Technology

I saw one with the Mazda logo that looks pretty good

There are people who use tesla parts to make electric car conversions

A portion also associate EVs and their ilk with environmentalists, and would probably not buy one even if their very lives depended on it.

The difference is Biden is a gun owner. So at least it would be buying a product he actually has. There has been incidents referencing him and his wife having at least a shotgun (so 2+ guns)

With Trump hating on electric cars like he had for so long, and not knowing how to drive, it's a bit different.

there’s only the dealership who can do those repairs.

That's illegal AF in the EU, or at least Germany. They already got into very hot water for trying to price independent repairs out by making their diagnostic software ludicrously expensive.

Obligatory fuck elon before I write the rest of the comment.

I have had a Tesla for 4 years now and as a car they are quite good (newer models got worse).

Super cheap to run, no oil, no filters other than cabin air, no yearly dealership maintenance to keep the warranty. And you charge it at home, super cheap and convenient. (yeah, same applies for any other electric car).

Repair costs (had a few fender benders) are comparable to my old BMW, maybe a bit lower. A door handle never broke on mine, but I just looked and found one on ebay for 15 EUR in case it breaks in the future. Can't say it's unreasonable. There's simply less mechanical things to go wrong with the car, and over time the 3rd party shops can do almost everything, for a similar price to any other car. And if/when the battery ages (8 years warranty), you can still use it at home.

Fun to drive, too, and quite efficient, more than most electric cars.

Nowadays I would never buy one new, and even used it somewhat does rise the price of other Teslas, but I'm not planning to sell mine, I would lose quite a lot of money to end up with a similar car. I am in the market for a second car and it's definitely going to be electric, but no chance for a Tesla.

I've owned a Tesla and I'd say your wrong about pretty much everything here.

The whole point of buying an EV is that it stops polluting after it's been manufactured (ignoring tires) and specifically that you stop polluting your local environment, making it out like used gas powered cars are just as good as used EVs is disingenuous at best.

Until Tesla allows other shops to do repairs, those swastikars will never be economical even if you ignore the Nazi part

Everything on them can be fixed by a regular mechanic, and Tesla isn't stopping it (at least not in Europe). People are getting 3rd party special shops to fix HV batteries and motors on old model S without any issues. Brakes, suspension, steering, LV electrical (windows, lights, handles etc.), AC can be fixed by anyone without issues. And aside from body parts and a few specialty components (their "octovalve" comes to mind), it's mostly standard auto components that can be bought from 3rd party manufacturers without giving Tesla any money.

Edit: a model 3/Y door handle is around $100, of course still expensive but also far below your $1000 example, and on par with an original handle for my old ass Peugeot 308.

Teslas are still wickedly expensive to repair and there's only the dealership who can do those repairs.

Where are you getting that from? There are plenty of 3rd party shops that can and do service Teslas. They even made their repair manuals public and sell the OEM components online.

The cost of that can apparently be over $1k. For a door handle.

That's a door handle on a $100k+ car.