iron out all the "quirks" (read kinks) before production.

They are eminently safe and slightly dull cars, but that is because they do what they do correctly, safely and until the universe implodes. I would happily take a top-end Volvo over a comparable mid-range Audi or Merc, and would drive it for about 5 years longer than the alternatives.

Its not going to rival a Ferrari for poon-tang attraction or a BMW for thrills, but it will get you most of the way there without any of the dick-baggery.
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post #7468 of 10045
11/16/12 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackhood View Post

My uncle runs a Saab/Volvo garage fixing (not selling) the things. In my reasonably limited experience both of the brands are very solid cars. they both follow a certain Quantity vs Quality mentality that is heavily biased towards quality. By producing fewer "face lifts" they seem to have worked out how to iron out all the "quirks" (read kinks) before production.
They are eminently safe and slightly dull cars, but that is because they do what they do correctly, safely and until the universe implodes. I would happily take a top-end Volvo over a comparable mid-range Audi or Merc, and would drive it for about 5 years longer than the alternatives.
Its not going to rival a Ferrari for poon-tang attraction or a BMW for thrills, but it will get you most of the way there without any of the dick-baggery.

This is exactly what I'm looking for.

This will likely be a car used by my parents, me, my siblings, etc. Whoever needs a nice, solid, reliable set of wheels for a weekend or road trip while having some driving dynamics that are bit more lively than a Toyota Avalon. Longevity would be fantastic.
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post #7469 of 10045
11/16/12 at 2:01pm
Put it this way, I know a couple of guys who have gone through bankruptcy for what ever reason and to a man they have held on to their cars, simply because you cannot replace the reliability and fortitude of a Volvo in exchange for the "book value" they have been offered.

Obviously buying a lemon will always end with you owning a lemon, but good examples are as strong as the fjords among which they are built.
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post #7470 of 10045
11/16/12 at 3:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteslashasian View Post

This is exactly what I'm looking for.
This will likely be a car used by my parents, me, my siblings, etc. Whoever needs a nice, solid, reliable set of wheels for a weekend or road trip while having some driving dynamics that are bit more lively than a Toyota Avalon. Longevity would be fantastic.

The only anecdotal Volvo tales I have involve my uncle and his S80 T6 needing the turbos overhauled around 80k (maybe 100k) and it was going to be well over 3 grand. The other is a friend's dad's old 850 that we treated like a rally car and it was a tank. Volvo makes solid, slightly boring, but still classy cars. I'd go for it.


This is now currently the car I drive. Picked it up today. '03 330xi.

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