I’ve been driving my Tesla Y for two years and one month now. Since taking delivery on June 10th, 2021, I have logged about 50,000 miles.
Sticking to just the run-down of essential facts, here’s what I’ve gathered:
I’ve saved around five thousand dollars in gas due to charging it at home mostly.
Tesla Y is not a luxury car. In terms of comfort, the seats aren’t very luxurious – some people even complained they were cheap components – but I’m not too worried about that particular detail.
It has tons of storage space compared to competitors in the same price range; for example, when compared to my Outback, I can fit two extra suitcases with four people and two dogs in the car.
Another word of advice is to make sure you get car with a battery with at least 300 miles range; otherwise, the degradation might be more than expected over time, especially during colder days. I can’t imagine not having range anxiety with a car like Volvo’s that get 240 a charge.
Finally, Tesla’s charging station compatibility may not be as much of an incentive anymore as other vehicles can now use them, but it’s still a good idea to ensure yours works with Tesla.
Two repairs have also been necessary for my time owning this car: replacing a heat pump overnight with a loaner car provided by Tesla and an hour-long bearing replacement which was simple and easy.
Two repairs have also been necessary for my time owning this car: replacing a heat pump overnight with a loaner car provided by Tesla and an hour-long bearing replacement which was simple and easy.
I had ordered a Fisker Ocean to replace my current vehicle, in response to Elon Musk’s fall from grace. I received an email recently asking for the remainder of the balance for the deposit, but I did not proceed with the order.
Tesla’s trade-in value has sunk; there are just too many of them on the road, and I know that I could get more money for my Subaru than my Tesla. I purchased for about $55k with extras included and for a good 12 months I could get just about every penny back, but in the last year, my current trade-in value has dropped to about $29k. There are people who bought the same car I did for $10k more so I’m at least feeling pretty good about that.
And then there’s the fact that the storage capacity for the Fisker is much lower—there isn’t a usable “frunk” and the rear storage area is considerably smaller. But despite all this, I really do enjoy driving it; it’s easy to take care of, so I’ll likely keep it around for some time.
I’ll likely expand maybe to 10 ten things I love and hate about it on TikTok down the road. Overall it’s been an enjoyable experience. I love to drive it and it’s minimal design is what I’m looking for. The only reason I’d not buy again is the Elon factor to be honest. It’s not gonna get better.
Christopher lives in Vermont with his wife, twin boys, border collie and corgi. He has owned a film production company, sold slot machines, and worked for Tony Robbins. He writes in his magical tiny house and sometimes writes in his blog at chrisrodgers.blog
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