Tesla Motors

Updated again, after being an owner/​customer for some time now. Tesla is wonderful, service is great overall when/​if you ever need it even. They are a bit pricey on the service or any purchased options but I guess that goes with the pricey great car.

Buying a car here is basically buying online with some assistance, but that’s okay. I finished paperwork in record time. Having changed my mind on some finishes was fine; I was clearly notified of when choices had to be finalized. I really love the car I purchased here and the employees’ enthusiasm for and knowledge of the products was fantastic and they did not make me feel like a neophyte (even though I was). It’s a great car buying experience even for the ladies who may have been second string in the buying process to partners and such.
I have taken my car in for winter tires and questions there and also other Tesla locations. They have always been welcoming, friendly and highly professional wherever you go. Bye, bye BMWs and Mercedes, these places are where the future lies in buying a car and owning a car you will actually love.

Worst worst worst customer service! We ordered the car and Tim supposed to help us to do trade in, loan application and all paperwork. This guy is not capable of doing anything. Car is ready for delivery in 2 days, but Tim still can’t figure out how to process paperwork correctly so we can complete loan. He is too laid back and he doesn’t know how to coordinate delivery. Already regretting that we’re buying a tesla which has incredibly bad customer service (missing info, late response, late for scheduling inspection, so many more.).

I have just placed a deposit for my Tesla. I have been looking at them for two years and about 5 people I know have one and have NOTHING negative to say about them. The staff is very helpful and friendly, it feels more like going to buy a computer than a car. After getting cold feet at the price two years ago I dove in. We were given a car for a test drive after putting down the deposit and I was truly amazed at the performance and comfort of the car. I have done multiple calculations to try and justify the price of t his and I do believe it is a reasonable investment but will be interested at how resale of this hold up (the roadsters are doing well at this juncture)
The staff have been terrific — I interacted with Andrew and Mike and have been very pleased.
This is the future and Musk and company should be supported and applauded for their efforts in this regard. Charging the car at the Madison Supercharger was a great experience. I ran into a one year owner who was in from Wyoming and he has traveled coast to coast. The speed at which Tesla is installing superchargers is also reassuring.

I need to provide a short preamble in order to better frame my review. My father is a big Tesla fan and enthusiast. Ever since he first heard about what Tesla is and seeing it on TV he has done research and is in love with its technology and what it represents for the environment. Since my dad is planning to move and live either near my brother who is a high-​tech executive in Silicon Valley or near me in Chicago he had been planning to buy a Tesla for his new car. Since he was going to be visiting me for a few days I thought it would be a great opportunity to have a test drive. I booked a test drive with Mike Snow and put it on our calendar. I checked the requirements for the test drive (drivers license or international driver’s license if visiting from outside the US, and to arrive 15 minutes before the appointment). My dad still lives in Mexico so I told him to get an international drivers license, which he did and paid the $ 90 fee for.
We arrived at the Tesla dealership 15 minutes early as requested and it took about 30 minutes for Mike Snow to come out. As soon as he saw my father’s international drivers license he said «i’m afraid we can’t take these», so I reminded him of the Tesla policy, which I am pasting verbatim here in quotes:
«Please bring a valid driver’s license and arrive at least 15 minutes early to begin the check-​in process. If you are visiting us from outside the country we require an International driver’s license. All drivers must be at least 25 years of age.»
To which he said «oh, yes, but I’m sorry, the drivers license has to be in English», to which I pointed that it was in several languages, including English. So at that point Mike looked like he was out if ammunition and told his assistant «ok just do it», so the assistant started filling out the test drive paper work. As the paper work was being filled out Mike came up to me and said «oh you know, i don’t think we can do this because your dad doesn’t have insurance». At that point I was wondering what crystal ball told Mike that — (my dad does have comprehensive US insurance) and also how did he come up with that new «requirement», which was not a requirement for the test drive, but which we were happy to produce. Yet Mike quickly and running out of options said «yes, but see, your dad only has the international drivers license but not his Mexican license» (again, which crystal ball did Mike consult on the spot? My dad had that too on his person, like he always does). My dad was puzzled as he had never encountered a sales man who was trying to get rid of him, so he said good bye left the shop”. Mike obviously wanted to (and succeeded in getting out of that test drive) from the very beginning.
I wonder why? Did he think that my dad could not afford the car (Pretty Woman style?). Also, I really want to believe this was not based on bias. Why would a sales man try to get rid of a potential sale (and a sale of a pricey car at that) when he has an interested customer who meets all the requirements? My dad was insulted and hurt, and this also put a damper on his extreme enthusiasm for Tesla. We want to think that the sales team in the Bay Area will be humane.

