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2014 P85D Owners... hindsight? regrets?

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The difference in driving experience between my P85+ and my P85DL is exceptional and worth every bit of hassle/cost I went through to upgrade. The car represents a tremendous value. The company, on the other hand, is a bit more of an acquired taste :)
 
The difference in driving experience between my P85+ and my P85DL is exceptional and worth every bit of hassle/cost I went through to upgrade. The car represents a tremendous value. The company, on the other hand, is a bit more of an acquired taste :)

This is a serious question.

Do you think you would have made the same comment about the company being a bit more of an acquired taste twelve or eighteen months ago? I ask, because my sense of things, which could be wrong, is that in general a lot of people are a lot less happy with Tesla than they were twelve to eighteen months ago.
 
Since the main reason I went with the P85D was because I didn't want to wait for the 85D, I can't say my position has changed at all.

Funny rereading this because I JUST had my rear bottom next generation seat installed this week...took 10 months but I got them! (The wait on this didn't bother me at all btw, I don't sit in the back seat and I plan on owning the car for quite some time, not leasing it).

My discontent over autopilot/lane keeping has grown considerably tho.



No regrets here, but I think I'm in the minority in terms of motivation...I only got the P85D because I didn't want to wait 3 more months for the 85D.

I have varying degrees of dissatisfaction with the issues you laid out. With the next-gen seats, I have no dissatisfaction. They weren't installed until late May, and since the bottom of my rear seats were damaged, I STILL don't have that installed, but this doesn't bother me as I look at it as getting new seats later on. I was hesitant to get the next gen seats to begin with, since I felt fine driving the normal ones, but I'm glad I did get them.

I'm mildly perturbed by "HP-gate" but that is from a truth in advertising perspective. I've been nothing but pleased with this car from a performance standpoint.

The misleading range increase is probably my biggest gripe, though it's waning as 'water under the bridge'. I don't really need long range, driving a around Boston is REALLY low mileage, and the only longer trip I go on is to NYC, which has plenty of superchargers, so it's, in practice, not really affected by this issue.

Autopilot is a the fastest growing source of dissatisfaction. While I think it's a cool feature, I only see myself it on long, highway, trips, so I didn't mind going the first few months without it. I don't travel far by car very often, but I've made a couple Boston-NYC trips this summer, and I certainly purchased my vehicle last October with the expectation that I'd have lane keeping active by now.

I couldn't care less about autonomous summoning/parking.
 
No, I am not disappointed – actually I love the P85D.

I am a petrol head – I love the smell of two strokes, race fuel and nitromethane. I can appreciate a big block 7 liter Ford or Ferrari V12. I have been on race tracks since I was 8 years old. I love cars.

I bought the Tesla for my everyday car. I wanted 5 seats, room for my gear, handles well, super quick, comfortable, and electric. I am convinced electric is the future.

The P85D is awesome.

Yes, it is not perfect. The voice commands are the equivalent of watching a black and white TV. I use profanity every time I reach around the steering wheel and toggle the driver profile from my 5ft 3” wife so I can get into the car (I sold our BMW because it would not switch profile settings if I accidently grabbed the wrong key).

As for the company – Musk is a revolutionary. Yes, sometimes too optimistic but I love the company. Tesla has no real completion and they build an awesome car. But, I had the right expectations. I was familiar with the roadster and the performance issues (two speed transmission discussions). The model X was years late when I bought the P85D.

I think I set my expectations correctly. I didn’t buy the S for lap times, autobahn speeds or S class luxury. I bought an awesome electric car that fits my needs.
 
I recognize this is a thread on the "P"85D and I am writing about the 85D. My post speaks to the "D" vs. the non "D". I received my 85D in March of this year and have had one opportunity to drive a loaner P85+. I drove the loaner between Austin and Dallas in the rain and was most struck by how easily I could get the wheels on the loaner P85+ to separate from the pavement and fishtail until abruptly correcting as I laid of the pedal. In comparison, I have not been able to replicate this fishtailing on my 85D. The dual motor tracks like the car is on rails. I rarely use my "frunk", so the diminished space is not an issue.
 
No regrets! Got our P85D 12/30/14, would of liked to have auto steer by know but it is not on the new ones either so no regrets. I am slightly disappointed the ludicrous upgrade is not what was advertised and not of the value/price originally though.
 
This is a serious question.

Do you think you would have made the same comment about the company being a bit more of an acquired taste twelve or eighteen months ago? I ask, because my sense of things, which could be wrong, is that in general a lot of people are a lot less happy with Tesla than they were twelve to eighteen months ago.

different company 12-18 months ago. Less flaky on the advertising side but much grater viability risk. An acquired taste either way.
 
different company 12-18 months ago. Less flaky on the advertising side but much grater viability risk. An acquired taste either way.

I also seem to remember lots of other annoyances going back the 18 month to 24 month time frame. Communication, firmware problems (vampire drain anyone?) taking months to resolve, the air suspension saga... I really don't think Tesla bas changed much except they are more stable and successful. Ok QA out of the factory seems better, but it kinda had to be.
 
No regrets... no hindsights.

There is so much to love about this car (P85D) that the minor annoyances of not having the autopilot or missing out on upgrades etc... are so inconsequential to my happiness that they don't even register a blip. I would do it again knowing what I know now (in fact it would be easier as my expectations would be lower).

In fact, I often reflect on cars I sell and wonder how I would own it differently knowing it will be in someone else's hands one day. I drive my cars harder now and have much less care about rock chips and other cosmetic dings than I used to. To me a car is to use to it's fullest for the time you own it. Don't get me wrong, I wash my car 1-2 times a week and detail it often... I just don't sweat the small stuff.
 
No regrets... no hindsights.

There is so much to love about this car (P85D) that the minor annoyances of not having the autopilot or missing out on upgrades etc... are so inconsequential to my happiness that they don't even register a blip. I would do it again knowing what I know now (in fact it would be easier as my expectations would be lower).

In fact, I often reflect on cars I sell and wonder how I would own it differently knowing it will be in someone else's hands one day. I drive my cars harder now and have much less care about rock chips and other cosmetic dings than I used to. To me a car is to use to it's fullest for the time you own it. Don't get me wrong, I wash my car 1-2 times a week and detail it often... I just don't sweat the small stuff.

This ^^^^^, in spades...
 
I don't understand the problem with the announced 0-60 and quarter mile times. I own a 2007 Z06 Corvette and no one questions it's 0-60 and quarter mile times which are based on the same 1 foot rollout as the Tesla P85D. My P85D is much quicker off the line but the Corvette will run the same quarter mile time but at a much higher speed. Most manufactures use the one foot rollout and so do the major US based auto magazines. So for comparisons with other cars the 3.2 0-60 and 11.7 quarter mile times are proper and what you will get if you run the cars at the drags.