Maybe I am just not that picky. I remember my friend almost got a Tesla but he was complaining about the stitching in the seat, I could not care less about that. So he got a Lexus instead, now he complains about rising gas prices.
I obviously can't speak to your experiences, but this conversation is one you see quite often around any popular luxury product.
Teslas are popular, so for many it's the first expensive car they've splurged to get. This also means they don't know what that amount of money could've gotten them from another manufacturer. Whether another manufacturer would win over a given customer considering a Tesla is up to the personal taste of the customer, but most people splurge for the Tesla, and not any car at a given price point, looking at the pros and cons, then choosing the Tesla as the best option.
It's also one you'll see with Apple laptops. You'll see someone swear that a MacBook is the best computer they've ever owned. However, the MacBook is $2500 and their last many computers were $600 from Walmart. Of course the MacBook is better, the question is if it's better than everything comparable. I personally think the new MBPs with M1 Pro/Max chips will be, but was a MBA pre-M1 better than the comparable XPS? I'm less inclined to agree.
I think you have a good point here. Anecdotally, I had been waiting for the electric cars to hit the markets for over 10 years before even getting a driver’s license (yes, I’m a treehugger) when I finally decided to buy, it dawned on me that for the same amount of money as a model 3, I could get a nice BMW, Mercedes or Audi. After testing them all the Tesla didn’t make the grade and I’m the happiest BMW-hybrid owner.
Opportunity cost is a very real thing when buying anything in this price range.