I got an email from a friend about test driving a Tesla so I decided to bring my friend and check it out. I’ve read articles/​seen shows about the Tesla founder Elon Musk so I’ve always been intrigued by his companies (I love PayPal) and wanted to check out his electric car.
–What I loved that when I received a return call from the sales advisor Mike Snow (confirming my reservation) is that he didn’t pepper me with the usual high-​pressure sales tactics. We had a conversation talking about various topics including the car.
–Initially, my friend and I rode past the dealership because it isn’t your typical car dealership with a gazillion cars, big architectural structures and a huge sign screaming the brand name. The dealership was «quietly sophisticated» being located in a block that you would have to be «in the know» to identify what is in the building.
–So we see the that dealership has that laid-​back vibe about it… everyone was dressed casually, no one barking over a PA system just people chatting and checking out the car, with cool music playing in the background. I noticed that in the garage that it was clean (no oil) and that the mechanics all wore rubber gloves while working on the cars. A customer walked up to my friend and said «Buy this car. It’s the best investment I’ve ever made». He was as happy as a fat kid with free cake.
–The Model S is a sexy car. It’s a car that when you see it in the city, you cant really put your finger on it because at first it reminds you of a Jaguar, then a Maserati, then something else. This is a sexy car that doesn’t scream «LOOK AT ME» but «I’m just going to chill while you try to figure out why you are staring at this car». What cracked me up was when Morocco and I realized that the car had two trunks so I just knew that the front trunk probably had the battery located in the corner and Mike explained that the chassis is literally the battery, the bottom of the car.
–The interior of the car is so streamlined till the point that you just stare at the console since it consists of a large screen in the middle of the dash extending near the floor with 2 – 3 buttons on the steering wheel. The screen is BEAUTIFUL and I just stared at it playing with all the options which are too numerous to mention. Without thinking I naturally put my purse right in the middle on the floor because there is nothing but space. No stick shift, no cup holder, spare compartment, etc. Mike showed us how this car can sit seven people with the optional booster seats for kids that folds out behind the backseat. And speaking of the seats, they were very comfortable. It was the first time in a long time that I didn’t have to adjust the seats to my specifications because I’m 5’9 with long legs and a butt.
–Now the test drive was a trip. The car turns on pressing on the brake. It is so quiet that I had to check that it was literally on. Mike also explained about Regenerative Braking, which I advise you to Google to get more information but you waste energy when you use the brakes so you don’t brake as much with this electric car because the kinetic energy is converted into electricity to charge the battery (Mike let me know if I’m wrong about this one ;)) So you have to unlearn things that you do in a regular gas car. The stick where the windshield wiper is located is where you Park, Drive, Neutral etc. along with some other unique features
–Now the drive is super smooth and quiet. The Model S is a sedan but it kicks ass! Mike told me to gun the car and it just shot down the street. Mike then said «No, really gun it». Huh? I needed to be on a deserted country road back in my home state of South Carolina but when I gunned it on a Chicago street, all of our heads hit the back of the seats like being on a high-​speed rollercoaster/​going warp speed on the Starship Enterprise and this is an electric car… screw a Prius! So we take it out on the highway which was fun and took a curvy off ramp where Mike said that «there is no need to slow down because the car will hug the road». Excuse me, hug the road? So I continue on the curve thinking «How long will I have to work for Tesla, after I crash this car and maim Mike and Morocco and why didn’t I really read the small print on the release I signed and I want to scream but I don’t want to lose it in front of these guys…» Well the car hugged the curves like syrup dripping down a stack of pancakes. The car didn’t shake at all and I never put my foot on the brake and it was amazing!!! This is TMI but driving this car was orgasmic!
–Another cool thing was the sales advisor Mike. He was very down the earth and he truly loves the Tesla brand. I just assumed that he was career car guy but he told us that he majored in Renewable Energy and Communications in college so that illustrated that Tesla might be an electric car company but they are unlike any car company because they are really into technology and futuristic thinking. Tesla is great!

