Thanks to all of you who provided the top level advice i was seeking. I particularly valued posts by Todd, Robert and 1079. This was by far the most valued resource for me in sorting out the details, and providing some level of comfort in purchasing a $100K product over the web without seeing it.
I signed paperwork yesterday. Some decisions were easy, some not at all - for anyone going through this process, here's my $0.02. I have never paid more than $20K for a car before, and drive a '97 CL (44K miles) and a '01 Accord EX. Both will last another 20 years at the rate i drive. The Tesla is a passion for me, and affordable now that my tuition bills are starting to wind down. This will almost certainly be the last car I buy, and want to do it right. So:
Easy Decisions:
- 85 KWH: Why spend this much without having maximum range? While i have a nil commute, i'd like to be able to get to NYC on one charge, back and forth from the Cape (can't wait for Cape Wind - at that time, 75% of the Cape will be powered by wind from what i read, which removes any doubt about the impact of an EV), and cross country upon retirement.
- Tech Package: Also a no-brainer. For me, the nav is the core driver - seems that the nav should have been included in the base package, but it's a core requirement, particularly if we try a cross-country. Very helpful in my wife's Prius even locally. Everything else is nice to have. Probably would have opted for it anyway.
- 19" Wheels: There was good information on this in this forum, and the rep (Mitchell, a recent grad from Tulane with Tesla for 2 months) strongly recommend the 19". Robert and Todd's comments supported this. The 21" wheels don't cut it in the winter - especially in New England - and are a costly option regarding tire replacement. Don't need the incremental performance anyway. So despite my family liking the 21" looks, this was among the easiest of decisions.
- Silver: Personal preference, but an easy choice. White/Black don't work for me in New England winters. Nor do the darker colors. Loved the silver color post, which made this another one of the no-brainer decisions.
- Regular Production (not the Performance Option): The way i drive, the 0-60 in 4.4 would only increase my wife's primeval screams and partner's calls for valium. So slightly different rationale than Robert, but also not worth the increment, not to mention forcing the 21" wheels.
A bit of thought decisions:
- Panoramic Roof: Initially, it wasn't obvious that it opened, or how it did. The rep indicated it was automatic and fit flush against the rear. Wasn't sure of the aerodynamic impact either. But at low speeds in great fall days here, it's a must. So this was one of the easier decisions. Good to see most of you opted for this. Looking forward to blue skies.
- Active Air Suspension: Based on my driving, i was leaning against this. The fact that it is mandatory this year (which i learned from this post - and confirm by the fact that i couldn't delete it from my order) made it non-decision. Now that i understand it better, I'd select it without doubt. Been in more than a few snow banks up here, not to mention a bit of off-road. Strongly recommend this for anyone up here based on what i've learned.
- Parcel Shelf: Cost was low enough, and nice to have the protection when parking downtown or by Fenway.
- HPWC: This one was interesting. Rep and many of you recommended against it, in that charging at 31 MPH versus 60 or so MPH would be sufficient for most / all circumstances. Assuming we all have alternative ICE cars, hard to image where this is indeed required. Still, based on the same rationale as opting for the 85 KWH option, why not have the capability for the few times you really need it (e.g., returning from NY and wanting a quick turn around for some social event), given the overall level of spend here (less than 3% of total cost). Go for it.
- Gray Leather: This was on the touger side for me. Not a fan of black - leather or not (summer heat, maintenance). Wish there were more fabric options, as i'm not a fan of leather. This resulted in severely limited set of choices with the Silver option, basically gray or nothing. I was not happy to see that gray might delay delivery (thanks Robert - i did not see the asterisk on my order), but don't feel there is much of a choice here. I see the forum for additional paint options - but think we need one for additional interiors. The sweeteners on the leather option helped, and as someone suggested, leather is expected on a car in this price range - so i guess this would have been the best choice - but i would have liked more options. As excited about delivery as i am, missing a couple of months of New England winter is ok too.
Lacewood: It was hard to visualize the look in the design center - zoom in/out would have helped. I relied on my family's opinion (which ruled out the wood) and comments in the forum in selecting lacewood over piano black. Hopefully, not a big deal - but not as comfortable with this decision as the others.
Harder Decsions for me:
- Sound Studio: I listen mostly to news or nothing, so paying more for a sound system didn't seem to make sense. However, comments above and by the rep indicated that this was one of the better values on the options list, and it would be foolish not to select it. And it goes up to 11. So in the spirit of getting it right, i opted for it - and tasked my kids with building a collection of 60's and classical MP3's. So i change my listening habits for this car.
- Paint Armour: Wow, i spend more time here than on any other choice, and went back and forth multiple times on this. Read the entire paint armour post several times, and see that we're quite divided on this, especially when considering the aftermarket options, not to mention the do-it-yourself option recommended by Nigel. I ended up staring at my '01 Accord, and thought it looked pretty good after 11 years of Boston area driving without protection (am i without doubt have a Boston driving style). So i deleted this one (BTW - i was great that Telsa provides 3 screens for checking your order before submitting, as i had deleted the sound system by mistake first).
Net: Yes, it's all personal preference. But in speding this much for a car with virtually no visibility into the details, especially if you're going to live with these decisions for 20+ years, it good to do your research. I'm grateful for this forum and now feel that i've made the best possible decisions for me. I hope to meet some of you in the new england area once we have delivery. Thanks again to everyone who posted here.
