[Almuliman]

At least it still has stalks. Test drove a new Model 3 on a lark the other day and while I found it quick (of course) and perfectly comfortable, having the turn signals activate with buttons—what. the. actual. f***—on the steering wheel is an absolute deal breaker*.

Not only are both "buttons" ("pushable areas"?) on the left spoke of the steering wheel, they're also haptic controls, so there's no way to hit them by feel. I missed them literally 75-80% of the time, and while I'm sure that'll get better with time that's completely unacceptable and creates an unsafe condition**

*: Other things get close, but that's the final straw. Or the first straw. Whatever: No stalks, no sale.
**: Just one of at least a few I can think of with Teslas (see also FSD (neither Full, nor Self); Chronically Misaligned Headlights).

[gilberjj]

EVs make great commuters. Instant acceleration, quiet and efficient operation. You never have to go to the gas station again... Lots of pluses.

I have ridden in several Teslas and I get their appeal. I personally detest operating everything through a screen (I hope the auto market unwinds this trend, but I'm doubtful).

For those suggesting a Rav4 or Prius... gross. The driving experiences couldn't be more different, in a bad way. Toyotas are numb and awful to drive.

[SteVTEC]

Originally Posted by x622

I'm going to surprise everyone and say good job OP.

I too don't care for Teslas and probably would of steered them towards a used Tesla that's already taken the depreciation hit, but otherwise have already arrived at the same conclusion.

I personally wouldn't of spent ~51-52k on a Tesla myself but for NPCs or people who don't know about cars they're great. As others have highlighted, normal people think they're "premium" but anyone who's actually driven/owned one knows this is not the case. The acceleration is really something compared to all the putt-putt cars everyone else mentioned, and I'm not sure if I or even they could be swayed by going with a double-poverty tier hyundia/kia EV, especially with their edict of no "basic bitch" cars.

Only other thing on that price bracket worth a damn is a used SQ5 that has had the rocker arms fixed or has an extended warranty. B9 SQ5/S4 EA839s have issues if you look into it, and frankly I think the overall TCO would be worse than the Tesla even factoring all the depreciation that tesla is gonna see.

I invite other members to give a better recommendation in the sub 55k bracket all in that fits well. I like the Prius prime too, it's a sick little mileage dumpster. If I had to drive a billion miles every day or commute that would be my #1 choice.

Nailed it.

Yeah, I mean they really don't care about cars and would never in a million years appreciate the driving dynamics of a BMW or any other more finely tuned German machine. Not what they were looking for. They don't need a zillion features either. The simplicity of the design and interior is perfectly fine for them.

I did actually suggest a used Tesla to lower the price a bit, but they wanted a new car. Price cuts brought it within reason of their price range, and $5k on the hood for in stock models sealed the deal. They're happy so far. Only a few minor issues found as far as the build quality.

[SteVTEC]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

They spent 17 years with a Toyota, how a car drives dynamically is not on their list of concerns. Trust me on this.

Exactly.

[BIGW0RM]

I hate EV's.

[SteVTEC]

Originally Posted by kyriian

I am more surprised they didn't go back to another one... Toyota owners I know, especially non car people ones, always go back to Toyota or Lexus just because its familiar and everyone in their inner circle all have one.

To be fair, SOME Toyotas are a different breed and drives equally well as any BMW, judging by the way the OP's description of the buyer of the car though, I'd assume that 17 year old Toyota is not one of those.

They had a 2006/7 RAV4 V6. I did actually suggest a RAV4 Prime, but they wanted to move on from Toyota. They had bought their RAV4 fresh out of college, and had been driving it since new all these years. Wanted something a bit higher up the rung.