Tesla is not ready for prime time. My husband purchased a Tesla from this dealership in March 2013. The sales associate asked how he intended to use it. He responded that he planned to drive it to and from work (short trips within Chicago) plus to our place in Northern Door County a drive of about 280 miles one way. Accordingly, he purchased the longer range Tesla S for $ 81,000+ which allegedly has a range of 300 miles. Not exactly. The range of the fully charged car is only 265 miles. The sales associate led him to believe that we could quickly charge the car at any of the existing charging stations en route in WI for only about 20 minutes or so to fully recharge the car. Not exactly. As we learned to our dismay this weekend en route to Door County, the charging network that is available in WI is of the slow charging variety i.e. these charging stations charge this vehicle at the rate of 16 – 20 MILES PER HOUR. The Tesla sales associate neglected to make the important distinction that only the Tesla supercharging stations of which there are NONE in WI charge the car quickly. (Currently there is only one Tesla supercharging station in Normal, IL not very convenient for a trip to Door County, WI). So, this past weekend we spent lots of quality time charging this vehicle in the corn fields of WI. A normally five hour trip took eight hours each way of which three hours was spent charging the car. This is a total rip off and very deceptive sales practice. When we called Tesla to complain they said that they would be installing a Tesla supercharging station in the Madison WI area in the fall of 2013. Not much help if you’re headed north in WI: Madison is about 50 miles each way out of our route. Of course, the bigger problem is that the US government is installing this network of useless charging stations around the country. Who in their right mind is going to plug in to charge their electric vehicle at these stations if they have to wait an hour to recharge the car so it can go an additional 16 – 20 miles???
Plus, when my husband purchased the car at this dealership, the dealership neglected to give him all the paperwork that he needed in order to get a rebate from the State of Illinois. This office should have a packet of the necessary information ready to give IL purchasers when they buy the car. Lousy and deceptive customer service all the way around.

Ever pictured what it would be like to put your spaceship into overdrive and watch the stars turn into beams of light around you?
Test drive the Tesla Roadster.
Ditto Teresa S’ review below — this is the future. I test drove the Roadster and she’s not lying when she says it goes 0 – 60 in 3.7. My head hit the back of the seat the first time I floored it. This CAN’T be an electric car but… IT IS!
What’s awesome about Tesla is these guys talk about themselves as a tech company… not a car company. And its true to their roots: they were a concept born in Silicon Valley to produce the world’s most kick-​ass electric car. Mission accomplished.
In the history of the company, they’ve sold 1,700 Roadsters. In 2012, they’ll be releasing the Sedan (must’ve been delayed since Teresa’s post), for which they already have 4,500 wait-​listers.
This likely coincides with having gone public recently and the need to produce cars that can be sold to a larger demographic… but rest assured these Sedans look HOT.
Get an appointment with one of their excellent employees and take a look into the future (AND have your mind blown.)

The future is here… Tesla electric-​powered motors are truly astounding vehicles. The showroom location itself is on Grand Ave… a great hip area and the Roadster is on display for all of Chicago to experience.
I had the opportunity to get a test drive in the Roadster S and it seriously accelerates 0 – 60 in 3.7 sec… feels like a roller coaster! It’s a gorgeous sporty design that will definitely get noticed on the streets of Chicago. 2011 is when Tesla releases the Model S sedan that seats 7, starting at $ 50K base price. I think I’m going to get on the waiting list!
The Chicago sales team, specifically Seneca Giese, is so knowledgeable and attentive… he knows the car/​the technology and is just wonderful to interact with. He makes it a comfortable experience… with no ‘used-​car salesman’ vibe… quite the opposite because in the end, the car sells itself.
Definitely worth a visit… a test drive!

Tesla makes the Tesla Roadster which is an all electric sports car. It is an incredibly gorgeous, all electric with long battery life, and I understand it is faster than a Porsche. They will be coming out with the Model S sometime in ²⁰¹¹⁄₂₀₁₂ which will be their sedan. I understand that with federal rebates the Roadster is around 100K and the Model S will be around 50K. They are having an open house this Friday and Saturday ¹⁄₂₂ and ¹⁄₂₃ from 10−6pm. Their normal showroom hours are Monday through Saturday 10−6pm and closed Sundays. I do not own any Teslas at this point, but my husband and I and some of our friends are big fans, and I live in the area of this showroom. It is the only Tesla showroom in the midwest and just opened, so it’s very cool. You always see a few Teslas in their showroom through the windows even when they are closed. My favorite Roadster color at this point is orange.