Tesla S competes with E Class MB, latter costs ~55-65k.
100k S Class is much better car than Tesla S.
100k S Class is much better car than Tesla S.
(S Class starts at $215,000. E Class 4 door starts at $79K. Going up to 130 (or 250 for the AMG))
I paid $11,000 for my now 3 year old car when it was 2 years old. I didn't finance it so I didn't pay interest. I average about 35 mpg and drive about 12,000 miles a year. If gas was $4 a gallon that is about $1,412 a year. If I drove 15,000 miles a year that is $1,700 in gas. My owner's manual* says to change the oil once every 10,000 miles or once a year whichever is first. The dealership does that for me for free.
I'd have to drive my car for 30 years to make up the price difference between the cars ($52,000)
If you want to get a luxury car, then get a luxury car, but don't act like you're doing it to save money.
*it is no longer true you have to change your oil every 3,000 miles for most cars.
http://autos.yahoo.com/news/how-do-you-really-know-when-to-c...
http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/4209/is-it-neces...
http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/stop-changing-your-oil.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/your-money/11shortcuts.htm...
I'm interested in seeing your argument re-framed against the Nissan Leaf, which in this case is more of an orange than a Tesla, to your Aveo (?).
So what? I was arguing that nobody is buying a Tesla specifically to save money and that $3k in gas an oil is absurdly high. I didn't say the two cars were comparable, I said one actually saves money on personal transportation. If saving money is actually an issue, it wouldn't make any sense to go Tesla over the other options out there. Everyone has different priorities and "far beyond" is completely and entirely subjective to each person.
I don't have an Aveo but I did rent one before (if I recall correctly) and I didn't like them. I also negotiated the asking price of the dealership WAY WAY down.
Anyway if I made $10 million a year, I wouldn't change a thing about my car purchase.
No doubt there are components of the Tesla S which are nicer than the S Class. But taken holistically, they are not in the same class.
Wheelbase, length, interior volume, rear legroom & headroom, overall refinement are all quite different between the Tesla S and M-B S. Though they do weigh about the same...
But as I said, de gustibus non est disputandum.
I really like the idea of a car that seats a good sized family comfortably but can drag race with an M5. I've driven and loved some very high performance cars, the Tesla is incomparable because of that ridiculous immediacy. Not having to compromise on practicality to get it puts it in a class of its own, IMO.