Elon Musk admits he always tells his friends not to buy cars from his company

Elon Musk has revealed when you shouldn't buy one of his Tesla electric cars – at least not when he's ramping up production.

The world's richest man could well afford to be frank as he admitted his Model 3 was plagued with dodgy paint jobs.

He added its welding was a "Frankenstein situation" due to production teething issues, the Times reports.

The eccentric South African, 49, raised eyebrows as he agreed with industry analyst Sandy Munro who blasted his Teslas.

Mr Munro compared the Model 3 to a "Kia in the 90s".

He added gaps in its exteriors had left him thinking: "I can't imagine how they released this".

But Musk, whose second SpaceX prototype spaceship blew up as it landed in Texas, US, earlier this week, said: "I thought your criticisms were accurate.

"Prototypes are easy and fun, [but] reaching volume production with reliable parts and affordable price is excruciatingly difficult."

He added: "Friends ask me: 'When should I buy a Tesla?'

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"And I'm like: 'Well, either buy it right at the beginning, or when the production reaches a steady state. During that production ramp, it's super hard to get everything right on the little details.'"

Musk has admitted he slept in the Tesla factory in California during all-night shifts trying to make the selfdriving electric car work during work on the Model 3.

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His comments have been likened to other infamous admissions by company chiefs.

British jewellery boss Gerald Ratner said he sold "total crap" in 1991, wiping £500million off his company's value.

He said: "People say: 'How can you sell this for such a low price?'

"I say: 'Because it's total crap'."

David Shepherd, former Topman marketing chief said: "Very few of our customers have to wear suits to work. They'll be for his first interview or first court case."

Keith Cochrane, former group chief executive of Stagecoach said on US customers: "American bus clientele can be riff-raff".

John Pluthero, ex-UK chairman of Cable & Wireless, said in a memo to staff: "Congratulations, we work for an underperforming business in a crappy industry and it's going to be hell for the next 12 months."

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